‘Micro’ Preemie Weighed Less Than 2 Lbs. at Birth. 146 Days Later, NICU Staff Cheered as Parents Took Her Home

Born a “micro preemie” at just 26 weeks, a baby girl celebrated a big milestone as she left a Long Island hospital after spending 146 days in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).

On Wednesday, Sept. 17, LaTashia Morris and David Taylor carried their daughter, Trinity Alexandria Rose Taylor, out of Catholic Health’s Mercy Hospital in Rockville Centre to the sounds of “Hakuna Matata” from Disney’s The Lion King — the song nurses played by her crib every day during her nearly five-month stay, according to a hospital press release.

“After 146 days in the NICU, finally bringing Trinity home feels like a mix of every emotion all at once,” Morris said, according to the hospital. “It’s freeing, overwhelming, and beautiful. Seeing her in her own crib, without wires or alarms, makes every hard day worth it.”

The journey had many tough moments.

On April 24 — three months before her July 31 due date — Trinity was born weighing just 1 lb. 14 oz., according to Mercy Hospital. She was delivered in her embryonic sac to protect her tiny body, ABC affiliate WABC reported.

“That’s a technique I use. Sometimes very small babies get traumatized as they come out, so it’s best if you keep the bag intact,” Dr. Jahanshah Seraji of Mercy Hospital told the outlet.

Although Trinity arrived early, her medical team reassured her anxious parents that she would be okay.

“The nurses and the doctors were on me like, ‘Nope, we’re not going down to that dark place. She’s going to be okay. We got you, we got her,’” Morris said. “And they really did.”

While the tiny newborn faced challenges with her lungs, eyes, and heart, she is now healthy and weighs 11 lbs. 8.5 oz., WABC reported. Her care team worked around the clock, and her parents and grandmother were constantly by her side, turning the hospital into a second home, according to the release.

Dr. Swarna Devarajan, Director of Neonatology, said Trinity holds the record for the longest NICU stay of her career.

“I’ve been a NICU physician for nearly 30 years, and days like this never get old,” Devarajan said, according to the hospital. “Her transformation is a powerful reflection of what advanced NICU care can achieve, and even more, a testament to the strength and spirit of one incredible little girl.”

Morris has advice for other parents with babies in the NICU:

“You are stronger than you feel right now. The journey is long, but brighter days are coming,” she said, according to Mercy Hospital. “You are not alone, and you are doing an amazing job.”