Makerita Miracle Tanuvasa, a baby girl born in Queensland weighing a mere 351 grams—less than a can of Coke—has been discharged after spending 14 weeks in the ICU. Arriving four months early on March 25 at the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital, doctors believe she is the most premature baby in Australia to survive.
An Unlikely Arrival and a Record-Breaking Birth
Born at just 21 weeks and three days gestation, Makerita arrived so prematurely that resuscitation would usually not be an option. Her arrival at the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital placed her just four days from becoming the most premature in the world. Health workers who cared for her admitted that her survival would be almost unbelievable had they not witnessed it themselves.
Registered nurse Renee Judd described the outcome to 9News, stating, It’s quite a miracle, hence the name Miracle as well.
Her mother, Annrose, only discovered she was pregnant five days before giving birth. After completing a gym challenge and noticing she had dropped little weight, she consulted a medical professional. The sonographer told us that we were about 22 weeks pregnant,
Annrose explained, as reported by 1news. But I told her, I said that’s impossible. And she was like, ‘Why do you think it’s impossible?’ And I said, ‘Because I had a miscarriage in December’.
The sonographer initially suggested she may have miscarried a twin while the other pregnancy continued. However, a week after delivery, hospital doctors informed the parents that the infant did not match the initial scan timelines, revealing that the baby was even younger than first estimated.
Navigating Weeks of Critical Intensive Care
Weighing only 351 grams at birth, the newborn was exceptionally fragile. Her parents described the initial shock of seeing their daughter for the first time. I took one look at her and I was like, ‘there’s no way she’s gonna make it’,
Annrose recalled.
Her father, Misi, shared similar reflections on her miniature scale: She was about like hand-size, like our palm, we weren’t able to hold her, but it was yeah, she was very, very small.
Because of her extreme vulnerability, mother and father were unable to physically hold their daughter until she was four weeks old. In total, the infant spent 14 weeks in the intensive care unit, overcoming hurdles that left medical staff astonished. Even the doctors couldn’t explain how she was able to survive everything she’s gone through,
Misi noted.
Returning Home to Logan Reserve
After more than three months of specialized care, the milestone discharge finally arrived this month, allowing the family to take their daughter home to Logan Reserve, Queensland. Nine.com.au noted that the discharge marked the conclusion of a milestone that for so long seemed out of reach.
While typical human pregnancies span approximately 40 weeks, Makerita’s successful discharge at a developmental age far below standard viability markers stands as a survival milestone for Australian neonatology.
