I gave birth eleven weeks prematurely the night Hurricane Helene hit North Carolina – the power went out in the intensive care unit just as he was born
Giving birth can be a daunting prospect at the best of times.
But for Jewelia Crowe, a premature delivery combined with the arrival of a Category 4 hurricane made it an even scarier experience.
The 28-year-old from Robbinsville, North Carolina, was due to give birth in December but was admitted to the hospital on September 22 after experiencing “pain and pressure in the lower abdomen.”
Five days later, in the early hours of September 27, her waters broke and when she was told by doctors to ‘start pushing’, she remembers looking out the window and watching the trees and electricity poles being violently pushed through. the hurricane swayed back and forth.
She told DailyMail.com that she and her fiancé, Sam Dillard, hadn’t really taken the hurricane into account because “being 11 weeks early was stressful enough, combined with the possibility of a C-section.”
But as the deadly storm raged outside and her tiny newborn son was whisked away to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at Mission Hospital in Asheville, the power went out and “you could hear the nurses screaming” in horror.
Jewelia Crowe of Robbinsville, North Carolina, was due to give birth in December but was hospitalized on September 22 after experiencing lower abdominal pain.
At 1.41am on September 27, Mrs Crowe gave birth to a baby boy she named Phoenix. He weighed only 2lbs 10oz
Ms Crowe said she heard people shouting that the transformers had blown, but luckily there were generators to keep all the equipment running.
Ashville is one of the hardest hit areas after Hurricane Helene.
At least 30 people have been confirmed dead in the city as rescue and recovery operations are underway.
Despite some complications following her premature delivery, Mrs Crowe’s son was able to breathe without assistance.
Speaking about the series of events surrounding his birth, she said: ‘At 1.41am I gave birth to a beautiful baby boy, who we named Phoenix.
“I couldn’t hold him right away and the NICU medics took him at first because he was so small.
“Once I was able to hold him, all I could do was cry. He weighed only 2lbs 10oz.
“After me and my fiance got cleaned up, we went to the NICU and then the power went out.
When her tiny newborn son was taken to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at Mission Hospital in Asheville, the power went out and ‘you could hear the nurses screaming’
Phoenix seen at her baby shower in September, with no idea her son would arrive just over a week later
‘We heard a nurse shouting that the transformers were exploding, and we could see it happening from the windows.
“Luckily the generators were on and they took me back to my room so I could get some rest.”
Ms Crowe was discharged from hospital on October 1, but Phoenix will need to stay in the NICU for some time until he is stronger.
The new mum, who is self-employed, said: ‘The hardest part was being discharged from hospital knowing I had to leave my baby behind.
“That’s something I was never prepared for.”
Phoenix was Mrs Crowe’s first child and she considered him a ‘miracle’ as doctors had previously told her she would not be able to get pregnant.
She had a baby shower in mid-September, with no idea that she would give birth just over a week later.
Some studies have examined whether severe storms can cause babies to be born earlier.
One study from East Carolina University looked to confirm the link between barometric pressure and premature labor.
The researchers hypothesized that severe weather conditions that cause an extreme pressure drop could lead to premature rupture of the fetal membrane. This in turn causes premature birth.
Debris is seen in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene in Ashville, North Carolina
They concluded: ‘The model we used showed how the modeled tension of the fetal membrane varies with barometric pressure and gestational age.
‘If the stress is greater due to a storm with lower barometric pressure, this stress can exceed the strength of the membrane before full-term pregnancy, resulting in a preterm birth.’
During her pregnancy, Ms. Crowe said, after stomach pains, she had “on and off contractions throughout the week” until her waters finally broke.
With Phoenix still in the hospital, the new mother has to travel back and forth between the NICU in Ashville and her home in Robbinsville.
She said she would stay closer if she could, but the hurricane has closed hotels in the area.
The round trip between her home and the hospital takes almost four hours by car.
At home, Ms. Crowe says her home suffered no structural damage, but the water and power were out.
She added: “Amid the chaos, we also lost mobile connectivity and had problems with gas and food supplies.
“We were lucky enough to miss the worst of our hometown.”
Giving advice to other mothers-to-be, Ms Crowe concludes: ‘Never lose hope!
‘Always stay positive and be open to multiple birth options, you never know which way things will go during a pregnancy.’