He was born at 23 weeks, weighing one pound. Despite initial low odds, he is going home.

South Florida Sun Sentinel - 5/20/2023

At just five months old, Alanie Lettsome had his first graduation Friday, his blue gown and cap laid next to his head on the pillow he peacefully slept serving as a testament to the odds he overcame.

Alanie was born on Nov. 30 at Broward Health Medical Center at 23 weeks gestation. His mother, Graysel Stuart, flew to Fort Lauderdale three days earlier from Saint Thomas to give birth to the boy after learning she was at high risk of delivering early, the hospital said in a news release.

The baby weighed one pound, one ounce. The medical team told Stuart of the risks Alanie faced, mentally preparing her for the possible complications to come, the release said.

The final weeks of pregnancy are needed for babies' brain, lungs and liver to fully develop, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Even 35 weeks is still too early as a baby's brain is still growing and developing.

A pregnancy is considered full term at 39 weeks. Babies born before 32 weeks have higher death and disability rates, according to the CDC. Those who survive may suffer vision, hearing, feeding or breathing difficulties, developmental delay and cerebral palsy, affecting his or her mobility.

Dr. Johny Tryzmel, who specializes in neonatology and pediatrics, said babies born as early as Alanie have about a 30% chance of survival. Stuart gave birth at barely halfway through her pregnancy.

Because of his underdeveloped lungs, Alanie's tiny body was attached to a ventilator after his birth, Tryzmel said. Alanie also needed nutritional support, having a tube through his throat and into his stomach to feed him milk, and support to regulate his body temperature.

After a month or so, Alanie was removed from the ventilator and no longer intubated, Tryzmel said. A CPAP machine helped him breathe for another few months.

Alanie did not suffer from some of the complications other extremely premature babies often can -- bleeding brains and intestinal issues, Tryzmel said. His MRIs were normal, his doctor said.

He went home needing no help eating or breathing, and though "a little smaller," the doctor said, "he will catch up."

"The great thing is he went home, he went home with nothing," Tryzmel said. "Like you or me."

The MRIs showed no issues with his brain, and Tryzmel said Alanie will likely be able to develop normally.

Stuart created a scrapbook of Alanie's progress while at the hospital, an hour-long weekly program in the NICU, the news release said.

"I have seen some very meaningful connections take place in these sessions," Broward Health's NICU family support coordinator Caitlin Collin said in the release. "Moms will often share with other mothers about their baby's birth and postpartum issues they are facing, and I have even seen some parents become friends that keep in touch after the NICU."

Not only Alanie needed support. The psychological toll on the baby's mother and family requires help, too, Tryzmel said. His was not a birth where he and his mother were home together in a matter of days.

"Here, it's not happening. It's a big toll," he said. "The mom came from abroad. She was not even living in the United States. The support that we have to give to the families is really important."

The doctor said he is proud of the team who supported not only Alanie but the whole family.

"The patient is not just the baby. The patient becomes the whole family," he said. "My kids are my treasure and for this mom, Alanie was her treasure. Imagine when your treasure is sick in the critical setting. You really don't know if the baby will survive or not."

Over the 170 days at Broward Health's Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Alanie grew to nine pounds, the release said. He was discharged Friday morning, ready for his family to take him home to the U.S Virgin Islands.

The doctor said graduation day is the one he and his team most cherish.

"I think that the journey that Alanie went through, it was not an easy road, but I will say a beautiful ending," he said.