Baby Born at 23 Weeks Doing Well Six Months Later
Categories: Newborns, Pregnancy & Birth, In The News
Jessica Hawkins was born at 23 weeks, weighing less than a pound and a half. Photo: Getty Images
Now she is 6 months old and weighs in at 9 pounds, 11 ounces. That's still very small for her age -- some children are born at or close to that weight. But she is healthy and alive. She has passed all her vision and hearing screenings, and came home from the hospital without an oxygen tank, which is huge for very premature babies.
Her parents, Pete and Sam Hawkins, are overjoyed, of course, but their joy is even more poignant than that of most parents of preemies: Mrs. Hawkins has had five miscarriages; one occurred at 19 weeks, and one at 20 weeks, which is halfway through a typical pregnancy. She had also gone through two cycles of IVF and was told it was "very unlikely" she would have children. When baby Jessica was born at 23 weeks, doctors thought the mother had again miscarried, "but a scan showed [Jessica's] heart was beating."
Her parents were stunned. "We couldn't take our eyes off her and are still in disbelief every day that she's actually ours," says Sam Hawkins.
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But is it for the best? Jessica's story comes at the same time as the British Parliament reconsiders the issue of late term abortion. "Last May MPs voted against cutting the upper limit for abortion from 24 weeks to 20 weeks," says the paper. Baby Jessica was born at 23 weeks and survived, which raises questions about when a fetus becomes a baby and what rights the mother has to terminate her pregnancy.
Regardless of your beliefs about medical intervention and abortion rights, Jessica Hawkins is a miracle baby. But her story raises all sorts of issues -- about choice and intervention and the proper use of medical technology. We're just glad everything worked out well for the Hawkins family, and we wish them all the best.
Brett Singer is the editor-in-chief of DaddyTips.com. You can follow his tweets at Twitter.com/brettsinger.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 6)
Amber 6-29-2009 @ 11:59PM
A life is a life no matter how small(isn't that on a children's movie some where?) Anyway it's true. One of my family members works in the neonatal nursery, and says she is amazed at how something so small can fight so hard or its life. There was a Tv show I watched a couple years ago, and said that when some women would get abortions the baby would actually move around trying to dodge it. After watching the whole show I was in tears!
This is an amazing story!! I am so glad we are in a time where they can save these little lives.
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Joy Acuna 6-30-2009 @ 6:29AM
How far will God have to go to wake people up????? A child IS a person at the moment of conception. He or she just does not "appear" as a human being at a certain point. Abortion is MURDER and God WILL judge!!! Blood for blood. Oh how the ground cries out with the innocent blood of these children who never even had a chance or a choice. I thank God for this little one's miracle survival. May it have a great impact on those unsure as to what human life is.
smohan 6-30-2009 @ 9:04AM
My daughter was born at 23 weeks weighing 0ne pound and two ounes in Toronto, Canada in 1993.She has no health problems and is a healthy 16 year old beautiful girl.
Tera 6-30-2009 @ 1:25PM
I was a born early too. I was born in 1984 at 1 lb 6 oz and I was three months early! I'm now 25 yrs old and doing fine. I was very lucky. I was in the hospital for 5 months after I was born... in the NICU. :)
Crystal 6-30-2009 @ 10:10AM
"A Persons a Person, No Matter How Small" From Horton Hears a Who.
Could not have said it better myself.
fonda 6-30-2009 @ 2:16PM
I had a baby born at 24 weeks on Christmas eve 2005 he weighed 1 pound and 1 ounce and was only 11 inches long. I think it is horrific that people actually have abortions late term when a baby can survive. He is our little miracle baby and now is a 3 1/2 year old typical boy and is doing well. He had 2 minor surgeries one closing a valve to his heart that should close shortly after birth and his didn't from being so preemie and the other was laser eye surgery do to the high oxygen he was on but besides that he did very well with the support and great nurses and doctors at Vanderbilt. He was able to come home a month before he was even due. He is still small for his age but he is healthy and brings joy to our lives everyday! I just don't see how and human can be so selfish it disgusts me to think of late term abortions. They should be illegalized!!!
Vivian 6-30-2009 @ 1:14PM
I have a message for the parents just keep the faith that everything will be okay. My son Anthony was born at 23 weeks Nov. 25, 1994 in Sarasota Fl. Today he is 14 and bigger than most of the kids in his age group he is 5' 7 and about 160 and he is very active and plays lots of sports and very strong. I honestly believe that because of GOD 1st. But me and his father had faith in him no matter what the doctors said.
Nina 6-30-2009 @ 3:05PM
"A person's a person, no matter how small" - Horton Hears a Who, Dr. Seuss
Becky Wilson 7-01-2009 @ 12:14AM
You are right - the book is "Horton Hears a Who" and the recurring theme is "a person's a person, no matter how small." Seems obvious. Common sense. Only common sense is not that common anymore.
