West Des Moines baby born at 28 weeks at home comes home from the NICU
By Laura Terrell
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WEST DES MOINES, Iowa (KCCI) — A baby born in an emergency birth at 28 weeks on the bathroom floor of her West Des Moines home is now out of the neonatal intensive care unit.
Clara Gaudian weighed 2 pounds, 7 ounces when she was born on March 16.
“I didn’t know what to do, but I was in pain,” said Clara’s mom, Jessica Gaudian. “I crawled into the bathroom. I couldn’t speak. I couldn’t talk. I just kept yelling for him, and told him you need to call an ambulance. Call 911.”
In the audio of the 911 call, you can hear Alex Gaudian telling a dispatcher what was happening.
“My wife is pregnant, and I think she is having the baby right now,” said Alex Gaudian.
Within minutes, West Des Moines EMS arrived. Lieutenant Jordan VanScoy scoped Clara up and immediately transported her to the Mercy NICU.
“With baby being so small we were kind of worried about her lung development, and also making sure she was pretty warm because at that age they are not able to regulate their temperature as well,’ said VanScoy.
KCCI featured VanScoy’s heroic rescue of baby Clara in a This is Iowa on April 25.
Clara’s parents say she is now home and enjoying spending time with her older brother, Thomas.
Clara spent 10 weeks in the NICU. She came home on May 24 weighing 5 pounds 6 ounces.
The Gaudian family says they can’t wait to bring Clara to the West Des Moines EMS station to reunite with VanScoy in June.
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