FORT LEONARD WOOD, Mo.-Those who don't believe in Christmas miracles just might after today.
It started out as a typical Christmas for the Rutledge family but ended in an emergency C-section. Kayla Rutledge was 36 weeks into her pregnancy when her water broke.
"It's time to go," Rutledge said.
Christmastime is typically a slow day for deliveries at General Leonard Wood Army Community Hospital; however six babies were born between Christmas Eve and Christmas day.
Rutledge's delivery is one the staff on the Maternal Child Unit won't soon forget.
"I was eating Christmas lunch with my family when everything started to happen. I told my family they needed to leave, started calling the team together to prepare for an emergency delivery and set up the nursery," said Tiffany Hooks, a nurse assigned to GLWACH's MCU.
Rutledge's labor was progressing but soon she began bleeding.
Lisa Kosier, a registered nurse assigned to the MCU, was Rutledge's primary labor nurse. She had just finished checking on Rutledge four minutes prior.
The doctors and nurses rushed in and attached a monitor to Rutledge and discovered the baby's heart rate was lower than normal.
"Her baby looked fantastic and then it didn't. I was so scared for this little innocent baby that was already in the womb thinking, get me out fast," said Kosier.
Army Capt. Lauren Raby made the decision an emergency C-section was needed to get the baby out fast.
Traci Heese, the on-call anesthesiologist, was driving through the main gate, about 10 minutes away from the hospital, when she got the call from Raby that an emergency C-section was needed.
"I was running through the sequence of things I would need to do once I arrived in the OR and was praying I would get there in time," said Heese.
Rutledge was rushed to the operating room and the nurse told her husband to stay put.
"I turned to him and said I love you and went into the OR," said Rutledge.
A few minutes later, Eli James Rutledge came into this world.
"From the time I talked to Doctor Raby on the phone to the time the baby was delivered was about 10 minutes, which is truly amazing," said Heese.
On a day that is normally slow and the doctors are on call, it's a miracle everyone and everything fell into place to save Rutledge and baby Eli.
"I can tell you that God was on that baby's side. I'm glad he was listening to my prayers. We all worked so well as a team to get that beautiful little man here as safe as possible," said Kosier.
Rutledge credits the nurses and doctors for delivering her Christmas miracle.
"I worried, but knowing they were taking care of him, I respect them so much. They literally kept me alive and my son alive," she said.
(Editor's note: Thompson is the Public Affairs Officer at General Leonard Wood Army Community Hospital)
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