Mom Reflects On Miracle Birth
By Megan Montalvo
When Masen Scott McPherson was born, his mother, Kelly, celebrated an extra close bond with him that day.
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Baby Masen |
Her baby boy, who has just turned two months old, was held as nothing short of a miracle.
At 17 weeks pregnant, Kelly discovered her unborn son had the parvovirus disease - a highly contagious childhood disease that is often causes a face rash.
“I went in for a routine sonogram and didn’t think anything of it at the time,” she said. “That’s when they noticed complications. He had a lot of fluid in his head and lungs.”
Although she was no stranger to giving birth – her first son, Scott, was born eight years ago – Kelly said that the experience of having complications with a pregnancy was new to her.
“My head was spinning,” she said. “They told me that if we didn’t operate soon, within a few days he might die.”
While the expectant mother knew that Masen’s future was in the hands of seasoned doctors, she could not help but worry about the risk of losing him.
“I was very worried,” Kelly said. “After my first son was born, my husband and I tried to get pregnant with our second child for so long, and to know that after waiting seven years to conceive him, I might lose him — I couldn’t bare it.”
Within 24 hours of the sonogram, Kelly was taken to the operating table at Winthrop-University Hospital in Mineola.
Weighing at less than eight ounces, her unborn baby received an in-utero blood transfusion. Kelly was awake during the entire procedure, wearing an iPod to calm her nerves.
“They told me they would try to put the blood right in my belly at first, but he wasn’t responding,” she said. “Then the doctor told me he had to put it right into his heart.”
After inserting nearly 2 teaspoons of blood into Masen’s dime-sized heart, the baby’s surgeon, Dr. Martin Chavez, was able to ignite a complete turnaround.
“Baby Masen’s birth was a miracle,” Chavez said. “It brings me great joy to see Masen thriving today as a happy and healthy little boy and to know that we were a part of that.”
Several months later, on Dec. 7, 2012, Kelly delivered her happy and healthy baby boy. Both her husband, Scott, and son, Scott Jr., were elated.
In light of all the complications, the two-time mom said she looks forward to raising her boys in their Woodside home and sharing the story of Masen’s birth with him one day.
“He’s my little angel,” Kelly said. “I’m so in love with him.”
Reach Reporter Megan Montalvo at (718) 357-7400 Ext. 128 or mmontalvo@queenstribune.com.