Preemie home after 9 months, thanks to same doc who once cared for mom

Chi Obidike, a New Jersey mom, was a premature baby who gave birth to her own premature baby decades later — and both mom and baby had the same NICU doctor in the exact same hospital.

Key Takeaways:

• Chi Obidike was born prematurely more than 30 years ago, and last year gave birth to her own daughter prematurely in the very same hospital. Her daughter also had the same doctor who cared for Obidike when she was a preemie.

• Obidike's daughter was able to go home after 285 days in the hospital.

The Details:

Last year, Chi Obidike gave birth to her daughter Chimamanda Myla Obidike ("Myla") — born via cesarean section on May 15, 2025, at just 24 weeks gestation and weighing only 1 lb, 5 oz. Baby Myla has now left the NICU healthy, after spending 285 days there.

“I'm so, so grateful and so, so excited," Obidike said upon Myla’s release from the NICU, according to Good Morning America (GMA).

Dr. Leonard Goldsmith, a neonatologist with the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, treated baby Myla at Virtua Voorhees Hospital as she faced a series of health challenges and complications, including lung disease, a congenital heart defect, anemia, and other health issues. He is the same doctor who cared for Myla's mother in the NICU at Virtua Voorhees Hospital over 30 years ago,

Goldsmith noted that Myla is now the “longest tenured” NICU baby at Virtua Voorhees Hospital.

"Myla was critically ill. She was very, very sick, and it was a lot of ups and downs for the first couple of weeks, and she was fairly ill for several months," Goldsmith recalled.

After nine months of care, Myla is in “really good health” and was discharged from the hospital without monitors or medical equipment, Goldsmith said. 

"She has good lung function and she can eat like a healthy baby, so we have very good feelings for her going forward," said Goldsmith, adding, "This is what we all live for ... and it's very rewarding."

Registered nurse Linda Eng-Lewandowski, another of the hospital staff who cared for baby Myla, also found the experience rewarding — particularly because Obidike, who is a nurse practitioner, cared for Eng-Lewandowski's mother-in-law in hospice.

Obidike described the long NICU stay as “very challenging” for herself and her family, especially because Myla’s father was abroad. But with the support of Goldsmith, Eng-Lewandowski, and the rest of the medical team caring for Myla, she was finally able to go home.

Obidike also credits her faith and hope in God.

Recalling her own NICU journey and the successful life she has enjoyed also helped Obidike during tough times. "Knowing that I was born here early, and look at me today, [helped]. My mom was very, very, very much sure that we were exactly where we needed to be,” said Obidike.

Baby Myla is following in her mom’s footsteps, hopefully with a bright future ahead.