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CNN Saturday Morning News

Tracking Earl; "Kangaroo Care"

Aired September 04, 2010 - 07:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Top of the hour here on this CNN SATURDAY MORNING. Welcome back, everybody. I'm T.J. Holmes.

We are keeping a close eye on this storm, on Earl, which has gone from a hurricane to a tropical storm. That's great but that does not mean we're out of the woods just yet. It has been downgraded -- like I said -- but still, do not let that fool you.

We have our team of reporters working on this for us. We're going to be going live to our Allan Chernoff on Long Island. We're going to be going to our Susan Candiotti who's at Cape Cod.

Let's start with you, Reynolds. What's it doing now?

REYNOLDS WOLF, AMS METEOROLOGIST: It is still spinning out there. It continues to weaken. This was just a power house of a system, just 48 to 46 hours ago. But now, it is a dying system, at that.

Winds are at 70 miles per hour, gusts to 85. It's really just falling apart at this point. The heaviest rainfall now back over to parts of Vermont, New Hampshire and even into Maine.

Now, the question is: where is this thing going to go? Well, the latest forecast of the National Hurricane Center has the storm still moving to the Northeast at 30 miles per hour, sustained winds still at 70. It's going to be bringing some rough surf, no doubt, to parts of the Northeast, but also, we're going to expect rip currents up and down the Eastern Seaboard due to this system and another one back in the Atlantic. We're going to talk about that later on this morning.

With this storm is, thankfully, dying out but will be bringing, again, rip currents to much of the northeast, sending some heavy rainfall to Boston. Possibly delays in places like Logan Airport, but other than that, it should be a better day into the afternoon. And then the storm fades to the Northeast and then fades of into our memories.

It could have been much worse, T.J. We're very lucky. Back to you.

HOLMES: All right. We are very lucky. Reynolds, we appreciate you keeping an eye on things for us.

Let's turn now to our Susan Candiotti, who's at Cape Cod, a place that some thought it could make a direct hit.

So, if it wasn't a direct hit there, Susan, exactly, what did they get?

SUSAN CANDIOTTI: Well, it came pretty close to Nantucket Island. And, of course, people here on the Cape get a good pounding from the rain. But, thankfully, people were talking about tropical- force wind gusts and rain.

Now, the sun is coming out this morning and it's good to see it because last night, we drove around a bit and talked to some people who -- well, they were experiencing some minor street flooding, the same kind they experience during regular storms. But it wasn't much fun. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CANDIOTTI: What happened to your car here?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I just driving down, and it stalled out.

CANDIOTTI: I'll say, did you not see the high water here?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You can't see nothing.

CANDIOTTI: Now, what are you going to do?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Wait until the morning.

CANDIOTTI: Try to get it back. I know --

(CROSSTALK)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You know, it's trying to start but it just won't.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CANDIOTTI: Hopefully, it will dry out enough that he can get that car started. I got off the phone just a little while ago, T.J., with state emergency officials. And they said, because of the initial reports they're getting, there does not seem to be any need to send out damages a assessment teams. So, that's good news.

They're saying that -- they're talking about, again, some minor flooding. They're talking about power outages that have been cut in half just in the last hour since I spoke with you, 1,800 as of 5:00 in the morning. It's now down to 700 customers without power. And they expect things to get back to normal soon.

The key message is this: it is going to be windy throughout the day. It is going to be a beautiful day. The sun's coming out. But because of the high winds, they are going to have high surf and dangerous rip currents.

And they know that people are going to be going back to the beaches today. They want them to be very careful -- T.J.

HOLMES: All right. Susan Candiotti, a good warning there. Thank you so much.

We're going to turn now to our Allan Chernoff who is at Long Island right now.

Hello to you once again, Allan. They expect people to come out and enjoy what some are going to see a beautiful day of weather now.

ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It already is an absolutely gorgeous morning, T.J., here. We've already had a few people walking along the beach with their dogs. But let's talk about what happened yesterday afternoon.

