Dodson Studio

As Adam previously stated, we have been a little absent from blogging lately for a good reason.   On July 16th, my sister gave birth to a sweet little baby boy, Bronson. You probably remember his big sis, Katheryn, from several blog posts in the past.  

Before I post the pictures, I’ll tell you Bronson’s story.  It will be long, so please bear with me.  

Sometime at the end of June, my sister, Beth, went to the emergency room because she was having pains in her stomach.  She was pretty sure she wasn’t in labor, but she knew that the pain was bad enough that she should be examined.  It turns out that she had gall stones, so they put her on Vicodin (did you know you could take that when you’re pregnant?!?!?) and sent her home.  They told her that they would deliver the baby as early as they could, so she could prepare to have her gallbladder removed.  They did a lot of tests that day to figure out his exact due date and realized that his measurements were a little off.  She then returned to her OB for even more tests and that’s when the problems started.

Her OB told them that she though the baby had fluid on his brain.  Since she wasn’t really qualified to diagnose him any further, she referred Beth to a specialist in Joplin.  The news only got worse. . .The specialist told them that the baby did not have fluid on his brain, rather, half of his brain was actually missing.  They said that there was a clot in her umbilical cord that caused him to have a stroke and therefore caused the damage to his brain. His exact words were “Worst case scenario is that he will live.”. Obviously, that was a hard thing for all of us to hear.  He was convinced that the baby would never function on his own.  

Because of his condition, they told her that she would have to deliver at UAMS in LR, so the baby could immediately be transported to AR Children’s Hospital.  She visited the doctors there who sent her back home because they didn’t think she was ready to deliver yet.  She then had her regular OB appointment the next week.  Her OB sent her to the hospital for a “biophysical exam” (I hope I got that right).  Apparently, they score the baby on several factors such as heart rate and movement.  The baby failed all of the tests.  At this point, her doctor was convinced that she needed to have the C-section immediately, so they set up a med-flight to UAMS.  To make an already long story a little bit shorter. . . The doctors in LR would not accept her as a patient, because they were convinced that the baby would not live.  Her OB finally made the decision to perform the C-section in Rogers.  

A little after 3:00 am on Wednesday, July 16th, Bronson Leo was born weighing 3 lbs 15 oz and measuring 16.5 in long.  He was never put on oxygen or life support. . .and he never needed it.  From the moment he was born, he kicked and cried and even sucked.  All of these things the doctors were convinced would never happen.  Before they put him on the helicopter to LR, we were able to snap a few pictures.  

The next few images are from Children’s Hospital.  They actually released Beth from the hospital at about 6:00 pm the same day as the C-section, so she could be at the hospital with Bronson.  Adam and I drove her down that evening, and she finally got to hold her baby boy.  Because it was after visiting hours, we didn’t get to see him until the next day.  

Here’s Beth having a look at Bronson.  You probably haven’t seen any pictures of her on the blog because she refuses to be photographed.  

Here’s his dad, Joey, with a sweet kiss.

And of course, Big Sis, Katheryn.  

Now the obligatory cute picture of me and Kat.  You can’t tell this, but we were inside a tree in the lobby of the hospital.  She needed a little distraction as hospitals aren’t great places for 5 year olds.  

Bronson’s condition is known as schizencephaly and there is no real way to predict his development.  The doctors said that, right now, he is doing everything a newborn should do.  His only other complication is that he had cataracts in his eyes.  Right now, he can’t see, but they have a surgery scheduled for September and they expect him to be able to see normally.  They actually released him from the hospital after only 8 days.  By that time, he was already feeding on his own and holding his temperature.  He had also grown to just a little over 4 lbs.  

We did a little photo shoot the day after he got home.  He wasn’t too keen on having his picture made at the time, but he’s still pretty cute!

He especially didn’t like being almost naked.  I think he was cold.  

Here’s the family picture.  Notice that Joey doesn’t know how to smile in pictures.  This is because he spent a long time in the army.  I promise he is happy to be with his family!

The previous picture is sweet, but this is actually my favorite. 

Some cute ones of the kids together.  

I think that is all for now.  We’ll keep you updated on his progress.  And, if you’re still reading. . . Thanks!

Cyndi