Purple balloons, cake, gifts and plenty of cuddles filled the Special Care Nursery today as baby Mia Ehlers marked an extraordinary milestone; 100 days of care since she was born three months early.
For her parents, Beaconsfield couple Nadia and Derik Ehlers, the celebration represented far more than a number. It marked 100 days of courage, uncertainty, hope and the unwavering care that has carried their tiny daughter through the earliest and most fragile chapter of life.
Born in Townsville on 15 March at just 26 weeks and two days gestation, Mia entered the world unexpectedly by emergency caesarean section after Nadia developed placenta previa accreta, a rare and serious condition where the placenta covers the cervix and grows too deeply into the uterine wall.
Nadia had been transferred from Mackay to Townsville Hospital when she started bleeding and just three days later, baby Mia was born weighing only 875 grams.
Classified as an extremely premature baby, or affectionately known as a ‘micro-preemie’, Mia required immediate specialist care in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).
“It’s been a rollercoaster journey and quite traumatic at times,” Nadia said.
“You have to find strength and hold onto your faith through it all, but we’ve definitely had our moments.”
Originally due on 19 June, just four days before her milestone celebration, Mia instead reached her due date having already spent 100 days growing stronger in hospital in both Townsville and Mackay.
Her journey has included breathing support, learning to feed, gaining weight and overcoming the many challenges faced by babies born so early, including immature lungs and growth hurdles.
Today, Mia weighs a healthy 3.3 kilograms.
After spending more than two months in Townsville NICU, Mia was transferred to Mackay Base Hospital’s Special Care Nursery on 26 May. It was a move home that her family initially found daunting.
“It was nerve-wracking leaving the Townsville NICU because they’d been so supportive of us,” Nadia said.
“But from the moment we arrived in Mackay, we were just embraced. The doctors and nurses have treated us like family and uplifted us on our toughest days.
“They probably don’t realise just how important a part they’ve played in our family and Mia’s journey.”
The Ehlers family moved to Mackay from Richards Bay in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, in December 2024, making this experience even more challenging while being far from extended family.
Nadia said support had come from many places including their Christian faith, family back home, new colleagues and hospital staff, and from unexpected connections formed with other parents walking similar journeys in the SCN.
Nadia, a teacher at Carlisle Adventist College, said sharing their challenges and milestones had been invaluable.
Nadia and Derik spent many hours a day in the nursery at Mackay Base Hospital, bathing, feeding and cuddling their tiny daughter.
“Even though she’s still in hospital, we’ve been caring for her every day and being part of her growing journey,” Nadia said.
Four-year-old Kai has also embraced his ‘big brother’ role with excitement, visiting regularly, rubbing Mia’s tummy and making friends with staff.
While Mia had been preparing for discharge this week, a recent setback including a raised temperature has meant a short delay. Her parents remain hopeful that going home is now just around the corner.
Mia will still require oxygen support when she leaves hospital, but for Nadia and Derik, that doesn’t change what matters most.
“We will be so excited to finally have her home with us,” Nadia said.
“Someone has been missing from our family for a long time. I can’t wait to stand up in the morning and have her beside my bed.”
Today as the SCN celebrated Mia’s milestone with cake and purple decorations, the Ehlers family reflected on how far their tiny daughter has come.
One hundred days after arriving months too soon, Mia’s story is no longer only about survival. It is about resilience, family, faith and the extraordinary care of nursery staff to help another micro-preemie grow strong enough to soon go home.