Decsunflower 6-30-2009 @ 12:20AM
LOL, yes that saying is from Horton Hears a Who! You are exactly right that is the perfect saying for this article/story. It hits close to home as I was born at 24 weeks gestation over 26 years ago. I weighed 2lbs 1 oz at birth and weighed 9 lbs at one year. I was born December 31, 1982 and was not supposed to be born until March 28th. I never caught up either lol, I am 4' 10" and weigh about the same as a 10 year old girl. I hope this child is continually blessed and continues to grow and thrive.
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Sondra 6-30-2009 @ 8:34AM
May God continue to Bless you!
lori 6-30-2009 @ 7:51AM
this story is touching and a testament to the times we live in - my daughter was born at 29 weeks and weighed 1lb 9 oz (she was a twin, sadly we lost her sister after 24 hours) she is a happy healthy 3 year old now and i thank god for the miracles of science every day that babies CAN survive being premature - enjoy every moment you can with your children as the time slips by too fast
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jmuller618 6-30-2009 @ 6:48AM
My daughter was orn @ 28weeks weighing 1lb 7oz. After 9 years of fertility treatments we were finally pregnant. Our joy turned to major sadness when I saw my tiny daughter. She was 11 3/4" long. That was almost 6 years ago. Jennifer is now an very active almost 6 year old, smart as anything and entering the 1st grade. It took her a few years to catch up on all the scales and charts but it does happen. When I look at her and her brother I feel very blessed and lucky to have them in my life(even though they drive me completely crazy 90% of the time)
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Donna 6-30-2009 @ 6:57AM
My son was born at 27 weeks and weighed 2.9 at birth. That was in 1981 and he is alive and heathy at 27 years old. He is truly my miracle baby since back then, he was given a 3% - 15% chance of survival. A life is a life...even in the beginning when it's just a mass of cells. It's a life because the cells wouldn't divide and grow if it they weren't living. Abortion is wrong...there ARE other options (like adoption), but it's not for me to judge those who have aborted their babies. That's God's job.
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lilakitapaws 6-30-2009 @ 7:22AM
It makes me so happy to see everyone saying its a life at any stage. Maybe its my third trimester hormones, but this article made me want to cry. (happy tears of course!) Finally people are begining to recognize what those of us smarter ones knew all along! Amazing enough the credit goes to the little miracles that everyday show us we don't know as much as we think we do. I hope Jessica becomes an example to all of those anti-lifers out there. God bless you little one!!
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Mary Hodge 6-30-2009 @ 7:11AM
When we were an unknown substance being made in secret God wrote our name in the book of life. Psalms 139:15-16, Genesis 1:26 Babies are born in God's image if you say babies are born in sin you are saying God is a sinner. You follow man you die with man, You follow God you live forever. www.keysofheaven.com
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FRANK 6-30-2009 @ 1:21PM
PSALMS 51:5 Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me. The Bible can allway bring a better understanding. Read it to for a better understanding rather than saying something that you dont know anything about.
Sandi 6-30-2009 @ 8:10AM
I went into labor at 21 weeks, and the doctor on call at the time took my husband into the hallway and stated that they might as well give me medication to go ahead and abort the baby. My husband told him not to play God and under no circumstances was he to give me anything to help abort our child. I stayed in the hospital for nine weeks, and our son was born at 30 weeks. He weighed 3 lbs. 12 oz. and spent six weeks in the NICU. He is now 13 years old, healthy, smart and very active. I am so glad my husband stood up to the doctor and demanded to give our child a chance for life. Miracles do happen everyday, and every child is a miracle, from the moment of conception. My miracle lives and we thank God every day for him.
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Leigh 6-30-2009 @ 11:06AM
Thank God your husband stood up to the doctor! I feel like sometimes doctors intimidate people and cause things to go opposite ways of what they could. God Bless you and your miracle baby! I hope that this baby Jessica continues to grow just as your child has!!!
SAR 6-30-2009 @ 8:35AM
Many Blessings to the Hawkin's family.
I miscarried two baby boys at 16 and 21 weeks. The second at 21 weeks was born alive and the doctors did all they could to sustain him. God's will prevailed.
Two years later I had a healthy bouncing baby boy at full term and another two years followed a healthy bouncing girl. These are my miracles of life.
Had the second baby survived he would have faced a lifetime of health issues and developmental challenges. I am not sure if I would have had my two children who followed.
I was blessed to carry the two boys for 16 and 21 weeks, just as the Hawkin's family is blessed to have Jessica. Without scientific advancement, miracles still can happen, but I would not want to question how far the miracle would have taken Jessica...let it be and lets celebrate the beautiful miracle of life she is!
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