Baby Born Less Than 1 Lb. Spent 5 Months in the Hospital. When She Finally Got to Go Home, Her Parents Panicked

Julia and John Thompson’s joy at expecting their first child quickly turned to fear when doctors warned their baby would arrive far earlier than expected.

The Massachusetts couple, married for four years, had been trying to conceive for nearly three years. After multiple rounds of IVF and heartbreaking losses, they were thrilled to finally be pregnant with their daughter, Eloise.

“We were ecstatic, but cautious,” Julia told PEOPLE. “We’d been through losses before, so it was hard to let our guard down.”

The pregnancy was difficult from the start. At just five weeks, Julia experienced a hemorrhage that threatened the baby’s survival. Later, during an anatomy scan at 18 weeks, Eloise measured unusually small, and doctors suspected Julia was developing preeclampsia.

“Because Eloise was an IVF baby, we knew the exact date of conception,” Julia explained. “So when they said she was measuring small, we knew it wasn’t a matter of miscalculation. It was a real concern.”

From then on, Julia underwent weekly scans. Each appointment brought more stress as Eloise’s growth lagged. Doctors eventually warned the Thompsons to prepare for a premature delivery.

Weeks later, after Julia noticed she hadn’t urinated all day, she called her OB, who urged her to check her blood pressure. It was dangerously high. At the hospital, doctors told Julia she might need to deliver immediately — at just 23 weeks.

She was diagnosed with severe early preeclampsia and transferred to Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), where both she and Eloise were closely monitored. Doctors hoped to extend the pregnancy, but it was a race against time.

After 10 tense days, it became too dangerous to continue. Julia delivered at just 25 weeks. “Those 10 extra days saved her life,” Julia said.

Dr. Rodica Turcu, who led Eloise’s neonatal intensive care team, explained how specialized teams prepared for her arrival. “When a fetus reaches a gestational age compatible with life outside the womb, neonatology joins the team and prepares for the delivery and long hospital stay ahead,” she said.

Eloise’s delivery and resuscitation went smoothly, but John recalled the stress vividly. “It was awful,” he said. “We hadn’t slept. We hadn’t eaten properly. And then suddenly, there she was — so tiny, in a medical-grade bag to keep her warm.”

Eloise was intubated immediately. While Julia recovered from surgery and magnesium treatment, John was the first to see their daughter in the NICU. “I got to touch her tiny hand,” he remembered.

The NICU became their second home. For 106 days, Eloise fought through milestones, supported by advanced technology like the AngelEye camera system, which let her parents see her even when they couldn’t be by her side.

Eventually, Eloise moved to a special care unit for another month and a half before finally going home. At discharge, she still required oxygen and a feeding tube, but her progress was remarkable — she even became the first baby at MGH to use the innovative N-trainer system to help strengthen her ability to feed.

During their hospital stay, John and Julia marked small victories with celebrations — from holiday outfits to the day Eloise reached one kilogram. “It was so easy to get caught up in the day-to-day stress,” John said. “We tried to make moments special.”

Going home after nearly five months was both joyous and overwhelming. “We didn’t even have a crib ready,” John admitted. Julia had refused to prepare, afraid of jinxing her baby’s survival.

Now, at 9 months old and weighing more than 13 pounds, Eloise is thriving. She sleeps through the night, enjoys purees and peanut butter, and has begun rolling over.

“MGH gave us our family,” Julia said. “They gave us those 10 extra days of pregnancy, and they gave us Eloise. We’ll always be grateful.”

Eloise has already beaten the odds. Doctors once worried she’d need a permanent breathing tube — but today, she’s a healthy, determined little fighter.