2007 WACO TODAY PAGE

Rod Aydelotte photo

Drs. Michelle and Jeff Manning hold their 2-year-old son Jonathan, who was born only 26
weeks into Michelle's pregnancy. The Mannings are this year's March of Dimes Ambassa-
dor Family and will be involved in the. WalkAmerica fundraiser in April.

rom tiny to 2
By TODD GLASSCOCK watching her husband or with a low birth weight.
Jeff, an anesthesiologist at According to national
~r Dr. Michelle Providence Health- Center, figures from the March of
~ManIring,everyday and their son play 'in the Dimes, the preterm birth
details matter. In her living room, she noted how rate, based on the number
practice as an obstetrician- big their son had become, an of the children born before
gynecologist at the Waco everyday detail, but one that 3.7 weeks' gestation, is
Center for Women's Health, seemed a little more special 12.5 percent. Because of
catching the right detail to the Mannmgs. their son, the Mannings
may help a patient with her Two years earlier, when have become involved with
health. Jonathan was just a few the March of Dimes, the
As a mother, spotting weeks old, his father's organization dedicated to
ordinary details of growth thumbnail covered the boy's funding research to help
in her 2-year-old son hand, and a wedding ring prevent premature births,
Jonathan is a delight, as fit over his arm, almost to birth defects and infant
most parents would attest the shoulder. Jonathan was mortality. Last year they
when they see their children among the rising percentage
grow. One evening while of children born preterm Continued on Page 54
 PAGE 54 WACO TODAY MARCH 2007

participated in WalkAmerica, a MARCH OF DIMES it\OO~~ ," . .-. ._£

fundraising effort for the organization, Worry, of course, sometimes walks'
WALKAMERICA
and this year they are serving as the WHEN: April 28; registration at hand-in-hand with parenting, even
March of Dimes Ambassador family. 8 a.m., walk at 9 a.m. before, parents have their children.
This year's WalkAme"rica is Aprtl 28 at WHERE: Bledsoe-Miller Park The Manntngs knew there were some
Bledsoe-Miller Park. REGISTRATION INFO: Signing up risks involved if they were to become
"I got to hold him when he was 2 on the day of the walk costs $10. parents, because Michelle had a
weeks old for the first time," Michelle Most walkers will be members of uterine malformation that made it
Manning said. "At that time he was teams raising money; donations can more likely she would deliver preterm.
connected to a breathing machine, and be raised online. Sign up online at "Being an OB," Michelle said, "I knew
wrapped in warm blankets because he [Link] on "reg- 60 percent of those people (at risk) do
couldn't sustain his body temperature. ister online." Walkers and teams are fine. "
encouraged.
He was still right at about a pound Even so, they decided it was time to
CONTACT: 741-1025 at the March of
and 12 ounces. He certainly wasn't start a family. At the time, they were
Dimes office for more information.
anywhere near 2 pounds. And when finishing up their residencies at the
they put him on my chest, you couldn't University of Alabama in Birmingham.
even tell that you were holding blind, or experience bleeding in the With Michelle's condition, they took
anything, he was so light." brain. precautions and believed Michelle
As doctors, both parents understood "We knew what to worry about," would carry to full term.
the risks for preterm babies, maybe a Michelle said. ~t 25 weeks into the pregnancy,
little more than anyone should. They "A little knowledge is a scary thing," Michelle came to Waco to visit her
knew preterm babies could develop added Jeff, who had taken care of ailing grandmother, who died during
overwhelming infections, or become small, sick children in the operating the visit. She would stay in town
MARCH 2007 WACO TODAY

Manning family photo

When Jonathon Manning was just a
few weeks old, his father's thumbnail
covered his hand and a wedding ring
fit over his arm.

for the funeral. One night during

her stay, she said she had "a feeltng
something was not quite right. I went
to Providence and was told I was 3
centimeters dilated, and was probably
going to deliver the baby within 48
facel
hours. Being an OB, I knew that was
not good."
Doctors at Providence transferred
her to Hillcrest, because Hillcrest had
a neonatal intensive care unit, she
said. Thirty-six hours later, Jonathan
was delivered after Michelle had
carried him for just 26 ~eeks and one
day.
Immediately after delivery, he was
taken to the nursery, and because a
preterm child's lungs at that stage
haven't [Link], breathing
tubes were inserted. Parents and child
were separated.
Michelle soon received word that
Jonathan would have a 60 percent
chance of survival, but there was a 50
percent chance the baby would suffer a
severe complication. While under care,
Jonathan underwent retinal surgery
on both eyes to prevent blindness, she
said. Eventually, he will need glasses."
At one point he also became very
anemic, and doctors had to perform
what was essentially CPR, she said.

