A second chance for Bentley and his encephalocele

Sierra Yoder was having a normal pregnancy, but the 20-week prenatal ultrasound seemed to tell another story. The Yoders learned that their child — a boy to be named Bentley — had something called an encephalocele. Brain tissue was bulging out of an abnormal opening in his skull, unprotected by bone. “They said he had zero chance of survival — ‘incompatible with life,’ they told us,” recalls Sierra. “I specifically remember asking is there any chance he could survive? They said no, that in the best-case scenario, he’s going to be a vegetable. They made it out like I was going to lose him at any point.” With that knowledge, the Yoders decided to end the pregnancy. But at the eleventh hour, Sierra changed her mind. It didn’t feel right — Bentley was moving and kicking and had a strong heartbeat. So they kept going. “All the way through, I just kept having the feeling that it’s going to be OK, it’s going be all right,” says Dustin, Bentley’s father. The rest of the pregnancy was uneventful. Sierra went into labor on Bentley’s due date — Halloween — and he was born on November 1. “They thought we might get an hour with him,” recalls Sierra. “We bought him one outfit.” The hospital staff arranged hospice care. Still, Bentley survived — even thrived. At home, he drank his bottle, cooed, took a binkie and, at six months, blew kisses. “I couldn’t make him out any different from my other son,” says Sierra. “He was just a normal...
Source: Thrive, Children's Hospital Boston - Category: Pediatrics Authors: Tags: Our Patients’ Stories Cleft and Craniofacial Center Dr. John Meara Dr. Mark Proctor Dr. Susan Goobie encephalocele Simulation Program Source Type: news