Growing Your Baby - Parenthood from Pregnancy to Pre-school » Unusual Baby Stories

Baby Rescued From Running Washing Machine

Lisa — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 02:49:13 +0000

A 7-month old baby is recovering after being trapped in a running washing machine.

Valle Hernandez was reportedly being pushed in a rolling laundry basket by his 4-year old brother while mom was loading the washer. Then Valle’s big brother pushed him into a front loading machine and the door shut. The boy’s Mom turned away for a split second and when she turned back, didn’t notice the infant mixed in with the dirty clothes. It wasn’t until after she started the machine that she realized the baby was inside. Since front loaders lock when closed, the frantic mom scrambled to get help.

A witness told reporters that the baby was probably in the washer for at least a minute before they got there and it took some serious tugging to get the door open. It took three grown men to pry the door open.

“We got it open and when we got him out of there, I was horrified. He was solid purple from that blood and it was something I hope I never have to witness again.”

The baby was taken to the hospital and has already been released. He is expected to make a full recovery.

WKRG.com News

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Father Fights Mother Over Baby’s Right To Live

Lisa — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 18:01:11 +0000

A baby’s right to life has put his parents on opposing sides in a British court over whether to switch off the child’s life support.

The father took the case to court to stop his wife and doctors from disconnecting the baby’s respirator.

The child’s life is “miserable, sad and pitiful,” lawyers for the hospital said in court Monday.

They say the child’s lungs fill with fluid every few hours — giving him the sensation he is choking — and that doctors must then use suction to remove the fluid, also causing the child to suffer.

The father says the baby can play and recognize its parents. His lawyers plan to show videos of the baby in court to demonstrate he responds to the world around himself.

The baby’s parents are amicably separated, the father’s lawyer said.

Due to privacy, he is only known as RB. He is about one year old and suffers from congenital myasthenic syndrome, a rare genetic condition which means he cannot breathe on his own.

“It causes severe muscle weakness, feeding and respiratory problems, and the disease is progressive,” the hospital said in a statement.

The hospital says it is doing what is best for the child.

“Baby RB’s case is a deeply tragic one,” the hospital said in a statement. “We understand how difficult this legal process must be for both parents and RB’s extended family and friends. However, all those involved in the care of RB are taking these steps because they consider it is in RB’s best interests.”

The baby has been taken off its artificial respirator at least three times, lawyers for the hospital said.

The first time he was able to breathe unaided for 40 minutes. The second time he lasted 30 minutes, and the third time only five minutes before he had to be reconnected to the ventilator, they said.

A new doctor, appointed by court, has been asked to evaluate whether a tracheostomy would help the baby. The operation involves cutting a hole in the infant’s throat to help it breathe.

Lawyers for the Hospital said this doctor’s advice “could change the entire pattern of the case”.

The Mayo Clinic, one of the leading hospitals in the United States, says on its Web site that

“different forms of CMS vary widely in their symptoms, from mild to severely disabling. With accurate diagnosis and appropriate therapy, even potentially fatal forms can usually be treated successfully.”

I applaud this father. If this baby can be trached, he could go on to live a full, meaningful life. Doctors always give the worst scenario. They told me my son would never walk or talk. As a parent you have to force them(the doctors) to do more.

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Memory Loss Causes Mom To Forget Her Baby Every Couple Days

Shannon — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 04:14:37 +0000

Like a scene from 50 First Dates, Karen Wilkinson-Wigham, 37, needs to keep a “mummy diary” so she can look back on it and remember the baby that she forgets giving birth to.

Karen has short term memory loss and every few days forgets what has happened prior. This diary ensures that she will not forget anything about her baby George and his life growing up.

‘My diary is so important to me because when George is older and asks me questions he will have everything written down for him.’
She added: ‘It is also helps me too.’

On Christmas Day in 2005 Karen began feeling ill and was suffering from severe migraines. A few days later she fell into a coma where doctors told her family that if she did awake, she would be left in a vegetative state. However, Karen amazed them and came out with only short-term memory loss.

During the following months, Karen focused on learning how to walk again and re-establishing her relationship with her fiance Brian all over again.

Despite the almost full recovery, Karen was given the devastating news that she never get to be a mom. Just before she was due to have a hysterectomy, an ultrasound revealed that she was actually 20 weeks pregnant.

‘I was terrified it was cancer at first, so we were so elated it was a baby and were were out straight away buying baby clothes and all sorts for him.’

Just a few short days before the baby was supposed to be born an ultrasound had revealed that their baby boy Joshua had passed away.

Shortly after Karen became pregnant again, but sadly her second child, Georgia, who was born still.

Karen said: ‘I can’t recall much about it but I feel sick because the emptiness and pain at such a terrible loss are still there.’
Last year, when Karen became pregnant again, she began writing down when she felt her baby kick and had scans when she could not remember the last time she felt movement.

The happy couple were blessed with the birth of baby George last month weighing a healthy 7lbs.

Karen said: ‘After so many nightmares, I can’t believe Brian and I have a healthy baby. The diary will help me remember.
‘I have a strong Christian faith and a wonderfully supportive family – my mum is constantly at my side helping me care for George.’

