Whitney Bates Says Baby Jadon Is ‘Steadily Improving’ After Right Lung Collapse and Intubation
JaDon #JaDon
Whitney Bates/Instagram (2)
Whitney Bates says things are looking up for her baby boy after he experienced a “rough night” in the NICU.
On Thursday, the Bringing Up Bates star, 27, gave an update on the health of her newborn son Jadon Carl, who was transferred to the NICU shortly after his birth on Monday.
The reality star, who shared on Wednesday that the newborn was receiving treatment after his oxygen levels had dropped, said Jadon is “steadily improving” after he had a “rough night” in the NICU at East Tennessee Children’s Hospital.
“We want to thank you all so much for the many prayers you have prayed for little Jadon and for your words of support and encouragement. ❤️ Last night, little J had a rough night,” she wrote alongside photos of baby Jadon in the NICU. “His oxygen levels continued dropping, and his right lung collapsed. They intubated and put him on a ventilator. He has a little chest tube on the side of his chest for the collapse.”
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Whitney Bates/Instagram
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Whitney Bates/Instagram
“We called family and prayed, and thankfully God heard the many prayers going up! 🙌🏼 Today, Jadon has been steadily improving throughout the day, and he looks so much more peaceful,” she continued. “Watching him struggle to breathe the past couple days has been so heartbreaking, but now to see the turnaround this morning was a miracle!”
Whitney also shared her appreciation for everyone at the hospital who helped baby Jadon.
“We are incredibly grateful for East Tennessee Children’s Hospital and for all of the work they have poured into our baby boy. We have been blessed with the kindest doctors and nurses who are always smiling, always willing to take the time to explain every step, and they even stopped to pray with us in the scary moments, ” the mom of four wrote. “Times like these really show us how big our God is and how fragile and small we really are. They also make us very grateful for the people God places in our life that encourage us during those difficult times.”
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“As you continue praying for Jadon, we do ask that you also remember all of the other families here at Children’s Hospital that are facing tragedies and difficult times in their lives as well. We love you all and grateful for each one of you ✨,” she concluded the post.
Jadon weighed 7 lbs., 6 oz., at birth. The couple’s rep recently told PEOPLE, “Bradley [the couple’s first son] is named after Zach’s dad, Gilvin, and Zach and Whitney always knew that if they had another little boy they wanted to name it after Whitney’s dad, Jimmy Carl, who goes ‘JC’ or ‘J.’ They chose Jadon Carl, giving him the same middle name and initials as his Papaw.”
RELATED VIDEO: Baby No. 4! Bringing Up Bates’ Whitney Bates Welcomes Son Jadon Carl with Husband Zach
Whitney – who is also mom to daughters Khloé Eileen, 19 months, and Kaci Lynn, 5 later this month, and son Bradley Gilvin, 6½ – wrote in an Instagram post Wednesday: “After months of waiting on our special boy, finally meeting Jadon face to face was all we dreamed it would be and more. There’s no way to describe the feeling and emotions we felt when we first held him in our arms.”
Speaking with PEOPLE last year, Whitney explained that her pregnancy had not been without its challenges, as she and her husband were both diagnosed with COVID-19.
“Shortly after we found out we were pregnant, Zach unfortunately contracted COVID-19 at his work and I ended up testing positive as well,” she said. “It was a rough couple weeks for our family, with a lot of prayers going up for the new baby, but we thankfully have all recovered and feel healthy again.”