Australian preemie born at 23 weeks now thriving at home with his family

Courtney and Rhys Matulis of Mornington Peninsula, Australia, were overjoyed to learn they were pregnant with their son, Maverick, after having lost a previous pregnancy at 18 weeks. But their joy turned to worry when Courtney prematurely went into labor at 23 weeks. 

“Maverick is our second child. We lost our little girl Savannah Jane at 18 weeks and six days as a result of an incompetent cervix, which is part of the reason that he was born so early as well,” Courtney explained. 

Doctors put a stitch in Courtney’s cervix (cerclage) in an attempt to prevent her premature labor again, but unfortunately, it didn’t hold for long.

“The stitch failed and I was in labour. I was dilated three centimetres. The membrane for his amniotic sac had started to come through, which is what caused the bleed,” she explained. 

Baby Maverick arrived at 23 weeks five days weighing just 719 grams – as much as a loaf of bread. He had a number of medical complications due to his early birth. In fact, when he was just 16 days old, his kidneys started shutting down and doctors feared he wouldn’t make it. They presented Courtney and Rhys with the only thing they thought would give him a chance at life.

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“They put him on nitric gas, which is something that they don’t usually give to a baby under 34 weeks. It can have many dangerous side effects such as brain damage and intellectual damage,” Courtney explained to 9Honey Parenting.

“We weighed up the options and thought if this is going to save his life, let’s do it.”

“There was so much happiness around, but then at the same time so much concern and worry,” Rhys said of Maverick’s time in the hospital. 

Rhys told The Age that connecting with other parents through an organization called Life’s Little Treasures Foundation was very helpful for the couple. “They had an online support group for dads and I could jump on there and share what I was going through. It’s a very unique situation, but hearing positive stories from others … it gave us hope,” he said.

The organization also helped the parents focus on what mattered — spending time with Maverick as he recovered in the NICU.

“They were so great. They would take care of breakfast and we could just focus on getting up all hours of the night to sit with him and read with him. It’s what you need when your child is effectively fighting for his life,” said Courtney.

Amazingly, Maverick pulled through, and after 184 days in the hospital, he was able to go home with his family. Despite the concerns with his early medical challenges, he is now thriving, with Courtney noting, “He’s meeting all of his developmental milestones.” Rhys said, “I’m just so lucky to be his dad.”