Miracle baby Nyla reunites with Kaiser NICU team after beating odds
Smallest baby in years at Kaiser SF reunites with her care team
Born three months early and weighing less than a pound, baby Nyla reunited with her Kaiser Permanente NICU team after a remarkable 218-day fight for survival in San Francisco.
SAN FRANCISCO - Baby Nyla, born three months premature and weighing just 400 grams – less than a pound – reunited with the medical team who cared for her at Kaiser Permanente’s neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) in San Francisco in an emotional event Thursday.
Nyla is the smallest baby this NICU has cared for in years. She spent about seven months in the hospital before finally going home with her parents, Maria Ottoman-Silas and Dwayne Silas, in April.
"It is just so emotional coming back here," said Maria Ottoman-Silas. "Since leaving, there was only one day we walked out of this hospital with Nyla. That was the day we brought her home. And for 218 days we left without her, and it was like torture."
When she was six months pregnant, Ottoman-Silas said she initially thought she was experiencing heartburn, but it turned out to be preeclampsia, a serious condition that can cause organ damage and threaten the lives of both mother and baby.
Silas said the uncertainty was overwhelming.
"Having to come to the understanding, there could be a potential that I might be walking out of this hospital without my wife or my child, you know, just not really having a lot of control over the situation, really having to trust and rely on the medical team," he said.
Fighting and healing in the NICU
NICU nurses provided round-the-clock care through some of the family’s darkest moments.
"Sometimes I wouldn’t say anything, just a hug," said Elvia Benitez, a NICU nurse at Kaiser Permanente San Francisco. "And then just when I would say something, it’s like, this is what’s going on now, and one day, one day at a time, because we would have our good days and not so good days."
Ariana Monroy, another NICU nurse, praised Nyla’s resilience.
"Preemies are fighters in themselves. So Nyla showed us at a really young age, really the day she was born, that she was a fighter and she really did come out on top."
Today, Nyla is a healthy 17 pounds and has started eating solid foods. Her medical team said she will eventually no longer need an oxygen or feeding tube.
"She’s truly a sign of not giving up, and a sign of hope for all these other NICU babies that are dealing with similar situations, just to show that no matter where you started, there’s always hope and potential for a healthier finish line and a healthier journey," he said.
Dr. Karen Bockli, neonatal medical director at Kaiser Permanente San Francisco, said the specialized care Nyla received was critical to her survival.
"We didn’t know if she would survive. We didn’t know if we had the equipment small enough, and really the care that would allow her to survive. We didn’t know. So it was very guarded... it’s just so great to see her home and happy," Bockli said.
Dr. Bockli also acknowledged the strong partnership with UCSF, whose specialists successfully closed a hole in Nyla’s heart when she was about three months old.
Ottoman-Silas expressed gratitude for the support the family continues to receive.
"We look at her, I’m just so thankful. I think we’re both still in shock that she’s home."
"She really is a warrior. She really is a champion, and I am so proud already to be her dad. You know, she hasn’t taken her first steps yet," Silas added.
Nyla will continue regular checkups at Kaiser Permanente and the family looks forward to celebrating her first birthday in September.
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The Source: KTVU reporting