When Zev Hauser was born premature at 23 weeks, his eyelids were fused and he could fit in the palm of his mother’s hand.
When Stephanie Hauser went into labor with Zev, her doctors were blunt about what to expect: She would deliver the infant, they’d put the baby on her chest, and let him die.
But Stephanie Hauser said a surprising thing happened in the delivery room.
“Zev came out and he cried,” she said. “It was his first expression to the world to say, ‘I’m here.’”
Doctors took it from there.
They gave Zev oxygen and inserted a breathing tube. Zev weighed just 1 pound, 4 ounces. He spent 147 days — about five months — in the neonatal intensive care unit.
Today, Zev is six years old and a typical kindergartner developmentally, said his mom. He has older twin brothers and a younger brother.
Zev’s birth in 2019 shifted perspectives at the University of Colorado Hospital in Aurora, said Dr. Laura Marrs, the neonatologist who treated Zev.
In the past, doctors in the Mountain West didn’t treat babies born as early as 22 or 23 weeks, which meant the prognosis was fatal.
“Watching (Zev) do well has really proven to us that we can have good outcomes for some of these kids,” Marrs said.
For an extremely premature infant, the decision to resuscitate hinges on a discussion between the family and their doctor, Marrs added. She believes parents must clearly understand both the risks and the possibility that these babies can survive and thrive. Marrs acknowledges that it can be a wrenching decision for a family.
Today, more than half of infants born at 22 and 23 weeks survive. Most will walk, talk and go to school, said Marrs. A small percentage may have cerebral palsy or movement challenges. Some may experience cognitive delays and need extra support in school, while others will have vision or hearing issues. Many will develop without complications.
One advantage extremely premature babies have is that their brains are immature, Dr. Marrs explained. If adults suffered the same kind of neurologic trauma that early preemies experience, it would result in severe deficits.
“But when it comes to the plasticity of these babies' brains … early intervention can be happening in the homes … and even in the NICU,” Marrs said. “That's why there's so much possibility for these babies.”
Early intervention includes medical treatment but also working with parents to understand the importance of touching and holding a baby, which Marrs said makes it possible to “wire around these injuries.” Research shows that touch reduces pain, stress, and anxiety in babies, strengthening neurological maturity and other developmental processes.
Marrs said studies also suggest about two-thirds of infants with moderate to severe delays at two years old outgrow them by age 10.
Today, six-year-old Zev Hauser wears glasses, the result of vision problems, and uses an inhaler due to chronic lung disease. He walks, runs, rock-climbs, skis, reads, and keeps up with his brothers, said Stephanie Hauser, his mother.
“We were sort of ready for whatever came,” she said. “And I think the gift in that is that when Zev crawled for the first time when he stood up when he smiled … when he walked, it was a celebration. It's incredible to watch any child do those things.”
Dr. Marrs said the prognosis for preemies has changed dramatically in the last half-century. Marrs points to 1963 when President John F. Kennedy’s son Patrick was born at 34 weeks with respiratory distress syndrome.
“There was nothing they could do to help this baby at this time,” Marrs said. “It would be unheard of for us not to be able to support a 34-weeker … with the technology we have (now).”
The story of Zev’s birth in 2019 and his parents’ efforts to raise awareness about extremely premature babies is documented in the film “147,” named for the 147 days Zev spent in the NICU.
His mother, Stephanie Hauser, ran 147 miles over 48 hours to raise money and awareness about extremely premature babies. She and her husband also started a nonprofit called 4those to support parents with early preemies.
Zev’s story also helped inspire the University of Colorado Hospital’s new STORK Program (Supporting Tiny Baby Outcomes for Resilient Kids). The program's mission is to help families make informed decisions about what is right for their babies and to treat these tiny infants using best practices.
Stephanie Hauser said that without skilled physicians and medical advances, Zev would not be here today.
“To watch Zev, this impossible little human grow and thrive, has been nothing short of miraculous to us,” she said.
