In a day filled with still more moans and cries, broken bones and infected wounds from earthquake victims, the USNS Comfort got a surprise Thursday: a 4-pound, 5-ounce preemie named Esther. Her arrival - seven weeks early - in the Comfort's operating room marked a milestone of sorts. It's believed to be the first onboard delivery since the ship was converted to a floating hospital 22 years ago.

The expectant mother arrived on the ship Wednesday with a fractured pelvis. She said a building fell on her during the earthquake, and she had received virtually no medical care since.

"It's amazing that baby survived," said Lt. Cmdr. Susan C. Farrar, an OB/GYN physician from Portsmouth, Va., who delivered the child by Caesarean section. "She's been in a bed somewhere, with those injuries, since last Tuesday."

Here's my complete story about Esther and the day's events.