Baby Autumn weighed just 1.1 pounds when she was born prematurely at 23 weeks.
Her mother, Tyler Robinson, had suffered a uterine rupture. Doctors told her Autumn only had a 50/50 chance of survival after birth, but Tyler said if her daughter was willing to fight, so was she. And fight she did – from the moment she was born, doctors called the micro preemie “feisty!”
Autumn suffered multiple complications due to her premature birth, including a type of chronic lung disease called bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD). After five months, she was transferred to Lurie Children’s Hospital in Chicago, Illinois, for specialized treatment only they could provide.
Autumn had surgery to place a breathing tube, received oxygen therapy, and had more treatments to help her gain strength and stamina. Tyler visited her daughter every day, talking and singing to her to help her mental and social development.
Tyler was usually all alone with her daughter, and she says the nurses and staff on the NICU became a second family for her. She saw the painful moments they deal with every day, so she tried to repay their kindness any way she could.
“I decorated for everything,” Tyler said. “I put out candy for the nurses and … you know, we’re in this bad situation and we’re feeling [like] we’re never gonna get out of it, but a little candy here and there, it’ll bring a little happiness to somebody.”
When she was 18 months old, Autumn was finally ready to go home! She’d been in the hospital for a staggering 524 days. At home she will still rely on a lot of technology, including a home ventilator and feeding tube, but she’ll finally be able to start her life outside of the hospital.
Tyler says her daughter is “a happy, happy baby,” who is stubborn yet lovable. She wants her daughter to know that in spite of the trauma of her birth and the ensuing fight for wellness, she’d do it all over again if it means getting her child home.
“Mommy had some good support, all the way around: family, friends, hospital-wise support,” Tyler said. “But, I did it all for her, no matter what I did. I sacrificed a lot for her but I would do it again… I would do it all over again for her, everything for her, because I love her.”
Welcome home, little Autumn! This feisty little girl seems more than ready to start her life outside of the NICU. Hooray for happy endings and the beginning of an amazing life!
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