Red Flaged Baby

Our son Andy was born with a collapsed lung. He was taken by ambulance to Bismark, North Dakota to the NICU (Newborn Intensive Care Unit) about 100 miles from where we lived.

 It was a frightening time for us, as there was some speculation that he might have Newborn Emphysema which is fatal. My dad had emphysema, and eventually died from it, so he was miles away thinking that he has somehow transmitted the disease to his namesake, through me.

 My mom had come from Virginia to care for the girls so Mr. Wonderful and I followed the ambulance on the long drive to Bismark. It was one of the worst experiences I have ever had to go through....leaving the hospital without my baby. Our small community of Dickinson was predominately a Catholic community. Our son was born at St. Joseph's Hospital (also a Catholic Hospital). Mr. Wonderful and I are not Catholic and do not practice the concept of infant baptism. When the x-rays, revealed that the lung was collapsed we were asked by the nurse if we wanted our son baptized.

 We graciously thanked her for her concern and calmly explained that we believed that our son had been prayed for and dedicated to the Lord since his conception so baptism was not necessary. She looked at us somewhat alarmed but returned to the nursery. 

 The next time I saw our son I noticed, written boldly above our last name on his bed, was this phrase, "Unbaptized Protestant". Our baby had been red-flagged to all the Catholic nurses that worked in the nursery that this sick baby had pagan parents who did not understand the eternal consequences of not being baptized. 

 I can only imagine the number of times that our little boy was baptized by sweet, caring Catholic nurses on every shift! The baptisms continued in the NICU unit as he was again red-flagged with "Unbaptized Protestant" on his nameplate at the Catholic hospital in Bismark. After speaking with the only Neonatalogist in North Dakota, we were assured that it indeed looked to be a collapsed lung and he was put under an Oxyi -hood that delivered concentrated oxygen for 24 hours.

 The lung re-inflated itself and we were able to take Boy Wonder home. Our son Andy, is quite the charmer and has one of the biggest hearts of anyone I know. He is kind and incredibly sensitive to those around him and especially his friends and family. I sometimes wonder if the prayers and "baptisms" of all the nurses he encountered in the first few days of his life have made a lasting imprint on our boy. It amazes me how sometimes being red-flagged actually works to your advantage!