A tiny baby boy born to Bella Coola residents Judy Windsor and Daven Moody last Thursday, February 21, at 6:52 am, in the Bella Coola Hospital is doing well.
Proud grandfathers Chief Snuxyaltwa (Deric Snow) and Chief Nusmata (Larry Moody Sr.), and grandmothers Rita Snow and Wendy Pete are amazed at their grandson’s dramatic and surprise entrance into this world, with the baby weighing in at an astonishing 2 lbs 5 oz.
Windsor woke up at about 3am on the morning of February 21 experiencing severe stomach pains, and at about 5am drove herself to the hospital. Two hours later her first child was born. “I was suspicious I was pregnant, but I wasn’t certain,” Windsor said. “I had my doubts.”
That same day a Buffalo Search and Rescue plane flew out the mother and baby, born at least eight weeks early, to Port Hardy. There, another Medi-Vac plane picked up the family and flew them to Vancouver. It was a challenging experience for everyone involved.
“We haven’t been able to hold him yet as he’s in an incubator, but he’s doing well,” said Windsor. The parents have named him Evan-Austin Windsor Moody.
The baby was flown to BC Women’s and Children’s Hospital in Vancouver, where he is now in stable condition in the Neo-Natal Intensive Care Unit. He is not expected to be released for at least two months.
“We congratulate the Snow and Moody families on the birth of this beautiful tiny boy,” said attending physician Dr. Erika Cheng. “Unplanned births are dangerous for the mothers and the babies, especially when the baby comes early, so we are especially delighted that mother and baby have done well.”
The Bella Coola Hospital cannot provide caesarean sections if needed, so planned births have not been available locally for about five years. Planned deliveries done without the possibility of an emergency caesarean section can be dangerous, which is why women are still required to leave the Valley four weeks before their due date to ensure the safest delivery for their baby.
However, when a birth is unavoidable it is considered an emergency, and the hospital staff must deal with it accordingly. In this case, the hospital staff certainly deserves to be commended for their efforts. All on-duty staff pulled together and carried out this extraordinary delivery safely and with the best possible outcome for mother and baby.
“I am very thankful for the staff at the Bella Coola Hospital for delivering our son, and an extended thank you to the community for all your support,” said Windsor and Moody. “He is a wonderful gift.”