Baby Born Three Months Early Fights the Odds, Comes Home from ICU
Posted
Jennifer Peryam-jperyam@timesuniononline.com
Most babies and their mothers are able to return home a few days after childbirth, once the recovery period is over. Israel Oluwadare Popoola II was born three months premature to Israel and Chris Popoola, Warsaw. He came home Friday for the first time after being in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Lutheran Hospital, Fort Wayne, for more than 100 days since birth. His expected due date was Monday – far later than his birth July 7, after just 25 weeks in the womb. He was born at Kosciusko Community Hospital at one pound, six ounces. Israel II now weighs four pounds, two ounces. His name means “Triumphant with God,” and the couple refers to Israel as their “miracle baby.” Conceived by in vitro fertilization, Israel II was the first pregnancy for Chris, 32, who worked at Mutual Bank. The baby joins Zimmer engineer Israel’s son Tobi, 6. It has been a long and intense journey with numerous medical complications for Israel II in the three months since he was born. The Popoolas had tried for more than a year to have a baby, and after that did not work decided to try in vitro. Two embryos were transferred to Chris’s uterus. Both embryos stuck to her uterine wall so she was pregnant with twins, but only one baby developed. Chris described the pregnancy as uneventful, with everything perfect until her six-month check up when her OBGYN was concerned about her elevated blood pressure. “At 25 weeks of pregnancy I figured we had a lot of time to get it under control,” Chris said. Her blood pressure was so high that her placenta tore apart. At six months pregnant, Chris woke up July 7 to get ready for church and found her clothes soaked with blood. She continued to bleed and her husband drove her to KCH, both fearing they had lost their baby. “This was the longest drive of our lives. I mourned for my son the entire way and on the way to KCH all we could do was pray for a miracle,” Chris said. When they arrived at KCH an ultrasound technician checked for the baby’s heartbeat. At first there was no heartbeat, but the technician moved the tool across Chris’s stomach and found one. “Our baby was still there, he was alive, his heart was beating,” Chris said. Israel II was born via emergency C-section with general anesthesia. Israel said his new son could fit in the palm of his hand. “My son was so tiny,” said Chris. “His whole hand was smaller than one of my fingernails. His head was like that of the smallest apple.” The NICU team from Lutheran Hospital came to take the baby to care for him in Fort Wayne. Israel and Tobi followed while Chris recovered in Warsaw. Her mother drove her the next day to be with her son, and the family stayed at Hope House at Lutheran Hospital. Israel II was on a ventilator for the first three weeks of his life. His lungs were so premature that he could not breath for himself. The ventilator did the breathing for him while his lungs grew. He was given nutrition through an IV line. He was connected to several wires monitoring his heart rate and oxygen saturation levels. He was under a light for jaundice and was inside an incubator that helped control his body temperature. Babies born with Israel II’s age and weight and at 25 weeks usually have a 60 percent or greater chance of survival, Chris said. Israel II developed a heart murmur. When babies are born, their first cries usually close a flap that separates the oxygenated blood from the non-oxygenated blood. Israel II did not cry when he was born and his flap remained open. Two months went by and Israel II grew to nearly three pounds, but then he stopped breathing four times in one day and had to be given CPR. He also developed an intestinal disease that reduced his chances of surviving to 50 percent. “This was by far the scariest time of our lives,” Chris said. A week after he recovered from the disease, Chris was holding Israel II when stopped breathing again and had to be given CPR. Israel II was taken to St. Vincent Hospital, Indianapolis, where his heart was repaired. He had developed Patent Ductus Arteriosus, a congenital heart defect that affects some babies after birth. In some babies, the ductus arteriosus – an opening between two major blood vessels leading from the heart – remains open. The opening allows oxygen-rich blood from the aorta to mix with oxygen-poor blood from the pulmonary artery. This can strain the heart and increase blood pressure in the lung arteries. Over his next 13 weeks in the NIC unit he had seven blood transfusions, and developed pneumonia from being on a ventilator. He began to be bottle fed only two weeks ago. Finally on Friday, Israel II was able to come home with his parents and brother. “He is our miracle baby,” Chris said. Israel II is now 4 pounds, three ounces and is on 1/16 liters of oxygen and has a monitor that will sound if his heart rate drops. A home nurse checks his heart rate and weight The Popoolas thank their church, employers, friends and family for their support. “Lots of people are struggling with lots of things and Israel is inspiring. Sometimes it seemed hopeless, but God gave us hope and he never let us down,” Chris said. Israel said he looks forward to raising their son and teaching him the importance of going to church. “When you have a baby you want to be the parent and the child depends solely on you to take care of them, but for the past three months we have not been able to do that, we have had to rely on the doctors and nurses to care for him,” Israel said. “For the first time in three months we have been able to take care of him in our home.” Tobi said he looks forward to teaching his brother to dance. “I wanted him to be born because I love him,” Tobi said. Chris she bought a book of Psalms for women that has brought her comfort. She said Psalms 118:17 in particular helped her through her son’s ordeal: “I will not die but live, and will proclaim what the Lord has done.”