Continued on Page 56
PAGE 56 WACO TODAY

"Even when we were having good

MARCH OF DIMES days, and everything was fine
Jonathan spent a month at Hillcrest waiting for what was gomg to demloal
before the hospital at Birmingham the next week," she said.
sent a jet to pick him up. He stayed Sometimes it was a lonely
there while the Mannmgs completed with worry that tested their
their medical training. Each day "We really felt that God was waltdllDlllI
Jonathan was in the hospital was over Jonathan, but, at the
a "pins and needles" day for the as physicians we knew what all
Mannings. possibilities were," Michelle
 MARCH 2007

"It tested our faith and made us

stronger as a family," Jeff added. "It
was a long three months, but God took
care of us. "
Knowing the possibilities made
it difficult for the Mannings. As
physicians, they are trained to step
back and try to stay somewhat
emotionally distant. While they wanted
to show their love to J onathan, at
the same time, they tried to distance
themselves. But they also had to allow
themselves to be worried parents .
. "One of the nurses looked at me
after a little while, and said, 'You can
stop being a doctor now. You're his
mom,' " Michelle said. "And that was
it. I just started crying, because it was
true: I was trying to hold myself back
like you do with very sick patients, so
that it doesn't hurt so bad if you lose
them. And when it's your own child,
that's ~ very difficult place to be."
As the time for discharge neared,
the parents would have more firsts to
experience. One first came when the
breathing tubes were taken out and
Michelle heard her baby cry for the
first time.
"I didn't hear him cry in the delivery
room," she said, "and so the day that
they extubated him, and took the tube
out, and I got to hear him cry for the
first time was miraculous, because I
wasn't sure I was going to get to hear
that. "
Jonathan was at the hospital in
Birmingham for two months, before
being discharged - a week before he
would have been due at full term.
_ At birth, Jonathan weighed 1 pound,
12 ounces. When he was discharged,
he was still small at 4 pounds, 6
ounces.
"We had to put a couple of little
rolls in the car seat to keep him from
knocking around," Michelle said.
Once he was discharged, the long:
 2007

. troubling wait was over. The

",mi'l1lgs had their son. He was their.
Ie.
_~, Dad and son returned to
after the Mannings finished
residencies. Michelle's mother
hes after Jonathan during the
.. Doctors recommend preterm
- dren not go to daycare, to avoid
th problems. Some will need in-
e therapy, as well.
an obstetrician we don't
erstand what causes preterm
" Michelle said, when talking
ut her interest in the March of
es. "\iVedon't have any effective
s to treat it at this tfrne, so any
arch that can be done, both to
p the prevention of preterm birth,
well as helping these preemies, is
and dear to my heart. "
he would love to make sure other
•••.•,••..
nts are spared what she and her
band went through, which puts the
ch of Dimes close to her heart.
en .Jonathan, or J.T., as he
fers, comes into the Mannings'
. g room to greet a guest, it's hard
imagine the preemie so small his
ther couldn't feel him on her chest
first time she held him. Wispy
nd hair, about knee-high, he's just
from a nap, and carries a favorite
ufIed animal, a blue dog. It doesn't
him long to get his bearings,
he names off some of his favorite
gs.
loves cars, and makes a
ttertng noise like an engine.
_~DT_"""was one of his first words, and
his own keys to play with, but
t he would really like to do is drive
dad's car. He looks at his dad and
Cljpn::ssesthis wish.
11 be a longtime before he gets to
a car, but learning, like growing,
in the details .•