Submitted by Piedmont Newton
COVINGTON, Ga. – It will likely be an particularly significant Mom’s Day this 12 months for mother-of-five Alisha Raines of Monticello, Ga. She and her husband, Joseph Caldwell, had been lately capable of convey their youngest son, Hudson, dwelling after 66 days within the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at Piedmont Newton Hospital.
“Phrases can’t describe it [bringing Hudson home],” Raines recalled. “Going backwards and forwards to the NICU was quite a bit. At first, we actually weren’t certain what we had been going through with him being born so early. We didn’t know if he was going to make it.”
Hudson was born weighing simply 3 lbs. on the finish of December, when Alisha skilled placental abruption. With this complication, the placenta separates from the uterine wall, and the child doesn’t obtain ample oxygen or diet. Caldwell instantly acknowledged the seriousness of Raines’ state of affairs when she started to bleed closely at dwelling, and so they rushed to the closest hospital, Piedmont Newton. Docs informed the couple that Alisha’s final result and Hudson’s may have been very totally different had they gotten to the hospital any later.
“It was a kind of moments while you’re confronted with the opportunity of mortality,” Raines mentioned. “I received to Newton, and inside 20 minutes, I used to be within the OR [for a caesarean section].”
Hudson was born at 28 weeks gestation, which meant he wanted stage 3 neonatal intensive care. Degree 3 NICUs can present superior life help, a full vary of respiratory help and superior imaging companies. Happily, Piedmont Newton had simply been licensed as a stage 3 NICU when Raines delivered Hudson.
“Had Hudson been born when this was nonetheless a stage 2 facility, we seemingly would have needed to switch him to our sister facility in Rockdale County, which has stage 3 capabilities,” defined Lisa Rowe, medical supervisor of the NICU at Piedmont Newton. “Now, with the tools and workers of a stage 3 NICU, we will maintain households just like the Raines-Caldwell household near dwelling for the care their infants want.”
Raines mentioned she sometimes visited Hudson within the NICU on daily basis or each different day whereas her older kids had been in class. A switch to Piedmont Rockdale would have made the logistics of doing that harder. Raines mentioned, “That’s double the mileage from the place we reside, so I can’t even think about.”
Raines and Caldwell had been capable of take Hudson dwelling on Feb. 26, and he’s thriving.
