By Fara Arca
After 111 days in the hospital, micro preemie Jaylen is graduating from the Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Salah Foundation Children’s Hospital in Fort Lauderdale and heading home for Christmas! Micro preemie refers to babies born who weigh less than 750 grams or before 26 weeks of gestation. Jaylen was born at 23 weeks gestation weighing 430 grams.
Today, after three months of intensive care, Jaylen now weighs 5 pounds, 11 ounces, and has no major medical issues. He is one of the many pediatric patients being treated in the specialized NICU where a multi-disciplinary team including neonatologists and nursing specialists provide care for critically ill newborns. “He doesn’t need a ventilator, he had no bleeding on his brain, he is a champ,” said his mother, Alicia Goldsby. “He is going to do great things in his life,” she said. “This is our gift for Christmas!”
