Miracle baby born at 11 ounces headed home after 9 months

A preemie from Connecticut who weighed just 11 ounces when he was born is finally home after growing to nearly 11 pounds during nine miracle months at two Westchester hospitals.

Connor Florio could fit in his dad John’s hands when he was born in just the 27th week of his mom’s pregnancy on July 13, 2018, at Westchester Medical Center, where he was the tiniest baby ever treated.

But after being treated there — and at Blythedale Children’s Hospital, where he was moved in December at about 6 pounds — Connor is now healthy, and the host of issues he faced at birth, including trouble breathing, brain bleeds, problems with blood sugar and an eye disease that occurs in some premature infants, are all a thing of the past, his mom, Jaimie Florio, 29, told The Post.

“I didn’t really believe he was coming home until we took him to the car and brought him to the house,” Jaimie Florio said from her Danbury home.

The road from birth to homecoming was a long one, his doctor pointed out.

When Connor was born, Dr. Dennis Davidson, neonatologist and unit chief for the infant and toddler unit at Blythedale, said it was difficult to even find the tools to treat him.

“They don’t make tubes for his airway that are the size for the baby,” Davidson said.

Since then, Connor has grown to have quite the personality, his parents said.

His hobbies include playing with his toys, looking at himself in the mirror, people-watching, grabbing onto his 30-year-old dad’s hair, taking a bath — and pulling his oxygen tubes out of his nose in his home.

He’ll be off the oxygen in a couple weeks, but will still require frequent check-ups, according to Davidson.

To learn how to care for little Connor without the help of hospital staff, both dad and mom took part in the hospital’s Parent and Caregiver Education program during his stay at Blythedale.

Davidson — who has spent about 40 years treating premature babies — called Connor a “rascal,” and pointed out that most infants he’s treated have never survived at such a low birth weight, he said.

“Those that have survived are extremely at risk for long-term developmental problems,” the doctor added. “Connor is feisty, he has a social smile, he reaches for things, he is on target for his development.”

Source: nypost.com

Follow NEWS.am Medicine on Facebook and Twitter