Argentine morgue baby leaves hospital

Argentinians Fabian Veron and Anallia Bouguet, parents of a premature baby who had been declared dead and was found alive 12 hours later in the morgue, speak at Perrando Hospital, in Resistencia, Chaco province, Argentina on April 11, 2012. The parents of the baby, who was in serious condition, were going to name her Luciana Abigail but have changed their minds and are calling her Luz Milagros instead, her middle name being the Spanish word for “miracles.” AFP PHOTO / NA – Agencia Corrientes

BUENOS AIRES—Argentina’s “miracle baby,” born premature and declared dead in April and then found alive 12 hours later at the morgue, has been cleared to go home, the hospital said Thursday.

Luz Milagros, whose middle name means “miracles” in Spanish, “is stable,” with a tube for feeding and respiratory assistance “to help avoid fatigue,” said the director of Resistencia’s pediatric hospital, Juan Mario Jacobassi.

The five-month-old left the hospital in northeastern Argentina around noon, in the arms of her mother Analia Boutet.

She remains fragile, and her care will continue at home with the help of specialized equipment installed there.

Born on April 3, some three months before her due date, Luz Milagros weighed around 780 grams (1.7 pounds).

Doctors examined her and determined she was stillborn.

But 12 hours later, when the parents went to the morgue to see the body and say goodbye, they were shocked to hear a small whimper and see the baby making small movements.

“She was all covered up and full of something that looked like frost,” Bouter told the local press at the time.

The parents had planned to name the baby Lucia Abigail, but changed it to Luz Milagros after the incident.