All was well with Emilia’s pregnancy until the 34 week ultrasound revealed she had stopped growing somewhere around 29 weeks. She was taken via cesarean section at Jupiter Medical Center, weighing only 3 lbs, 3 oz at birth.  She spent 12 days in the NICU, before abnormal liver labs and very slow growth prompted a transfer to Nicklaus Children’s Hospital to rule out serious liver pathology.  She spent a total of 75 days in the NICU, with severe failure to thrive, and multiple feeding intolerance episodes before she was finally released home.

She spent three weeks home meeting her siblings, before she was readmitted to Nicklaus Children’s in acute liver failure.  After a few days here, she was referred and transferred to Jackson Memorial PICU under the care the Miami Transplant Institute in preparation for pre-liver transplant work up.  She spent 6 weeks inpatient and was finally released home on IV nutrition, a feeding tube, multiple therapies, and weekly check-ins with her Miami team. Emilia has multiple genetic panels pending, and no official explanation yet for her illness.  

Despite it all, Emilia loves to smile and has the best smile ever.  She loves to laugh and be loved on by her parents and siblings.