Jonna Higgins-Freese’s pregnancy was picture perfect up until the 15th hour of delivery. Jonna’s stressful labor caused increased movement in Reuben’s intestines and relaxation of the anal sphincter causing Reuben to poop inside the womb which allowed Meconium to pass into the surrounding amniotic fluid.
Meconium aspiration syndrome is a leading cause of severe illness and death in newborns and it wasn’t until six weeks after Reuben was born that Jonna and her husband Eric knew that he would live. Reuben was eventually put on an ECMO machine, a complex therapy that involved a pump that circulates blood through an artificial lung back into the bloodstream of an infant.The ECMO machine is essentially a heart-lung bypass support that provides the infant with adequate oxygen allowing time for the lungs and heart to “rest” and heal.
Reuben was eventually weaned from the ECMO machine and onto a high speed ventilator with the prognosis that he will most likely grow up to be a happy, healthy child.
