Toddler Spent His First 403 Days in the Hospital. His Parents Say They’re ‘So Blessed’ to Finally Have Him Home

When Barrett Brasfield gets older, his parents will have quite the story to share about his first year of life. Born weighing just 1 lb., Barrett spent an extraordinary 403 days in the neonatal intensive care units of two hospitals before finally heading home.

“He’s adjusting better than we are,” says his mom, Carli. “It’s been a whirlwind.”

“Hopefully, he doesn’t remember any of it,” adds Carli, a 34-year-old nurse practitioner at UAB Hospital. “And hopefully, after a lot of therapy, we won’t remember some of it either.”

Her husband Roman, 33, agrees. “We joke about the trauma bonding, but it definitely made us stronger.”

The Brasfields’ journey began more than a year ago when Carli, then 20 weeks pregnant, learned during an anatomy scan that her baby had serious health complications and would likely need to be delivered early.

“The umbilical cord delivers blood from mom to baby, and normally that’s a forward flow,” Carli explains. “Sometimes you get intermittent bad flow, where it stops, or reverse flow, where the blood goes the wrong way. By 26 weeks, he had reverse flow.”

The couple was shocked when doctors said delivery had to happen immediately. Carli was admitted to UAB Hospital and gave birth via emergency C-section on June 6, 2024.

At just 1 lb., Barrett was whisked to the NICU. “It was surreal,” says Roman. “You’re thrilled your child is born, but you wish it were under better circumstances.”

One of the hardest moments for Carli was being discharged without bringing her newborn home. Luckily, they lived only minutes from the hospital.

In the NICU, Barrett faced a severe form of bronchopulmonary dysplasia, a chronic lung disease common in premature infants. “He was intubated on and off for about nine months,” says Carli, which caused further lung damage.

The Brasfields initially hoped to bring him home by September, but recurring infections kept him on a ventilator. “Within his first week, he had a bloodstream infection, which, along with the ventilator, gave him only about a 30% chance of survival,” Carli recalls.

Though he made progress, cold and flu season hit hard. Barrett contracted rhinovirus, became gravely ill, and needed to be re-intubated.

After eight months at UAB, a bed opened at Children’s of Alabama, and Barrett was transferred there in February. He underwent a tracheostomy — a surgical opening in the neck to aid breathing.

“That was a game-changer,” Roman says. “It gave him access to specialized care, and that’s when things started turning around.”

Carli remembers, “He woke up from his tracheostomy ready to thrive — rolling, playing, laughing, and eager to get out of bed.”

Over time, Barrett’s weight climbed to 19 lbs., and he continued to improve. His parents trained on using a home ventilator and a gastrostomy tube, preparing for his long-awaited homecoming.

“It was surreal,” Roman says. “We couldn’t believe it.”

At one point, changing a diaper felt like a victory. “You’re celebrating just making it through the night,” Carli says. “There were times we wondered if we should keep fighting or just focus on his comfort — but our team never gave up on us.”

Since leaving the NICU last month, Barrett remains on his ventilator, trach, and feeding tube. His parents are optimistic that his lung issues can improve over time.

“We’re hoping to have him off the ventilator in about a year,” Carli says. “The trach might come out by age 4 to 6. Hopefully, by then, we’ll be living a pretty normal life.”

Both parents credit their community, Barrett’s medical team, and their faith for helping them through the darkest moments.

“We’re so blessed,” Carli says. “People ask how we’re still standing after 400 days in the hospital. He’s worth it. We’d do all 403 days again just to have him home.”