On December 14, 2023, baby Braxton decided he was ready to see the outside world. For his parents, this meant a surprise premature birth at a roundabout on their way to the hospital.
Braxton’s mother, Jessica Wadell, began feeling contractions very suddenly that day and realized something was wrong: Braxton wasn’t due for another two months. She called Braxton’s father, Keith Kettels, and they began the long drive to the hospital in Johnston County, North Carolina. However, the contractions became more and more intense on the way.
Keith called 911 for help but soon understood that he needed to act quickly. Pulling the car over in the middle of a roundabout, Keith helped Jessica lay back and prepare to push. “[I told] her to lay back in the seat and pull your pants down,” he said, according to news station WRAL.
Jessica pushed, and Braxton was delivered, but they saw he wasn’t breathing.
Though Keith was still on the phone with EMS, he put the phone down and began trying to save his son’s life. Tapping on Braxton’s back and blowing into his face, he helped Braxton to begin breathing.
Johnston County 911 Director Brett Renfrow explained that during all of this, the EMS technicians were under the impression that Braxton didn’t make it, since Keith had dropped the phone as he was assisting Jessica in delivering the baby.
At just two pounds, Braxton is spending the next several weeks in the NICU until he is more prepared to handle the world all on his own.
The quick thinking of his father Keith and the knowledge of these life-saving techniques saved Braxton’s life, even at two months premature. “I prayed to God,” Kettels said. “Thank you for taking my hands and going to work.”
Premature babies have survived after being born as young as 21 weeks. As Live Action News has reported before, up to 71% of infants born prematurely can survive outside of the womb with some assistance. Meanwhile, some doctors are still calling premature deliveries “incompatible with life” and instead offer only palliative care rather than active care such as resuscitation or intubation.
As this family’s story demonstrates, a willingness to offer life-giving support could make all the difference to help these little ones thrive.
