Real Miracles, Healing Stories
Emily Graff—Tiniest Baby Ever Born at Saint Alphonsus
Emily May Ruth Graff celebrated her first birthday on Dec. 31, 2005. She is
a special baby for a number of reasons, one of them being that she is the tiniest
baby ever born at Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center.
Weighing in at 1 pound, 1 ounce, Emily came into this world four months early and has overcome a series of challenges to hang on to life's precious thread.
A ROCKY START
Initially, Emily's mother, Jennifer,
had a difficult first trimester. Nausea, exhaustion and loss of appetite were
her constant companions that resulted in a loss of 15 pounds. Fortunately, she
regained 10 pounds in the second trimester, which ended up being the last chance
for Emily to gain nourishment directly from her mother.
Unexpectedly, on the evening of Thursday, Dec. 30, 2004, Jennifer had severe stomach pains. Over the phone, Jennifer's obstetrician and gynecologist, Marianne Zakarian, M.D., urged the Graffs to go to Saint Alphonsus immediately, where they received medical services from the Family Maternity Center and the Emergency Department.
Initially, medical staff thought the pain and vomiting were related to gallstones. But at the start of a sonogram to check for gallstones, Jennifer had a seizure. Immediately, they stopped the test and began medication to prevent further seizures.
A PAINFUL REALITY
Jennifer was experiencing eclampsia, a
condition in which the expectant mother's body reacts to the pregnancy
with high blood pressure, convulsions and a coma. Doctors told the Graffs that
eclampsia is rare during her stage of pregnancy.
During that evening, Jennifer lost consciousness, as well as any memory of the events from the time she first got to the hospital until almost two days later. She does not remember the seizures, the trips for various tests, and the unfolding events that her husband, Andrew, faced as both her life and their baby's life were in the hands of others.
In order to save the lives of Jennifer and Emily, the baby needed to be delivered immediately. Delivering the baby meant there was only a slim chance that Emily would live. In spite of the fact that everyone would try their best to keep her alive, the fact remained that the odds were stacked against Emily.
“At that point, I did not think there would be any chance for Emily,” Andrew says.
“Yet I was also faced with knowing that if my wife had just one more seizure, she could die. I trusted that she was in the best hands she could be in. All I could do was just wait at that point,” he says.
EMILY'S ARRIVAL
Both of the Graffs' parents arrived
in time for Emily's birth by cesarean delivery. Though the delivery went
well, it was not without concerns.
"Just prior to the cesarean delivery, I informed Andrew that I was not sure we would be able to adequately support Emily for her to survive beyond the delivery room," said neonatoligst Jennifer Merchant, M.D. Despite the fact that Emily had a heart rate when delivered, she was not breathing, so doctors placed a breathing tube in her airway to breathe for her. She also required cardiac compressions and multiple emergency medications including Surfactant, which helped to expand her very immature lungs.
"Emily had overcome the first step of many difficult hurdles during her prolonged hospitalization," says Dr. Merchant. Shortly afterwards, Andrew saw Emily in an incubator. “I got to see her for the first time, and I was overcome with joy to see her alive,” he says. “I was so relieved the surgery was over and we had our baby girl, at least for the moment,” says Andrew, who had been awake for 30 hours over the weekend of his daughter's birth.
Doctors later told the Graffs that Emily's umbilical cord wasn't correctly attached to the placenta, meaning that she hadn't been getting the nutrition she needed. If Jennifer hadn't had the seizure, Emily still may have had serious problems from malnutrition. “We see this unfortunate sequence of events as a blessing in disguise,” Andrew says. “We may never have had Emily here today if it didn't happen.”
After the delivery, Jennifer went back to the Intensive Care Unit, where family members visited her. She was discharged from the hospital on Tuesday morning, Jan. 4, while Emily remained in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit for four months. “When I came home from the hospital, it was really hard. I couldn't touch her, comfort her or be with her all the time. That was hard, having a baby but not really having a baby,” she says.
Every day, both Jennifer and Andrew visited Emily together. At the time, Jennifer also worked in Food Services at Saint Alphonsus and visited her daughter daily. Andrew came to the hospital from his job at Micron and his studies in electrical engineering at Boise State University.
Meanwhile, Emily's challenges were to gain weight and get off of the supplemental oxygen. She accomplished those feats by April 29, enabling her to finally leave Saint Alphonsus with her parents. “The best part for me was having her home and being able to be home with her, nurture her and do all those motherly things I didn't get to do at first,” Jennifer says.
THE FINAL HURDLES
Initially, home healthcare aides came
twice a week to check on the baby. Emily had some minimal lung damage that,
fortunately, will not limit her in sports activities and may even improve over
time. Occasionally, she got sick and spent a few days in the hospital.
But by June, there were just routine medical checkups. “Every time Emily
had a hurdle to get through, she would blow everyone away,” Andrew says.
“We really believe that God was working in these events,” he says. “We trusted Him the whole time, and that included trusting the people who He brought us to take care of her and my wife.”
Now an occupational therapist comes every other week to work on Emily's skills, such as sitting, rolling over and range of motion. “She is developing really well,” Jennifer says. In fact, Emily had another routine exam in May and weighed in at 14 pounds, 10 ounces.
Reflecting on all his family's experiences since that surprise visit to the hospital, Andrew says, “Not that we wouldn't love our baby, but just knowing what she has been through, it was truly a miracle. It makes it that much more amazing and special. Every time I look at my daughter, it is amazing that she is here today. We are so thankful that she is healthy and doing well.”