After five months in the neonatal intensive care unit at Dignity Health St Joseph’s Hospital and Medical centre in Phoenix, Arizona, parents Ebonie and Dameon have been allowed to take their daughter home after her miraculous birth.
At birth, baby Kallie weighed in at a mere 13oz, which works out about the same weight as a can of soup. Photos taken by the couple show the size of the newborn, with the father, Dameon, being able to fit his wedding ring around his newborn’s arm, with considerable room spare, and the mother, Ebonie, photographing her daughter next to a ‘Barbie’ doll, which is shown to be bigger than the child.
Having arrived at the hospital in May, Kallie had to undergo several procedures, including complex heart surgery, to attempt to increase her, then slim, chances of survival. Doctors had previously warned the parents that it was unlikely Kallie would survive, with the baby having to be delivered early due to problems such as the high blood pressure of mum, Ebonie, as well as a lack of amniotic fluid around the baby, resulting in the baby being seen as too small during an ultrasound.
In an interview with ‘Good Morning America’, Ebonie said “She’s a feisty girl”, adding “its bittersweet to leave. But she’s an amazing little fighter and I can’t wait to see the personality she brings to our family.” When talking to reporters, the mum of four also took the time to thank those at the hospital who had helped during their extended stay, saying “I could not be more grateful for the doctors here and for our three primary nurses”, “ They love Kallie and took such good care of her every day that we were here”.
