Sydney Phillips Is Her Family’s “Small Miracle” Being Born Three Months Early
Nearly eighteen years ago, Sydney Joy Phillips was born three months before she was expected to join her family.
The daughter of Don and Joy Phillips, the owners of Joy’s Floral and Gifts in Minden, Sydney’s birth was surrounded by uncertainty about her future. Her underdeveloped body immediately had problems, and for months she struggled through complications.
It began when Joy developed toxemia on March 3. An Omaha doctor checked her to determine whether or not Sydney needed to be delivered right away.
“They like to . . . help the baby’s lungs develop [first],” Joy said in an article appearing in the June 6, 1995 issue of The Minden Courier.
But, when Sydney “started to show distress” on March 6, the doctor chose to deliver her rather than risk an even worse situation.
At just around six months of development, Sydney weighed only one pound, ten ounces. There were no issues during delivery, but she had to promptly go on respirators and other monitors.
The experience was not entirely new to the Phillips family. Their first child, Cole, was born five and a half weeks early. Luckily, the technology advancements in the thirteen years since his birth allowed Sydney to overcome problems Cole once had with ease.
She came home around Mother’s Day that year, and although her lungs had to remain monitored for a month, she had no further issues.
“After that, she’s been a normal kid,” Don said.
For the full article, please purchase the December 26th issue of the Minden Courier!
