Mom Amanda Green of Bowmanville, Ontario, gave birth to baby Jaxen on Feb. 5 at 23 weeks and one day. He was “a week past viability,” Amanda explained to CTV News, so she and her partner were able to sign papers allowing medics to resuscitate their baby.
Jaxen was given a 10 percent chance of survival. Doctors predicted that he would likely suffer a multitude of health problems in the future, if he even survived, but his parents took a leap of faith.
Amanda’s water broke at 21 weeks and two days, a full four months shy of her due date. She was admitted to a high-risk obstetrics hospital in downtown Toronto, where she later gave birth; Jaxen survived eight days without amniotic fluid around him, the first of many miracles.
Newborn, Jaxen was so small his parents could slide a ring over his foot.
At just 3 days old, Jaxen was transferred to Toronto’s SickKids hospital where he underwent several blood transfusions and surgeries. At the time of writing, Jaxen is in the hospital, but his transformation is nothing short of incredible; at 4 1/2 months old, he weighed in at a healthy 7.5 pounds (3.4 kg).
Amanda marveled watching her baby develop in front of her eyes. Her whole family is now able to visit with Jaxen to hold, feed, and love on their growing baby boy.
“We have seen him pass and come back to life,” Amanda reflected, posting on Instagram. “His strength through every challenge that has been thrown his way has impressed all of the doctors and nurses who have cared for him.
“Don’t ever let the doctors tell you there is no survival for your baby,” she implored. “Fight with them and fight for them. Miracles do exist.”
As her family’s roller-coaster ride continues, Amanda is fundraising for the SickKids NICU; she has already sold 500 teddy bears, with proceeds going directly to the hospital. The proud mom doesn’t know what the future holds, but Jaxen has already proved to be a fighter.
Amanda is sharing her baby’s survival story to help others.
“I think it’s important to inspire and educate,” she explained, “empower people that don’t believe anything can happen, because we know that anything can happen.”
Motherhood comes with a lot of sacrifice, said Amanda. But Jaxen, her “little warrior,” is going to have the best future possible.
Louise Bevan is a writer, born and raised in London, England. She covers inspiring news and human interest stories.
