Preemie born at 26 weeks ‘defied the odds’ after battle with sepsis

Extremely premature babies always face a battle for life, but one born in the UK at 26 weeks who contracted sepsis beat every odd and forecast of death. The little girl’s mother, Alicia Sparks, said her daughter Aurora John is now, several months later, “doing really well, considering,” as reported by the UK’s South Wales Argus.

Born on January 6 to Sparks and Zarik John, Aurora’s birth seems a picture of miracles. At just one pound and seven ounces, the odds seemed stacked against her. Born via emergency Caesarean section at 26 weeks, her mother explained, “After my waters ruptured early and with efforts of trying to hold off my labour unfortunately, I contracted maternal sepsis.” 

According to the Mayo Clinic, “Sepsis is a serious condition in which the body responds improperly to an infection.” Essentially, the body’s mechanisms for combatting an infection do entirely the opposite; thus, a person with sepsis will have his or her organs work improperly. Mayo states, “Sepsis may progress to septic shock. This is a dramatic drop in blood pressure that can damage the lungs, kidneys, liver and other organs. When the damage is severe, it can lead to death.”

Baby Aurora “had an incredibly rocky start after she contracted sepsis and got very, very poorly, but she’s defied the odds and pulled through,” explained her mother.

At six weeks old, the South Wales Argus reports, Aurora underwent surgery for sepsis at University Hospital Southampton (over 100 miles away). Afterward, she was returned back to Grange University Hospital with the goal of putting on weight ahead of her next operation. At home waiting for her are her older siblings Tia, Dylan, and Freya.

Right to Life UK cites a longitudinal observational January 2022 study in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), which concluded: “Among extremely preterm infants born in 2013-2018 and treated at 19 US academic medical centers, 78.3% survived to discharge, a significantly higher rate than for infants born in 2008-2012.”

Right To Life UK spokesperson Catherine Robinson said, “Baby Aurora’s inspirational story is a testament to the improving outcomes for premature babies and a constant challenge to the current abortion time limit of 24 weeks in the UK.”

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