{"id":313348,"date":"2024-06-06T10:56:43","date_gmt":"2024-06-06T15:56:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.liveaction.org\/news\/?p=313348"},"modified":"2024-06-06T00:40:33","modified_gmt":"2024-06-06T05:40:33","slug":"miracle-baby-smallest-surviving-preemie","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/miracle-baby-smallest-surviving-preemie\/","title":{"rendered":"The smallest surviving preemie in the US, born 17 weeks early, is finally home"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>

Last month, a tiny miracle unfolded in Iowa when baby Evelyn Eilers went home from the hospital. Evelyn holds a unique title \u2014 the tiniest surviving preemie born in the United States, according to the Tiniest Babies Registry<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Evelyn, born 17 weeks early in September 2023, weighed just 8.46 ounces \u2014 less than a can of soda. Her incredible journey, shared by University of Iowa Health Care<\/a>, underscores the reality that every life is precious and worth fighting for.<\/p>\n

Evelyn\u2019s parents, Emily and Ted Eilers, were not planning to start a family, but life had other plans. Emily, a nurse at the University of Iowa, was just a week away from starting graduate classes when she discovered she was pregnant.<\/p>\n

Things took a challenging turn when a 16-week ultrasound revealed that Evelyn\u2019s growth was alarmingly slow; she was only in the first percentile for growth. Doctors were concerned she wouldn\u2019t make it to 24 weeks.<\/p>\n

At 23 weeks, Emily noticed a decrease in Evelyn\u2019s movements, sparking immediate worry. She couldn\u2019t shake the feeling that something was wrong. Just two days before her next doctor\u2019s appointment, Emily called the hospital about the decreased movements, noting the growth restriction diagnosis.<\/p>\n

A hospital visit to ensure everything was okay quickly escalated, and Evelyn was born by emergency C-section. She was immediately placed in the neonatal intensive care unit, beginning her fight for survival.<\/p>\n

Despite her tiny size, Evelyn\u2019s initial challenge was met successfully: she could accommodate a breathing tube, crucial for her survival. Dr. Timothy \u201cTJ\u201d Boly, a leading neonatologist, marveled at her tenacity. \u201cShe was one of the smallest infants I\u2019ve ever treated, but her resilience was evident from the start,\u201d he recalled.<\/p>\n

READ:<\/strong> After 25 foster families, this 11-year-old has finally found a forever home<\/em><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Evelyn\u2019s journey was fraught with complications. In her first week, one of her lungs began to collapse, and she suffered from dehydration. At one month old, she developed necrotizing enterocolitis, a dangerous intestinal infection, and capillary leak syndrome, which causes blood vessels to leak fluid into surrounding tissues.<\/p>\n

The University of Iowa\u2019s medical team, led by Dr. Boly, implemented an innovative treatment protocol for capillary leak syndrome, combining high-dose steroids, asthma medication to repair capillaries, and IV immunoglobulin to bolster the immune system. This protocol, developed by the institution\u2019s physician-scientists, significantly improved her chances of survival. Soon after, Evelyn began to thrive.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was amazing to see her just become a baby who liked to interact in real life and loved having people around \u2014 she was a smiley, happy girl almost immediately,\u201d Dr. Boly said. \u201cShe was able to tolerate getting more and more milk into her belly and to grow. And then she just flourished and developed.\u201d<\/p>\n

After more than seven months in intensive care, Evelyn finally went home, weighing a healthy 7 pounds 8 ounces. Though she still requires oxygen and a feeding tube, she is otherwise a typical newborn \u2014 happy, healthy, and thriving.<\/p>\n

Adjusting to life at home presented new challenges for Emily and Ted, who had become accustomed to the constant support of hospital staff, but they are overjoyed by the miracle of their daughter. \u201cWe had to learn to manage everything ourselves, but we found our rhythm,\u201d Emily said.<\/p>\n

Reflecting on their journey, Ted expressed immense gratitude. \u201cWe never expected to face such a difficult path, but we were incredibly fortunate to be surrounded by such skilled and compassionate caregivers,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

For the Eilerses, Evelyn\u2019s status as the tiniest surviving baby in the U.S. is a footnote in a much larger story of love, community support, medical excellence, and resilience. \u201cTo us, she\u2019s simply Evelyn, our little fighter,\u201d Emily said.<\/p>\n

Evelyn\u2019s story is a poignant reminder of the miracles that can unfold even in the tiniest of packages. There are preemies all over the world right now demonstrating the same indomitable spirit of Evelyn.<\/p>\n

Evelyn’s life, along with the lives of all these precious babies, is a reminder that every day is a gift.<\/p>\n

The DOJ put a pro-life grandmother in jail for protesting the killing of preborn children. Please take 30-seconds to TELL CONGRESS: STOP THE DOJ FROM TARGETING PRO-LIFE AMERICANS.<\/i><\/b><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Last month, a tiny miracle unfolded in Iowa when baby Evelyn Eilers went home from the hospital. Evelyn holds a unique title \u2014 the tiniest surviving preemie born in the United States, according to the Tiniest Babies Registry. Evelyn, born 17 weeks early in September 2023, weighed just 8.46 ounces \u2014 less than a can […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":809,"featured_media":313353,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false},"categories":[9455,3473],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nThe smallest surviving preemie in the US, born 17 weeks early, is finally home<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Last month, a miracle unfolded in Iowa when baby Evelyn Eilers went home. 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