Have a look at this massive log right in front of me. It was not here yesterday afternoon. By yesterday evening, it was. This and three other big log on this little stretch of beach.

And the police here were very busy yesterday, keeping people off the beach, for good reason, because the surf behind me was intense -- waves of higher than 10 feet high. In fact, the National Weather Service counted waves above 16 feet, 25 miles out.

But over here, the waves were really pounding away. Here's another one of those new logs that has certainly a new addition of this stretch of beach. But it was very, very intense.

In terms of damage, well, we know of one child who was actually knocked over by a wave, had a few stitches. Fortunately, that's the extent of the physical damage that we know of.

But come with me over here, and let's have a look at what's happened to the land, to the eco niche her, because these are the dunes that are essential to protect the beach and also what's beyond. And you can see right over here the erosion. And that is exactly what those waves do -- very, very important ecological damage over here -- T.J.

HOLMES: All right. And you are right. It is a beautiful morning there. It was so different just several hours ago.

But, Allan, we appreciate you this morning.

Appreciate Susan Candiotti as well.

And, of course, our Reynolds Wolf keeping an eye on the track of that storm.

We'll continue to check in with them -- in particular, Reynolds, to see what kind of fix this storm could give some people as it moves north. That's coming up. Stay with us for that really throughout the morning.

Also in New Zealand, state of emergency has been declared thereafter a powerful, powerful earthquake has hit. This is centered in a town of Christchurch, which is a populated city there. Heavy damage -- and when you see some of this video, you're probably going to be amazed to hear that there are no deaths reported and also, not that many injuries reported. And the ones that were reported were fairly minor.

This is the second most populated city in New Zealand. They're still dealing with some issues with water and also, power outages. But you see the damage there. But for the most part, most people escaped unscathed.

Well, coming up, the story we have been tell you about this morning: a baby born prematurely is pronounced dead until a mother took what she thought was her dead child in her arms. That child today is a healthy, flourishing 5-month-old. We'll explain what some are calling a medical miracle.

It's eight minutes past the hour. Stay here.

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KATE OGG, MOTHER: Have you chosen a name for your son? When we said his name was going Jamie, he turned and, he was already wrapped up, he said we lost him. He said, Jamie didn't make it, we've lost him. And I just -- my mouth fell open.

DAVID OGG, FATHER: I was just devastated. It was -- that's probably the best way to describe it. It was quite a shock for both of us.

K. OGG: It was the worst feeling I've ever felt.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: Well, that feeling didn't last too long for that couple. Doctors in Australia are dumbfounded right now, still celebrating what is being described as a medical abnormality -- a newborn given up for dead until he touched his mother for the first time.

Adene Cassidy from our affiliate Seven Network in Sydney with this story.

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K. OGG: They just called him a miracle all the time. They all said they had never heard of anything like that happening before.

D. OGG: (INAUDIBLE) is saying, you know, this is possible. What if he survives through this miracle should happen.

ADENE CASSIDY, SEVEN NETWORK REPORTER (voice-over): This is Jamie Ogg, a tiny little boy born at just 27 weeks, weighing just one kilo, a little boy who has defied all medical odds. His survival can only be described as a miracle. He should be dead. In fact, the doctor who delivered him pronounced him dead.

K. OGG: Maybe he knew how much we wanted him for a long time.

CASSIDY (on camera): How lucky do you feel now?

K. OGG: Very, very lucky that we've got both of them.

CASSIDY (voice-over): The 25th of March this year was both the best and worst day of Kate and David Ogg's lives. The day they eagerly awaited twin, Jamie and his baby sister, Emily, were born.

K. OGG: Three days of labor, and then, all of a sudden, I was there and I was just waiting to be able -- I knew I wouldn't be able to hold them because they were so small.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The joy that we all held when they actually told us that it was a little boy. I wanted to throw cartwheels.

CASSIDY: But within minutes, the family's joy turned to sorrow when they learned baby Jamie was struggling to breathe. For 20 minutes, a team of doctors tried desperately to resuscitate him, but Jamie just didn't respond.

