TONIGHT, A MCAULIFFE FAMILY CELEBRATING THEIR LITTLE ONE AND THE JOURNEY TO BRING HIM INTO THE WORLD. 米兰体育 13 S MAGDALA LOUISSAINT SHARES HOW THEIR UNIMAGINABLE CIRCUMSTANCES BROUGHT THEM FROM THE WEST COAST RIGHT TO UAB HOSPITAL. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DEAR ROYAL. EVERY DAY I JUST MADE IT MY WILL TO GO IN THERE AND SING HAPPY BIRTHDAY. SINGING HAPPY BIRTHDAY THIS YEAR IS SO SPECIAL TO LATOYA BURNETT. HER FIANCE ROMMEL RICE AND THEIR SON ROYAL. HE JUST CELEBRATED HIS FIRST BIRTHDAY AT HOME AFTER SPENDING NINE MONTHS IN THE NICU. SO THERE鈥橲 A CAP HERE. SO WHY DID HE GRADUATE? YEAH, HE GRADUATED NICU. OKAY. NOW IT鈥橲 MAINLY JUST FEEDING HIM AND GROWING HIM. ROYAL, WHO鈥橲 STILL ON A VENTILATOR, WAS BORN PREMATURE AT 21 WEEKS AND SIX DAYS. BUT THE JOURNEY TO GET HERE WAS UNCONVENTIONAL. THE NORTHERN ALABAMA COUPLE HAD BEEN LIVING IN CALIFORNIA FOR FOUR YEARS. BURNETT SAYS HER CALIFORNIA DOCTOR TOLD HER SHE WAS TEN CENTIMETERS DILATED AND HER BABY WASN鈥橳 GOING TO MAKE IT. THE HOSPITAL BACK IN CALIFORNIA, THEY WERE JUST A LEVEL TWO HOSPITAL. THEY COULDN鈥橳 PROVIDE THE RESOURCES, THE EQUIPMENT THAT WAS NEEDED TO SUPPORT HIM. BEING SO YOUNG. ONE QUICK SEARCH ON HER PHONE LED BURNETT TO THIS ARTICLE ABOUT UAB HOSPITAL DELIVERING A RECORD BREAKING PREMATURE BABY AT 21 WEEKS AND ONE DAY. THE COUPLE SAID IT鈥橲 TIME TO HEAD BACK HOME TO ALABAMA. WE GET ON THE PLANE AND MIND YOU, SHE鈥橲 STILL LEAKING ANTIBIOTIC FLUID THE WHOLE TIME AND WE鈥橰E ABOUT TO GO 33,000FT IN THE AIR WHERE THE BABY COULD COME OUT. MOM EVENTUALLY DELIVERED BABY ROYAL ON FEBRUARY 13TH, 2024. EVERY DAY AFTER THAT WOULD BE CHALLENGING. IT WAS A LOT DEALING WITH A 15 OUNCE BABY AT THE TIME, BECAUSE IT TOOK HIM A WHILE TO EVEN GET TO A POUND. IN MY MIND, THIS WAS ALL OF THIS WAS AN ILLUSION. BUT THINGS GOT BETTER ONCE I SEEN HIS HEARTBEAT. ONCE THEY GOT HIM OUT, THEY BAGGED HIM AND WE SAW THAT MONITOR CONTINUE TO DO THIS. THAT鈥橲 WHEN I KNEW HE WAS GOING TO MAKE IT. ROYAL MADE IT TO THE ONE YEAR MARK OF LIFE AND WITH MANY MORE TO COME. MOM, DAD AND BIG SISTER ALL HAPPY. THEY DIDN鈥橳 GIVE UP. YAY! YOU JUST GOT TO KEEP HOLDING ON TO FAITH. KEEP FIGHTING FOR HIM. KEEP ADVOCATING. IN MCCALLA.
California family celebrates premature baby's birthday milestone and journey to have son delivered at UAB Hospital
![米兰体育 logo]()
Updated: 8:40 PM CDT Mar 11, 2025
Latoya Burnett sits in a McCalla living room with her family and 米兰体育 13, recalling her time in the hospital caring for her son, Royal, who was born prematurely. 'Every day I just made it my will to go in there and sing Happy Birthday.'Burnett says her California doctor told her she was 10 centimeters dilated, and her baby wasn't going to make it.鈥淭he hospital back in California, they were just a level two hospital. They couldn't provide the resources, the equipment that was needed to support him being so young,鈥� Burnett said.One quick search on her phone led Burnett to this article about University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Hospital delivering a record-breaking premature baby at 21 weeks and one day.The couple said it's time to head back home to Alabama.鈥淲e get on the plane and mind you; she's still leaking amniotic fluid all the time. We've had to go 33,000 ft in the air where the baby could come out,鈥� Rice said.Mom eventually delivered the baby, Royal, on February 13th, 2024. Every day after that would be challenging. Burnett said, 鈥淭t was a lot dealing with a 15 oz baby. It took him a lot to get to a pound."Rice says, "In my mind, all of this was an illusion and things got better once as I got to see his heartbeat once they got him out and they bagged him, and we saw that (heart) monitor continue to do this. That's when I knew he was going to make it."Royal made it to the one-year mark of life, and with many more to come. Mom, dad and big sister are all happy they didn't give up.鈥淵ou just got to keep holding on to faith, keep fighting for him and keep advocating,鈥� Burnett said.
Latoya Burnett sits in a McCalla living room with her family and 米兰体育 13, recalling her time in the hospital caring for her son, Royal, who was born prematurely. 'Every day I just made it my will to go in there and sing Happy Birthday.'
Burnett says her California doctor told her she was 10 centimeters dilated, and her baby wasn't going to make it.
鈥淭he hospital back in California, they were just a level two hospital. They couldn't provide the resources, the equipment that was needed to support him being so young,鈥� Burnett said.
One quick search on her phone led Burnett to this article about University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Hospital delivering a record-breaking premature baby at 21 weeks and one day.
The couple said it's time to head back home to Alabama.
鈥淲e get on the plane and mind you; she's still leaking amniotic fluid all the time. We've had to go 33,000 ft in the air where the baby could come out,鈥� Rice said.
Mom eventually delivered the baby, Royal, on February 13th, 2024. Every day after that would be challenging.
Burnett said, 鈥淭t was a lot dealing with a 15 oz baby. It took him a lot to get to a pound."
Rice says, "In my mind, all of this was an illusion and things got better once as I got to see his heartbeat once they got him out and they bagged him, and we saw that (heart) monitor continue to do this. That's when I knew he was going to make it."
Royal made it to the one-year mark of life, and with many more to come. Mom, dad and big sister are all happy they didn't give up.
鈥淵ou just got to keep holding on to faith, keep fighting for him and keep advocating,鈥� Burnett said.
