When Jordan Maia was about to enter the world, there was no delaying her. She was ready to make her grand entrance whether her parents were ready or not. So, on August 26th 2008, she did just that.
Paul and Cindy Cooper along with their two other daughters, Emma and Alia were asleep when Cindy woke up with labor pains on that early Tuesday morning. The pain was so intense that a home birth seemed inevitable.
Towels were placed on the bathroom floor and Paul dialed for an ambulance.
As they waited, Paul remained on the line as the person on the other end guided him through the steps of what needed to be done in case a delivery was to happen before the arrival of the paramedics. “I was a bit scared – I was terrified” he said.
Within a matter of minutes, Jordan Maia Cooper was born weighing in at 7lb 11oz.
With the phone still to his ear, Mr. Cooper was instructed to wrap the baby warmly and make sure that she was breathing.
“I just turned her over and rubbed her back and she started breathing,” he said.”I’ve never been at the business end of the birth; it’s really good to be there. Most fathers would never have that opportunity.”
Jordan was diagnosed with Down syndrome soon after birth, however, despite the initial shock, the diagnosis was not what the Cooper family was concerned about.
Paul adds that “Jordy was born with two holes in her heart and deformed valves. She was in heart failure for the first 7 weeks of her life, which was pretty scary to deal with as parents. She had open heart surgery in Auckland at Starship Hospital to fix her heart. The medical staff at Starship were incredible, highly skilled and very dedicated people. Ever since Jordy's heart was fixed, life for her and us has just gotten better and better. She is now in school and loving life.”
Jordan is now 5 years old and the family resides in Timaru, New Zealand.
"We couldn't be happier these days! Jordy has been such a blessing for our family. She keeps us real, makes us happy and teaches us how to become better people. She is pretty cool."
- Paul Cooper
*Editted from original article by Annabelle Latz, North Canterbury News, Tuesday 2 September 2008.
29
Do you have a story to share? We would love to hear from you!