Micro-preemie ‘graduates’ after 80 days in NICU

She was born weighing less than 2 pounds, but now, Baby Kate is finally going home.

Kate was born at 27 weeks at Broward Health Coral Springs in Florida. She weighed 1 pound, 9 ounces at birth, making her a “micro-preemie.”

Kate spent 80 days under the expert care of doctors and nurses in the hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit, also known as the NICU, and grew stronger every day. Now, doctors say she’s a healthy 5 pounds, 5 ounces.

To celebrate her milestone, hospital staffers dressed little Kate in a graduation cap and gown, and they presented her parents with a certificate signifying her “graduation” from the NICU.

Underneath her graduation robe, she also wore a pink onesie printed with the words “Peace out NICU, I’m moving in with my parents.”

Kate is now at home with her parents in Miramar, Florida, with no health complications.