OCR Text |
Show Seutlt Ceakd Utah Supplement To: Gunnison Valley News - The Salina Sun Garfield County News - The Richfield Reaper NUMBER 15 VOLUME 2 THURSDAY, APRIL 9, 1981 'Miracle Maryann' More Than Christmas Present By Eleanor Sorenson Spotlight Writer Maryann Young was born Christmas Eve, 1980, to Randy and Jerolyn Young of Gunnison. She has three brothers: Chris, three years old, Ben, six and Matt, nine. Her grandparents, aunts, Her mom is on the Gunnison uncles and cousins also live in Stake Primary board, the chairwoman of the Gunnison the area. Library board and a member of Her dad is a member of the the Jaycettes. Gunnison Valley Jaycees and Maryann is three months old works as a maintenance now. She weighs 5 pounds 10 foreman at Southern Utah Fuel ounces and measures 19 inches. The date of her birth should Company, Salina. have been April 1, 1981. This is her story, her fight for survival, and the wonder of medical science. Pregnancy itself is remarkable process a a pro- cess we often take for granted as we await the arrival of a child. We healthy, full-tercount fingers and toes and are perhaps disappointed because its the wrong sex. Maryann was born five and one-hamonths into Jerolyns pregnancy at the University of Utah Medical Center, Salt Lake City. She weighed one pound 12 ounces and measured 13 inches. m lf Jerolyns other pregnancies but were normal and comsecond the month, during full-ter- plications developed. Dr. Dwight Inouye, Gunnison physician scheduled her for an ultra sound sonagram at Utah Valley Hospital. This test determines the fetus and placenta positions and any problems with the pregnancy. Dr. Inouye then ruled out placenta previa; a complication occuring when the placenta is located low, and part of it overlaps the mouth of the uterus. He diagnosed the problem as placenta abruptis which later proved to be cor- rect. Placenta abruptis is the premature separation of the placenta from the uterus before the baby is born. Proud brothers hold their tiny sister, but because of her delicate condition, they must wear face masks. From the left are Chris, Matt and Ben. Baby Maryann Young was born three and a half months premature. Lack of Precipitation Takes On Drought Theme to Region Farmers Farmers are beginning to think drought and wonder if 1981 will prove to be another year like 1977. Conservation Service (SCS) and the National Weather Service say the snowpack in Utah is way below normal, and since the water supply is dependent on this snowpack, water shortage could be a threat here. The USDA-So- il Local agencies that can help farmers are the Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service, Farmers Home Administration, Cooperative Extension Service, Conservation Districts, and Soil Conservation Serivce. More ideas for farmers on ways to stretch water are available from the local Soil Conservation Service office at 55 South 100 East, Richfield. Under Dr. Inouyes care, Jerolyn spent the next three months less active, and often spending days in bed. By the end of November she was feeling well enough to think about holidays and Christmas shopping. Unfortunately, her body rebelled and she began to hemorrhage. She was admitted to Gun- the coming nison Valley Hospital on Dec. 2. On Dec. 3 she was taken to Utah Valley Hospital for. another ultra sound sonagram. The test showed no immediate danger to her or the baby. She returned to Gunnison Valley Hospital, which bent the rules, and let her sons visit each day. On December 23 labor began. Dr. Inouyes decision was to send her to University of Utah Medical Center because he had worked there, and was familiar with their excellent intensive care unit. If the baby had any chance of living, it would do best under their specialized diagnostic and treatment services provided by the unit. new-bor- n the latest technology and Handicapped Childrens Service, and Church Financial Services. As her condition improved and stablized, the baby began to gain weight. Jerolyn was able to help care for her on the frequent trips to the hospital, she was able to dress her when she was six weeks old in the clothes sewn by Grandmother Buelah Christensen from a 13 inch doll pattern. Regular baby clothes were much too large. First, farmers need to keep in touch with the current water situation through irrigation districts, reservoir managers, and others who monitor and regulate water supplies. Between visits, the phone calls to the nurse on duty were always answered directly concerning blood count, oxygen levels, skin coloring, breaths per minute and the general condition of the