By now we know the Virginia couple whose adorable "bun in the oven" pregnancy announcement welcomed their son 16 weeks early after mom Dana Griffin-Graves' condition became critical. It turns out, however, that the new mom took a calculated risk, ignoring doctors' concerns about her own health and safety in order to give her son, whom she named Kaleb Arkell, a fighting chance.
In a Facebook post to Arkell & Dana's Baby Bun, the new mom reported that baby Kaleb was in stable but critical condition, and then went on to reveal how doctors had recommended that she terminate the pregnancy in order to save her life.
"When I arrived in the Intensive care unit over a week ago, they told me in order to save my life, I had to terminate his, My blood pressure was 223/113 but I couldn't," Griffin-Graves wrote. "He was my miracle and I had to give him a fighting chance to make it. Daily I was told how my chances of survival were declining because of my heart functions and chronic blood pressure. With only a 5% chance of survival, Kaleb is here. I'm grateful to God, my wonderful husband Arkell and my amazing family."
In an interview with People magazine, husband Arkell Graves called his wife's actions "the most selfless thing I have ever seen somebody do."
"Kaleb had his mom's blood pressure very, very high, to the point that it was putting her health at risk," Graves explained. "The doctors came in every day and explained the risk of continuing to hold him inside."
But Griffin-Graves, he said, remained determined. "She refused to go on with the delivery until it was a time where they could actually take care of him in the neonatal intensive care unit," he said. "I'm going to tell you, just looking at my wife, it was the most selfless thing I have ever seen somebody do."
Griffin-Graves' condition has since been upgraded to stable, and Graves told the magazine that she is doing much better. "I've always respected my wife, always loved her, but the way I look at her now, I can't even describe," he said. "The love was there at first, but now I don’t even think Webster has a word for the love I feel now."