Miracle baby heads home after 6 months in NICU

Every pregnant woman has a vision for how that big day will go. Like many expecting mothers, Lacey Breeden thought she would deliver her baby girl, recover for a few days at the hospital and go back home with her child.

Instead, doctors diagnosed her with HELLP syndrome, a life-threatening complication during pregnancy that puts both mother and child at risk.   Her daughter, Watson, had to be delivered nearly four months early.  She was born October 29, 2016, weighing only 11 ounces, the smallest child ever born at Baylor University Medical Center at Dallas.

“She got sick really early on, we were praying to God for survival, just falling to our knees and crying out for her to get better,” mother Lacey Breeden said.

Doctors say children as small as Watson typically have a 20 percent chance of survival. But Watson is not your typical baby.

She survived two surgeries in the first few months of her life and overcame numerous respiratory issues.

“She has been through more in six months than most people have been through in their whole lifetime,” said Amber Hale, RN, a registered nurse on the medical staff at Baylor University Medical Center at Dallas who cared for Watson in the NICU.

In all, Watson Breeden spent nearly 6 months in the NICU. Watch her amazing journey to recovery as seen through the eyes of those nursed her back to health, below. 

From pregnancy to delivery — and everything in between — our experienced care teams will be by your side through it all. Find a delivery location that’s right for you.