Jonathan Kirk Juchau, Our Little Miracle Baby

On October 29, 2014, Mindy was concerned because she hadn't felt much movement in the baby.  She left Justin with Ethan loaded up Brinlee to go with her and went to the hospital in Yuba City to have the baby stress test done.  Baby's score was 2 out of 10 with 0 being dead.  They began to prepare her for an emergency C-section as soon as the doctor arrived.  

6 weeks early, the boys home alone, Brinlee at the hospital with her, and Ryan 8 hours a way in Maine, Oregon doing pharmacist training for his job in Klamath Falls Mom in Utah.  Does that spell recipe for freakout?

Relief Society sisters and others in the ward to the rescue.  Mindy received a priesthood blessing, two of the sisters were able to go with her into delivery.  They called me and Ryan to keep us posted.  Jonathan was delivered and was given much emergency care.  They messaged us photos of his actual, cesarian birth.

Ryan arrived in the middle of the night.  It was traumatic for all of them.

They made arrangements for the baby to be transported to the NICU at Sutter Memorial Hospital in Sacramento where they could have all the pediatric specialists available.  It was pretty intense -- he was having respiratory problems, heart irregularities, and only about half the blood in his system he should have had.

Mindy was released on Octoober 31, and she and Ryan directly went to see the baby.  It was pretty hard on a 2-day old C-section -- a 1 hour drive, walking into the hospital and eventually riding home. Next day, they took all the kids to see the new baby -- the only hospital in the state that allows the siblings to visit their new babies.

Grandpa Juchau and Great Grandma Juchau both flew stay for a new days while Ryan went back to work in Oregon so that Mindy could get to the hospital each day.

Kirk had some vacation time scheduled, so we head down when baby was about 2 weeks old.  We were lucky to be able to help Mindy bring Jonathan home from the hospital and hold him and help.  A couple of days after we got home, he had to go back to the NICU with problems again.  

In the meantime, Ryan was commuting every few days from Oregon, looking for a place for them to live, even though they didn't know when they would be able to bring baby home and move.  Eventually it all worked out, and the ward packed them, cleaned their house, and they were off to a new adventure.  Baby has two heart defects, and possibly some seizure problems.

When they went to their first appointment with the cardiologist that was present at the birth,  he told them he gave Jonathan very little chance of surviving, and was surprised to see them.  Priesthood blessings and many prayers.