Nitasha’s Journey Through Pre-Eclampsia, Premature Birth, and a Miracle One-Year-Old

When 32-year-old Nitasha Ittoo Ramgoolam looks at her one-year-old son today—laughing, curious, strong—it’s hard to believe how their story began. It’s a story filled with fear, faith, and the quiet resilience of a mother who persevered even when her world felt unbearably fragile.

Their journey into parenthood didn’t follow the typical path most expect. It began with a warning at 28 weeks: a diagnosis of pre-eclampsia and the sobering realization that she wouldn’t carry to term. Doctors monitored her daily, preparing her for a cesarean section at 36 weeks. But life had other plans.

On the day of her delivery, Nitasha’s blood pressure suddenly surged to 150/110. She was administered medication—including Valium—to stabilize her condition. However, soon after, something felt terribly wrong. Her baby had stopped moving. There was a heartbeat, but no movement. Not for one hour. Not even when the doctor checked.

In that moment, anxiety replaced the waiting. Every second was critical. An emergency cesarean section was the only option. “We decided not to risk it,” she says softly. “I just needed him out safely.”

Nothing prepared her for how tiny he would be.

Born at 31 weeks and 3 days, weighing only 975 grams, he was small—fragile—but astonishingly resilient. He entered the world with a cry, fighting from his very first breath. He didn’t require intubation, just a small oxygen mask to assist his breathing. Her baby spent almost a month in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit before being transferred to the nursery to gain weight. Those weeks were among the hardest Nitasha had ever faced.

Every call from the hospital made her heart stop. One day everything would be fine; the next, she’d be informed he had low blood count, an infection, or digestive issues causing his little belly to swell. Premature babies fight silent battles every single day—and their parents do too.

Her strength came from two sources: her faith and the compassionate medical staff who cared for her son. “Even on days when my baby wasn’t doing well, they explained everything. They encouraged me. When I broke down, they held space for me,” she recalls. Their kindness became her lifeline.

Like many preterm infants, her son faced numerous medical challenges. Each obstacle he overcame felt like a small miracle. Family, friends, and even strangers on the same journey became her support system. Other parents of premature babies—those she met in hospital corridors and waiting rooms—quickly became companions on a path only they could truly understand.

After countless days of watching him through incubator walls, the moment she finally held her son felt like time had stood still. “Holding my baby for the first time, feeling his tiny hand clutch my finger - that was everything.”

Defying every fear, every uncertainty, and every sleepless night, her little boy is thriving. He is a testament that miracles don’t always come in full sizes. Sometimes, they arrive just under a kilogram—and they roar their way through life.