Little prince born in car

Thabazimbi – The Van Eedens are no strangers to emergency situations as they are often at the front line when people are in crisis.

DC van Eeden is part of the Matlabas Plaaswag and Marchell van Eeden is a volunteer at Thaba Fire and Rescue.

Their courage and medical knowledge were put to the test when Marchell had to give birth in their vehicle on Wednesday 17 August, while they were away on vacation in Sodwana Bay. 

Marchell was 24 weeks pregnant and because it was a healthy pregnancy so far, they decided to go on vacation before baby Ulrich’s arrival, expected in November. 

They arrived in Sodwana on 13 August, hoping to get a good rest and quality family time. A few days later on 16 August, just as they were getting ready for bed, Marchell started to complain about a pain in her side. Marcell woke DC up at around 00:30 and said that she wasn’t feeling well.

She suspected that she might be in labour. They contacted their doctor and he advised that they get to a hospital as soon as possible. However, the nearest hospital was Mseleni Provincial Hospital, and it was about 40 kilometres away.

They were on the road for about 6 kilometres when Marchell calmly asked DC to stop the vehicle, because she just gave birth to their baby boy. DC immediately stopped the vehicle and assisted Marchell to get the amniotic sac off the baby’s head. Marchell started patting the baby on his back, to get the fluid out of his lungs and started Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR), as DC continued on to the hospital. 

They were greeted with open arms when they finally arrived at the hospital, but unfortunately the hospital did not have an incubator and Ulrich had to be put on a normal bed, with a heat lamp on him. Little Ulrich weighed only 595 grams and was 26cm tall and his chances of survival was not looking good.  

DC and Marchell comforted their newborn and each other and started to pray. A miracle happened while praying – his oxygen shot up from 64% to 94%. The doctor came running in, saying that Ulrich was clearly fighting for his life.

A drip was inserted into his bellybutton, while they waited six hours for an ambulance with an incubator to arrive. Ulrich was transported to Netcare The Bay Hospital in Richards Bay. Almost a month after Ulrich was born, he started breathing better on his own, his brain function was at 100% and his chest x-rays came back clear. 

The excitement was short lived as later that night he stopped breathing three times because his tongue kept slipping back into his throat and his vocal cords were swollen. He was put back on the ventilator on 16 September because he stopped breathing when they gave him milk. His blood count was a little low and he had to be put back on an intravenous fluid drip.

The drip was taken out on 18 September, and he was put on anti-biotics, because they found a minor infection count in his blood. Things finally started to look up for little Ulrich by 19 September. He started lifting his head and his skin is getting thicker, so his veins are not as noticeable anymore.

The hospital staff started calling him Inkosana, which means ‘little prince’ in Zulu and the doctors are happy with his progress. 

The family would like to thank Trauma Rescue’s Ryno Dempers who assisted them through the whole process telephonically. Dempers has also put them in contact with all the right people.

In an interview with Platinum Bushvelder Thaba Fire and Rescue’s Pierre Loots said that they are all very excited to meet Ulrich. “He is a true fighter and needs to continue getting strong, so that he can start taking the reins at Thaba Fire and Rescue,” Loots said jokingly. 

Matlabas Plaaswag also shared a special message: “Little Ulla, you a true example of being strong and persistent. You are a real little fighter and you have become an inspiration to all of us. You reminded us that the Lord’s Grace is beyond comprehension.

Daddy, DC and Mommy Marchell, we know that the Lord will give you strength during this time and our prayer is that little Ulrich will grow from strength to strength and that you will all come home soon. We pray Psalm 91 over you, but we pray Psalm 91:16 especially for little Ulla.” 

Platinum Bushvelder spoke to Demper about what to do if you don’t have any medical experience and find yourself in a similar situation.

• Most of the times there will be warning signs, but it can happen unexpectedly with no signs at all.
• It is important that the mother lies down on a clean surface, clean towels are a good go-to item.
• Make sure that the patient is comfortable.
• This is a natural process, and the body will deliver the baby naturally.
• It is important to keep supporting the baby’s head and the baby’s body.
• Do not pull on the umbilical cord. 
• If the umbilical cord is around the baby’s neck, trey to get it off as carefully as possible, but do not tear it! 
• As soon as the placenta is out, take something like a shoelace and tie the umbilical cord about the width of your hand away from the baby’s tummy. 
• Measure two fingers away from the shoelace and make another knot. 
• The umbilical cord can then be cut between the two tied knots.
• It is important to make sure that the umbilical cord does not have a pulse anymore, its only safe to cut the umbilical cord when no pulse on the cord is present.
• It is important to take the baby with the placenta to the hospital.
• Dry the baby off as soon as possible, they lose heat very quickly, so make sure the baby is kept warm. Especially the head.
• If the baby is not breathing, you will need to give the baby CPR until he/she breathes on its own.
• There may still be some of the fluid in the baby’s mouth, nose, and lungs. This need to be sucked out. 
• Tap the baby under his feet or bum to help stimulate him to breathe.
• As soon as the baby is awake, try to breastfeed immediately.
• At the end of the day, you need to go to the hospital as soon as possible.

The fact that DC’s baby is born this early and survived is a miracle!