Baby Hudson heads home

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October 8, 2014 - 12:00 AM

Hudson Harles’ amazing life so far has reached the proverbial end of its first chapter, his mother explained.
“One amazing chapter,” Keely Harles wrote in a recent Facebook post under her “Team Hudson” page.
Hudson Harles was born in April at 23 weeks of his mother’s pregnancy. He was discharged from the hospital earlier this week, allowing his parents, Stan and Keely, to bring him home to Moran for the first time after a nearly six-month stay at Overland Park Regional Medical Center.
The timing of his birth was crucial. Had Hudson been born at the same time as his twin brother, Hunter, one week earlier, he almost certainly would not have survived. (Babies born at 22 weeks have a zero percent chance of survival).
Those born at 23 weeks have a 25 percent survival rate, while the survival rate at 24 weeks goes to 50/50. By 25 weeks, the survival rate skyrockets to more than 90 percent. A typical pregnancy is 40 weeks.
His twin brother, Hunter, did not survive.
Keely Harles credited the doctors’ quick thinking, by not removing her placenta, stitching it in place and waiting four agonizing hours to ensure Hudson was not born on his own.
Then, they treated Hudson with steroids to help his lungs and other organs strengthen before he was born.

HUDSON’S recovery since then has been nothing short of miraculous. He survived heart surgery and has steadily grown larger and stronger .
The largest remaining barrier for now is in Hudson’s vocal cords, his mother explained.
The left side of his vocal cords are paralyzed, which will give him a raspy voice. Doctors are hopeful he will grow strong enough to overcome the paralysis on his own
Hudson is able to drink from a bottle, his mother wrote. He also has passed all vision and hearing tests as well, and has no neurological or physical issues.
The vocal paralysis “makes it a longer process to make his bottles, but it’s not rocket science and he is eating from a bottle,” Keely said.
Hudson’s weight is above 11 pounds.

WHILE THE family has received well wishes from thousands of folks from around the world — most of whom they’ve never met — they are limiting the number of visitors they can receive.
The potential for spreading respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is of utmost concern for premature babies, Keely Harles wrote, making them susceptible for complications like pneumonia or bronchitis.
The Harleses have set up an extensive protocol for visitors. They must have received their flu and Tdap shot, and be symptom-free from any type of illness for at least five days.
Facebook messages are more than welcome, she said. Keely noted one Facebook photo shared by a photographer earned more than 13,000 “likes” from around the world.
“We have no idea where it has gone from there,” Keely said. “My mother-in-law was wearing her Team Hudson shirt in Kansas City, and was stopped by three different groups of people asking how she knew him, and that they were following his story and praying for him.
“It’s bizarre to me, how so many people have taken an interest. He is rare, we knew that, but we had no idea how many people have been praying for him. God is so very good.”
 

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