The birth of a child is always a special occasion, filled with surprise and joy, but none more so than this one.
Just two months ago, Raelin Scurry was a little over 29 weeks pregnant with her second baby. When she began experiencing early contractions, she waited awhile to see if they would stop. When they didn’t, Raelin and her fiancée decided to drive to the hospital, just in case.
“After about 45 minutes of consistent contractions that were increasing in intensity I decided I should probably go in,” Raelin remembers.
On the way to the hospital, the contractions grew stronger and stronger. Raelin, sensing the time was near, called 911 in the car. She was in the midst of contractions so intense that they couldn’t make out much of what she was saying. She knew the baby was coming, and so took her pants off and “reached down, sure enough his head was right there. I pushed one time and my miracle baby was here.”
Their tiny boy, named Ean Jr., was born with his amniotic sac fully intact, a very rare event called an ‘en-caul’ birth. Though rare, it is harmless and generally removed by the doctor or midwife attending.
At first the baby was still, which frightened the parents as they were still a good 10 minutes from the hospital, but as soon as Raelin rubbed at his little face, he moved his hands and shifted his position as though he wanted to let his parents know he was okay.
Go ahead, ‘oooh’ and ‘awww’, you know you want to.
Preemie Ean Jr. was born 3 pounds, 1 ounce and is doing well! It is said that being born ‘en-caul’ is a sign of good luck for the baby, and so far the saying is holding true—the little guy is said to be doing great since his birth, already up to 4 pounds!
