Born The Size Of A Soda Can, Parents Of 'Tulsa's Miracle Baby' Share Daughter's Story

A very little girl, born four months early and weighing only 12 ounces, is being called “Tulsa’s Miracle Baby.”

The baby, named Jo, spent almost five months in the NICU at Saint Francis Children's Hospital and has a special bond with one of her doctors.

At a year and a half, Baby Jo has no clue about the impact she has made in the medical world, and on her parents, Carolina Gonzales and Michael MacDougall.

Carolina gets emotional talking about what it took to become a mom.

"I was 19 when I was diagnosed with stage three small cell carcinoma of the ovaries and it was devastating. Heartbreaking,” she said.

Carolina went through chemo, radiation, a stem cell transplant and had the tumor and one ovary removed. She could not conceive naturally, so the couple went through IVF. Carolina said her pregnancy seemed normal until she had to have an emergency C-section.

"They tell us it's preeclampsia…and that we have to deliver right now. And I'm 23 weeks and four days,” Carolina said.

On July 24th, 2022, Baby Jo was born four months early, weighing 12 ounces and measuring 10.5 inches. That’s the size of a soda can.

"She was so small right here. Can you imagine a baby this tiny who's wrapped up in plastic with a bag?" Carolina asked.

"She came out crying though. It kind of shocked both of us. I think it shocked her doctor and the neonatologist,” Michael said.

Dr. Rachel Everette at Saint Francis Children's Hospital warned Carolina and Michael about the future of their baby girl.

"She wasn't going to survive. She was very small and she was on the edge of viability,” Dr. Everette said.

But Baby Jo is a fighter.

"That was nothing short of a God moment because that wasn't supposed to happen,” Everette said. “She wasn't supposed to have a mouth big enough for me to be able to intubate her because she's so tiny."

Baby Jo faced all kinds of health problems, especially with her under-developed lungs, which require the use of oxygen.

"Dr. Everette was incredibly sweet and compassionate, but she just spelled it out for us that small babies this early just don't normally make it. We frequently can't get them intubated. There's not a lot we can do,” Michael said.

Carolina and Michael didn't get to hold their baby until she was nine days old when doctors thought she was going to die.

"It was almost like Jo got energized from the fact that her mom and dad were holding her. We could just watch her stats go up. Slowly, but it's going up,” Dr. Everette said.

Dr. Everette understands what NICU families go through. Thirty years ago, she gave birth to a pre-term baby at 26 weeks.

"God allowed me to go through what I went through to put me where I was supposed to be so that I can share my experiences with hurting parents,” she said.

Perhaps it was Dr. Everette's experience, along with the caring staff, who got the family through their challenges.

After 142 days in the NICU, Baby Jo got to go home.

"The staff lined the hallway and they were cheering and it was so exciting because we had so many people that were a part of Jo's care team that it was wonderful to get to see them,” Michael said.

Baby Jo is the smallest baby to survive at Saint Francis Children's Hospital. She is on "The Tiniest Babies" registry for the world's smallest surviving babies, put together by the University of Iowa.

"I think it's amazing her story is getting shared and added to it because the science has come so far and I'm not sure she would have made it if she was born a decade earlier and for sure a century earlier,” Michael said.

Baby Jo is being weened off oxygen and the goal is for her to eventually go without it. 

Saint Francis Children's Hospital recently honored Dr. Everette with an award at its Christmas Miracle Gala.

"As I've said many times, Jo is a miracle, and He just used me to do His will, and that's to keep her here,” Everette said.

Baby Jo and her family took the stage to present the award.

"To see her get honored in that way was, it pulled my heartstrings. For Jo to be able to be up there, it was so special, so wonderful,” Carolina said.

Looking back on their journey so far, Carolina and Michael are grateful for every second, even the difficult five months in the NICU.

"We think it's technology. We think it's the people and we think it's God that are the reasons we have our miracle baby now,” Michael said.

And they have so many special moments that come with being parents: the smiles, Baby Jo’s first steps, and seeing what the future holds for “Tulsa’s Miracle Baby.”