Like most parents, Kelsea and Andy Hoskins were excited about the impending arrival of their first baby. But during Kelsea’s fifth month of pregnancy, the couple received some alarming news; their son had a potentially serious birth defect known as omphalocele, a condition in which the organs form outside of the body.
“I heard the word omphalocele and had no idea what that meant,” Andy told Fox News.
It was during a routine ultrasound that doctors informed Kelsea and Andy about the defect and its potential complications, some of which could prove to be fatal. In Hayden’s case, some of his digestive organs were located in a protective sac near the umbilical cord.
“It looks like, on ultrasound, that there are some loops of his bowel and intestine [in the sac] but also some portion of his liver,” Dr. Allison Cahill had told the parents prior to their son’s birth. But she had also told Fox News that the biggest concern with births like Hayden’s is that you can’t really tell if the lungs have grown to capacity until after the baby is born.
Like most parents would be, they were nervous about the outcome of their son’s birth. Thankfully, this couple was placed in some very able hands. The Fetal Care Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis Missouri has successfully delivered many babies with similar complications; little Hayden seems to have been no exception.
Mom-to-be Kelsea, ended up needing an emergency C-section because of high blood pressure. She remained optimistic that day, smiling into the cameras and saying, “I am nervous, but it’ll be a good day.” And a good day it was.
Surrounded by a team of doctors ready to give little Hayden the very best chance at life, the Hoskins’s son came out showing no signs of potential heart or kidney complications that could have produced fatal results. Even better was the fact that he let out a few strong screams, which is a very good sign, according to Dr. Cahill.
“Really, the test is when he’s here, how he does, so it’s always very reassuring when babies come out and they cry,” Dr. Cahill said. “Once he got over here, he needed a little bit more help with his breathing, so he has a tube down his windpipe.”
Zipped into a little bag to help improve body heat and fluid retention, little Hayden was given a precious little moment with his mother before being whisked off to the NICU at the nearby Children’s Hospital where he will be monitored. Dr. Cahilll says the prognosis looks good. In about a year, his organ sack will be tucked back into his body. At that point, his life is expected to be just like any other child’s his age.
“We have every expectation that he’ll be the little boy that we’re soon to discover,” she said. “Really no anticipated downside to him.”
As you can guess, mom and dad couldn’t be happier.
“Amazing, absolutely amazing,” Andy said post-labor when being asked how he felt. “Just so relieved.”
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