Girl born premature beats the odds of survival

When a pregnant Kate Koch received her master's degree in May, she knew her life was about to change. At 26 weeks pregnant with her first child, the Jackson woman had no idea the change was coming in a matter of days.

"I walked for graduation on a Saturday," she said. "The next day I went into the hospital and two days later, I had her," Koch said.

She said her obstetrician instructed her to stay in bed with her feet elevated and administered magnesium to stop her labor. Nothing worked.

Bailey Koch was born May 5 at Southeast Missouri Hospital. She weighed 1 pound, 15 ounces. She was 13 inches long. Upon her birth, Bailey was quickly taken to the hospital's neonatal intensive care unit.

It would be more than a week before Kate and her husband, Jason, would get to hold their daughter.

Kate, Bailey and Jason Koch. (LAURA SIMON)

"We didn't get to hold her until she was 10 days old because of the central line in her belly button. When she was 10 days old, we kangaroo-carried her, which is skin-to-skin contact," Kate said.

The central line in Bailey's navel allowed doctors and nurses to administer medicines and nutrition. In addition to the line, she was on pressurized air and oxygen. Her vital signs were assessed by a variety of monitors.

Even with all the technology that was helping Bailey live, doctors and nurses didn't give the baby winning odds.

"They gave us a 50-50 chance for her survival," Kate Koch said. "All I could do was cry. The first night, they wouldn't let our parents leave the hospital. They didn't want them to leave because of the possibility of her not surviving."

Bailey spent the next two and a half months in NICU before going home. Even at home, she needed medical equipment.

"She came home on oxygen," Kate Koch said. "She was also on an apnea monitor to determine if she was having dips in her heart rate."

As with any premature birth, there is the potential for an array of medical problems. Some issues often faced by premature babies include cerebral palsy, pulmonary and cardiac conditions and developmental delays.

Jason Koch said Bailey is experiencing none of these problems.

"She is perfect," he said. "We call her our little miracle baby. I don't know what I would do without her now, even with the sleepless nights."

Bailey now weighs more than 11 pounds and is progressing. She no longer sees specialists and only visits the doctor for her normal well-baby checkups.

Kate said she and Jason understand how fortunate they are that Bailey beat the odds, and they credit their faith and the NICU at Southeast Missouri Hospital for their baby's good health.

"The NICU at Southeast was amazing. That is all I can say -- amazing," she said. "There were so many people praying for her and I want to thank them. They are probably the reason we have our miracle baby."