Tiny Amillia leaves hospital

One of the world’s smallest premature babies – who weighed less 10ozs at birth - is finally going home.

Amillia Sonja Taylor was born last October after less than 22 weeks in the womb. Today doctors gave their approval for the baby to finally leave Baptist Children’s Hospital, hospital spokeswoman Liz Latta said.

Amillia, who was just nine and a half inches at birth and weighed less than 10 ounces, will still require oxygen at home. A developmental specialist will follow up with her and her parents to track her neurological development.

“The baby is healthy and thriving and left Baptist Children’s Hospital today after four months in our neonatal intensive care unit,” Latta said.

Amillia’s parents refused to comment.

Doctors had hoped to release Amillia yesterday but kept her an extra day to monitor a low white blood cell count that could have indicated an infection.

Full-term births come after 37 to 40 weeks, and few babies born before 22 weeks survive.

Amillia suffered respiratory and digestive problems, as well as a mild brain haemorrhage, but doctors believe the health concerns will not have major long-term effects.

Amillia was conceived in vitro and was delivered by Caesarean section after an infection caused her mother to go into premature labour, doctors said.

She is the first child for Eddie and Sonja Taylor of Homestead and now weighs about four and a half pounds and is just over 15.5ins long.