Preterm Baby’s Heartwarming Video Will Leave You In Tears

A premature birth happens when a baby is born before term, i.e., around 37 weeks. But, little Ward Miles was born around 3.5 months, almost 15 weeks before term, he was a special child. Weighing in at a little under 1.5 lbs (680 gms) at birth, mom Lyndsey only got to pick her son up in her arms around four days after his birth. But, homecoming was still far away.

Ward had the slimmest of survival chances, with all sorts of tubes and medical devices attached to his barely visible body for close to 107 days. After close to 3.5 months in the hospital, his anxious mom was finally able to take him home.

Now, she has released a heartwarming video of Ward’s first year. It leads us through the journey of a baby battling for survival, and his mom hoping for him to make it. We promise this one will leave you with tears in your eyes. So, here is Ward Miles’ magical first year.

What makes Miles’ journey all the more incredible is how early he was born. According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine, premature babies are at a high chance of infant mortality (death within the first year of life) and neonatal mortality (death within the first month of life). The shorter the term of pregnancy, the higher the risk of mortality for the baby. Typically, preterm babies need all kinds of support and need to be constantly monitored to increase their chances of survival.

Around 1 out of 10 babies is born prematurely, before 37 weeks of pregnancy. But, this isn’t a cause for alarm today, as most modern medical technology can help babies who weigh less than a kilogram survive and grow to become healthy and strong children.

Once a baby completes 20 weeks, he becomes viable, which means he can breathe air, and he has developed everything he needs to survive outside the womb. But, such a baby needs intensive care, and a prolonged hospital stay, just like Ward did. Every day in utero is crucial to an unborn baby.

Babies born during week 30-35 may develop respiratory problems, and may need oxygen to survive.

Most doctors wouldn’t have given tiny Ward many chances of surviving the first month, let alone live through an entire year. Mom Lyndsey feels that it was all down to little Ward’s will to make it through and survive. We pray that he, like many other prematurely born children, grows up to be a healthy boy.

Was this article helpful?
thumbsupthumbsdown
The following two tabs change content below.