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Baby born premature to mom with COVID-19 heads home from hospital

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LONG ISLAND, N.Y. – A baby born extremely prematurely during the height of the coronavirus pandemic on Long Island headed home Wednesday.

Leah Torres was born on April 8 at just 29 weeks by emergency C-section at NYU Winthrop, Neonatology Chief Nazeeh Hanna said.

"This was, at the time, the peak of COVID-19 for this hospital," he said.

Staff at the hospital worried the baby girl and mom, Adriana Torres, wouldn't make it. The mom was in a coma for two days after her daughter's birth, as she battled COVID-19.

"I cannot describe my emotions by holding the baby," she said.

The baby girl weighed less than three pounds at birth, but doctors said she's doing well and is leaving the hospital earlier than expected.

"I want to go home and start living our life," the happy mom said.

This story was originally published by Keith Lopez at WPIX.