Our New Bundle and His Dramatic Story

“Mrs. Flake, this is Dr. …, I hate doing this over the phone, but I need to tell you that your baby is very sick and there is a chance he is not going to make it.” Those are the words I had to hear from a Dr. the day after Paxton was born. I was in complete shock then went into a massive breakdown as you could imagine.

Let me take you back 4 weeks ago. On Sunday September 2nd, Cullen and I put the boys to bed then watched a movie together. I joked saying, wouldn’t it be fun to have the baby on Labor Day?! Well, that is exactly what happened. We went to the hospital at 5am, early Monday morning. I had contractions all night long and sure enough I was indeed in labor. The nurse took my blood pressure a couple times and it was much higher than it usually was so they decided I could have Pre-eclampsia which meant I needed to be on a horrible medication called magnesium sulfate to prevent going into seizures. Yikes. Great start, huh?

I thought, how bad could this medication really be…..well, it sucked….big time. Has anyone else had to be on it? Let’s just say, you feel like you have the flu and you have double vision, which was a total nightmare. I’ll never forget trying to see what time it was throughout the day and I kept seeing 2 clocks on the wall. You can’t focus on anything. So…I had to be on that before delivery and 24 hours after. Fun stuff 🙂

I immediately requested the epidural. I don’t know what has changed in the last 7 years, but I could still feel my legs and thought, this can’t be good. I am going to feel everything. Sure enough, the epidural did not work that great. I still felt the contractions most of the time. Nightmare. Ok, fast forward a few hours and Paxton was finally born at 4:22pm. He was beautiful. The pain I felt was gone as soon as he came.

They laid sweet Paxton on my chest for about 20 minutes. He had the pulse ox on his hand so they could watch his oxygen level. At first all was well, but the nurse was a little concerned that his oxygen level was a little low so she took him to the Dr. to get checked out further. That was the last I saw Paxton at the hospital I delivered him at. I had no idea what was ahead.

Within a couple hours I was told that Paxton needed to be transferred to another hospital that was more equipped to help his lungs. I thought, ok this is just like what my 7 year old had when he was born. Since they were both 3 weeks early, they needed help developing their lungs for a few days. Boy was I wrong.

A few hours after they transferred Paxton, I got the dreaded phone call from the Dr. telling me how sick Paxton was and that there was a chance he wasn’t going to make it. He needed to be transferred to Children’s LA Hospital immediately. I could not even believe what I was hearing. Could I really lose this sweet baby boy that was just laying perfectly on my chest the day before? Needless to say I was a train wreck in my hospital room. I was all by myself left with those horrible words going over and over in my head from the Dr. and I couldn’t stop crying. It was uncontrollable. I have honestly never felt so much heartache in my life.

Fast forward to the next morning. My mom, dad and sister came in from AZ when they heard the news. Thank goodness they came. I desperately needed them. My mom stayed at the hospital with me and I got released Wednesday morning. At this point Paxton was at Children’s LA Hospital, one of the best hospitals in the country that specializes in helping the sickest babies.

There is no one who could have prepared me for how I was about to see my sweet baby boy.

I will never forget walking through the cold NICCU doors for the first time seeing my sweet Paxton laying lifeless in his plastic little bed with tubes and wires over his entire body. He was on a high frequency ventillator which shook his whole chest with air. I had never seen anything like it. It was horrible. Paxton had what was called Persistent Pulminary Hypertension that they believe he got from an infection while he was being delivered. Possibly from swallowing his meconium. I was so confused and scared.

To make a long story short, Paxton was at Children’s LA for 2 weeks. It seemed like an eternity. I drove every single day for an hour and a half each way to sit with my little boy. The nurses and Dr.’s were wonderful. They taught me so much about the condition Paxton had and told me once he is better there will be no long term effects. I was so grateful to hear this.

Cullen and I spent long days and nights in that NICCU room watching, waiting and sometimes sleeping. I won’t miss this one bit. After 2 weeks, the Dr.’s at Children’s LA decided Paxton was well enough to be transferred back to our hospital. He had more healing to do, but was no longer in danger.

Once Paxton was transferred back to our hospital, his progress was better and better. He quickly got off of his medication and we even got to hold him for the first time in 2 weeks.

 Can you imagine not holding your new baby for 2 weeks?! It was so hard, but talk about a sweet moment when I got to hold him again.

On September 25th we got to take him home! I have never been so grateful. We could finally start our life with our new baby boy. Mason and Brady were so anxious to have their baby brother in our home. It was without a doubt the longest 3 weeks of our lives.

We’ve had Paxton home for 5 days and he is the sweetest little boy we could have ever asked for. I am grateful everyday for him. Through this whole experience, I received so many emails, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram comments from all of you praying for Paxton. I am so thankful and grateful he had prayers coming from all over the country. What a lucky little boy 🙂

Every time he falls asleep he smiles. I can’t help but think he’s still in touch with the angels. It melts my heart. Thanks again for all of your support, we love you all!

Love,

The Flake Family

Related Posts

181 Responses
  1. Kathryn

    Oh Jenny, I’m so glad you have that sweet little boy home with you now. He’s a real fighter isn’t he?

  2. Julie Chiou

    wow, that is so scary and i’m so thankful that you and him made it through okay. what a little fighter he is. i’m so happy that everyone is safe and sound! what a rollercoaster of a story but so glad everything is perfect 🙂 he is adorable and well wishes for you and the family!! xoxoxo

  3. Christi Silbaugh

    What a beautiful baby boy! I am so glad he is ok and the Doctors had enough wisdom to know what he needed to make him well. Congrads!

