‘Miracle baby’ Gia turns 1

Every child’s first birthday is special. But for the parents of Gia Delaney, marking this milestone is nothing short of a miracle.

This time last October, Gia was fighting for her life in an incubator at the Nicklaus Children’s Hospital in Miami after being born prematurely, at 25 weeks.

“It’s kind of been like a nightmare/dream from the beginning to now,” Gia’s mother, Roshaine Jackson, said in an interview with the Cayman Compass. “We’re really happy with how far she’s come along”.

The couple, who also has a 4-year-old son, Nolan, spoke excitedly about Gia’s first birthday, which they’ll be celebrating in an intimate celebration on Saturday, 16 Oct.

“She’s just so perfect… like a normal baby and she’s defied all the odds,” Michael Delaney, Gia’s father, said.

Recounting Gia’s journey

Gia, Jackson said, is a healthy, normal 1-year-old now. Last year, however, that was not the case after she was born prematurely.

In fact, Jackson said, she and her husband were told that they should prepare for the worst.

“Especially during my labour, we were told ‘Guys, you know, just prepare, she might not make it. We’re not sure,’ – because of how early she was – and for her to come out breathing on her own, at least for the first day… even the doctors were very surprised and when we got to Miami and she was breathing on her own without any assistance, they were very shocked as well,” she said.

However, that changed, and baby Gia needed assistance, as she got tired really quickly from breathing.

“She was put on oxygen support when we got to Miami and a couple of weeks after… she was intubated for about a month and, after that, she was put back on the CPAP [Continuous Positive Airway Pressure] machine,” she said, adding that Gia remained on that treatment until she needed minimal oxygen support.

“I feel like we have been through a lot, and we were in a dark place at one time,” he said.

Baby Gia’s weight at birth 

1 pound 4oz.

 

Baby Gia’s weight at 1st birthday
18 pounds

The couple was racked with fear as they prayed fervently for baby Gia over the weeks she fought for her life.

“That first month, as well, we were in Miami. That was a very uncertain time for us because the doctors did prepare us well on our arrival that the first four weeks are sort of like… I think they called it the ‘honeymoon period’… where it could go… really well and then go really bad,” she said.

Fortunately, Jackson said, baby Gia continued to do “really well” and was eventually cleared to return home.

“It is incredible, especially seeing from where she’s started to now, to watch her grow and develop and meet her milestones by her correct age… it has been great,” she said, adding sometimes they cannot believe it.

Delaney added, “I feel amazing… I am proud of her.”

Though Gia is thriving and growing well, the couple said the infant still has chronic lung disease, but that is something Gia will overcome.

Jackson explained that the doctors told them that as she grows, the lungs regenerate cells, which is the case for children in the first eight years of life.

However, she said, doctors told them Gia might have asthma or some respiratory issues later on.

“But, as of right now, she’s fine,” Jackson said, as she cuddled Gia, who was busy playing with some birthday balloons.

The parents expressed their gratitude to the community for their support, donations to their GoFundMe campaign and prayers.

“Donating to our cause really helped us to be able to focus more on her than our financial stress brought on by her situation. We’re just really grateful for the (Health Services Authority) team, my doctors from Ocean Med and Gia’s paediatrician from the children’s clinic and, most importantly, our insurance companies for helping arrange our air ambulance so quickly,” Jackson added.

For big brother, Nolan, Saturday’s party will be an exciting event because “Sister is 1, ‘cause sister is little, and I am 4,” then added happily, “There’s cake!”