When the unexpected happens:
Baby thrives after live-saving treatment
When Noah Ness was born Dec. 16, 2005, everyone expected a healthy, full-term baby. But shortly after birth, the 8-pound, 4-ounce boy struggled to breathe, falling into respiratory failure. When early treatments failed, doctors in Bemidji, Minn., called MeritCare LifeFlight in Fargo. Within minutes, a specially equipped fixed-wing airplane complete with a neonatal transport team took flight.
"He's all boy – and a very happy, healthy boy. We're so thankful he's with us."
Cindy Ness
"It's a horrible feeling to know your baby will be taken away, but I knew it was necessary," says Noah's mom, Cindy, who continued her hospitalization in Bemidji to recover from a cesarean section. "I watched as the neonatal nurses got Noah ready to go. They were so tender in how they cared for him and they did their best to explain to me everything that was going on. I knew he was in critical condition and might not make it." The neonatal team gave Noah medicine to keep him comfortable, inserted a breathing tube to help him breathe and placed him in a specially equipped transport isolette. They took every step to keep him safe and stable for his trip to MeritCare Children's Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).
Coordinated care from a highly specialized team
"As soon as Noah arrived at the NICU, I got phone calls from neonatologists
Dr. Stephen Nelson and
Dr. Waseem Altaf," says Cindy. "Over the next two days, they continued to call and update me. They really went out of their way to make sure I knew what was going on. They didn't give me false hope, but at the same time, I knew Noah was exactly where he needed to be. The NICU had the equipment and team that could save his life."
Noah's most life-threatening problem was persistent pulmonary hypertension – a lung condition, but he faced other medical challenges, too. MeritCare Children's board-certified pediatric specialists – including neonatologists, a pediatric cardiologist, a pediatric gastroenterologist and a pediatric orthopaedic surgeon – worked together to meet his complex needs. The availability of pediatric specialists characterizes excellence in children's care.
A turning point
In critical condition, Noah fought hard to live. A turning point came when he received nitric oxide – an advanced lung treatment that can make a life-or-death difference in babies with severe respiratory failure. After careful evaluation by a pediatric cardiologist to make sure he was a good candidate, Noah received nitric oxide over a 48-hour period through a high-frequency ventilator capable of gentle, baby-size breaths. The difference was immediate.
Cindy learned of the dramatic turnaround in a phone call while on her way to Fargo to see Noah for the first time in the NICU. "My husband Jon called from the hospital and told me the exact words of the doctors: ‘We don't know exactly when it will happen, but you will be bringing your baby home,'" says Cindy. "From then on, I knew we were headed in a new direction."
Several more days of specialized neonatal care followed, alongside Cindy's loving care. "The nurses were excellent in caring for Noah, but also so supportive of my need to still be a mom to him," she says. "They knew how important it was for me to touch him, to feel his skin. On Dec. 24, I got to hold him for the first time. I can't even describe how wonderful that was."
On Dec. 30, breathing on his own, Noah went home to Bemidji, joining his four brothers and sisters. His follow-up care continued for the next two years at MeritCare Children's. "Today he's a 32-pound bruiser who loves trucks, shovels, running and jumping," says Cindy. "He's all boy – and a very happy, healthy boy. We're so thankful he's with us."
For more information about the highly-specialized care available at MeritCare NICU, call (701) 234-2000 or (800) 437-4010 or visit nicu.meritcare.com.
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