by Miracle ᴘʀᴇᴍᴀᴛᴜʀᴇ Baby Born At Just 22 Weeks Saved By Mᴇᴅɪᴄ Usɪɴɢ Sᴀɴᴅᴡɪᴄʜ Bag
Baby Eris was placed straight into a plastic bag to keep her ᴠɪᴛᴀʟ ᴏʀɢᴀɴs ᴡᴀʀᴍ – ᴘʀᴇᴠᴇɴᴛɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴇ ʀɪsᴋ ᴏF ʜʏᴘᴏᴛʜᴇʀᴍɪᴀ – ᴡʜɪʟsᴛ ᴍᴜᴍ Cᴀʏᴄᴇ Lᴇᴇ, 37, ᴡᴀs ᴜɴᴅᴇʀ ɢᴇɴᴇʀᴀʟ ᴀɴᴀᴇsᴛʜᴇᴛɪᴄ.
A ᴘʀᴇᴍᴀᴛᴜʀᴇ baby born at 22 weeks ᴡᴀs sᴀᴠᴇᴅ ʙʏ ʀᴇsᴏᴜʀᴄᴇFᴜʟ ᴍᴇᴅɪᴄs ᴜsɪɴɢ ᴀ sᴀɴᴅᴡɪᴄʜ ʙᴀɢ. Little Eris unexpectedly entered the world at 22 weeks and five days, weighing the same as a small can of soup at 1lb 1oz. She was placed straight into a plastic bag to keep her ᴠɪᴛᴀʟ ᴏʀɢᴀɴs ᴡᴀʀᴍ – ᴘʀᴇᴠᴇɴᴛɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴇ ʀɪsᴋ ᴏF ʜʏᴘᴏᴛʜᴇʀᴍɪᴀ – ᴡʜɪʟsᴛ ᴍᴜᴍ Cᴀʏᴄᴇ Lᴇᴇ, 37, ᴡᴀs ᴜɴᴅᴇʀ ɢᴇɴᴇʀᴀʟ ᴀɴᴀᴇsᴛʜᴇᴛɪᴄ following the ᴇᴍᴇʀɢᴇɴᴄʏ ᴄ-sᴇᴄᴛɪᴏɴ.
Cayce, 37 and her husband Dennis, 35, prepared to sᴀʏ ɢᴏᴏᴅʙʏᴇ ᴏɴ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴛʜᴀɴ ᴏɴᴇ ᴏᴄᴄᴀsɪᴏ during the 254 days in the ɴᴇᴏɴᴀᴛᴀʟ ɪɴᴛᴇɴsɪᴠᴇ ᴄᴀʀᴇ ᴜɴɪᴛ (NICU). Cayce, from Lewisville, North Carolina US, said: “I was always quite ɴᴇʀᴠᴏᴜs when I was pregnant with Eris as I had a sᴛɪʟʟʙɪʀᴛʜ before. The doctors sᴛɪᴛᴄʜᴇᴅ ᴍʏ ᴄᴇʀᴠɪx sʜᴜᴛ ᴛᴏ ᴘʀᴇᴠᴇɴᴛ ᴀɴ ᴇᴀʀʟʏ ʙʀᴇᴀᴄʜ, and I was having ᴘʀᴏɢᴇsᴛᴇʀᴏɴᴇ ɪɴᴊᴇᴄᴛɪᴏɴs from about 16 weeks.
At 19 weeks, the doctor’s found that I was already dilated by two centimetres.
“I managed to last another three weeks, which helped us to get Eris over the ᴛʜʀᴇsʜᴏʟᴅ ᴡʜᴇʀᴇ ᴍᴇᴅɪᴄᴀʟ sᴛᴀFF ᴄᴏᴜʟᴅ ɪɴᴛᴇʀᴠᴇɴᴇ to save her life.”
After going into labour, Cayce was put under ᴀɴᴀᴇsᴛʜᴇᴛɪᴄ ᴀs ᴀ sᴜʀɢɪᴄᴀʟ ᴛᴇᴀᴍ ᴘᴇʀFᴏʀᴍᴇᴅ ᴀɴ ᴇᴍᴇʀɢᴇɴᴄʏ ᴄ-sᴇᴄᴛɪᴏɴ, placing Eris into a sandwich bag before racing to place her in the NICU on a ᴠᴇɴᴛɪʟᴀᴛᴏʀ. After her birth, Eris developed a series of health problems, including a staph iɴfᴇᴄᴛɪᴏɴ ᴄᴀᴜsᴇᴅ ʙʏ ʙᴀᴄᴛᴇʀɪᴀ, ᴘɴᴇᴜᴍᴏɴɪᴀ,
and sepsis. At one point, Eris was also put on a life support machine (ECMO) after being coming extremely ill, and unable to ʙʀᴇᴀᴛʜᴇ alone. Her parents were told to sᴀʏ ɢᴏᴏᴅʙʏᴇ ᴏɴ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴛʜᴀɴ ᴏɴᴇ ᴏᴄᴄᴀsɪᴏ.
Cayce said: “Eris had pneumonia four times, and we’d be getting calls at 6:30 am to come to see her as the hospital was so concerned about her condition. There were so many times when we didn’t think she’d make it. But she pulled through every single time. Her lᴜɴɢs ᴡᴇʀᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ᴍᴀɪɴ ᴘʀᴏʙʟᴇᴍ , as she really sᴛʀᴜɢɢʟᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ʙʀᴇᴀᴛʜᴇ ᴀʟᴏɴᴇ. She was pretty much on all the ᴍᴀxᴇᴅ-ᴏᴜᴛ sᴇᴛᴛɪɴɢs ᴏɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴠᴇɴᴛɪʟᴀᴛᴏʀ.”
Cayce first got to hold Eris at one and a half weeks, whilst husband Dennis was only able to hold her after seven ᴡᴇᴇᴋs ᴅᴜᴇ ᴛᴏ Eʀɪs’ Fʀᴀɢɪʟᴇ sᴛᴀᴛᴇ, ᴀʟᴏɴɢsɪᴅᴇ Cᴏᴠɪᴅ-19 ʀᴇsᴛʀɪᴄᴛɪᴏɴs. It was several weeks before Cayce was able to hold Eris once more.
She said: “It’s amazing how much she does, a proper ʟɪᴛᴛʟᴇ ᴡᴀʀʀɪᴏʀ. There were times when I was ᴛᴇʀʀɪfɪᴇᴅ that she wouldn’t make it this far, but she proves me wrong every day. She was so small when she was born, for two months we couldn’t dress her in any clothes and had to get specialised ᴘʀᴇᴍᴀᴛᴜʀᴇ clothing. A charity called TwentyFiveAndFour, based in Tucson, Arizona, sent us velcro t-shirts to put her in, and they were one of the first things she wore. Now she’s over a year old and fitting into nine-to-12-month clothes.
She still has ᴀ ᴛʀᴀᴄʜ ᴀɴᴅ sᴘᴇɴᴅs most of the day and night on a ventilator, but she’s stable and a happy little girl. “But now her lungs are maturing and she is making progress with every passing day. We wouldn’t have her any other way, she’s our little miracle.”
