Although it’s something that medical teams are better at dealing with than in decades past, it can still be a scary time when a baby is born prematurely.
Sometimes this is simply the result of nature moving things along before anyone is ready, but it’s also possible for a pregnancy to be high-risk enough to make a premature birth the only option.
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In either case, it can be easy for the situation to seem hopeless if this birth happens early enough. But as we’ve seen before and are about to see again, even the most discouraging odds can be beaten.
And recently, both one mom and her new baby have beaten some long ones.
When Sparkle Jurnakins of Indiana was about to have her third child, she found herself battling an alarming series of medical conditions.
As Good Morning America reported , she had high blood pressure, which was particularly worrying because she also has diabetes and just one kidney.
This meant that she would have to get an emergency caesarean section at Ascension St. Vincent Hospital in Indianapolis and her baby would need to come three months early.
But while that meant the baby would fight for his life, the same would be true for her eight months later as she would go into a coma for two months after contracting COVID-19.
In between these scares, little Kendall Jurnakins was put into the NICU after only being in the womb for 25 weeks and weighing just 15 ounces.
At this size and with complications of his birth including respiratory distress syndrome and chronic lung disease, doctors put his chances for survival at about 50-50.
In Jurnakins’ words, “I just was scared my baby wasn’t gonna make it because they said at that small, he probably wasn’t gonna make it.”
To address his breathing issues, Kendall underwent a tracheotomy and was placed on a ventilator.
Since doctors also found it was difficult for him to eat, he was also later fitted with a gastrostomy tube for feeding.
During her bout with COVID-19, Jurnakins would also require a tracheotomy and ventilation.
As she put it, “I mean, it was so scary. Everything was scary. From me almost dying, to my son going through what he was going through, where they were just like, ‘Oh, he’s not gaining weight. He’s not doing this.'”
But not only would mother and child reunite, but Kendall would finally be discharged after spending his first 460 days in the hospital and Jurnakins would be able to come with him.
In that time, he had gained his first tooth and learned to sit and crawl. And despite all he’s already been through, he’s reportedly a happy child with a spirit of fun and a “strong personality.”
In Jurnakins’ words, “He’s Mr. Personality. If you ever meet him, you will always remember him. He’s funny, he likes attention.”
In recognition of the odds that both Kendall and his mother beat, the hospital’s staff lined up to applaud as both of them made their way out and finally headed home.
h/t: Good Morning America
