Source:
Lisa Arneill, Editor
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Parents ‘Last Good Bye’ Saved Their Baby’s Life
December 7, 2007
Sometimes a preemie doesn’t need to be hooked up to 10 different machines to be given the chance to survive.When Carolyn Isbister put her 20oz baby on her chest for a cuddle, she thought that it would be the only chance she would ever have to hold her.
Doctors had told the parents that baby Rachel only had only minutes to live because her heart was beating once every ten seconds and she was not breathing.
Isbister remembers:
I didn’t want her to die being cold. So I lifted her out of her blanket and put her against my skin to warm her up. Her feet were so cold.
It was the only cuddle I was going to have with her, so I wanted to remember the moment.” Then something remarkable happened. The warmth of her mother’s skin kick started Rachael’s heart into beating properly, which allowed her to take little breaths of her own.
We couldn’t believe it – and neither could the doctors. She let out a tiny cry.
The doctors came in and said there was still no hope – but I wasn’t letting go of her. We had her blessed by the hospital chaplain, and waited for her to slip away. But she still hung on.
And then amazingly the pink color began to return to her cheeks. She literally was turning from gray to pink before our eyes, and she began to warm up too.
The sad part is that when the baby was born, doctors took one look at her and said ‘no’.
They didn’t even try to help her with her breathing as they said it would just prolong her dying. Everyone just gave up on her,” her mom remembered.
At 24 weeks a womb infection had led to her premature labor and birth and Isbister (who also has two children Samuel, 10, and Kirsten, 8 ) said, “We were terrified we were going to lose her. I had suffered three miscarriages before, so we didn’t think there was much hope.” When Rachael was born she was grey and lifeless.
Ian Laing, a consultant neonatologist at the hospital, said: “All the signs were that the little one was not going to make it and we took the decision to let mum have a cuddle as it was all we could do.
Two hours later the wee thing was crying. This is indeed a miracle baby and I have seen nothing like it in my 27 years of practice. I have not the slightest doubt that mother’s love saved her daughter.”
Rachael was moved onto a ventilator where she continued to make steady progress and was tube and syringe fed her mother’s pumped breastmilk.
Isbister said, “The doctors said that she had proved she was a fighter and that she now deserved some intensive care as there was some hope. She had done it all on her own – without any medical intervention or drugs. She had clung on to life – and it was all because of that cuddle. It had warmed up her body and regulated her heart and breathing enough for her to start fighting.
At 5 weeks she was taken off the ventilator and began breastfeeding on her own. At four months Rachel went home with her parents, weighing 8lbs – the same as any other healthy newborn. Because Rachel had suffered from a lack of oxygen doctors said there was a high risk of damage to her brain. But a scan showed no evidence of any problems and today Rachel is on par with her peers.
Rachel’s mom tells us, “She is doing so well. When we brought her home, the doctors told us that she was a remarkable little girl. And most of all, she just loves her cuddles. She will sleep for hours, just curled into my chest. It was that first cuddle which saved her life – and I’m just so glad I trusted my instinct and picked her up when I did. Otherwise she wouldn’t be here today.”
When a parent holds their baby on their chest, skin-to-skin, it is referred to as Kangaroo Mother Care.
The benefits for all babies of KMC are that they stabilize faster with skin-to-skin care than in an incubator (very few stabilize in an incubator well during the first six hours of life). KMC babies also have stable oxygen rates and breathing thanks to the steady regulation of Mother’s respiration. The heart rate is stable (mother’s heartbeat regulates baby’s heartbeat). The temperature is most stable on the mother – in skin-to-skin care mothers chest automatically warms to warm a cold baby, and mothers core temperature drops if her baby has a temperature.
Sleeping within an arm’s reach of baby (as long as a parent does not smoke) also regulates all of his physiological needs in the same way ~ they are kept steady thanks to Mom’s warm, even-paced body. We lose far fewer babies to prematurity, irregularity of breathing or heartbeat after birth, and SIDS all with the natural help of skin-to-skin holding, or Kangaroo Care.
Read More About skin-to-skin benefits for ALL babies (full term and premature) here: kangaroomothercare.com
For more stories by growyourbaby please visit their website. Story originally posted in 2007 and has been viewed more than 15,000 times on their site. Spread the word about this amazing story so that more babies can be saved!
