Born at 28 weeks and weighing 1 pound, 7 ounces: How Lakeside Hospital's NICU helped Azula thrive

After an emergency delivery, Azula spent 84 days in the NICU. Today, she’s a thriving 5 year old. 

"Azula came earlier so I could love her a little longer," Allie said, reflecting on her daughter's unexpected arrival five years ago. Today, she describes that time as one of the most challenging experiences of her life. 

Today, Azula is an energetic child with a big personality. She loves monster trucks, dressing up in girly clothes, and keeping her family on their toes with her confident, independent spirit. This fall, she’ll head off to kindergarten like so many other children her age. 

Few people would ever guess she entered the world weighing just 1 pound, 7 ounces, or spent the first three months of her life growing stronger in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Lakeside Hospital, part of LCMC Health, before finally going home. 

When a routine pregnancy changed in an instant 

When Allie found out she was pregnant in September 2020, life was changing in more ways than one. Just days later, she and her husband moved from California to New Orleans after receiving military orders, far from the family support system they had always known. 

For much of the pregnancy, Allie felt well and had no reason to expect any complications. That changed during her 20-week anatomy scan, when the ultrasound technician noticed Azula was measuring smaller than expected for her gestational age. Her obstetrician diagnosed her with fetal growth restriction, a condition that requires closer monitoring from a high-risk pregnancy specialist. 

Allie was quickly referred to Gabriella Pridjian, MD, a maternal-fetal medicine specialist with LCMC Health and professor and chairman, The C. Jeff Miller Chair in Obstetrics & Gynecology at Tulane University School of Medicine, for frequent ultrasounds to monitor Azula’s growth and overall well-being. 

“Fetal growth restriction can occur for several reasons, including placental or umbilical cord conditions that can limit a baby's access to oxygen and nutrients,” Dr. Pridjian said. “When we identify growth restriction, our priority is monitoring the baby closely so we can determine the safest time for delivery. Every pregnancy is different, and our goal is to give the baby as much time to grow while recognizing when delivery becomes the safer option.” 

At first, appointments were every other week. Then every week, and eventually, every other day. One day, after reviewing Azula’s heart rate and overall condition, Dr. Pridjian determined it was time for Allie to go to the hospital immediately for delivery by C-section. Just over two hours later, at 3:17 that afternoon, Azula entered the world at only 28 weeks gestation. 

Because Azula needed immediate specialized care, the NICU team brought her directly to the unit after delivery. Several hours later, once Allie had recovered enough from surgery, she was able to see her daughter for the first time. 

When Allie first laid eyes on Azula, she was overwhelmed by how tiny and fragile her daughter looked. Since she had been born so early, many parts of Azula’s body were still developing. Her nose and ears were soft, her skin was still translucent, and Allie could see her veins beneath the surface. 

With their families still in California, Allie felt the weight of becoming a first-time mother in an environment she had never expected, without the relatives she imagined would be by her side. Perhaps hardest of all, Allie recalls, was that she couldn’t hold her daughter until she was five days old. 

Learning to become a NICU mom 

After recovering from delivery, Allie quickly settled into a new daily rhythm centered around spending as much time as possible with her daughter in the NICU. For Allie, being there was part of learning how to be Azula’s mom amid monitors, feeding tubes, specialists, and uncertainty. She made it a priority to attend physician rounds each day, listening carefully as neonatologists, nurses, respiratory therapists, and a multidisciplinary team of specialists discussed Azula’s progress. 

In those early weeks, Azula was regularly evaluated for several potential complications common among extremely premature babies. Doctors monitored a possible hole in her heart, evaluated concerns involving her intestines, and closely tracked her progress through frequent imaging and examinations while her tiny body continued to develop. 

“The team was really good about explaining everything,” Allie said. “Anytime I had questions, someone was there to answer them. I never felt like I was going through it completely alone.” 

Over time, those early concerns improved. By the third week, the focus began shifting toward helping Azula continue developing through steady weight gain, improved feeding, and the visible changes Allie noticed from one day to the next. 

One milestone that stood out was Azula’s move from the incubator into an open crib. For many parents, an open crib might seem ordinary. For Allie, it changed the way she could interact with her daughter. She no longer had to reach through the small openings of the incubator or wait for help before holding her. She could pick Azula up herself, creating more of the everyday moments that help strengthen the bond between a mother and her baby. 

Feeding then became the next major focus. Like many premature babies, Azula needed time to build the coordination and stamina required to take enough milk by bottle. Before she could go home, she also needed to reach five pounds, safely tolerate her car seat, and consistently finish enough bottles on her own. As those milestones came within reach, going home finally began to feel within reach, too. 

Throughout the multi-month journey, Allie credits the Lakeside NICU team with helping transform an overwhelming experience into something she could manage one day at a time. She says that their steady communication, hands-on guidance, and encouragement helped her feel more confident caring for her daughter. 

The team also learned Azula’s cues, her feeding schedule, and even the signs that she was getting impatient. To Allie, that personalized attention showed the team cared for Azula not just as a patient, but as an individual.  

The NICU also became something Allie never expected: a community. She became close friends with another mother whose son was receiving care nearby, and years later, they’re still friends. That connection helped Allie feel less alone and gave her someone nearby who understood the NICU experience in a way few others could. 

Going home and growing strong 

When Azula finally met the goals she needed to go home, the day Allie had been waiting for finally arrived. She was discharged on May 12, 2021 – just a couple of days after Mother’s Day and one day after Allie’s original due date. 

After nearly three months surrounded by monitors and other NICU babies, Allie was ready to bring her daughter home, but she also knew there would be a lot to manage. Azula still struggled with reflux and required careful feeding techniques at home, including paced bottle feeding. Before discharge, the Lakeside NICU team helped Allie learn how to feed Azula safely and confidently. 

Today, the tiny baby who once fit inside an incubator has become a confident 5-year-old living a happy childhood. Azula also adores her younger sister, Navi, who also experienced IUGR, though much less severely, and spent two weeks in the NICU before coming home healthy. 

Azula has completed occupational therapy, physical therapy, speech therapy, and follow-up appointments with cardiology after a small hole in her heart closed naturally. She also received ongoing follow-up through the NICU specialty team after discharge, giving Allie reassurance that Azula’s growth and development were being monitored closely beyond her hospital stay. By around age two, she had caught up developmentally. 

Looking back, Allie remembers being scared and uncertain, but she also remembers the people who helped her family through it. As Lakeside Hospital looks toward the future, that same commitment to women and newborn care is continuing to grow. 

Through a $14 million investment by LCMC Health, Lakeside Hospital is undergoing a major expansion of its Women and Newborn Care services, with completion expected in 2027. The project will bring together the maternity services currently offered at East Jefferson General Hospital and Lakeside Hospital into one centralized location, creating a modernized women and newborn care center with expanded labor and delivery suites, enhanced postpartum rooms, and a 26-bed Level III NICU designed to provide specialized newborn care close to home. 

For parents unexpectedly beginning a NICU journey, Allie hopes Azula’s story can offer reassurance. She understands the worry of watching a premature baby grow stronger one day at a time, but she also knows the hope that can come with the right care team beside you. Soon, Azula is getting ready for kindergarten and is full of energy and the same determination that carried her through her earliest days. 

To learn more about Women and Newborn Care at Lakeside Hospital, visit the Lakeside Hospital website.