A young Caymanian couple is celebrating the birth of their miracle baby, born approximately three months early, and weighing just 1.5 pounds.
Gabriella Pierson and Andrew Beauchene were not expecting the new arrival – their first child – until February of next year.
Pierson was just 27 weeks pregnant when she was admitted to the hospital on 2 Nov. suffering complications that led to a premature delivery.
Her daughter was safely delivered by emergency caesarean section on 3 Nov. at 2:07am, and flown out to Florida just two days later, by air ambulance, for specialised care.
“I’m so relieved now that we are both doing better, as we were all so stressed initially,” Pierson told the Compass during her own recovery.
The baby girl was accompanied overseas by her maternal grandmother, Sonia Pierson.
Gabriella, who needed to stay in hospital in Cayman, said “My mom has been keeping us updated daily, and everything is going well, so it’s positive and looking up. Although this is not at all what we were expecting, Andrew and I, and both of our families, are so relieved that our baby is doing well.”
Her paternal grandmother, Yasmane Tibbetts-Beauchene, said the family and entire medical team has been overwhelmed by the baby girl’s resilience. She said she had joined Pierson, other family members and the entire medical team in prayer before the surgery took place.
Tibbetts-Beauchene said the medical evacuation had been complex and the extended family – grandmothers, grandfathers, great grandmothers and great grandfather, aunts and uncles – had all worked in “love and unity” to support the couple and their baby.
Collectively, she said, they made numerous phone calls, visited government departments, both locally and overseas, and completed a great deal of paperwork along with logistical planning in order for the baby to be airlifted overseas promptly.
The emergency also prompted comment in Parliament last week, with MP Chris Saunders paying tribute to the officials and professionals who had mobilised to make the medical evacuation possible.
Saunders said he had received a call from a grandmother who lives overseas seeking urgent help to expedite the process of getting her granddaughter registered at the General Registry and then to apply to obtain a Cayman passport for the baby to be air ambulanced to Florida urgently. Saunders immediately contacted Attorney General Samuel Bulgin who assisted with the effort.
‘Incredibly thankful’
He read a message from the family, thanking all who helped give the baby, “a fighting chance at life”.
The family says they are focused on the baby, who has been affectionately nicknamed “tiny but mighty” for her resilience and strength, and her continued progress.
“We are incredibly thankful to God, first and foremost, as well as to everyone who played a role in praying for, supporting and assisting us. This includes, but is not limited to family, friends, church families and pastors, medical professionals both locally and overseas, as well as government officials, and civil servants who assisted in any way,” they said in a statement to the Compass.
Tibbetts-Beauchene added, “Baby girl Beauchene is an absolute miracle. We are standing with unwavering faith that she is going to live, and we thank God in advance.”
A GoFundMe account is in the process of being set up to assist the young parents with the costs of medical bills, and will be posted online once available.
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I was born October 1963 and weighed under 2lbs. At the time we had no road and traveled by boat. Youngest of nine.
I was born in 1965, 3 months’ premature and weighing 2lbs with no heart beat. My tiny life was jump started with a dose of adrenalin (my friends like to joke the doctors gave me too much!)
All they could do for me in those days was put me in an incubator on a slanted board – but there was A LOT of praying too! The catholic priest gave me the last rites since no one expected me to make it.
Sending prayers and every good wish to miraculous “Tiny but Mighty” for your continued progress and thriving !