Baby Jubilee came into the world in a hurry, at just 25 weeks gestation and weighing only 2 lbs.
She was whisked off to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at the Foothills Hospital. Having been born so early, Jubilee’s organs were not yet fully developed, so she was very fragile and required lots of support, including a breathing tube. After several days, her stomach became distended – her bowel had perforated. A perforated bowel can be a life-threatening situation for anyone, but because of Jubilee’s size and vulnerability, it was incredibly dangerous. She was transferred to the Edwards Family NICU at the Alberta Children’s Hospital, where specialists inserted a drain into her abdomen to remove the spilled contents of her bowel and reduce the risk of sepsis.
Jubilee would need surgery, but her team wanted to wait so she could be as big and strong as possible.
Jubilee got a feeding tube to help her grow and get nutrients. Feeding was fine for awhile, but after a few weeks, her stomach was becoming distended after feeds, so the surgical team decided it was time to intervene. Pediatric surgeon Dr. Steve Lopushinsky removed approximately 20 cm of dead bowel, and to let the surviving bowel heal and strengthen, it was left in a bag outside of Jubilee’s body for two months.
After those two months, Dr. Lopushinsky and Dr. Paul Beaudry reattached the two sides of her bowel in a second surgery. Little Jubilee proved herself a fighter, having also grown 12 cm of new bowel! Following that surgery, the focus turned to feeding to ensure she was getting enough nutrients to continue growing. Jubilee’s mom, Judie, a nurse, says it was both a blessing and a curse to understand the severity of Jubilee’s case. She and her husband, Kelly, are so grateful for the life-saving expertise and skill and the nurturing care of both their surgical and NICU teams at the Alberta Children’s Hospital.
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“Without them, she wouldn’t be here,” says Judie. “She was in the right place with the right people at the right time – that’s how she survived.”
Jubilee spent five months in the NICU, during which time she was intubated and extubated a couple of times. Having seen the fragility of their premature daughter and understanding how essential it is that experts helping these babies be equipped with very specialized tools, Judie and Kelly are thrilled to know the community is going to help purchase a newborn intubation system. This will support specialists as they give the hospital’s tiniest patients, like Jubilee, life-saving breathing support, allowing them to rest, grow, or undergo treatment or surgery.
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