An unexpectedly early arrival called for comprehensive care from the experts at CHoR
It started as a typical Thursday night in December 2022. Shenisha Crutchfield had been dealing with mild hip pain all day, but didn’t think much of it and went about her housework. As she got ready for bed, everything changed.
Shenisha was only 22 weeks, 6 days pregnant – just over halfway through an average pregnancy.
“I went to the bathroom and felt myself pushing. I could feel him coming out,” she said.
She and her husband got in the car to make the hourlong drive to Richmond. They called the doctor on the way and everyone was prepared by the time they arrived.
“They told me, ‘Your baby is ready to come.’”
The obstetric team was hoping they could get to 23 weeks gestation, improving chances of survival.
“Everything was going so fast. At 12:16 I was rolling back to the OR for a c-section and at 2:52 he was born. He was 450g, not even a pound yet,” Shenisha said of the baby boy she and her husband named Lennox.
Hear Lennox's mom tell her family's delivery and CHoR NICU story
CHoR’s small baby program offers specialized care for micro preemies like Lennox
Lennox was quickly taken to the NICU, where his parents went to see him several hours later. Though their view of him was hindered by breathing machines and wires, they knew he was exactly where he needed to be.
“For babies like Lennox who are born at extremely premature gestational ages, the place of delivery is critical. Outcomes are significantly influenced by being born at a center equipped and experienced in caring for such fragile newborns,” said Dr. Miheret Yitayew, a lead neonatologist in our small baby program at CHoR, which is designed to meet the needs of highly vulnerable newborns and their families.
This was the beginning of a 143-day NICU stay—nearly 5 months—and a rollercoaster of emotions for the Crutchfields. Blissful moments with their new baby were interspersed with terrifying ones.
“When Lennox was about a month old, we were there visiting. He ended up coding while my husband was holding him,” Shenisha recalled. “It happened so fast we didn’t even know it was happening. The nurse just ran in the room and grabbed him. I don’t know what they did, but they are amazing people.”
“He was one of our tiniest patients and needed intense monitoring, especially in those early days, because his condition was delicate and could change so quickly,” said one of Lennox’s nurses, Morgan Natoli. “His parents had the best attitude and always stayed positive for their son even on the hard days, when I could tell they were worried. They visited Lennox daily and always prioritized giving Lennox lots of skin-to-skin time, which Lennox loved!”
Once Lennox could begin taking nourishment by mouth, they fed him breastmilk from a tiny sponge, a milestone Shenisha celebrated. Then at about 3 months, he coded again.
“He’s kept me on my toes I guess you could say, but they were right there to the rescue,” Shenisha added.
When his parents couldn’t be there, Morgan called with updates from daily rounds or any time there was a change in his condition. Lennox continued to grow in size and strength, developing with the help of the nurses, therapists, physicians and family support specialists in the NICU.
Home at last after months in the CHoR NICU
At 141 days, Lennox passed the car seat test, a critical screening to make sure an infant can safely sit in a car seat without breathing problems. This was the final of many hurdles Lennox mastered to graduate from the NICU. Two days later, he went home with his parents for the first time, still on 1/8 liter of oxygen and taking all his feeds by mouth!
“I didn’t know how to take care of him, but I guess we learned each other. I had so many resources that I could call on when he was at the hospital and while he was at home,” Shenisha said.
Thrilled to be home together, the Crutchfield family continued to rely on their team of specialists at CHoR. Lennox was in the hospital approximately every 3 months until he was about 2 years old. He had rhinovirus twice, two hernia repairs, and his tonsils and adenoids removed, which helped his sleep apnea. He had eye maturity problems as an infant in the NICU. With the help of laser eye surgery at 6 months old, his vision is now 20/20.
Lennox also had a patent ductus arteriosus – a congenital heart defect with an opening between the aorta and pulmonary artery. Thankfully it closed on its own, but our Heart Center team monitored it closely and was prepared for a procedure if needed. His hospital stays and clinic visits have become more spaced out as his lungs have developed and his body has gotten stronger.
A team effort, with Lennox at the center
Today, Lennox is paving his own way.
“He’s so active. He’s mommy’s baby. He’s such a lovable child,” Shenisha described Lennox with tears in her eyes.
He recently turned 3 and his parents look forward to him starting school, venturing out and making friends. Therapy is helping with his language delay and he’s even started counting to five with his parents every night in bed.
“He’ll do things sporadically, so you never know. He knows how to say his ABCs, but he’ll do it when he wants to. And he knows his name is ‘Nenox,’” laughed Mom.
He also loves the outdoors, his dog and laughing – a sound his parents relish each time they hear it. While they’re in awe of how far their little boy has come, they haven’t forgotten the road they’ve traveled to get here.
“Those nurses and those doctors, they’re amazing. They treated us so well. They are so special to me. I don’t even know how I would have made it, honestly,” Shenisha recalled. “We prayed for so much and for better days like these. They were there for us, right beside us, going through it with us. They never let us feel alone or in the dark.”
But it was undoubtedly a team effort.
“I hope Lennox’s parents know how much we appreciate their trust in our team to have taken care of their boy. And I hope Mrs. Crutchfield knows her perseverance and advocacy for Lennox absolutely played a crucial role in his outcome,” added Dr. Yitayew.
Today, her micro preemie is a triumphant, cheerful toddler.
“He smiles all the time. Literally anything makes him laugh. He’s so amazing.”