During pregnancy, Faribault resident Emily Shaft was told she was at elevated risk of birth complications. Her care team at the Faribault Allina hospital closely monitored her and decided to induce her at 38 weeks. Prior to induction, baby Bennett looked healthy. This being her first child, Emily didn’t know there was anything wrong until her son was whisked off shortly after birth. Emily had no idea what would come next.
Birth and diagnosis
Shortly after birth in December of 2022, Emily looked out her window and could see the transport ambulance and staff that would soon airlift Bennett to the Children’s Minnesota neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) in Minneapolis. There, the NICU team was already preparing for his arrival. Emily had to wait out a snowstorm overnight until she could get on the road to meet up with Bennett and his father Garrett.
“That night was terrible. It was just the worst,” Emily recalled. “But I just can’t say enough great things about my nurses and doctors at Allina. Everyone came in and checked on me and I just wouldn’t have gotten through it without them.”
At birth, Bennett suffered pulmonary hypertension, resulting in respiratory failure. This left him with only a fraction of the oxygen necessary to survive. The small amount of oxygen he had went entirely to his head and heart, causing vital organs to fail.
Life-changing treatment
Bennett would stay in the NICU for 30 days, receiving life-saving treatment to help him grow and thrive. There, he received cardiac and respiratory support, including temporary intubation and high frequency ventilation. His oxygen and blood pressure levels were being closely monitored.
Rather than travel back and forth between their home in Faribault and Minneapolis, a nearly two-hour drive, the Shaft family spent their nights at the Ronald McDonald House inside the hospital.
The facility gives families with kids in the hospital a place to stay just steps away from their child. Their stay lasted through the holidays, which Emily remembered as being especially challenging.
“It was some of the hardest days of my life, having to see my baby on Christmas Day, Christmas Eve, and New Year’s and just knowing that he was in there. But my whole family was there—my mom and dad, Garrett’s parents, my brother-in-law. Children’s [Minnesota] let us all go and see him. We are so grateful.”
Celebrating wins
One of the most impactful experiences for Bennett’s parents was celebrating some of the smaller wins, especially during Bennett’s stay in the NICU.
“Bennett was hooked up to all these computers that were connected to his medicine. I think he was on 12 or 13 of them. One of our nurses said, ‘Now I want you to watch as we take them away.’ And a couple of days would go by, and another would get taken away. That was something that maybe other people would overlook, but to me, that was a huge thing for me to be able to celebrate,” Emily said.
After his first two weeks, Bennet was moved to the infant care center, a program for babies that graduate from the NICU who need less intensive treatment, to continue healing. During this time his parents were able to hold and bathe him.
“We got to experience a lot of firsts as parents at Children’s, and every step of the way, everyone was so supportive and guided us and gave us the best care we could possibly have,” Emily said.
Emily also thanks her doctors at Children’s Minnesota for helping her stay positive.
“My doctor said to me, ‘When Bennett gets out of this,’ and that phrasing of ‘when’ instead of ‘if’ was so hopeful. Every day I was wondering if my baby was going to make it, but something like that little change was really meaningful,” she said.
Starting their lives
After their 30-day stay, all of Bennett’s tests and scans looked good, and he was cleared to go home. He had regained full function on his kidneys and liver and was able to breathe without oxygen. The Shafts took their son home for the first time in January of 2023.
“Faribault is about two hours away [from Children’s Minnesota], and Bennett slept the whole way back. My husband and I took that time to settle in and go over everything that had happened in the past 30 days,” Emily said. “We reflected on how grateful we were and then we started our lives.”
Bennett is now 2 years old and healthy, demonstrating his resilience and bravery. Emily says the staff at Children’s Minnesota allowed her, her husband, and their whole family to be a part of the team, helped them celebrate the small but significant wins, and showed expert and compassionate care throughout their stay.
“I feel so blessed. I feel at peace with everything that happened, and now I get to cherish every single memory with him. He’s perfectly healthy and thriving. I cannot thank the team enough for everything they have done,” Emily said.
The family will celebrate Bennett’s second birthday in December 2024. Emily says Bennett is happy and healthy today and currently infatuated with all things sports. She and Garrett have since had a second child, Theodore, with no complications.
“I’m so thankful that Bennett is here with us, has passions, and can do things that he loves,” Emily said.
