Months before she was born, Katelynn Haynes’ life was in jeopardy. Her chest was filling with fluid, which made it increasingly hard for her heart to pump blood. In June, a team of doctors, led by Carl Weiner, MD, chair of KUMC’s Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, delivered Katelynn by Caesarean section. But instead of immediately cutting the umbilical cord, they left Katelynn’s attached. In this rare procedure, she continued to be nourished by oxygen-rich blood from her mother’s placenta while the doctors drained the fluid from her lungs.

Jennifer says “When you consider that doctors told me there was a real possibility that Katelynn wouldn’t survive, I never thought that a short time later I would be preparing to take my baby home. It’s such a miracle!”

On August 31, Jennifer and Katelynn returned to their home in Hoisington, Kansas.