After spending more than 500 days in the hospital, first in the neonatal intensive care unit and then, after turning one, in the pediatric critical care unit, an Illinois mother told Good Morning America she is delighted to have her 18-month-old daughter home with her.
Autumn was born 23 weeks early in March 2021. She was a micro-preemie, weighing just 1.1 pounds, with bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), a kind of chronic lung illness, among other prematurity-related problems. Doctors gave the infant girl a 50% chance of surviving at the time since they weren’t sure if she would.
“We are aware that the baby’s chance of survival is approximately 50% when a patient is going to give birth at 23 weeks. And so, when Autumn was initially born, doctors at Chicago’s Lurie Children’s Hospital gave her a 50/50 chance of life,” according to Dr. Megan Lagoski in Good Morning Africa.
After Autumn was admitted to the hospital at the age of five months, Lagoski, who is also the director of the only bronchopulmonary dysplasia program in Illinois at Lurie Children’s, would eventually see and treat her.
She was experiencing perilous drops in her oxygen saturation, to the point that her pulse rate would also drop, and her life was in jeopardy, according to Lagoski. Autumn endured a variety of medical treatments at Lurie Children’s, including oxygen therapy, different types of medication, and surgery to insert a breathing tube.
She actually did need some sedation or additional meds to keep her calm while her lungs gradually recovered from this period of sickness, according to Lagoski. We were able to help her start doing regular baby activities and have more meaningful relationships with her mother once we were able to get her excellent support on the breathing machine.
Tyler Robinson, who is Autumn’s mom, claims the minor spent 524 days in the hospital, a lengthy period that was rife with uncertainties and impossibly difficult challenges. Robinson made it a point to see her daughter and talk to Autumn every day.
Through it all, Robinson made sure to commemorate each achievement and acknowledge each holiday and birthday, in part to lift the spirits of fellow patients in the NICU. Robinson claimed that her first-hand knowledge of the anguish that parents, carers, and medical personnel deal with on a daily basis came from her time spent in the NICU with her daughter.
“It’s NICU Awareness Month in September, so I should draw attention to the demand for additional counselors. Talk to the parents about the traumatic nature of childbirth and PTSD “said Robinson.
Robinson hopes her kid will understand in the future that her love for her never ends. “Mommy received excellent support from family, friends, and the hospital staff. But I did everything for her, no matter what “stated Robinson. “I gave a lot up for her, but I’d do it again. Because I love her, I would do anything all over again for her.”
Autumn is a fighter and we wish her the best as she climbs this milestone.
