Help Baby Petunia Salem, born 11 weeks premature

Help Baby Salem, “Micro-Preemie”, Survive and Thrive

In the face of many complications, the newest, and tiniest, member of the Salem Family has arrived. Born Jan. 14, 2023 at just 29 weeks (11 weeks premature), and defying all odds, Petunia Frances Salem was born, weighing only 1 pound, 15 ounces.

As a “Micro-Preemie” and the smallest baby in the NICU, she has fought to survive her first week and remains at Bryan Health, alongside her parents, Chris and Ella.

Thankfully, she is showing positive potential to survive and thrive.

Ella has been in the hospital since she was 23 weeks pregnant, with Chris close by her side. Family and friends have helped with meals and babysitting of Hudson and Prudence, Petunia’s proud big brother and sister.

With hospital bills growing and more time in the NICU guaranteed, the family is grateful for your support during this highly-critical time.

“We are so hopeful that we’ll have the chance to watch Petunia grow and thrive and enjoy the precious life she is fighting for. She is a fighter and is showing she wants to be here. Her doctors agree that she can survive and grow. Thank you for being part of her story.”

Backstory:

Ella and Chris Salem learned that their baby would have a long journey toward vitality when Ella experienced a unique, and scary, pregnancy complication on Dec. 7, when Baby Salem was only 23 weeks gestational age. This complication immediately changed Ella’s pregnancy to high-risk and required around-the-clock observation.

With a due date of April 1, Mommy Salem showed no signs of going into labor when her water unexpectedly broke. Fetal Maternal specialists, along with her OBGYN, immediately admitted Ella and Baby Salem as antepartum patients into the Labor & Delivery unit at Bryan Health on strict bedrest, with the hope that Ella could remain pregnant for as long as possible.

Baby Salem was still developing lung function, brain function, and weighed only 1 pound. Although statistics showed that most births happen within 7 days in Baby Salem’s situation, with a low survival rate, Baby Salem and Ella made it clear they were going to defy those statistics and exceed the doctor’s expectations.

For 38 days, including over the Christmas and New Year holidays, Ella and Baby Salem remained on bedrest where they were closely monitored by a care team of specialists.

The lengthy hospital stay and high-risk pregnancy caused Ella to take an early “Maternity Leave”, and Chris had to manage the household and other children’s daily school life and activities. They FaceTimed for all Christmas festivities, including visiting Santa, performing as Angels at First Plymouth’s Christmas Pageant, and opening stockings and presents on Christmas Morning.

Chris has been a wonderful super dad while Ella and Baby Salem remained stable in the hospital. Thankfully, Baby proved to be a fighter, as she remained stable inside Mommy and successfully passed her ultrasound assessments and twice-daily fetal monitoring. Baby Salem showed she was developing normally, with normal organs and physiological function despite her small size and high-risk pregnancy situation. She was proving to Mom, Dad and her doctors that she was going to be a little fighter and give her best effort to survive and thrive.

Baby Salem remained developing and growing well for 5 weeks, from gestational ages 23 weeks to 29 weeks. She still had 11 weeks to go to reach full-term when she had other plans.

Petunia Frances Salem Baby was delivered safely by Fetal Maternal Specialist, Dr. Kenney, on January 14, with a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit team of clinical superheroes prepared to save her life. So small and considered a “Micro-Preemie,” she weighed just 1 pound, 15 ounces and was 13 inches long. She was resuscitated immediately upon birth and placed on a ventilator in the NICU, where she and Ella remain still today.

Petunia fought to survive her first 24 hours, a task the doctors explained would be critical. She remains in critical care as the NICU’s current smallest baby. She is determined to survive and thrive as her lungs, brain, and nervous system develop, and her body adjusts to this new world of hers.

Ella has been in the hospital since Dec. 7, 2022 and Petunia will remain in the hospital until her due date on April 1, 2023. When Petunia is discharged, the family knows she will be in for additional therapies, as well.

Ella was forced to take an early maternity leave and will remain at Petunia’s side during her care.

While the family is incredibly fortunate to be a long-term hospital patient in be under the care of such passionate and talented health care providers, the medical bills will be substantial. Your gift will help Petunia and her family remain in the needed care and will help her survive, and have the chance to create more memories with her family that loves her so much. From playing with her proud siblings, Hudson and Prudence, to tennis meets, to the fun to be had on the Sheridan playground, Petunia deserves to see it all.

Give a gift that is meaningful to you.

Baby Petunia continues to impress her doctors and care team. After her first week of life, she is progressing and showing amazing strength— which results in her doctors calculatedly and carefully decreasing her ventilator support. Petunia receives positive comments from her doctors on her growth and milestone achievements in her short-time in the outside world so far.

From birth to today, Petunia has:

• improved her lung function

• avoided significant brain hemorrhaging

• successfully recovered from each low-oxygen saturation “event”

• recovered from each bradycardia “event’

• has successfully tolerated her gavage feedings.

She now weighs 2 pounds and 0.5 ounces. Chris and Ella are very proud of Miss Petunia’s determination — she is doing very hard work every day to stay alive.

With such encouraging news so far, the Salem Family maintains focus on the challenging course ahead.

Each day, Petunia grows, her loving family and friends celebrate her and wrap her in a loving light of vitality. God has a plan for Baby Petunia— He is guiding her to live, breathe, survive, and thrive.