by Joni and Josh McNeely, Layla’s Mom & Dad
Logan, Utah

I was induced at 38 weeks due to pre-eclampsia. After 42 hours of labor, our precious little girl, Layla, was born on April 20, 2011, at Logan Regional Hospital. The doctors were worried that Layla may have got an infection during labor, so she was moved to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) right after her birth. Her labs continued to improve over the next couple of days, and we were told we would be able to take her home in the next five days.

Then on April 22, Layla’s condition started to change. She first started spitting up, and then her stomach became swollen and red. Within hours, her labs started changing and the redness on her stomach started spreading. Her pediatrician came to look at her and made a call to Primary Children’s Medical Center. He came back after a half an hour and told us they were sending LifeFlight up to Logan to transport her to Primary Children’s. Our doctor told us that he wasn’t sure if Layla would survive!

The hardest thing in the world is putting your two-day old baby on a helicopter and having to drive two hours away, knowing that there is a chance your child won’t be alive when you get to the hospital! We had some comfort in knowing my parents were with her, but they had not gotten a chance to see her before surgery.

Layla had been in surgery two hours by the time we arrived at Primary Children’s. First thoughts were an infection in her abdominal wall from her umbilical cord, then the doctors started testing for necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) and Hirschsprung disease. The surgery revealed a perforated bowel. The torn section was removed, and Layla’s bowel was sewn back together. The next day, Linda, a nurse from LifeFlight stopped by Layla’s bed to see how she was doing. Linda told us if we would have waited 20 minutes longer to send for LifeFlight, she didn’t think Layla wouldn’t have survived.

A second surgery was done on April 26 to close her abdomen. I was finally able to hold her again on April 28. Holding her, tubes and all, was the best feeling in the world!! Tests for Cystic Fibrosis came back negative and to this day we are unsure what caused the perforation. After three weeks on antibiotics and two surgeries, we were able to bring Layla home on May 15.

Layla turned one year old last week and is thriving and healthy. She is such a well-mannered, easy tempered baby, and she brings so much joy, laughter, and love into our lives. We owe our miracle to the staff at Logan Regional Hospital NICU, LifeFlight, and Primary Children’s Medical Center.

There aren’t enough words to express our gratitude for saving our precious baby’s life! We particularly want to thank NICU nurse Tawni, and Pediatrician Dr. Tyson Horkley at Logan Regional. Along with thanks to Layla’s surgeon Dr. Myers, neonatologists Dr. Beier and Dr. Miner, and nurses Trisha Dunn, Apryl Frey, and Ron-D Cheney.

Because of you, we still have our little girl!

Story Lines is a feature on Play Ground telling personal stories and experiences about the hospital – written by the individual. If you would like to share your experience on the blog, please contact us.