Makerita Miracle Tanuvasa, believed to be Australia’s youngest preemie to survive, has been discharged from hospital.
Mum Annrose confessed that when the little girl was born at 21 weeks and three days, weighing just 351 grams, “I took one look at her and I was like, ‘There’s no way she’s gonna make it’.”
The tiny baby spent her first 14 weeks in intensive care at the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital, before transferring to Queensland’s Logan Hospital. But now, almost five months after her birth, Makerita is home with her family.
‘Precious’
Looking back, dad Misi recalls: “She was about like hand-size, like our palm. We weren’t able to hold her, but it was yeah, she was very, very small.”
Sharing their experience online, Annrose said: “At the beginning of this journey, we all went day by day, hour by hour, minute by minute. The room was always just quiet and seemed so dark.”
“As the days went by and she grew more stronger and tolerated things given to her a lot better, the room got brighter and the conversations were all about her future.”
Just a few weeks before Makerita’s discharge, Logan Hospital declared: “This precious little girl has spent more than 100 days in hospital after making her early arrival into the world.
“Parents Annrose and Misi are completely smitten with their little girl, who is growing stronger with every feed, cuddle and milestone, and now weighs more than six times her birth weight!”
Viability
In Britain, abortion is available for most reasons up to 24 weeks, the age at which babies are deemed to be ‘viable’ outside the womb.
It was not until 2019 that the British Association of Perinatal Medicine updated guidance to advise that it is possible for doctors to save the lives of children born at 22 weeks. Previously, it stated that they had no chance of survival.
Celebrations as preemie born at 22 weeks arrives home