After 334 Long Days in the NICU, This Baby Born Under 2 Pounds Finally Gets to Leave
MAPLE GROVE, Minn. (WCCO) – A Minnesota baby who was born weighing less than 2 pounds is home with his family after a record-breaking 334 days in the neonatal intensive care unit.
Baby Adonis has beaten the odds before even leaving the hospital. He was born last October at 24 weeks and five days, weighing just 1 pound, 8 ounces, after his mother, Jasmin Wellington, went into labor early. His survival and full recovery were considered a long shot.
“The first couple of days, he was really, really sick,” said Katherine Martinson, a nurse at North Memorial Health. “I remember going home and coming back and saying, ‘I hope and pray he’s still here.’”
Baby Adonis, who was born last October weighing just 1 pound, 8 ounces, is home with his family after 334 days in the NICU.(Source: WCCO via CNN)
Adonis was intubated for months and contracted MRSA, which stands for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, and pneumonia on separate occasions.
“It’s been a lot of ups and downs. It’s been a long journey. Definitely a lot of anxiety in the beginning when he had more critical care,” Wellington said. “It’s hard to describe a long NICU journey like this. I really don’t know how I even survived.”
Finally, after 334 days of fighting – the longest NICU stay in hospital history – Adonis was healthy enough to go home with his family Friday.
“He was a fighter since the very beginning,” Martinson said. “I want people to believe in miracles ‘cause he really is. He really is a miracle.”
Adonis’ parents credit their faith for pulling them through.
“It was God’s plan because we didn’t have no control of anything,” said Junior Rancy-Quaye, Adonis’ father. “Just have faith. Put your trust in God. That’s the only recipe that we’ve got.”
For the time being, Adonis will still need daily oxygen as his lungs continue to get stronger. As he nears his first birthday, he weighs more than 20 pounds.
“I’m just grateful for his life and his destiny, and he’s definitely meant to be here,” Wellington said.
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