Woman gives birth to son just before husband dies at same hospital
A mom from Connecticut took to Facebook to announce the birth of her second son – and in the same post, shared devastating news about her husband.
"I come to you all with news that is the most joyous, but also the most somber," Haley Parke wrote on December 8. Parke said on December 2, she and her husband, Jb, welcomed their second son.
But earlier that week, her husband was admitted to Hartford hospital for complications from his cancer. On December 1, they found out he had a matter of days – not six months, which was his original prognosis. "With our second son's due date 3 weeks away, my husband and I knew asking for an induction was the right thing to do," Parke wrote. "Without hesitation, the team of ICU doctors communicated with the head of high risk labor and delivery doctors. They offered me an induction as soon as I was ready."
The induction did not lead to a quick labor, and when Jb began declining faster, doctors decided to perform a cesarean section on Parke. "It was either a c-section right at that moment, or Jb would not have the opportunity to meet our son," she said.
Without questioning, the mom agreed to the C-section and 20 minutes later, their son was born. "He was given to me for a quick kiss, and then a team of doctors and nurses ran him up 2 floors, and he was placed on his daddy's chest," she said.
"The miracle of all this? When our baby was placed on Jb's chest, Jb's vitals all instantly improved," Parke said. "He was also acknowledging our son was there by making small head movements and sweet moans."
Her bed was wheeled from the operating room into her husband's room in the ICU, where she spent her recovering, "gazing at him in sadness, but in awe of his strength," she said.
"From the OR to the ICU room, there were what felt like hundreds of doctors and nurses floating us through this process effortlessly. Not one of them having a dry eye the entire time," Parke wrote. "Some of them told me they'll never forget this act of selflessness. Some called my actions brave and heroic. I just call it love. I acted out of love. I put my trust in God that this was part of his plan, and I did what I had to do, out of love, to fulfill my husband's last wish."
While delivering a baby three works early can come with complications, Parke's son was born 7 pounds, 4 ounces with fully developed lungs. She said they didn't have names picked up until the moment she was induced – that's when she knew she would honor her husband.
Her son's name is John Beeson Parke. "Welcome to the world baby Jb," Parke wrote. "Your story is truly a miracle."
The couple also share an 18-month-old son, Brinton. CBS News has reached out to Parke and Hartford Hospital.
