Baby Born Without a Nose is 'Miracle Baby', Released from Hospital

When baby Eli Thompson was born on March 4, he was perfectly healthy except that he didn't have a nose. The doctors kept him in for observation and he was able to go home on Monday, according to reports.

"The day I delivered, everything went fine," mom Brandi McGlathery told ABC News.

He was born weighing 6 pounds, 8 ounces. Dr. Craig Brown immediately placed him on Brandi's chest. As the doctor helped father Troy cut the cord, Brandi looked at Eli for the first time.

"I pulled back and said, 'Something's wrong!' And the doctor said, 'No, he's perfectly fine.' Then I shouted, 'He doesn't have a nose!'"

"I was the first person to see it. Even when they took him away, my family still didn't know something was wrong, due to being caught up in the excitement of his arrival. It wasn't until they opened the blinds of the nursery that everyone else saw," added Brandi.

Before she knew it, Eli was taken to USA Children's and Women's Hospital in Mobile, Alabama. Throughout the night, Brandi called the number they'd given her every 45 minutes or so to check on her baby. She wasn't sure he would make it through the night - but he did.

And her "sweet pea," her "miracle baby," has been surprising his parents and others who love him, as well as the medical staff who have cared for him, ever since.

Over the last month, friends of Eli's family have set up a Facebook page to keep everyone up to date on his progress.

McGlathery also started a GoFundMe page to raise funds for travel and medical expenses, which her and her husband expect will continue to pour in as Eli faces years of tests, scans, and other procedures. So far, it's surpassed its $5,000 goal.

There are thought to be just 37 babies in the world with the condition, and the odds against it are 197 million to one.