  4. epicura

    I suffered from pre-eclampsia as well & delivered at 33 weeks (sidenote, magnesium sulfate is the absolute worse, I though I was going to spontaneously combust as hot as I felt). I was lucky enough to have gotten steroid shots a week prior when I was admitted for the 1st time with high blood pressure & had a C-section so I wouldn’t have contractions to stress the baby more…my son’s lungs were OK, he was just tiny. Still, the NICU experience is a rough one (he was there 4 weeks & got an infection which scared the blood out of me). I am very happy your bundle of joy made it A-OK. Many blessings to you & your family.

  5. Ashley @ Josh & Ashley's World

    I’m on the verge of giving birth to my first baby any second any day and I could not imagine this journey! You are a strong lady Jenny! I am so happy little Pax has made a sweet recovery! Amazing how life and miracles work! Congrats he is beautiful!!

  6. cherie

    What a beautiful adorable baby boy.

    So glad he’s home safe and sound – what an incredibly difficult ordeal! Prayers for a happy and healthy life together.

  7. Becky W

    So glad to hear that your baby boy is doing well and is now at home with you! 12 years ago, a friend’s daughter also ingested the meconium during birth and ended up in the NICU for a week. Her 9 lb baby girl looked huge next to all of the other babies in the NICU. Definitely no lasting affects for my friend’s daughter and I wish the same for your cute little guy. Best wishes, and please rub his soft little head for me!! I love soft baby hair 🙂

  8. Karyn

    Wow…what an incredible story. Thank you so much for sharing it. What a sweet adorable baby he is. So glad he is doing well and continues to flourish! :o)

  9. Emily

    Oh Jenny, that story is heart breaking and miraculous! I cannot even imagine going through that, but so happy that Paxton is home and doing well. He’s so precious!

  10. Lissa

    What a scary situation! I’m glad the doctors were so proactive in getting him the help he needed so quickly, even though it must have been terrible for you. Happy, healthy wishes for both of you!

  11. Candice

    Thank you for sharing this story. I can’t imagine having to wait two weeks to hold your little boy. I’m so glad he’s come through and is doing so well. He looks absolutely sweet and wonderful.

  12. Crystal @ Crystal's Cozy Kitchen

    Reading this while being a sleep deprived new mommy (of a 2 month old and holding him in my arms) made me cry and ache for you. I can’t imagine the pain you must have endured… (I know my mom can relate though as my youngest brother was given a short prognosis for living but thankfully exceeded it and lived for 10 years.) I think the hardest part would be not being able to hold that precious baby for 2 weeks! I was relieved to hear that he came through it. I hadn’t heard that you’d had your baby yet as I’m not keeping up with anything yet. I hope everything goes smoothly for you now – you definitely deserve it!
    What a cutie!

  13. Audrey

    How scary! I can’t even imagine the feelings you went thru. Thank god he is home and everything is alright.

  14. Karly

    Oh my gosh, Jenny. That had to be so hard on your family! I’m so happy that little Paxton is home safe and sound.

  15. Tania

    Thank goodness your little man is alright! He is gorgeous and cherubic. So glad to know things turned out well!

  16. Ali (Bubbly Meadow)

    How brave of you to share your story. I can only imagine how much strength and fortitude it took to make it through. Welcome home Paxton.

  17. natalie@thesweetslife

    what a sweet little blessing! so happy to hear he’s home with you guys now!

  18. Robyn Stone | Add a Pinch

    Jenny, your whole family has been and continues to be in our hearts and prayers. Paxton is absolutely precious and I’m so thankful he’s on the road to total recovery. Love to you all!

  19. Tara @ Chip Chip Hooray

    Oh my gosh…Jenny, I’m so glad that Paxton is home with all of you now, and that the scary time you all faced is over. He truly is a little blessing!

  20. Bethany

    Jenny, thank you so much for sharing this story. I’m so happy that it has a happy ending! Little Paxton is just beyond precious. I can’t believe how amazing that little face and smile is. Your grace and cheerful attitude through all of this has really touched my heart. All the best to you and your family!

  21. DessertForTwo

    Oh gosh, Jenny! This is so scary! I’m so glad he’s doing well! You are blessed! Isn’t the medical community amazing?

    Much love! xo
    christina

  22. Marianne

    Such a precious baby boy your Paxton is! Your story brought tears to my eyes, I worked as a phlebotomy tech for many years and was always heartbroken with my daily trips to the NICCU. Will keep you and your family in our prayers.

  23. Lauren at Keep It Sweet

    What a scary journey! I’m so happy to hear that he is doing well and finally home with you and your family! What a beautiful baby.

  24. Becca @ Amuse Your Bouche

    What a terrible time that must have been! I’m so glad you have him home safe now, he’s a cutie – that smile!!!

  25. kat

    Hi Jenny, I’ve been following your blog for a while but haven’t left a comment before. I just wanted to say thanks for sharing your story and I’m so glad your baby boy is home and well. I know what it feels like to be told your baby might not make it. Truly the hardest experience of my life. Our baby boy arrived 10 weeks early and spent 5 weeks in the NICU. Now he’s a 100% healthy non-stop action-packed toddler. It makes each first step and memory with him all the more precious knowing how uncertain his start to life was. Paxton looks very sweet and is obviously a strong little guy too 🙂

  26. Averie @ Averie Cooks

    Omg Jenny, I am crying, both tears of sadness for all that you and your family went through and also for tears of joy that he was able to come home and you’re able to be a family now!! Thank God for this miracle and for the doctors and I can only imagine how hard this was for you and I just can’t even imagine…you are a very strong woman, Jenny 🙂

Welcome to Picky Palate!

Picky PalateWelcome to my online kitchen! Picky Palate is where you’ll find family friendly recipes along with the best Disney eats, tips and copycat recipes! Read More...

Recipe Categories

Picky Palate Disney Hungry

Never Miss an Update!

Sign up to get easy recipes or Disney tips delivered to your inbox for FREE!