The only comforting thought I had when I left work one evening in September, about 5 years ago was: “Thank goodness Dr Hersey is on call tonight!  Lord, work through him and everyone else for this family, if it be Your will.  And I really hope it is.”  (NICU nurses pray for any and everything- IVs to get, Foleys to slip in, pneumothoraces not to blow, bowels not  to perforate. )  Dr. Hersey is not only incredible when it comes to managing premies, especially ones on ventilators, but he is also great at teaching the complicated stuff.   He’s the only neonatologist I know that can explain the Alveolar gas equation, perform a Hapkido move, then finish with the corniest joke you’ve ever heard- and all in under 5 minutes.

That afternoon, though, no jokes were made as we stood at Eli’s bedside on the East side of the unit and wrapped him, vent tubing, IV lines, EKG leads in a blanket and placed him in his mom’s arms to hold, which is what we do when there is nothing left to do.  We had tried everything to keep him alive and he just wasn’t responding.   This is one of the most frustrating parts of medicine- the helpless feeling of trying “everything”- and it not being enough.   Elijah’s oxygen saturations were low, his vent settings high, and driving into work the next morning, I prepared myself to see the empty bed spot that I was afraid would be there waiting, a testament to my fear of the worst.  Fortunately, Ive learned, in 16 years of NICU nursing, that God is able and babies are very resilient.

With Elijah’s family’s permission, I share his amazing story, told in his mother’s words.  Im so thankful to know this beautiful family.

“The story of Elijah starts with me going into labor early one Wednesday morning in September.  There was no pain, just a worry, so the trip to the doctor resulted in a stay at the hospital in Meridian, MS.  There, attempts were made to stop the birth but his arrival was happening, so the doctor and my husband made the decision to send me to University of Mississippi Medical Center.  The ride over was painful and long, with every bump causing contractions.

Once at UMMC, the prognosis was that the baby was coming, and on Friday morning, Elijah finally made his way into the world, tiny and fragile at 1 pound, 6 ounces.  This began our 4 month, life-changing journey in the NICU.  We watched our 23 week, 6 day gestational age infant start life in an incubator, with leads, wires, and breathing machines to keep him alive.  Hours turned into days, days into weeks, and weeks turned into months.

We learned so much from the team of doctors and nurses who took excellent care of Elijah, including the best and most disheartening possible outcomes.  We prayed for the best and looked to the hospital team for some form of reassurance.  However, there came a night where the doctor met us around his incubator and told us that all that could be done had been done and prayer was our only hope.  For the first and possibly the last time, we were allowed to hold our baby in our arms.

Tears rolled down both mine and my husband’s faces.  After what seemed a few short minutes, we placed him back into the incubator, but stayed there, holding Elijah’s hand, and prayed.  After midnight, we reluctantly went back to our RV to try to get some rest.  We received no phone calls the rest of the night, which built hope in us.  We found Elijah, back to normal when we came into the NICU that next morning!  The only medicine needed was prayer and love.  It was a true miracle from God.  

After many weeks, several surgeries, and one terribly hard night, Elijah was allowed to go home in January.  We were just as scared as when he was born, and we were prepared for anything.  Now, Elijah is a 5 year old with more energy than we can keep up with.  He’s still tiny by comparison with most children his age, but he is very intelligent, caring, loving, and joyful.  He loves his family, baby sister, and all the animals we have.  I wouldn’t change what we went through for anything because it made us stronger and made us realize how precious life really is.”