Baby Was the Size of a Soda Can at Birth (Exclusive)

NEED TO KNOW

Miya Vidal's daughter weighed just 12 oz. — the same as a standard soda can — when she was born in February

Essence Pinkney spent the next 153 days in the NICU before she was finally able to go home with Vidal and her fiancé, Rufus Pinkney

"It's so amazing to watch her be this miracle baby," the proud mom tells PEOPLE

A Cleveland mom is opening up to PEOPLE about giving birth to one of the smallest babies ever cared for at Cleveland Clinic Children's Hospital.

Miya Vidal was 21 when she learned she was pregnant with her first child in September 2024 — and when daughter Essence Pinkney arrived early the following February, she weighed only 12 oz., the same as a standard soda can.

“She was so tiny, and I didn't know that a baby could survive being that small,” Vidal, now 2