Here’s a relevant article on their site about the research of Tim Oberlander on the effects of antidepressants on the unborn baby: http://www.growingyourbaby.com/2006/08/26/taking-antidepressants-while-pregnant-may-effect-baby/
When I gave birth to my second child eight weeks early, she had respiratory distress syndrome. I was told sternly that I would not be allowed to hold her, or even touch her, until she was in another hospital than the one I had given birth in, in a NICU, after a septic workup and intubation, because I was a clear danger to my daughter and she was medically fragile (I had gone into labour prematurely because I’d had a bad case of gastroenteritis). I had been yelled at by the OB/GYN for forcing him to attend a VBAC that he did not feel was safe for me or the baby, and then this – and I meekly accepted the medical advice and went back to worrying about my gut cramps, diarrhoea, the new job I was supposed to have started that day and how I’d have to call off, how to get my husband and toddler daughter to the hospital, which was thankfully within an hour’s walking distance of the house, unlike the other hospital where the newborn had been transferred, which was on a busline but far away, and we had no money for bus fare at the time, nor was I sure our insurance covered that other hospital, so I didn’t even push to get transferred to be in the same hospital as my newborn…
I have good reason to hate myself now. I did not demand to hold my baby, like I should have; I thought of myself and pragmatics before I thought of the struggling new life I had just given birth to; I had all the maternal instincts of a Gameboy console. I will live with that forever. But your story confirmed a hunch that had been in my heart for several years, namely, that love does not kill, that I could have held my daughter just after giving birth and it would not have killed her. Now I know. I hope other expecting mothers can learn from this and perhaps be stronger than I was.
My third child was born at home, happy and healthy. I learn from my mistakes.
Please don’t blame yourself. Women have a tendency to listen to medical doctors especially when they authoritatively dictate what is and what is not dangerous. I know you had your daughter’s best interest at heart, and I am glad she is ok! =)
Wow! That is amazing!
As a NICU Lactation Consultant and mother of 7 breastfed babies, thank you for pumping for your baby. Your warmth and milk truely did save your baby. I think you are amazing. Enjoy your daughter and raise her to know the wonder of breastmilk.
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God bless you all!
Yes, truly God is Great. This baby is truly a miracle. God the Supreme being brought this miracle to pass, no doubt. I know her mom putting her to her warm body and near her heart area that also contributed to her life.
Sarah, thank you for sharing that. Your story seems to me a sad and poignant commentary on some of the things that we fail at as a society, some of the ways that we lose touch with our natural knowledge – but your comment here also clearly demonstrates a remarkable insight and courage on your part. You have taken owned your responsibility in the matter, despite the fact that the doctors led you wrong – and I am truly inspired by your courage and strength in learning from this powerful experience, and for sharing that. So many people would lack the strength of character to confront their own role in such a difficult situation. Your lesson learned is now making the world a better place. Really, thank you for setting a worthy example!
Sarah, what a wonderful story. Our son was born 10 weeks prem. Kangaroo Care provided a unique bonding experience for us as parents and for our son – the overall benefits to his development were numerous. My husband and I thoroughly enjoyed Kangaroo Care with our son and would recommend this bonding experience wholeheartedly.
Make sense. Babies are not machines. They are living things– human beings. They have senses of touch and smell and hearing, all of which affect their physiology very profoundly.
Very glad everything worked out well.
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Awwww!!!! Precious!!
Thank you so much for sharing this- it made its way around FB and made it to my profile. It made me cry and is yet another example about how important skin-to-skin and bonding really is. Thank You. Congratulations on this amazing miracle!
This is so amazing! This only shows that love is truly magical and that the grace of God is always with us. And it’s true that “Mothers know best.” I am a mother too and I know how much a mother loves her child/children, willing to sacrifice everything just to give our children the best in life. My baby had an asthma and pneumonia when he was just two months old. He had to be admitted in the hospital, get suctioned and nebulize every 4 hours until he was really better. My heart was so crushed… I could only do so much. I hugged him all the time, told him how much I love him and prayed that God will heal him. Now he is a healthy 1 year old baby boy. Praise God!
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Beautiful story and proof that mother’s instinct is often superior to medical “expertise”…So sad for you Sarah that your doctors were so callous and you and your babe were not given proper attention. It is not your fault. We just have to learn from such stories that we do have rights to make decisions in our medical care. I had an OB who was opposed to a VBAC too, but I safely and easily delivered two that way. Some docs really are concerned about their records and insurance, etc, when all we can see is our family. Good luck to you.
