Jonah James Duffey was born at 10:21 on May 10th, 2018. Hannah started feeling contractions at 4am and by the time she and John arrived at the hospital at 7am, she was 9cm dilated and Jonah was ready to arrive. As soon as Jonah was out, it became clear that there were some complications. The umbilical cord had ruptured and Jonah was not breathing. The delivery nurses and midwife quickly clamped Jonah and Hannah's cords to stop the bleeding and about 10 medical professionals rushed in to help. They revived Jonah with chest compressions. Once Jonah was stable, Hannah was able to hold him for a few quick seconds and John gave him a kiss but Jonah was quickly taken to the NICU. The neonatologist came to talk to Hannah and John and said that they had some concerns beyond the loss of blood. The medical team decided that we needed to be transferred to Children's Hospital's NICU and Jonah was transferred there on May 11th.
Here is what we know now: Jonah's arms and legs are not able to fully extend and he has low muscle tone overall. We love Jonah's tiny chin however, its recessed position is causing him to have some challenges with breathing and swallowing independently. When he lays on his back, his tongue covers his airway so he needs to be on his side and have his mouth suctioned out frequently.
In the past two days, we have met with an ear, nose, and throat doctor, a neonatologist, a neurologist, a plastic surgeon, a geneticist, and many amazing nurses. They have run many tests but we won't know anything for several weeks. For now, we are focusing on Jonah's breathing and some of the possible procedures that might help with that. We are mostly letting Jonah rest and grow. Hannah and John are both able to hold Jonah and help with diaper changes, feedings, nail clipping, and bathing.
It is going to be a long road. Please look here for updates and keep the Duffey family in your thoughts and prayers.
