Bilston miracle baby given all-clear
She was born weighing just 1lb and 3oz after her mother suffered a series of medical complications.
Now, almost a year on, the baby from Bilston whose life was in the balance, has finally been given the all-clear by doctors.
Little Thaila DaCosta has come off oxygen for a chronic lung disease for the first time in her eventful 11 months and now weighs in at a healthy 15lbs.
Her mother Corrine, a 22-year-old Sandwell General Hospital nurse, said: "I'm so relieved. It felt like she was going to be on a ventilator forever.
"As a nurse I knew that other babies with similar problems were released from hospital after two or three months, but the word 'home' was never mentioned to me."
Corrine, of Fraser Street, Bilston, suffered from pre-eclampsia, a malfunctioning placenta and diabetes during her pregnancy.
Doctors at the City Hospital in Smethwick were so concerned that they delivered Thaila prematurely at 27 weeks last July.
The infant could not digest food for two months and was on a ventilator for 10 weeks. She also suffered heart problems.
Corrine said: "Now she's off the oxygen and most of her medication and is a 'normal' baby who is always laughing and smiling."
Corrine is now co-ordinator of a support group for premature babies. For more information, call 0121 507 5100.
