Journey Richardson went through a shocking and terrifying experience when she unexpectedly gave birth while dog-sitting. The 18-year-old from Anchorage, Alaska initially thought she was experiencing agonizing cramps and attempted to soothe them by taking a bath. However, she soon discovered a baby’s head and had to perform mouth-to-mouth resuscitation to save her newborn daughter, whom she named Finn.
Journey had sought medical help after receiving a positive pregnancy test, but her concerns were dismissed by a doctor who attributed the result to an ovarian cyst. Despite experiencing intense cramps during her mom’s birthday party, Journey was not expecting to go into labor the next day. She found herself unable to push the baby out due to back labor, causing excruciating pain.
Despite the difficulties, she successfully delivered her daughter but faced the terrifying reality that the baby wasn’t breathing. She acted quickly using her knowledge of CPR from her dad’s teachings and resuscitated Finn.
Unable to cut the umbilical cord, Journey had to bite through it and delayed calling 911 because of her nervousness about her dad’s reaction as a first responder. Eventually, she reached out to both her parents, who were unaware of what had transpired. The fire department took Journey to the hospital, where her parents received the surprising news of their granddaughter’s arrival.
Journey’s initial reservations about becoming a mother were replaced with fierce determination and love for Finn after seeing her for the first time. Despite her initial doubts, Journey’s entire family supports her in raising her daughter, and Finn’s father remains involved in their lives.
She also revealed that the baby was born with a rare disorder called Klippel-Feil syndrome a rare genetic disorder that affects the development of the bones in the spine. Typically, the spine has 33 vertebrae, but people with Klippel-Feil syndrome have fewer due to abnormal fusion of the cervical vertebrae.
In Finn’s case, she has 7 vertebrae that are fused which makes it an even rarer case.
People with Klippel-Feil syndrome may have short-neck-limited movement.
Journey concluded that she ‘loves Finn very much’ and said they are now a ‘happy family’ along with her dogs and cat.
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