In a world where the news seem heavy and dark, it's so great to see stories that are happy and uplifting and bring feelings of joy and hope. That is exactly what a new mama named Alana Murrell gave to the world when she shared her story about giving birth to her child prematurely. The mom and her child had a rough 11 weeks, but they had such a happy ending when she was able to take her baby home from the hospital.
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Baby Gloria Mariselda Patten was born at 26 weeks old in February—and after 80 days in the neonatal intensive care unit at the McAllen Medical Center in McAllen, Texas, she was able to go home in May. The hospital staff couldn't let her leave without a major celebration, and they hosted a mini graduation for the child on the day she left the medical center.
The baby was born 26 weeks into the mom's pregnancy.
Alana was only 26 weeks into her pregnancy when she went into labor and had to have an emergency C-section. The mom gave birth to her first baby, Gloria, on February 29, and the newborn weighed just 2 pounds. Gloria was placed on a ventilator, and the mom told Good Morning America that she wasn't able to hold her child until two weeks after she was born. "She was so tiny and I just remember how painstaking of a process it would be just so I could hold her," the mom said. "We'd have to get the whole team to come over to transfer her from the incubator to my arms."
The mom shared her child's milestones.
Gloria's stay at the hospital took place amid hospitals putting restrictions on visitors in place due to the global pandemic. The new parents were able to see their daughter only one at a time for just a few hours a day. The dad worried about spreading the virus to his child and other babies who were staying in the NICU, so he couldn't hold his own baby for quite some time. "It was all to keep the NICU safe and we understood that, but as brand new parents, it felt like we were a world away from her," the mom told GMA. "My husband held her for the first time when she came home."
The nurses gathered around the mom during this tough time.
It is not easy to see your child struggle, but having a team of loving and caring nurses behind you must help any mom going through an experience like this one—especially due to the circumstances that hospitals are in at the moment. They made sure to line the hallways to say goodbye to the baby who also made a lasting impact on the medical workers. "This is our first baby who really stayed with us during this new time," registered nurse and NICU supervisor DeeDee Cantu told Good Morning America. "It was very emotional. There were a lot of tears."
They even got her a little cap and gown.
Alana did her best to stay connected to her child throughout the 11 weeks, even though she couldn't see her all the time. "She provided breast milk all throughout the baby's stay and she visited almost every day," nurse Enedelia Reyna said about the mom. "And they read to the baby all day, which is very important and was heartwarming to watch, to say the least." The mom wanted to celebrate her daughter's accomplishment, so she sewed a cap and gown small enough so her baby girl could wear it to her "graduation."
The baby received a sweet farewell parade from the hospital's staff.
Mom Alana and dad Jon Patten were able to take their baby girl home with them on Tuesday, May 19. She spent 80 days in the NICU at the McAllen Medical Center, and medical workers cheered for her and her mom as she was taken out of the hospital. "GRADUATION DAY!! Our Leap Year Miracle! Gloria Mariselda was born at 26 weeks on Leap Year. She has been in the NICU for 11 weeks. Shes our little SUPERHERO!" the mom shared on Facebook. Alana said that she will view the hospital staff as "part of our family now."
She said: "They loved on her. They knew her. She wasn't just a baby in bed 13. She was Gloria."
The baby has made so much progress.
The mom said that Gloria is now weighing 6 pounds and is able to breathe on her own. She was given oxygen to go home with for extra support and will be monitored closely by doctors to make sure she is developing and growing the way she is expected to.
These pics from the big day are adorable.
The South Texas Health System shared some adorable pics of the baby and the mom from the day Gloria was dischraged from the hospital. "We are pleased to share that baby Gloria has graduated from the STHS McAllen NICU after 80 days in our hospital," the post's caption read. "Gloria was born premature at 26 weeks old and weighing two pounds. Her parents, Alana and Jon, took her home for the first time yesterday."
