Baby who weighed less than a pound is home after 17 months in the hospital

A baby who weighed less than one pound at birth and has spent the first 17 months of his life in the hospital has finally joined his family at home — just in time for the holidays.

Nathan Alves Goncalves was born prematurely when his mom Suellen was just 25 weeks pregnant. The first nine months of his life were spent at Boston Children’s Hospital, before he was moved to Franciscan Children’s Hospital in Brighton, MA.

According to Franciscan Children’s, Nathan encountered many health challenges due to his early start, including chronic lung disease. When he arrived at the facility, he needed full ventilator support to help him breathe and a G-tube for feeding.

“At that time, he was still pretty sick,” said nurse practitioner Brittany Ryan, RN at Franciscan Children’s Hospital.

During his time in the hospital, Nathan received occupational, speech, physical, and expressive therapy. According to a Franciscan spokesperson, “he has made excellent developmental progress.”

“To look at 17-month-old Nathan Alves Goncalves, you’d never believe he weighed less than one pound at birth,” Ryan said. “Nathan is now an adorable, active, cheerful, 23-pound baby!”

“Of course, we’re going to miss him terribly,” she added. “He’s such a joy. It’s so nice to come in here every day and just see him smile and get to play with him and see all the progress he’s made over the past seven months.”

Nathan still needs a portable ventilator and has pulmonary hypertension and some ongoing cardiac problems. He will likely need heart surgery in the future, but his medical team at Franciscan reports that he is a happy baby despite it all. His parents, Suellen Alves Goncalves and Arthur Machado have received specialized training so they can care for Nathan at home.

“We’re so appreciative of everyone at Franciscan Children’s,” said Suellen. “They took great care of our son and have become like family to us.”