Smallest baby born in a public hospital in Brazil, discharged

Emanuelly — Manu for short — came into the world weighing only 11.8 ounces and measuring 9.8 inches. This little warrior is considered the smallest baby born in a public hospital in Brazil.

The premature delivery was performed in the 26th week of gestation. Her mother, Camila Soares, had high blood pressure and the baby was no longer getting nutrients through the placenta properly. This put both of their lives at risk.

Doctors at the Vila Santa Catarina Hospital, in São Paulo, warned the parents that Emanuelly had only a 2% chance of surviving.

At that moment, an intense battle for the baby’s life began.

From the delivery room, the baby was immediately taken to the NICU. There, the medical team faced the first difficulty: intubating the baby to help her breathe. The cannula had to be very thin and the maneuvers performed by doctors and nurses had to be very precise. But they pulled it off!

They also had to have recourse to the private health network to obtain ventilators with the exact precision needed not to hurt Emanuelly's small organs.

Another challenge: The premature baby had to be fed intravenously. Can you imagine the difficulty of trying to get a needle into the vein of a newborn weighing less than a pound?

“Despite the difficulty, it worked out extremely well, and that was how she was nourished during the first days of life, because her entire digestive system was unready for her to start eating,” explained doctor Luísa Zagne to Brazilian television network TV Globo.

Due to the restrictions required in the NICU and the delicate condition of the premature baby, Emanuelly's mother Camila could only touch her daughter for the first time seven days after the birth, although from the start she monitored her daughter’s health closely and was always talking to her.

However, Camila had to wait an entire month to fulfill the dream of holding her daughter in her arms. “It was my first contact with my daughter. I could feel that little heart beating, her breathing,” she says. She had already suffered two miscarriages. "I managed to deal with all of this thanks to Manu's strength to survive," added the mother.

That little girl who had a 2% chance of surviving continued developing every day. After five months in the NICU, the little warrior reached 5 lb and 17 in. So, she was ready to leave the hospital and go home, where she will continue to be monitored by specialists.

When she was discharged, the battalion of nurses, doctors, and other health professionals who took care of Manu at the hospital gathered to say goodbye to the little one and celebrate this victory of life!