Born at just 12.4 ounces, little Zahraliz Francis Angueria and her family have something to celebrate. She and her mother had to fight the odds to survive. Now the tiny miracle is doing well enough that she’s been released from the hospital and is at home with her family.
Image via St. Francis Hospital’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
Doctors admitted her mother to St. Francis Hospital on February 18 for pre-term labor symptoms. Two days later, the pregnant mom fell sick with a respiratory virus. She was then transferred to the Intensive Care Unit. Four days later at 22 weeks into her pregnancy, her “micro-preemie miracle” came into the world. Born at 1:03 a.m. on February 22nd, she weighed less than a pound.
Because of her small and pre-term status, she was at risk for a number of possible health issues. The St. Francis Level III NICU team, led by Jose Arias-Camison, M.D., worked hard to make sure she survived, despite all the challenges.
In just a few short months, Zahraliz grew to 7 pounds, 5 ounces. With her health stable and her weight where it likely would have been at birth, doctors allowed her to go home. All in all, her stay was 128 days, but she left the hospital just three days after her original due date. The entire team gathered in the hospital rotunda to see the family off.
Her family expressed their deep gratitude for the care and support they received.
“I just want to share with everyone how caring the people I met at Saint Francis were,” said Angueira. “I am so grateful for the kindness and support that was given to us.”
