Miracle Baby River Goes Home After 195-Day NICU Battle Despite Bilateral Renal Agenesis
A 24-week preemie named River was born without developed kidneys (bilateral renal agenesis) and weighed 3.1 pounds. Through weekly amniotic-fluid infusions in Nebraska to extend the pregnancy, River was delivered breech at 3.1 lbs and spent about 195 days in the NICU at Levine Children’s Hospital before being sent home. His mother, Ally Abbott, endured immense emotional and logistical strain, but credits the NICU team and the in-utero therapy with giving River a fighting chance, turning a prognosis of likely death into a remarkable homecoming.