Help for Baby Westin and Parents

Baby Westin was born in the early morning hours of December 28th at 42 weeks gestation. He was born an impressive 10 pounds 1 ounce and measured 21.5 inches long!

Complications during birth resulted in a lack of oxygen from his heart not beating. Even once his pulse returned, it wasn’t strong enough for some time to provide sufficient oxygen to his brain, and further complications occurred as a result. His condition was touch and go for several hours, and Doctors were preparing everyone for the worst. Initially, he was not stable enough to transport him to a hospital more properly equipped to provide the care necessary to improve his odds of survival. But Baby Westin is a fighter with an entire army praying for him, and those prayers are being heard and answered!

The first miracle shown was Westin stabilizing enough to be transported to Emory Midtown, where he has been undergoing a cooling procedure. In simple terms, the cooling procedure cools and slows his body down so his brain can heal rather than control his organs. The second miracle was that his kidneys started working, and he produced urine for the first time around 2 pm on the 29th. The third, perhaps most impressive miracle, is that the seizures have stopped! He went from having continuous seizures lasting over five minutes to stopping completely before increasing the medication to the highest tier. He has not had a seizure since around 9 am on the morning of the 29th.

But he isn’t out of the woods yet. The cooling procedure is performed for 72 hours, and then he is slowly warmed over a period of 12 or more hours. It is very common for seizures to return and even increase in severity during the warming period. Once the warming procedure has taken place, he will undergo a brain MRI to know the extent of damage that has occurred. Baby Westin still needs all the prayers he can get.

Many people have asked how they can help, and several have asked to donate. As you can imagine, Westin may have a long road to recovery and may even require a lifetime of support. The families have rallied around Payton and Brooklyn to offer support in every manner of the word. They have provided a hotel room nearby for a few nights so they can shower and rest because the hospital does not provide those facilities to NICU parents. It is unknown how long he will remain in the hospital, and in the short term, Payton and Brooklyn could use continued funds for a hotel, food, snacks, and gas to and from Atlanta once Payton resumes work. Because the extent of the damage is still undetermined, the long-term assistance needed is unknown but could be exorbitant. Payton is just starting his career as a Firefighter and is still in the academy. Any amount donated to take some of the financial burdens off their shoulders so they can focus on their sweet baby boy’s healing is greatly appreciated.

This is their official donation page, and the funds will go directly to Payton. Thank you all for your prayers and support!