A woman onboard a Royal Caribbean cruise headed to Jamaica earlier this month went to the ship's infirmary with discomfort in her stomach and left with a baby in her arms.
The woman, Patrina Ross, went into premature labor on the cruise at only 22 weeks of pregnancy (a full-term pregnancy is 37 weeks.)
The doctor on the ship, Dr. Alif Patilla, jumped into action to help the mom prepare for preterm birth in less-than-ideal conditions.
The ship's medical team contacted Dr. Jorge Perez, the medical director of South Miami Hospital's Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and Neonatal Transport Team. Perez spent the night on the phone with them talking the team through how to adapt the limited medical equipment onboard to care for a very premature baby.
In today's environment, we do save 22-weekers [pre-mature babies] but have never had to save a 22-weeker in the sea or a cruise ship. For your average physician to care for or resuscitate a baby that probably fits in the palm of your hand is an incredible task.
With the help of Dr. Perez and the ship's entire medical crew, the baby boy was born, weighing just 2.2 pounds.
Perez went on to say,
I didn't know how long we were going to be able to keep this baby alive. I applaud them because they did an incredible job just following the instructions that I was giving them over a phone call.
Once the ship docked in Ocho Rios, Jamaica, the new mom and baby were taken to St. Ann's Bay Hospital, where the baby was admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit.
They were both later flown to Nicklaus Children's Hospital in Florida, where the baby remains in critical, but stable condition.