What a remarkable story. I’m in tears. What a miracle!
I, too, have a 24 weeker-1 lb 12 oz. There was never any question about keeping him alive-I don’t think we were ever asked, even though he wasn’t breathing when he was born.
We did kangaroo care every chance we got. One of us-my husband, me, even an uncle of mine-always had him close to us. We were constantly touching him(even though we weren’t supposed to), talking to him, singing to him, reading him stories. I KC every time I held him. He was so tiny and there were so many wires, but it was the best, just to hold his little body close and hear him breath.
I commend you for trusting your instinct, and doing what you knew was best, regardless what anyone else said. A mommy’s instinct is usually right.
We, too, did Kangaroo Care with our preemie twins. Baby A was 4 # 9 oz , Baby B was 2# 1.5 oz, who then dropped to 1#10oz. We KC’d them as often as possible in the hospital and then it was almost constant for 2 weeks for each when they arrived home from the hospital. I then carried them in a kagaroo sling till they were almost 8 months old. Babies need their MOM & DAD!
Praise God! Thank you for sharing your beautiful story. What a miracle each and every life is.
What a beautiful and amazing story. I slept with my daughter from the time she was an infant until she was 7 years old. I think this closeness is so important to their development, right from the very beginning, like here where it was actually life sustaining!
I have often wondered if this human contact, the touch of skin to skin is what enabled the Dionne Quintuplets to survive.
Born in a cabin in 1934, the 5 girls, all premies, were in bad shape. Keeping them warm was an issue. The girls were placed in a basket that was placed before the open stove in the cabin. Every 15 minutes, those babies were picked up and their backs massaged with olive oil to encourage breathing.
A few days later, incubators arrived but I have always wondered if the first 72 hours of human warmth is what caused them to make it. Saddly, human warmth would be missing for most of their formative years after that.
A mother’s love speaks so MUCH. LOVE CONQUERS ALL!
THANKS BE TO GOD! +++
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This is so awesome!!! Thanks for sharing this story. As a newly graduated young nurse, I am eager to encourage things like this. Our instructor firmly pounded these values into us during our OB class, that all babies, especially those with difficulties, must have human contact (here I mean intimate, holding the baby, burping baby, laying a hand on baby’s back, etc. not just poking baby with a cold hand to get vital signs), and breast milk whenever possible. Mommas really know best.
Folks, this case and the one commented by Sarah Dorrance-Minch are strong reminders of the Culture of Death that we are faced with today. Sadly, that “culture” often exists completely unintentionally, even in a top notch Catholic hospital. Let me explain.
The best way is with an example that happened just yesterday. A friend’s father was taken to a very orthodox and faithful Catholic hospital. He is in his 70’s, and is in a wheelchair. A very well-respected physician (personal physician of MANY VERY HIGH officials in the Church) who works at the hospital told my friend to make sure that he makes it very clear to all of the staff that he is an attorney and to very clearly explain his father to them.
You see, despite his age, this gentleman is very active and independent. He drives himself everywhere, attends church regularly, and has been in a wheelchair for 29 years! The doctor said that even in such an excellent hospital, our culture has numbed the staff to the point where they might very well stereotype him to be an old, decrepit, failing man, who is in a wheelchair anyway and is likely on his way out soon!!!
How terrible, but sadly how true in our society today! and this is in a great hospital. I hate to think of what “patient profiling” and stereotyping goes on in other more liberal, secular hospitals, nursing homes, etc.
Some doctors and staff are quick to draw their own conclusions based upon preconceived notions and opinions which are not factually based. I say “some” to hopefully stave off those who may respond to this by defending their doctor or hospital. It’s not “painting with too broadly of a brush” when such a cautionary statement comes from a well-respected doctor who is definitely “in-the-know!”
We need to recognize that God’s will is active in our daily lives! We can’t stand in the way of His miracles and healings! After all, He is the Divine Physician!
True, a mother’s love was very important in the healing process, but that love is instilled in humans and all creatures by Our Creator. The blessing the hospital chaplain gave the baby as well as the mother’s cuddle, caused that miracle. Thank God !
The warmth of a mother’s touch reflects the Being, Image and Likeness of the one who made us; it is like giving.
