Miracle Baby Thriving Thanks to Silver Cross Hospital NICU Team

Nyla Brooke Haywood’s miraculous story has made national headlines and put the spotlight on Silver Cross Hospital’s ability to care for premature babies close to home.

Born Nov. 17, 2023, at only 22.3 weeks and weighing 1.1 pounds, Nyla is the youngest baby born at Silver Cross. She was discharged after six months in the Amy, Matthew and Jay Vana Neonatal Intensive Care Unit to throngs of well-wishers, family and media.

“Everyone was so caring,” Nyla’s mother, NaKeya Haywood of Joliet, explained. “My nurse on Labor and Delivery was the best. She held my hand. She cried with me. She took care of my family. I absolutely adored her.”

Fine, until it wasn’t.

NaKeya, who works for Silver Oaks Behavioral Hospital on the Silver Cross campus, said at 20 weeks, she developed symptoms of high blood pressure and swelling. Emergency testing revealed that NaKeya had pre-eclampsia. “After talking to my husband, we decided we were going to hold on to her, with the goal of delivering her.”

“We’ve Got This.”

“It took a nation,” said Peggy Farrell, DNP RN, Director of NICU and Lactation Services at Silver Cross. “We talked with several teams to create a plan. The neonatologists said, ‘We’ve got this.’”

Dr. Mario Sanchez, neonatologist, knew the odds. Survival is 50:50 for neonates born at 23 weeks; less for babies born at Nyla’s gestational age of 22.3 weeks. “Every member participated together, and just had Nyla deliver as flawlessly as possible,” he said.

“Our OR was set to 80 degrees,” explained Dr. Corryn Greenwood, Medical Director of the NICU. Nyla was given 100% PURE oxygen for her first month. “A complication in extremely premature babies is bronchopulmonary dysplasia, or BPD. The baby’s lungs aren’t developed that early and being on oxygen stresses them.”

A Fighter from the Start.

Neonatologist Dr. Brett Galley explained to the Haywoods that new medicines and procedures are improving the odds.

Neonatologist Dr. Cristina Baumker, who met Nyla when she was a day old, said, “I see her, and my heart melts. She’s so beautiful. We all love her. She’ll overcome this as her lungs grow and heal.”

‘They’re Family.’

NaKeya said they feel an attachment to the nurses and doctors. “They’re family. I’ve been here daily for six months. We know each other. I couldn’t be more grateful. If it wasn’t for this NCIU, we’d be going downtown every day. My mom works here. I was born here. There’s just so many things that made it feel safe.”

For more information, visit silvercross.org/nicu