The bond that forms between mother and child at birth is nothing short of miraculous. But for Mandy Springer and her daughter Jaxie Rae, the real miracles took place on the 12th floor of Dallas’ Baylor Hospital
Born two months premature, tiny and underweight, Jaxie’s biggest challenge was that her mother was in a medically-induced coma for her birth and for the first 5 1/2 weeks of her life.
Mandy, 21, at seven months pregnant, had been in and out of doctor offices for weeks with cold-like symptoms. Repeated tests for H1N1 and other infections came back negative.
On March 20, Mandy was admitted to Paris Regional Medical Center with a fever of 104.4 and suffering premature contractions. Doctors stopped the contractions with medication, but when her fever continued to spike and her condition worsened, Mandy was sent to Baylor.
The prognosis looked grim for both mother and baby when Mandy developed bilateral pneumonia and subsequently Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS).
Doctors placed Mandy, in excruciating pain and barely able to breathe, into a coma, and the decision was made to deliver her child two months early.
“It was either deliver her or lose both of them at that point,” said Tammie Springer, Mandy’s mother. “They couldn’t even tell us if Mandy would make it or not, much less Jaxie at 32 weeks. When they delivered Jaxie, we had to literally say our goodbyes that morning, because they couldn’t guarantee that she (Mandy) would be there.”
Weighing just over three pounds, and heavily sedated from the drugs keeping her mother asleep, Jaxie coded at delivery and the medical staff worked on her for 13 minutes before she responded. She was placed on a ventilator, but miraculously, was taken off the machine a mere two days later.
Despite her early arrival and unusual birth circumstance, Jaxie was born with no birth defects or other lingering issues. She stayed at the hospital for several weeks, before being released into the care of her father and Mandy’s mother.
Unaware, Mandy slept on, still fighting for her life. Her vital signs began to fluctuate again, and she was placed on dialysis. Doctors scrambled to keep her other organs functioning.
Then, blood clots developed in her lungs. Once again, doctors told Mandy’s family to say their goodbyes.
“It’s just unreal, to know that you had to go through that again,” Tammie said.
But against all odds, Mandy grew stronger.
“The doctor finally sat down and said ‘I think she’s going to make it,’” Tammie said.
The first time Mandy remembers seeing her baby, Jaxie was 5 1/2 weeks old.
“The first thing I said was: ‘Is she mine?’” Mandy said. “I couldn’t hold her or anything — I couldn’t even hold my own hand up because I was so weak.”
“When they first woke her up, at the beginning of the fifth week when they started reducing the drugs to where she would arouse, she was crying and asking ‘What about Jaxie?’” Tammie said. “She kept pointing to her stomach and asking what happened? What about Jaxie? But by the next week, she couldn’t even remember that she had asked that.”
More miracles soon followed. Mandy was taken off the respirator and never put back on it. Doctors told Tammy and Mandy it was rare for someone to recover from bilateral pneumonia and ARDS, and come off a respirator after six weeks with no problem.
“I went in on March 20, which was the last big snow we had,” Mandy said. “When I came out, everybody was going swimming. I said ‘Momma, everybody’s going swimming,’ and she’s like ‘Mandy, it’s 100 degrees outside.’”
Six weeks after doctors placed her in a coma, Mandy entered rehab. Extremely weak, Mandy had to gain her strength back not only to walk, but even to feed herself.
But she wasn’t in the clear yet.
During rehab, Mandy started having episodes of anxiety and shortness of breath. Doctors knew she still had multiple micro-blood clots in her lungs, but went searching for other answers. They performed a heart echo, and she was diagnosed with congestive heart failure, which was believed to have developed after the birth of the baby, Tammie said.
Now on medications, Mandy’s heart is at normal function and she continues her recovery.
“She’s getting better every day, she’s getting stronger every day,” Tammie said. “We’ve had people from the west coast to the east coast in a prayer chain. It was just awesome. I know people say it everyday, and it is true — she’s (Mandy) just a miracle to be walking. For (Jaxie) to have been on a ventilator as well and to have to have coded her, and for her to be doing as good as she is, we’ve just been blessed.”
At four months old, today Jaxie is thriving. She weighs a healthy 11-plus pounds, a miracle in itself.
Mandy was told early in her pregnancy her baby was a two vessel cord baby, a condition which is known to cause birth defects and other issues. But Jaxie was born with no birth defects whatsoever.
Mandy was released May 12 from rehab, and baby Jaxie joined her at home two days later.
“When she came home for the first time, I didn’t know what to do,” Mandy said. “I still don’t think she’s mine. I have (bonded with Jaxie), don’t get me wrong, but whenever she was first at home, I was kind of like ‘I didn’t know I had that baby.’”
The past few months have been a time of learning and bonding for mother and baby.
“The mom is not supposed to be in the hospital like that after she has her baby,” Mandy said. “That was what was hard for me. She is going to be the only kid I can have. I missed her first bath, I missed her getting off her ventilator, her first bottle ... I missed everything.”
“I hid my pregnancy for four months,” Mandy said. “I finally came out and told my mother on Thanksgiving night. I didn’t enjoy being pregnant because I was really sick during my pregnancy. Three months after I told my mom, I actually was kind of getting used to the fact, then I got sick. I didn’t get to go the full term.”
The long recovery has allowed Mandy time to get to know her daughter. Unable to work because of her still-weakened state, she is for now a stay-at-home mom. She can now hold and carry Jaxie for short periods of time, and is able to see to the baby’s needs.
“I’m a lot better than what they were probably thinking I would be at this time, but when it comes down to everyday things and what I can and cannot do, it’s still pretty limited,” Mandy said.
A self-described independent person, Mandy is anxious to be healthy again, and get back on her feet, supporting herself. She worked as a certified nurse assistant prior to her pregnancy, and wants to go back to school to further her education, though she is not sure in what field yet.
Medical bills have taken a toll on Mandy and her parents. Medicaid has covered the birth and subsequent treatment, but as of May, she no longer qualifies because she is living with her parents, whose income bracket excludes Mandy from help. Her parents are paying for her medical bills completely out of pocket, including medications and two doctor visits a week. Jaxie is covered under Medicaid until her first birthday.
To help offset medical costs, a fund for Mandy and Jaxie has been set up at First Federal Community Bank, and friends are also hosting a benefit for the pair, scheduled from 12:30 to 5:30 p.m. Oct. 8 at the Elk’s Lodge.
“It’s been a long, long road,” Tammie said. “It’s like we were in a totally different world than everybody else out there. It was just unreal.”
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