Baby gives mom the ultimate present, goes home for Mother's Day after 65 days in the NICU

Fla., May 11, 2018 — ORLANDO, Fla., May 11, 2018 — For 65 days, Andrea Small has been counting down the minutes until she’s able to receive the ultimate Mother’s Day gift: having her baby home in time to celebrate the special occasion.

Braelynn Hope Small was born March 5, when she was 26 weeks old. She weighed just two pounds and was 14 inches long.

“I’ve wanted to be a mom since I’m a little girl, and it was a bonus that she’s a girl,” said Small. “She’s just really sweet. Girls are the best — and a lot stronger!”

Small’s journey to motherhood hasn’t been an easy one — a previous pregnancy also resulted in a premature birth at 23 weeks, and the baby passed away six weeks later.

Babies born prematurely often need intensive medical care because their essential organs are underdeveloped. Despite the odds, Braelynn didn’t require surgeries during her stay at Florida Hospital for Children’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.

“She’s my rainbow baby,” said Small. “Mother’s Day is a special day because I’m a mom, and that’s the most important thing.”

The expert, round-the-clock care in the NICU gave Braelynn just what she needed to thrive, and today she weighs almost five pounds and is in great health.

“She’s doing great,” said Kreangkai Tyree, neonatologist at Florida Hospital for Children. “She’s growing, thriving and meeting all of the milestones for her gestational age. She has a wonderful loving family that she’s going home to.”

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