On Monday, June 19th, 28 weeks pregnant and happy as a clam, my husband Matt and I set off on a three day float trip down the John Day River with a bunch of our friends. By nightfall on the first day of the trip, at camp and far from anything, I went into labor. I spent an intense night of heavy contractions in our tent. Matt and friends packed the raft, and readied the canoe and by 3:45 a.m., just as the hint of light dusted the ridges, we got on the water hoping for the best, prepared for the worst. We were on the John Day River for an hour and 45 minutes when we came to a house. Matt practically broke down the door of the home of Cat, Dick, and grand-daughter Alyssa, some of the sweetest and most accommodating people any of us has ever met. They responded to our desperate need for help with kindness and without a moment’s hesitation.
By 7:30 a.m. I was on an Air-Life helicopter headed for Bend Oregon. The doctors and nurses (with the help of an arsenal of drugs) were able to slow down my contractions and keep me pregnant for another 38 hours. In that time I was given a steroid to help speed up the baby's lung development. It was not until Tuesday evening that I learned of my grandfather's passing. He died right around the time I started having contractions the day before. I was very close to my grandfather and the news of his death confirmed my sense that he had been with us helping me and the baby through the trials of the night before. The name Milo is a tribute to him.
On Wednesday June 21, the night of the summer solstice, the baby showed further signs of distress and I had an emergency cesarean at 9:43 p.m. Milo came out breathing and crying. He was 2 lbs 13 oz and 11 and one half weeks early. Now he is one month old. Matt and I have spent this time living in the Ronald McDonald House in Bend. Milo has been in the NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit) at St. Charles Medical Center. He started off in an isolette but has graduated to a regular crib. He's now up to 4lbs. I get to hold him, change him, give him baths and we are starting to teach him to breast feed. It has been a whirlwind month and there have been good days and bad days, but the good days outnumber the bad ones. Although there have been lots of potential pitfalls and lots of scary possibilities Milo has met his challenges. He continues to gain weight and mature at a healthy pace. He is adorable. He is our hero.

This entire experience has been very intense but there have been many beautiful moments throughout. We feel very loved and supported. I am convinced that Milo’s continued success has been due in part to all of the positive energy everyone has sent our way, for this I cannot thank you all enough. They tell us to expect to come home by the baby’s original due date...that was September 9th. I have a suspicion we may be allowed to return sooner but one of the many lessons we have learned in this adventure is not to expect anything.
Matt, Mindy and Milo Springer stayed 50 nights at Ronald McDonald House in Bend.