Baby Gisele was born in Boston, Massachusetts, prematurely, at only 29 weeks. A nurse in the Franciscan Children's Hospital, 45-year-old Liz Smith, felt devastated once she realised the baby was receiving no visits from her parents, or anyone else. The baby had been abandoned in the hospital, despite the fact she weighed only 1 pound 14 ounces and was soon diagnosed with neonatal absence syndrome.

As reported by CNN, it turned out her birth mother had been using drugs, and this not only led to the baby being born prematurely but also caused health problems for the little one.

Nurse falls for baby Gisele

Gisele was in the NICU for three months, recuperating from the complications of being born prematurely. It was Liz Smith who decided to make an extra effort with her young patient. She visited Gisele every day at the end of her shift. Somehow Smith had a feeling she would be the baby’s mother.

To Smith, it was a reward to visit the baby girl at the end of a long shift – that’s how much she adored Gisele and she eventually made a decision that she would adopt her. In October 2016, the state was granted custody of the tiny baby and at this stage, Liz applied to foster Gisele.

Birth parents visit Gisele

Up until then, no one had come to visit the baby. However, once the state took custody of Gisele, she started having weekly visits from her birth parents. Smith was now worried that Gisele might possibly return to her birth parents’ care and that she would lose her, after so much time giving the baby attention and love.

The Franciscan Children’s blog quotes Smith as saying that on certain nights – and one in particular – Gisele was hooked up to her feed. As she walked by the thought entered her head that she might lose her. She said she had to “go there” in her mind, as it was still a possibility, but the thought made her feel sick to her stomach.

Smith said a person can’t “love a certain percentage, you had to give your all.

In October 2018, a judge made the nurse’s request for adoption legal and the judge praised Smith for her hard work with Gisele. Smith could recall the judge saying that when a judge enters the room, everyone there stands up out of respect. However, he said that day he stood in respect for the nurse, as she was the one that deserved the respect of the room.

The judge continued by saying the day of giving birth is a miracle, but adopting a child is destiny and that was what had brought them both together.

Mother and daughter at last

Liz said she is so happy to be able to adopt Gisele that it has made her forget all the hardships experienced along the way.

Even better, at the age of three, Gisele is also improving medically and while she still has to rely on a feeding tube, she is also able to eat by mouth.

Yahoo News reports that the young girl now goes to daycare three times a week and is entering preschool during April.
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