She added: ‘Now, I don’t let it all get me down. Instead, I feel lucky I’m alive and have been blessed with such a beautiful baby.’

I cannot even imagine what it would be like to forget your child every few days. To not remember things that are so special and important. She is an amazing woman!

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The Baby Who Can’t Cry

Shannon — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 18:39:23 +0000

When Jody Woods and Joshua Sutterfield welcomed their baby boy Devon on October 19th, they knew something wasn’t right.

“Right when he came out he was squeaking when he cried. We thought he might have a little something that they didn’t suction out,” said Sutterfield, 24, of Cullman, Ala.

After some tests and x-rays the doctors came to dad with some bad news. Baby Devon had paralyzed vocal chords. The squeaky noise that was heard upon his birth is actually something called stridor, which is like the sound of air whistling through a blocked airway.

Vocal cords, or vocal folds as doctors call it, affect how we speak, breathe and swallow – they close to let us swallow, they narrow to let us speak and open to let us breathe, explained Dr. Steven Goudy, assistant professor of otolaryngology at the Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt in Nashville, Tennessee.
“Because you do have two vocal folds it could be one not working or both of them not working,” said Goudy. “We see it several times a year, but it is still very rare.”

Devon’s dad says that when he tries to cry it causes him to have breathing problems, sometimes turning him blue.

“The further it goes the less cry you hear,” said Sutterfield. “When he’d cry — he’d cry so hard that he’d lose oxygen.”

As of right now the doctors do not know what caused the paralysing of Devon’s vocal chords. This occurs to one in one million babies that are born. Unfortunately Devon’s parents have learned that this can be life threatening.

Devon is in hospital so that he can receive oxygen as he needs it and so the doctors can try and figure out how to treat him. The biggest issue is making sure that he is okay eating and breathing. If issues do arise then baby Devon will most likely need a tracheotomy.

Doctors say that between 35 and 50 % of these cases can be explained. There are many different disorders of the brain that could explain why this happened as well as a possible congenital heart problem, or even nerve damage at birth.

Yet roughly half of all children with paralyzed vocal folds are classified as having congenital vocal fold paralysis — meaning there’s no known reason for it, according to Hartnick. “Around 60 percent of the time these children will recover in the first year of life,” he said. In those cases, the damaged nerves leading to the vocal fold either slowly repairs itself or whatever was blocking the nerve is remediated.

I hope that doctors are able to figure out why Devon’s vocal chords are paralyzed and treat him as easily as possible! – Shannon, Staff Writer

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California Toddler Survives 30-foot Fall Onto Rocks

Lisa — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 18:38:43 +0000

A lucky California toddler is alive after falling 30 feet from an apartment window and landing on concrete and rocks.

Contra Costa County Fire Capt. Charles Thomas says the 22-month-old boy was alert and crying after the three-story plunge yesterday that left him with just a cut on his abdomen, a bruised lung and a bump on his head.

He appeared to have climbed onto a table near an open window and fell after pushing against the screen. He landed on concrete and a bed of rocks.

Doctor said that because the toddler was so young, his bones have not fully developed and are maliable. This may have helped him ‘bounce’ causing a better outcome.

Other Amazing Toddlers:

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Coast Guard Rescues 28 Week Baby Born On A Ferry

Lisa — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 18:24:16 +0000

A car ferry in the English Channel headed for Spain was the scene of an exciting airlift this morning after a baby girl arrived much early than planned..

The tiny baby was born at just 28 weeks in the early hours of the morning aboard the Pride of Bilbao.

Shorty after the surprise delivery mom and baby were winched from the vessel by the coast guard and taken to airport before being transferred to the Hospital.

Before the baby arrived, the new parents were on vacation. Dad will have to remain onboard until the ferry reaches Spain tomorrow morning.

The baby girl, who had breathing difficulties at birth, is now in intensive care.

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Big Baby Denied Health Insurance

Shannon — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 05:59:06 +0000

Bernie and Kelli Lange of Colorado are the parents of a beautiful and healthy baby baby boy named Alex. They were recently shocked to find out that their son was denied health insurance by Rocky Mountain Health Plan because the company considered him to be “too fat”. Apparently, he fell into their high risk category because of his above average weight.

Baby Alex falls into the 99th percentile with his height and weight for his age group. He is four months old and weighs 17lbs and is 25 inches long.

Rocky Mountain insurance underwriters said that it was industry standard to deny coverage to new patients above the 95th percentile. They said the rule includes babies but this was the first time they had ever actually rejected one.

After a bit of media attention, brought on by the fact that Alex’s dad is a part-time news anchor, Rocky Mountain announced they had changed their minds and agreed to give him coverage.

The crazy part of all of this, is that baby Alex is exclusively breastfed, which is the healthiest and most nutritious way to feed a baby.
Dad Bernie said:

I could understand if we could control what he’s eating, but he’s 4 months old. He’s breastfeeding. We can’t put him on the Atkins diet or on a treadmill. There is just something absurd about denying an infant [coverage].”

