Medical professionals in Australia are struggling to explain the survival of an infant who entered the world weighing just 351 grams—lighter than a standard can of soda. The baby girl has now made medical history as the country’s most premature surviving infant.
Makerita Miracle Tanuvasa arrived at the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital on March 25, entering the world at merely 21 weeks and three days into pregnancy. Her birth also established a new record as Queensland’s smallest newborn ever documented.
Unexpected pregnancy discovery
The circumstances surrounding Makerita’s birth were as unexpected as her survival. Her mother, Annrose Tanuvasa, discovered she was pregnant just five days before delivery. Earlier in December, Annrose believed she had experienced a miscarriage, though medical staff now suspect she may have lost a twin during that time.
Upon first seeing her daughter, Annrose’s immediate reaction was one of doubt about the infant’s chances of survival. The baby’s father, Misi, described how their daughter was so diminutive she could rest comfortably in the palm of a hand. Physical contact between parents and child was impossible during the initial four weeks of treatment.
Medical teams baffled by survival
Throughout 14 weeks in the intensive care unit, medical staff provided round-the-clock care for the fragile newborn. Nurse Renee Judd characterized the baby’s survival as genuinely miraculous. The medical team expressed their inability to provide a scientific explanation for how the infant overcame each complication that arose during her treatment.
Following her extended stay in intensive care, Makerita has been released from hospital care and is currently recovering at home with her parents.
The biblical passage from Matthew 19:26 states, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
WATCH: Baby Smaller Than a Soda Can Stuns Doctors with Miraculous Survival
