There are some events in life that are so transcendent, they make you stop and catch your breath. Childbirth is often among those breathless occasions that cannot be properly described because it exceeds the finite ability of words. Such sentiments greeted parents Kate and David Ogg on March 25, 2010, when Kate gave birth to twins at 26 weeks. For the Oggs, March 25 is a day imprinted in their hearts, not only because it was a day of welcoming new life, but also because it was a day of fighting for new life.
The following 2015 video is sponsored by Johnson’s Baby and features the miraculous story of Jamie Ogg, one of the premature twins Kate delivered in 2010. In the video, an emotional Kate tells cameras that following the delivery, doctors informed her and her husband that Jamie didn’t make it. As Kate describes in the footage, David collapsed upon hearing the news and she immediately reached for the baby.
With Jamie’s limp form in her arms, cradled against her chest, Kate ordered her husband to take off his clothes and climb into bed so that the baby would have as much body heat as possible. The family stayed this way, skin on skin, until they started noticing something peculiar happening. The baby, previously believed to be lost, began moving around. The Oggs informed the midwives of what was happening, but they only responded by telling the couple that the baby was fading and they needed to say “goodbye.”
Fortunately, Kate continued to hold her baby against her chest, and to the astonishment of every person in the hospital room, the baby boy eventually opened his eyes and grabbed his father’s finger. Jamie was alive.
Kate and David firmly believe that the time they’d spent holding Jamie against their bare skin is what brought him back to life. This kind of skin-to-skin contact is a practice known as kangaroo care. According to the Cleveland Clinic, kangaroo care is a type of baby care that incorporates skin-on-skin holding, typically involving a parent cradling a naked infant against his/her bare chest. Cleveland Clinic explains that the benefits of kangaroo care for babies include such things as increased sleep, successful nursing, improved breathing regulation, and heart rate stabilization.
The story of Jamie Ogg has been distributed across myriad media platforms and news outlets, attracting the attention of millions of people, and putting kangaroo care in the public spotlight. While Jamie’s story may have brought new awareness to kangaroo care, the practice has been around for many years. Cleveland Clinic reports that kangaroo care was first introduced in the 1970s in Bogotá, Colombia, after many cases of preemie deaths started being reported.
Today, Jamie and his twin sister Emily are two happy, healthy, and downright adorable kids. According to “Today,” the Ogg family moved from Australia to New Zealand in November 2011, and welcomed another baby boy to the family whom they’ve named Charlie. Jamie and Emily are 5 years old and both enjoy frequent, and cozy, hugs from their parents.
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