Special Delivery
Baby Makes Debut at VA Medical Center During Flood

Before dawn on June 9, Kimberly Young headed for the hospital to give birth. Before lunch, her newborn had become a celebrity.

Unable to reach Park Plaza Hospital due to flooded streets and rising waters caused by Tropical Storm Allison, Kimberly, her husband and accompanying family members instead found their way to the Houston Veterans Affairs Medical Center.

"We came up Highway 288 and there was water everywhere. All the exits were flooded. My labor pains were coming faster and faster, and I had to get to a hospital - any hospital - fast," Kimberly recalled.

The family made it to a Texaco station where they called 9-1-1, but were told that due to the rising waters, ambulances were having a hard time getting to their destinations. Then, down the street and looming tall against the stormy skies, Kimberly spied the VA Medical Center. Her husband put the truck into high gear and Kimberly, her in-laws and one-year-old daughter jumped in and were headed for help. But as she entered the hospital, Kimberly was in for a surprise.

"All the patients looked like my grandparents. I began to wonder if I was in the wrong place."

But there was no time to wonder - her contractions were five minutes apart, and the birth was imminent. The VA staff called for an ambulance to take Kimberly to Ben Taub General Hospital, but when the paramedics arrived, Kimberly was already dilated to eight centimeters.

"I wasn't going anywhere. This was it ... the time was now," she said.

With coaching over the phone from second-year Ben Taub Obstetrical resident Dr. Ginger Cathy, Kimberly's baby girl was delivered by VA Medical Center surgeons and nurses shortly before noon.

"Everyone let out a big cheer the moment she was born. It was like a big party," Kimberly said.

Because the VA Medical Center does not employ a staff pediatrician, the VA staff called Dr. Hannah Smitherman, nursery chief resident at Ben Taub, for advice regarding medications and supplies the baby needed immediately after birth. Dr. Smitherman promptly assembled a care package, and a medical student from the VA Medical Center rode his bicycle through the flooded streets to pick up the package and deliver it back to the baby. In the meantime, Kimberly's husband Keith waded across the street to a grocery story that remained open, where he bought diapers and formula not stocked by the VA. In lieu of a crib, the baby was wrapped in blankets with warm water bottles and placed in a large food container with raised sides.

Mother and baby are doing well, and the Youngs have commemorated the location of the baby's birth by naming their newest arrival Asia VA Keithera Young.

"The birth of Asia VA in our medical center has been quite a cause for celebration for our patients and staff," said Edgar Tucker, director of the center. "We care for veterans in our facility, generally men and women over age 50. Needless to say, birth and delivery care is a rare event. We are so pleased that we were able to assist the Young family. Baby Asia VA holds a special place in our hearts."

Local VA officials believe this is only the second birth at the medical center in its 50-year history of caring for veterans in Southeast Texas.

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©2006 Texas Medical Center

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