Ghost Baby Born With No 'Blood' Now Happy and Healthy
Doctors are calling six-month-old Olivia a miracle after she was reportedly born without enough hemoglobin to give her skin color. Olivia was born with such a low amount of hemoglobin that her blood could not be classified as human blood under normal classifications.
Her condition meant she was not expected to live, but she has now shocked the medical community by growing to be a happy, healthy infant. Olivia's condition is so rare that she will make history books, but her mother, Louise, is just grateful for her daughter's turnaround.
"Olivia was my first baby, so I didn't really know what to expect, but I certainly didn't think she'd be that color," Louise told The Daily Mail. "I'll never forget what the doctors' notes said: 'white and floppy.'"
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Olivia was born as white as a ghost, hence her nickname "ghost baby." She underwent numerous transfusions in order to increase the amount of hemoglobin, or white blood cells, in her blood.
"It was such a relief when the doctors explained what was happening, and it was quite amazing when they put the blood in her, and she slowly turned this amazing pink color," Louise explained.
She spent two weeks in the hospital's Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) undergoing light therapy as well as blood transfusions. According to the doctors, newborn anemia is incredibly rare, which is why Olivia's story is so incredible.
"It was a miracle she survived," said NICU nurse Sharon Pilgrim. She has worked in the pediatric field for 20 years and described Olivia as a "miracle. She was incredibly pale when born and had difficulties breathing. There was no sign of blood loss prior to the cesarean or during the operation."
"It was only when we carried out further tests on Louise that we discovered the baby had lost blood directly into her mum's blood circulation," Pilgrim explained. The placenta used to nourish Olivia had pulled away from Louise's uterus, causing the low oxygen rate.
As of now, Olivia shows no signs of her ordeal. She is a perfectly healthy six-month-old baby girl. "She's such a lovely baby," mom Louise beamed. "It means everything having her at home now."
