By: Casey Hamilton
Cristin and Robert Whitaker and their son Mark, 18 months old, are living proof of the incredible work that the March of Dimes organization does every year in their mission to “improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth, and infant mortality.” Because of their story and Mark’s dramatic fight for his life, the Whitakers along with their 5-year-old daughter, Lucy, will serve as this year’s March for Babies ambassador family.
The Whitakers conceived both of their children through IVF (In Vitro Fertilization) and with Lucy, the pregnancy went well. But when Cristin was 6 weeks pregnant with Mark, she began bleeding. After she spent one week on bed rest, the bleeding stopped, but Cristin admits that she was “a little on edge from that point on.” More bleeding occurred at 16 weeks along in the pregnancy, and this time Cristin was put on light duty, which meant resigning her position as a Labor & Delivery nurse at then Owensboro Medical Health System.
Cristin was now teaching childbirth classes at the hospital and working as a nursing clinical instructor through the University of Louisville. Even though doctors had warned there was a “chance” of pre-term labor, Cristin said, “I don’t really think that sunk in.” So when she went into labor with Mark on August 2, 2012, at just 29 weeks into her pregnancy, reality hit full force. She and Robert both knew there was a chance that Mark wouldn’t survive and it was very scary for both of them. “When we were going to the hospital, I had the feeling that if he had to come that day, he might not live,” Robert recalls. Because of Cristin’s nursing experience and the fact that Robert had two nephews also born prematurely, they both knew the situation was dire.
Mark was born in respiratory distress because of premature lungs. He was intubated and received surfactant, a drug developed through March of Dimes research that helps premature babies’ lungs develop faster. This meant that after an hour or so, the intubation was removed and Mark was put on a CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) machine. After spending only two days on the machine, Mark was weaned to nasal oxygen for about seven days. The biggest health crisis Mark faced was his lack of tolerance for food, which required him to be put on IV nutrition for longer than usual. Cristin, however, was adamant that Mark be given her breast milk, because she knew that was the more specific nourishment he needed, and once he was able to latch on to feed, he did dramatically better and his NICU stay ended after 39 days.
Several years ago, babies born at the same gestational age as Mark would have had little chance of survival, but now thanks to medical breakthroughs, that survival age has been moved back to 24-25 weeks. Cristin credits March of Dimes for the technology and medication that has helped to extend that survival rate. As a matter of fact, she explains, “Without surfactant, Mark probably would have been intubated for weeks,” which could have led to more severe health issues.
During Mark’s stay in the NICU, Cristin and Robert received overwhelming support from family and friends helping out by watching Lucy, who was only three at the time and had never been away from home. They also appreciated their Settle Memorial Church family for mowing their lawn, providing food and welcoming Mark home with a celebration. The hospital staff, including the neonatal nurse practitioner and doctors from Kosair Children’s Hospital, who rotated in and out of the NICU, also provided opportunities, assistance and information needed for the parents to make more informed decisions regarding Mark’s care.
Ironically, Robert, a commercial lender at First Security Bank, had spent five years on the local March of Dimes board, serving as president for many of those years. He decided to step away from that responsibility and “hand over the reins” to someone else, so that he and Cristin could devote their time to other projects and organizations. Now they are representing the organization in the March for Babies event on April 26th.
The Whitakers feel very blessed that Mark is now caught up to the normal growth chart that is used for all children born full-term and he ranks among the 80th-90th percentile for all measurements. There seem to be no lingering health issues due to his premature birth. But according to Robert, “The most amazing blessing was seeing how others responded to help in whatever way they knew how.”