A New Jersey baby who was born at 24 weeks gestation is home from the hospital after spending the first nine months of her life in the neonatal intensive care unit.
The baby, Chimamanda Myla Obidike, who goes by Myla, was treated in the NICU by the same doctor who treated her mom, Chi Obidike, as a premature baby over 30 years ago.
"It feels so surreal. I can't believe [we are] finally going home after 285 days. But I'm so, so grateful and so, so excited," Obidike said in an interview shared by Virtua Voorhees Hospital, where she gave birth to Myla.
Doctors, nurses and staff members at Virtua Voorhees gathered Tuesday to give Myla a "clap out" celebration.
According to the hospital, after Obidike was admitted, she underwent an emergency cesarean section on May 15, 2025. When baby Myla was born, she weighed only 1 pound, 5 ounces.
Dr. Leonard Goldsmith, a neonatologist with the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, is the doctor who cared for both Myla and Obidike, both at Virtua Voorhees Hospital.
"[Obidike] spent a fair amount of time here and then did really well and went home. She's had a great life. She's very accomplished, became a nurse practitioner," Goldsmith said of his past patient. "Then last year, she came in and delivered Myla at 24 weeks."
For months, Goldsmith said baby Myla faced multiple health challenges, such as lung disease, a congenital heart defect, anemia and other complications of prematurity that required surgery and other treatments.
"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," said Goldsmith, who added that Myla is now the "longest tenured patient" treated at Virtua Voorhees' NICU.
Obidike said Myla's long NICU journey was "very challenging" for her and her family, especially since Myla's father has been abroad during her NICU stay.
She said one of the many things that helped was knowing Goldsmith and Myla's entire care team were committed to helping them.
"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. She reminded me to never focus on how long we have been here, but focus on the fact that we are here," said Obidike.
Myla was discharged from the hospital Tuesday without any monitors or medical equipment, according to Goldsmith, who said the nearly 1-year-old is now in "really good health."
"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."
