Tiffany Taylor, Daytona Beach, FL

A Miracle Baby’s Accidental Arrival

Last summer, DeLand resident Tiffany Taylor delivered a healthy 7 pound baby girl, Emily Michaela Thornton. But the delivery wasn’t quite the experience she was expecting.

Tiffany, who was 36 weeks pregnant at the time, was driving home from her father’s house in Deltona when another vehicle hit her head-on after the driver fell asleep at the wheel. The impact caused Tiffany to go into premature labor at the scene of the accident.

She was airlifted to Halifax Health Medical Center in Daytona Beach, where staff had to work swiftly to treat Tiffany and save her baby.

“We rushed to the hospital after her and came straight to the Emergency Department,” said Christopher Thornton, Emily’s father. “They immediately showed me the baby’s vitals on the monitor and explained Tiffany’s injuries.”

Tiffany was hurried off for an emergency cesarean section, followed by a three-hour surgery on her leg. She had suffered a compound fracture of her femur and required a rod, a pin and three screws in her leg.

“When Emily was born, she was very pale, and we worked very quickly to get her breathing,” said Renu Sharma, MD, Halifax Health neonatologist. “The entire team was really working together to keep the baby alive.”

“I was terrified to see Emily hooked up to all of those machines, but I knew they had saved her life,” said Christopher. “And the staff was phenomenal. They explained everything that was happening and really kept us updated about Tiffany and the baby.”

Tiffany and Emily are now both at home and doing well. “It was a miracle,” said Christopher. “We feel very fortunate.”

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