baby. On Feb. 10, Maryann was released from the Medical Center and flown by helicopter with the newborn intensive Second, they need to understand the markets, irrigation system, and other things that affect the best use of their water supply. And, Tuttle says, they need to do it they may soon have to make some difficult decisions. right now care unit transport team to Some crops use more water than others. How many acres and what crops may have to be adjusted? How test can the soil accept water and what is its water-holdin- g capacity? Farmers need this kind of information, year. especially in a water-short It will be important to know about soil types, since theyre an important guide to rate and frequency of irrigation and soil fertility. Fertile soils make more efficient use of irrigation water, so it makes sense to concentrate water there. newborns. The unit is alive with Program, But, according to Tuttle, there are things a farmer can do to make the best use o of the available water. own soil, Primary Childrens Medical Center provide this specialized care to premature babies of five neighboring states and are able to give the best medical attention available to 18 modern equipment. They are also a caring staff. Their philosophy is that since the babies are alive, they are people. Parents are encouraged to name their infants, to take Gunnisons ambulance and pictures of the baby (a Polaroid available in the EMTs transported her, camera foris this purpose) and to nursery although the hospital does have deal fears and doubts with their access to helicopter transport. in a way. positive Heavy fog had set in Salt Lake City, and Dr. Inouye felt better Parents are also assigned a time could be made driving. trained clinical social worker They arrived in the evening who helps them with the emoand a third ultra sound tional stress associated with a sonogram was made, showing premature baby. she was indeed in labor and the Miracle Maryann was baby was in breech position. in an isolette placed equipped Only slight dilation had occurwith a heart monitor, red and delivery was not imminent. Labor pains continued to respirator and oxygen. be four minutes apart until Maryanns medical problems consisted of apnea and delivery. bradycardia. Apnea is the condition of not breathing and On Christmas Eve, as the bradycardia is a heart-rat- e delivery room was being slower than normal. This is and the prepared, in common fairly anesthesiologist went for more babies because their premature brains are anesthesia, Maryann decided too immature to them remind to arrive at 8:00 a.m. She was to The breathe. monitor heart born curled into a ball within her sac of amniotic fluid. Dr. alarms go off and they are awakened from a deep sleep by Randy Beach immediately broke the sac and administered the noise, direct stimulation, or bagging which is pumping air artificial respiration. into a babys lungs. Miracle Maryann, as she Maryann remained on the was soon nicknamed, was placfor one month, and oxrespirator ed in the newborn intensive 49 days. She was also care unit of the hospital. This ygen for fed for many intravenously a nursery is operated by highly days. trained staff of five This type of medical care is neonatologists (a pediatrician with two additional years of expensive, amounting to $1,000 training with newborns), two per day in ICU. Luckily, Randy residents, a respiratory has Blue Cross medical intherapist, a blood gas surance through SUFCo, which laboratory technician and 50 will cover most of the expenses, nurses. except for blood for Jerolyn and Maryann. Other financing is available through the Utah State Medical Assistance Only How much of a shortage? According to Earl Tuttle, district conservationist for SCS in Richfield, We only have 72 percent of our normal snowpack usual for this time of the year, so we expect at least for short water supplies those diverting water from streams for irrigation. best use of their University of Utah Medical Center and the The Utah Valley Hospital, Provo. The transfer was made because the staff felt she had improved enough to be released to a hospital closer to home. Maryann had two significant spells of apnea and bradycardia at Utah Valley; mainly due to apnea being worse at 30 to 32 weeks. A pregnancy lasts 40 weeks. Maryann was born at 26 weeks. full-ter- Randy and Jerolyn Young hold tiny Maryann, one of the smallest babies to survive in the state. The child was born Christmas Eve, but her birthdate was suppose to be April of her survival. . Doctors have dubbed her Miracle Maryann" because m (Continued on Page Three) |