Emotional Moment 23-week ‘Micropreemie’ Finally Leaves Hospital to Head Home After 148-day NICU Journey

This is the emotional moment a ‘micro-preemie’ born 1lb 6oz at just 23 weeks (about five-and-a-half months) was finally able to leave the hospital to go home after a 148-day NICU journey.

Mom Selena Lopez, from Fort Worth, Texas, thought she was experiencing belly cramps at work on December 1, 2023, until later that evening, when her pain continued getting worse.

During the night, she told her mom about the worsening pain, who immediately rushed her to their local ER, where staff told Selena she was already 9cm dilated and that her baby was breech.

In a whirlwind few moments, she was then rushed to Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Fort Worth because doctors said her baby would have a better chance of survival there.

After arriving, Selena was taken in for an emergency C-Section in the early hours of December 2 while her partner Christian, 23, and Selena’s mom had to wait outside, hoping for positive news.

When she woke, hospital staff explained her daughter had a 35% chance of survival and how it was likely many complications lay ahead of them.

But baby Viviana never gave up fighting, and during their 148-day NICU journey, Selena and Christian captured milestone moments on video, including the first time they held their daughter.

READ MORE: Nano Preemie Born at Just 24 Weeks Gets Guard of Honor as They Graduate From NICU

Finally, on April 28, 2024, they walked through the halls of the NICU for the final time, with the memories of the previous five months visibly flashing across their emotional faces, fighting back tears.

Selena, who shared their journey online inspiring other parents, said: “It was the most traumatic experience I’ve had – the whole day I thought I had cramps because my uterus and belly was growing.

“I didn’t have any complications or anything up until that day, and at night, I was trying to sleep, but the cramps kept getting worse.

“I told my mom, and she rushed me to the local ER, and they checked if I was dilated, and I was 9cm – my body went into unexpected labor.

“The doctor came in and told me my baby was breech, and they were going to get an ambulance to take me to Fort Worth because the baby wouldn’t survive if I had it there.

“Once I got to Fort Worth, they did an emergency C-Section, and when I woke up, another doctor came in and told me my daughter had a 35% chance of living and she was going to have a lot of complications.

READ MORE: Preemie Baby Gives Mom ‘Bonus Smiles’ When Bathed

“The 148 days my daughter spent at the hospital were the most beautiful and exhausting days I’ve ever had to experience.

“Thankfully, she didn’t get any surgery, but she did have two small PDAs, and after multiple different kinds of oxygen machines and her going home date moved twice, she finally got to come home with the lowest setting of oxygen – which again thankfully, she was able to let go of once she was home.

“It was the day we got to go home as a family; it was the most exciting and emotional day. I had flashbacks of her being only 1lb and thankful she beat the odds.

“My family was so emotional, and my parents got to walk the NICU with us.

“To others, don’t lose hope, I know it’s easier said than done but babies are so resilient.”

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