The couple had been seeking new insurance because the plan they had went up by 40 percent after Alex’s arrival. The medical director for Rocky Mountain insurance, Doctor Doug Speedie, later admitted the system is flawed.

“It’s possible for a baby to be above the 95 percentile and still be healthy”

To be denied health coverage because your baby is in the 99th percentile is very absurd to me. Add to this that the baby is ONLY breastfed and it makes this whole story even more crazy.

I am glad that all this media attention helped them to get the coverage that they deserve for Alex. – Shannon Strohm, Staff Writer

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Baby Brings Mom Out Of Coma

Shannon — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 05:58:47 +0000

Karen Morrisroe-Clutton is a 32 year old mother. Back at the end of July she contracted the nasty E. Coli bug when her baby boy was only ten weeks old.

She was placed into an induced coma for five long weeks. During this time her husband Paul played tapes for her with the sound of their babies voice.

I did know that I was dying at one point. In fact because I was having all this treatment I knew it wasn’t working; at least something wasn’t working quite well.
I gave up. I wanted to die. But I heard Ollie.

I heard his voice because Paul was playing the tapes and I turned around and said I can’t do this. I need to live. I heard him and thankfully I pulled through.

Karen is now home after spending 67 days in hospital. She has almost made a full recovery since this whole entire nightmare began. She was desperately ill, suffered through seizures, kidney failure and then, of course, the coma.

For eight weeks while she lay fighting for her life in ICU she was not able to see her son Oliver because of risk of infection. However she did see him in lots of pictures and videos. Once out of ICU she was able to be reunited with her little bundle of joy.

He did remember me… sort of gave me a look and then this massive smile came… it was just wonderful.
She added that her consultant, Stuart Robertson, had been desperate to get her back with her baby to speed up her recovery.

He hoped it would help… it did… I had something to live for.

I absolutely LOVE reading stories like this. So amazing how things happen!!

- Shannon Strohm, Staff Writer (Mommy to Ashton, born at 24 weeks weighing 1lb 9oz on June 10th 2005. Now 4 years old with many special needs but an absolute awesome happy child! Also mommy to an angel, ^Hunter^ who was born on March 28th 2009 at only 18 weeks 4 days.)

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Indonesian Mom Gives Birth To 19.2lb Baby!!

Lisa — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 21:51:05 +0000

Wholly schmuckers! An Indonesian woman has given birth to a 19.2-pound baby boy, the heaviest newborn ever recorded in the country.

The baby, who is still unnamed and 24.5 inches long, was delivered by caesarean section Monday at a public hospital in North Sumatra province.

“This heavy baby made the surgery really tough, especially the process of taking him out of his mother’s womb. His legs were so big,” Binsar Sitanggang, a gynaecologist who took part in the operation said.

Despite having to initially be given oxygen to overcome breathing problems, the boy is in good condition.

“He’s got strong appetite, every minute, it’s almost non-stop feeding,” he said.

“This baby boy is extraordinary, the way he’s crying is not like a usual baby. It’s really loud.”

The boy’s massive size was likely the result of his mother, Ani, 41, having diabetes.

At nine months, she had to be rushed to hospital due to complications with the pregnancy. The baby, her fourth, was the only child not delivered by a traditional midwife.

When a diabetic mother’s glucose level is high during pregnancy, the baby can receive too much glucose and grow too large, according to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists.

Indonesia’s previous heaviest baby, weighing in at 6.9 kilos, was born in 2007 on the outskirts of the capital Jakarta, according to the Indonesian Museum of Records website.

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Ohio Mom Pregnant With Other Couple’s Baby After IVF mix-up

Lisa — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 21:17:05 +0000

A pregnant Ohio mother that had the wrong embryos implanted into her will have to give her newborn up to his biological parents as soon as he is born.

Yesterday Carolyn Savage, 40, who was expecting her fourth child with husband Sean, said:

‘The hardest part is going to be the delivery. I remember communicating with the [unnamed] mother of this child as to what I was envisioning and hoping for.

‘I said, “We want a moment to say hello, and goodbye”.

‘In the beginning we were really scared of that moment and it is still scary. We are trying to mentally frame it in a positive way and look at it as a gift for this family that eight months ago we didn’t know.

‘I think that is the only way we’ll get through it.’

Mrs Savage is 35 weeks pregnant and expecting in just a couple weeks. The couple already has two sons aged 15 and 12 and a daughter, born with the help of IVF, 18 months months ago.

The Savages found out they were expecting a boy in February after deciding to try again with the last of Carolyn’s frozen embryos.

Just two months into the pregnancy, they learned that Carolyn was not carrying their baby after Sean received a call from the clinic informing him of the mistake.

Saddened and distraught, the couple decided not to have an abortion because of their religious beliefs. They have, however, met the other couple and arranged a handover.

Like any family, preparing for a new addition, the Savages had hopes for the new baby, but now they must step back and let his new parents take over.

Their lawyers are working to ensure that the fertility clinic that made the error ‘will accept full responsibility for the consequences of their misconduct’.

My heart breaks for this couple.

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