Wow. And to think that I once thought I was the smallest preemie on the planet.
Compared to this precious little girl, my 2-lb. birthweight was overweight.
Little E’Layah Faith Pegues came into this world three and a half months early – weighing only 10 ounces. And according to neonatologist, Dr. Andrew Herman; who says the baby’s entire body – from head to toe – fit into the palm of his hand, she was not expected to survive.
“To be honest, we were unsure if E’Layah was going to make it,” Herman said, “but the doctor who delivered her could see she had a fighting chance, and her parents never lost faith it was possible she’d survive.”
CBS Charlotte affiliate WBTV first visited the family in the hospital, just after the baby’s original due date.
The team of doctors at Carolinas Medical Center where E’layah was born called her “Tater Tot.” The baby was then moved to Levine Children’s Hospital.
“Even our equipment, even our diapers that we have for our smallest babies were too big for her. So, we had to be very creative in taking care of her,” said Dr. Jessica Clark-Pounder of Levine Children’s Hospital.
Babies like E’layah are considered premature if they’re born before 37 weeks of pregnancy. (Full term is about 40 weeks.) In 2014, preterm birth affected about one out of every 10 infants born in the U.S., according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The Centers for Disease Control states:
In 2014, black infants were about 50% more likely to be born preterm than white, Hispanic, and Asian/Pacific Islander infants. Reasons for this difference are an area of intense research.
Read/learn more at CBS News.
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