Baby Julian Leaves NICU After 154 Days, Defying 15% Survival Odds
Updated
Updated · Good Morning America · Jul 17
Baby Julian Leaves NICU After 154 Days, Defying 15% Survival Odds
1 articles · Updated · Good Morning America · Jul 17
Summary
Julian went home from Tufts Medical Center on June 29 after 154 days in intensive care, five months after being delivered in an ambulance during a Massachusetts blizzard.
Born at an estimated 22 to 23 weeks and weighing just under 1 pound, he arrived critically ill and needed a specialized ventilator plus support for his lungs, eyes, adrenal glands and blood pressure.
Dr. Jaclyn Boulais said babies of Julian's age and size face about 15% survival odds, making his discharge remarkable; he left alert, bottle feeding and weighing nearly 10 pounds.
Julian still went home on oxygen support, but doctors described him as a healthy baby overall after avoiding major brain bleeding and other severe complications common in extreme prematurity.
His mother, Alysha MacDougall, said she had not known she was pregnant because repeated tests were negative while she was being treated for PMOS, a condition linked to cryptic pregnancy.