Meet Logan – Phoebe Foundation CMN Feature
Meet Logan
"The NICU nurses, doctors, and staff members mean more to us than we can express. We depended on them to care for our son in his most fragile condition as a small preemie." – Dawn, Logan’s mom
Dawn and Justin Barclay were ecstatic to find out they were pregnant with their second child in 2019. Dawn was considered high risk, so they began seeing Dr. Edwards, Phoebe’s Maternal Fetal Medicine Specialist. At 18 weeks during their routine ultrasound, Dr. Edwards found several alarming things affecting baby Barclay, including part of the brain not being fully developed, fluid around the kidneys, short arms and legs, and problems with the umbilical cord.
After receiving this scary news, the Barclays were given several options, one being to terminate the pregnancy. The Barclays knew God had a plan for their baby and they decided to carry on as normal and surround their baby with prayer.
At 22 weeks, the Barclays decided to do amniocentesis and found all of baby Barclay’s chromosomes were normal. At 24 weeks, another ultrasound showed part of the brain had formed. Things were beginning to look better, and the Barclays carried on with courage and hope.
Over the next few weeks, appointments revealed baby Barclay was barely growing at all. Dr. Edwards encouraged Dawn and Justin to deliver. This was the hardest appointment, because they knew their baby would probably not survive if they chose to deliver. They decided to carry on a few more weeks in hopes of growth and a better survival rate.
At 31 weeks and 5 days, Dawn went to her appointment and she, along with her medical team, knew it was time to deliver. They tried to induce Dawn, but baby’s heart rate dropped so much that she had to be rushed into an emergency C-section. Logan Barclay was born on April 23, 2020, weighing 2 lbs. and 2 ounces and was immediately sent to Phoebe’s NICU. Dawn got to see her precious baby boy 10 hours later.
For the next 78 days, Phoebe’s NICU was Logan’s home. Logan’s main goals were to gain weight, develop more fully, and be able to breathe on his own without oxygen. The Barclays live in Thomasville, so they would make the long trip each day to see Logan and check on his progress. Phoebe’s NICU staff became like family to the Barclays.
“The NICU nurses, doctors, and staff members mean more to us than we can express. We depended on them to care for our son in his most fragile condition as a small preemie. We leaned on them to explain the unexplainable. We cried with them when he would regress, and we celebrated with them when he progressed. The staff members in the NICU are the kindest and most tenacious group of people I’ve met. They don’t give up on their babies; they cheer them on even when they’re off work.” Dawn expressed.
Logan was born during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, so visitation was very strict and there was heightened fear of germs and infection.
“The hardest thing about Logan’s NICU stay was having him in there during the height of the COVID pandemic in Albany. Not having our families there with us and having to go through everything “alone” was difficult. We were grateful that we could visit him
together and stay as long as we wanted. Other NICUs in the region weren’t allowing that,” Dawn explained.
After a roller coaster of an experience in the NICU, filled with hard days when Logan would regress and happy days of milestones reached and good news, Logan finally got cleared to go home on oxygen. His big brother Lucas was so excited to have him home.
Logan had a hernia repair surgery at 6 months old, but other than that has continued to progress and is doing well! Logan recently turned one and is a happy, smiling, easy-going baby. He loves his big brother Lucas and is always watching him. He’s a mama’s boy and loves to eat.
Dawn and Justin are so thankful for Phoebe’s NICU and their staff that got them through one of the hardest experiences they have ever faced. They are grateful for Children’s Miracle Network donors that provide life-saving equipment within the NICU that helped Logan survive and thrive! Logan is a miracle and we are happy to celebrate his life and all that he has overcome!
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For more information, call Phoebe Foundation at 229-312-4483 or toll-free at 877-312-4483. You can also email Phoebe Foundation at [email protected]. |
