Family patiently waits for moment they can meet ‘miracle baby’ born during coronavirus
Axel Tidwell is a miracle baby.
His mom, Chris, was told she would likely never have kids. It was a wonderful surprise to her and her husband, Marty, when a pregnancy test last fall came back positive.
They were elated to find out they’d be parents, especially since Axel would likely be their only child, Marty’s mom, Teresa Tidwell said on Wednesday.
Then, Chris Tidwell’s pregnancy took a turn for the worst. She was diagnosed with preeclampsia, a complication in pregnancy that consists of high blood pressure and the possibility of organ failure for the mother.
Six weeks before her due date, labor was induced in a hospital in Frisco.
In other parts of the hospital, health care workers prepared for possible COVID-19 patients to come through their emergency room doors. Outside, the community and country worried about how to handle a surge of patients infected with the novel coronavirus.
Weeks before Axel was born, hospitals in the state stopped allowing visitors to come into their halls and they stopped non-essential procedures — all with the intent to stop the spread of COVID-19.
So when Chris and Marty were in the maternity wing awaiting the birth of their miracle child, their family waited in the hospital’s parking lot.
“Marty would come out and give us little updates,” Teresa Tidwell said. “We wanted to be there for them as much as we possibly could.”
Tidwell, her husband and their oldest son stayed in their car all day on Saturday. Axel was born early Sunday morning and placed in the NICU.
“He’s going to be OK but they just have to keep him a little while longer,” Tidwell said. “He hasn’t learned to nurse. He weighed 6 pounds, 7 ounces but not everything is fully developed.”
Axel still hasn’t met any family members, other than his mom and dad, who can only visit him one at a time.
“They were able to go home, so they sleep at home and then go to the hospital a couple times a day to visit him,” Tidwell said.
To avoid potentially getting infected by someone else, Marty and Chris Tidwell have isolated themselves from friends and family. And they’ll continue to isolate themselves and their son until it’s safe.
Dr. Amy Raines-Milenkov, assistant professor of pediatrics at the UNT Health Science Center, said new parents thrive on support from their families, and when it’s not there physically, families should do their best to let the parents know they’re not alone.
“With new babies, you need to pull in all your support and resources and when it’s interrupted it could be devastating emotionally with the family,” she said. “It’s emotional having a baby in a NICU in the first place.”
Teresa Tidwell said Marty and Chris’s parents are doing what they can to show that support.
“Chris is an only child. It was so disappointing for her mother and stepfather to not be there and experience the first and probably their only grandchild,” Tidwell said. “And it was really, really hard on (Chris).”
But like his conception, the timing of Axel’s birth was also a little miracle.
His due date was in the beginning of May, around the time when projections show a peak of COVID-19 patients and hospital resources in Texas.
“I don’t ever wish for time to pass, but I wish it would,” Tidwell said.
She doesn’t know when she’ll get to meet her new grandson, but she’s counting down the days.
This story was originally published April 6, 2020 at 5:00 AM.