Beautiful story! I had a similar experience with our second son, Malachi. He was 3 lbs. 13 oz. at birth. He had stopped growing at 29 weeks even though he was 36 weeks gestation, and he was born with little to no amniotic fluid. One of the NICU nurses suggested that I “kangaroo” with him. I was given a private area in the NICU and was able to bond with him many hours out of the day. He got out of the hospital after only 14 days weighing 4 lbs. 6 oz. He is now 6 years old, and of our three sons, he and I are the closest. And by the way, all 3 of our boys are adopted! God is so good!
Mother nature knows what its doing, I wish more people understood this. A baby needs skin to skin with Mom and Mom’s milk:)
Wow, that is an awesome story, thank you so much for this! I will cherish it.
That is soooo beautiful! And TRUE! *beams*
Just coming upon this story this a.m. What a miracle! How precious a story to encourage me, even though fragile that life can be, the will to live is so powerful! Thanks for sharing this, God bless your loving family! Dad was there too! I bet she’s Daddy’s little girl!
[…] August 21, 2009 Crystal Gold Leave a comment Go to comments I read this article today. https://babywhys.wordpress.com/2009/08/20/mothers-last-skin-to-skin-… I encourage, beg, plead, demand that you read it […]
Mother is god and no one in the universe is greater than mother herself……..mother herself is a religion…..let devote ourself to her…….every mother is special of what ever age she is…………she is every thing and this story tells us that even a child who does no what is right and what is wrong with no concisiousness of mind can smell and see his mother only……….A devotion to her is the devotion to god because she is the incarnation of god.I am a 25 year old guy. My sweet mamma is 43.Still her greatest aim in her life is to care for me.Though i am a man know,i still feel that i am nothing in front of her love……….whenever i feel tired,she still cuddle me in her laps and i am sure that heaven is in her feetand arms.We can feel that…………..oh mother of this world……we children salute ur motherhood and sacrifices………
Lovely story. Skin to skin contact did wonders for my preemie twins, too – I wish I’d fought harder for it while they were still in the NICU, though!
I believe this strongly. These are miracle babies. I was one. My mom was told that I was dead in her womb from trama to her stomach cause my biological father was abusive and didn’t want me. And they were fiona basicly abort me cause they couldn’t find a heart beat and then after the weekend she went in for the appointment and there was a heartbeat! I was born at 7 months with SIDS they put me in my moms arms and I turned blue right away.
I likewise conceive thus, perfectly written post!
My Grandmother was a nurse in WW2 in London, during the blitz she gave birth quite early to a baby,no hair or fingernails.
she did what she thought best and bound the baby to her chest,under her clothing and carried on working.
My Aunty survived against all odds,no docotrs just Mother and breastmilk. She went on to graduate from university at age 18 and is a leading paediatrician in our state now.
In a time when bottle feeding was the norm,she bf all her children,even tandem feeding my 2 cousins!
My Mum and Grandma always told that story to us children but this is probably the first time anyone has spoken of it outside the family.
My Grandmother went on to foster and adopt over 20 children,including dwarfs,twins and disabled kids who had been abandoned.
My mother was part of the Indigenous stolen generation and my grandmother managed to adopt my Mum and all her 6 siblings just so they could grow up together.
She’s my hero x
well said maneesh
well done mum and dad for knowing what needed to be dome and doing it.
its so lovely to see her face as a big chubba bub 🙂
I’m an atheist, so all of my praise goes to the parents.
xoxo
Toni
Skin-to-skin contact is absolutely necessary. NO baby & mother should be deprived of that. In addition, premature cord clamping & cutting removes the baby from his source of oxygen-rich placental blood. A preemie is born, and the cord is immediately clamped & cut. WHY ON EARTH? Give these little ones an extra chance, leaving them connected to their mothers. Many emergency measures can be taken right there on the mother’s abdomen. So ironic that when a baby’s cord is prematurely cut, oxygen is often administered.
I had a boy that was born at 30 weeks and 1 day weighed 2lb 6.5 oz and was 15 inches long and I never got to do the kangaroo care.i gotto hold outside of my clothes but not much,and was told I could try to breast feed but they kept putting it off.my son is 9 now and is doing fine now but has A.D.H.D.
My 8 year old boy was a 24 weeker, weighed 1 lb 13 oz, in nicu for 119 days. I was not allowed to hold him until he was 3 months old and only by kangaroo care and I never even got to hear him cry until he was 4 months old due to him being intubated for so long, Beautiful story!!
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How did this baby fare? It is now March 2018…….does she have any long-term sequale?
no idea