Grace’s Journey: From Tiny Fighter to Thriving Baby with the Support of the NICU Team at Manning Family Children’s

Lakia and Octavious Kelly from Lumberton, Mississippi, never expected the whirlwind journey they’d soon embark on with their fourth daughter, Grace.  

From the very beginning, Lakia had a dream that she was pregnant with a boy. “I told my husband I had a dream of a chunky boy with rolls everywhere,” she recalls. So, when the gender test revealed a girl, they were surprised but delighted. They named their daughter Grace, symbolizing their faith and resilience. 

A Pregnancy Filled with Hope and Challenges 

From the start, Lakia’s pregnancy was high-risk. She was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease called Sjögren’s syndrome, which could lead to complications like congenital heart block in babies. To ensure Grace’s health, Lakia visited a maternal-fetal medicine (MFM) specialist frequently in Hattiesburg.  

Around 20 weeks into her pregnancy, Grace began measuring small on ultrasounds, and soon, doctors detected abnormal cord flow—a condition where the blood flow through the umbilical cord is restricted, limiting the nutrients and oxygen reaching the baby. As weeks progressed, this condition worsened to reverse cord flow, meaning the blood started flowing backward through the umbilical cord, posing a serious risk to Grace’s survival and sharply reducing her chances of reaching full term.  

In Lakia’s words, “It was a constant race against time to give Grace the best chance at life.” 

At 22 weeks, Lakia realized that she couldn’t feel any movement from her baby and went to the hospital in Hattiesburg, where she ended up staying for two weeks leading up to Grace’s birth.  

During that time, Lakia faced severe health complications. Her blood pressure spiked dangerously high, and she was diagnosed with preeclampsia, putting her at risk of a stroke.  

“Between the high blood pressure and being at risk for stroke, my brain was showing signs of seizure,” she recalls. Meanwhile, Grace’s heart began showing troubling signs, fluctuating from high rates to very low ones, even pausing at times. “The doctors were trying to get me to 27 weeks,” said Lakia. But as her and Grace’s conditions worsened, an emergency C-section became necessary at 24 weeks. 

On June 3, 2024, Grace was born via emergency C-section, weighing just 1 pound, 1 ounce. Though incredibly tiny, Grace showed a fighting spirit from her very first breath. 

The NICU Rollercoaster Begins 

Grace entered the world needing immediate care—ventilation for her underdeveloped lungs, a feeding tube, and frequent blood transfusions to manage thrombocytopenia, a condition marked by dangerously low platelets. “Every week, something new seemed to pop up,” Lakia recalls. “It felt like we could barely take a breath before facing the next challenge.” 

One month into Grace’s hospital stay, signs of necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) appeared on Grace’s X-rays, and she was transferred to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at Manning Family Children's for specialized care. Her care team held off on emergency surgery, opting for IV nutrition to give Grace’s intestines a chance to heal. Under the care of the NICU team, Grace recovered from NEC without the need for surgery. For a month, she received all her nutrition through total parenteral nutrition (TPN), a method that bypasses the digestive tract and delivers essential nutrients directly into her bloodstream. This approach allowed her intestines the time needed to heal, ultimately leading to her recovery. 

In addition to battling NEC, Grace was diagnosed with cytomegalovirus (CMV), a viral infection that can lead to various health issues depending on the affected organs. For Grace, complications from CMV included seizures, kidney abnormalities, moderate hearing loss in her right ear, and calcifications in her brain. However, with the care of the NICU’s infectious disease team, her viral load gradually decreased thanks to antiviral medication. 

Grace was also born at risk of developing Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP), an eye condition that affects premature infants, particularly those born before 31 weeks of gestation or weighing under 1500 grams (approximately 3.3 pounds). ROP occurs when blood vessels in the retina do not develop properly, with prematurity and low birth weight being the primary risk factors. 

For those at risk, timely ROP screenings are crucial for detecting early changes in individuals who may need treatment to prevent complications that could lead to blindness. Fortunately, Grace has done well and has not needed treatment. She continues close monitoring until she achieves retinal vessel maturity. 

Overcoming Setbacks and Reaching Milestones 

Despite her tiny size and multiple health issues, Grace slowly grew stronger. She started physical and speech therapy in the NICU, learning to swallow, and even had her first bottle at two months old. She gradually progressed from a ventilator to CPAP, then to a nasal cannula, and eventually to breathing on her own. 

For Lakia, the NICU staff truly became like family. "The staff kept me informed every step of the way and involved me in every decision about Grace’s care. The nurses cared for Grace as if she were their own and taught me everything from power pumping to fortifying her milk for extra calories,” she shared. 

"Seeing Grace in the NICU was one of the hardest things I've ever faced," Lakia continued. "I had to step away from my business to be there for her—pumping, talking to doctors, and making decisions—all while my husband worked. Being away from my other kids was hard, but I had to prioritize Grace because she was so sick. I stayed at HOGS House, a temporary housing option on the hospital campus. My family in Virginia cared for my other kids, and I relied on my faith to help us get through this." 

Bringing Grace Home: A Bittersweet Goodbye to the NICU 

After four months in the NICU—one month in Hattiesburg and three months at Children’s—the day finally arrived for Grace to go home. It was a bittersweet moment for Lakia. “I felt so much relief, but it was hard to leave the incredible support we had at the NICU,” she shared. “These nurses and doctors who cared for Grace became part of our family. It was hard to let them go.” 

Before Grace could be discharged, she had to reach significant milestones. Grace grew from 1 pound to 5 pounds 5.4 ounces by the time of her discharge, marking a 400 percent increase in growth. She developed her suck-swallow reflex, stabilized her temperature, and showed significant progress with no more calcifications or seizures detected on her brain scans.  

Bringing Grace home was both a relief and an adjustment. “Leaving the NICU meant leaving behind the constant support and monitors that gave us peace of mind. We had to learn to trust ourselves to care for her at home,” Lakia recalled. Yet, once they settled in, she and her family felt a profound sense of accomplishment and relief, knowing Grace had made it through her first night at home. 

Grace Today 

Today, 5-month-old Grace is home and thriving. She continues to grow and reach milestones with the support of her family and regular checkups at Manning Family Children’s. In addition to regular visits with her pediatrician, John Firestone, MD,  Grace sees Alejandro Leon, MD, her ophthalmologist, for retinopathy, an audiologist for hearing loss, and Kelly Gajewski, MD, her cardiologist, to monitor her heart after occasional pauses in heart rate. She also sees her infectious disease team to manage her medication levels. Despite the one-and-a-half-hour drive, Lakia is committed to having Grace cared for by the same doctors who supported her from the very beginning in the NICU.  

"She’s my miracle baby," says Lakia. "She’s loving, alert, and brings so much joy to our family." Despite her early start, Grace’s resilience and the support of her care team have helped her overcome incredible odds. "Even the tiniest fighters can accomplish extraordinary things. If it weren’t for my faith in God, and the help and prayers from our church family, I would have never made it through. We are grateful to Children’s for taking such great care of Grace." 

For more information about the NICU at Manning Family Children’s, visit https://www.manningchildrens.org/services/critical-care/neonatal-intensive-care/