Giving birth can be a daunting prospect at the best of times.
But for Jewelia Crowe, a premature delivery combined with the arrival of a category 4 hurricane made it an even scarier experience.
The 28-year-old from Robbinsville, North Carolina, was set to give birth in December but was checked into hospital on September 22 after experiencing ‘lower abdominal pain and pressure.’
Five days later, in the early hours of September 27, her waters broke and as she was told by doctors to ‘start pushing,’ she remembers looking out the window watching the trees and power poles violently swaying from the hurricane.
She told DailyMail.com that she and her fiancé, Sam Dillard, hadn’t really taken the hurricane into consideration, as ‘being 11 weeks early was stressful enough, combined with the possibility of a C-section.’
However, as the deadly storm raged outside and her tiny newborn son was whisked away to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at Mission Hospital in Asheville, the power went out and ‘you could hear the nurses scream’ in horror.
Jewelia Crowe from Robbinsville, North Carolina, was set to give birth in December but she was checked into hospital on September 22 after experiencing lower abdominal pain
At 1:41 am on September 27, Ms Crowe gave birth to a baby boy who she has called Phoenix. He weighted just 2lbs 10oz
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Ms Crowe said that she heard people yelling that the transformers had blown, but luckily there were generators to keep all of the equipment running.
Ashville has been one of the most affected areas in the wake of Hurricane Helene.
At least 30 people have been confirmed dead in the city as rescue and recovery operations are ongoing.
Despite some complications in the wake of her premature labor, Ms Crowe’s son was able to breathe without assistance.
Touching on the chain of events surrounding his birth, she said: ‘At 1:41am I gave birth to a beautiful baby boy, who we have named Phoenix.
‘I wasn’t able to hold him immediately and the NICU medics took him at first because he was so tiny.
‘Once I was able to hold him, all I could do was cry. He weighted just 2lbs 10oz.
‘After myself and my fiancé got cleaned up, we went to NICU and that was when the power went out.
As her tiny newborn son was whisked away to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at Mission Hospital in Asheville, the power went out and ‘you could hear the nurses scream’
Phoenix seen at her baby shower in September, with no idea her son would arrive just over a week later
‘We could hear a nurse screaming that the transformers were blowing up, and we could see it happening from the windows.
‘Luckily the generators were on and they took me back down to my room so I could get some rest.’
Ms Crowe was discharged from hospital on October 1 but Phoenix will have to remain on the NICU for some time until he is stronger.
The new mom, who is self-employed, said: ‘The hardest thing was being discharged from the hospital knowing I had to leave my baby behind.
‘That’s something I was never prepared for.’
Phoenix was Ms Crowe’s first child and she deemed him a ‘miracle,’ as she was previously told by medics that she would not be able to conceive.
She held a baby shower in mid September with no idea she would give birth just over a week later.
Some studies have looked into whether severe storms can make babies come sooner.
One body of research from the East Carolina University looked at confirming the link between barometric pressure and premature labor.
The researchers hypothesized that severe weather events that cause an extreme drop in pressure, can lead to premature fetal membrane rupture. This in turn causes preterm birth.
Debris is seen in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene in Ashville, North Carolina
They concluded: ‘The model we used showed how the fetal membrane’s modeled stress varies depending on the barometric pressure and its gestational age.
‘When the stress is greater because of a storm with lower barometric pressure, this stress can exceed the membrane’s strength prior to term gestation, resulting in a preterm birth.’
With her pregnancy, Ms Crowe said following the abdominal pain, she had ‘contractions off and on all week’ until her waters eventually broke.
With Phoenix still in the hospital, the new mom has been having to travel back and forth between the NICU in Ashville and her home in Robbinsville.
She said she would stay closer if she could, but the hurricane has meant that hotels in the area have closed down.
The round trip between her home and the hospital is almost four hours by car.
At home, Ms Crowe says her house has not sustained any structural damage but the water and power are out.
She added: ‘In the midst of the chaos, we also lost cell service, had gas and food issues.
‘We were very lucky to miss the worst of it in our hometown.’
Offering some advice to other moms-to-be facing complications, Ms Crowe concludes: ‘Never let your hopes down!
‘Always stay positive and be open to multiple birthing options you truly never know with a pregnancy which way it will go.’
