Born Feb. 16, weighing just one pound seven ounces, about the weight of three softballs, Amelia Joy Marie was in critical condition. But doctors at UHNBC stabilized her and rushed her and mother Selina Dean by air ambulance to Vancouver, where they got the help they needed in the neonatal ward at BC Children's Hospital.
Doctors inserted a feeding tube, and an arterial line for administering medication was inserted through Amelia's belly. Her life depends on a high-frequency ventilator that has to be constantly watched to keep her airways clear. Her foot is hooked to a oxygen-saturation monitor and one of Dean's duties is to keep track of the oxygen levels to alert staff when the breathing apparatus needs to be suctioned (every two hours) to remove excess secretions.
"It's been pretty stressful but you kind of put yourself out of the picture altogether because your there more for the baby," said Dean, who is staying in a housing unit close to the hospital.
"I'm with her all the time and I've gotten pretty good at knowing when she starts to struggle and as soon as nurses get involved to help her out [with her breathing] she levels out again. It feels good to help in some way."
Dean, who turned 23 the day after Amelia was born, is totally impressed with the level of care they are receiving.
"How much these people know and the science that goes into it is unbelievable," said Dean. "I live on a farm and I kind of reflected on the cows, and if they went into premature labour we just lost them.
"I feel so grateful she's been able to stay alive. It's unbelievable what they can do for humans."
Dean had problems with contractions and blood spotting early on, but had no idea she would be giving birth just 24 weeks into her pregnancy. There was some concern surgery might be needed to repair one of flaps in a heart valve that controls the amount of blood going to Amelia's lungs, but that condition has since fixed itself.
Dean and her friend Trish Clark have been working on a project to set up the Turning Tails Rescue and Rehab animal shelter, which specializes in nursing dogs, cats and horse back to health. She and her boyfriend, Owen Craig, were just in the process of moving to an acreage near Chief Lake Road when Amelia came into their world.
Since the birth, Craig has stayed behind in Prince George with Dean's three-and-a-half-year-old son Liam. They were due to make the trip to Vancouver on Saturday but Owen won't be able to hold his daughter right away until he's over a cold.
Liam was upset and traumatized by Dean's sudden labour and said something to her just before she went to the hospital that lightened the mood considerably
"He said, 'It's OK mommy, you'll be OK, we'll get you a new belly.'"
Owen was laid off from his job just before Amelia was born. Knowing mom and baby will remain in Vancouver at least until the gestation date, June 3, the family is covered for housing at the hospital until March 20, but might have to provide their own accommodations for the following two months. They were just beginning to acquire baby items and plan her room in the new house when Dean went into labour.
To help cover their expenses, friends have set up a Facebook page - Amelia Joy Marie Craig - which gives contact information for people who would like to help out financially.
"There's so much going on but I've had friends and even strangers pull together to donate and help us with the cost of being down here," Selina said. "I'm definitely thankful for all the support we've had through all of this. It's helped us get through it."
Amelia is putting on weight is now up over her birth weight, but doctors expect that to fluctuate as she learns to breathe on her own.
