An expectant Phoenix mom was not expecting to be celebrating Mother’s Day in 2017.
Yuliana Torres Aguirre's baby girl, Neelam, was due in June but was born in February at just 24 weeks into the pregnancy.
“I was supposed to be pregnant but Miss Neelam, she’s the boss. So she decided she wanted to come a little earlier,” Aguirre said. “So we’re going to celebrate Mother’s Day together.”
For the past several months, Aguirre has spent every day in the Nursery Intensive Care Unit at Dignity Health St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center with her daughter.
Neelam weighed just 1 lb. 6 oz. when she was born but has beat all odds and continues to thrive at the hospital now weighing around six pounds.
The little girl survived two brain bleeds, a surgery and many other complications.
"Being a mom is a blessing, and she is our little miracle," Aguirre said. “The NICU team at St. Joseph's are wonderful and they always do everything they can to make sure Neelam is OK so that we can go home soon."
As soon as Neelam learns to eat from a bottle, she’ll get to finally go home.