GA mother praying to bring baby home from hospital

ATLANTA - A Cobb County mother is praying she'll be able to bring her baby home for the holidays after spending nearly seven months in the hospital. 

Last January, at 38-years-old, Jamila Walton learned she was going to be a first-time mother. Then, when she was 13-weeks along, she learned she was pregnant with a baby girl. 

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Early on in her pregnancy, doctors showed signs of concern because Walton suffers from stage 5 kidney failure and severe hypertension. 

"Each visit they would ask if I wanted to terminate the pregnancy and I would reply,'if this baby isn't supposed to be here she will terminate herself.'" 

Walton said she was admitted to the hospital several times, but always kept her faith. Then, on April 20, she learned she had started to dilate. The next day she was rushed into emergency surgery to delay delivery. 

Nearly ten days after the surgery, when she was just 20-weeks along, Walton said her life changed forever. 

"I was en route to work around 6:45 a.m.," she said. "I was hit by a drunk driver." 

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Walton said the impact was so hard, it caused her water to break, and she remained hospitalized for the duration of her pregnancy. Following the accident, she was diagnosed with P.R.O.M., premature rupture of the membrane. 

"She [the baby] continued to fight and was very active with the little space that she was left with," Walton said. 

On May 27, Walton was rushed to the operating room for an emergency c-section after her baby began showing signs of distress. Doctors successfully delivered little Caisan, who weighed just 1-pound and 6 ounces.

"Twenty-four hours later, I was able to meet her for the first time in the NICU. I immediately broke down," the mother said. "Seeing her on the ventilator with all these wires and IV's and not being able to do anything to take away her pain devastated me."

Today, more than six months after being born, little Caisan remains in Northside Hospital's neonatal intensive care unit, where she's oxygen dependent and working on gaining strength in her lungs. She's now up to 12-pounds and 13 ounces but continues to battle pulmonary hypertension. 

"I want her home with me and visiting that hospital for 7 months straight is starting to take a toll on me mentally, physically, and spiritually," Walton told FOX 5's Katie Muse. "I pray that no other first-time mother has to experience watching their child grow from a hospital bed." 

We first spoke with Walton back in October when she was praying to take baby Caisan home for Thanksgiving, but that didn't happen. She was then hoping for Christmas, but doctors said that likely won't happen. 

Now, Walton is hoping for a Christmas miracle, praying to start the new year with Caisan at home. 

"Please continue to keep Caisan and I in your prayers," she said. 

A GoFundMe account called "Sweet Baby Caisan" has been created to help Walton pay for medical expenses. If you would like to donate, click here. 

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