K. OGG: He turned to look at me while his hands were still on the bed and he said, have you chosen a name for your son? When we said his name was going Jamie, he turned and, he was already wrapped up, he said we lost him. He said, Jamie didn't make it, we've lost him. And I just -- my mouth fell open.

D. OGG: I was just devastated. It was -- that's probably the best way to describe it. It was quite a shock for both of us.

K. OGG: It's the worst feeling I've ever felt.

CASSIDY: Overwhelmed with grief, Kate and David were given Jamie for a cuddle, to hold and say good-bye to the son they believed was dead. It's normal practice. But what happened was far, far from normal.

K. OGG: I unwrapped him from his blanket and he was very limp. It feels like you can drop him, his arms and legs were just falling down away from his body. I arranged him on my chest with his head on my heart.

CASSIDY: Although Jamie had no visible signs of life, he was occasionally gasping for air -- a reflex that doctor had told the new parents to expect. So, with the support of the midwife and Kate's mother Deanna Oxley (ph), the couple did everything they could to soothe Jamie in his last minutes.

K. OGG: And almost as soon as the last person left the room he startled, which was the first movement I felt of his arms and legs. He started gasping normal regularly. I'm like, oh, my God, what's going on? And then a short time later, he opened his eyes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When I came back in, she said, mom, something's not right. He's still alive. And he put his little finger out and grabbed a hand.

CASSIDY (on camera): It's hard to imagine the sort of turmoil David and Kate must have been through -- were Jamie's actions real or were they just struggling to let go? Unbelievably, this went on for two hours. They did call for their doctor twice. Both times, he sent the midwife back telling them Jamie's actions were just natural reflexes. There was no possible way he could still be alive.

K. OGG: I remember looking at you at one time going, what if he lives. And we were both just giggling like kids, like he might live -- like we could be the luckiest people ever.

CASSIDY (voice-over): This video taken by a midwife clearly shows Jamie's movements. But still, there were doubts. So, in one last ditch attempt, Kate gave baby Jamie some breast milk on his finger. So her amazement, he took it. The doctor returned.

K. OGG: He took him and laid him down on the bed and he told the nurse to go get me a stethoscope. He listened and he just kept shaking his head and moving him around, "I don't believe it, I don't believe it."

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I saw the look on Katie's face, and it was -- you could not get the smile off her face. It was just incredible. She looked beautiful. She looked absolutely beautiful.

DR. JOHN DARCY (ph), MEDICAL EXPERT: In this little person's body, this little person's capacity to survive those throughout was amazing. It was. It could seem to be a miracle. We must wait now and see what happens as the months pass.

CASSIDY: Studies have shown the incredible benefits of skin- to-skin contact or "kangaroo care," as it's known. Even proving a simple cuddle may act as a natural painkiller. But, medical expert, Dr. John Darcy says most premature babies need immediate medical intervention. So, this is a highly unusual case.

DARCY: Isn't it interesting that the body, the mother's warmth, the effort that she had up to that period of time was passing through to the child? That's pretty amazing. I can't explain it. But maybe it's part and parcel of how that child survived the two hours.

CASSIDY: It is hard to explain how this medical miracle happened. And we did try to talk to the doctors involved, but they ignored our repeated attempts. Just the same way they ignored Kate and her pleas that little Jamie had come back to life.

D. OGG: Luckily, I've got a very smart, very strong wife who instinctively did what she did. If she hadn't done that, I believe that Jamie probably wouldn't be here.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: I want to share with you now the official statement from doctors in Sydney. And here it is -- says, "The staff at the Liverpool Hospital is very happy for the Ogg family. Premature babies are extremely vulnerable." We apologize. I don't have that up on screen for you right now, but I'll continue to read it for you here.

I'll continue -- "Premature babies are extremely vulnerable and it's not always known why some babies survive in difficult circumstances while others do not. It is important for parents to understand that while there are other cases such as this one, they are rare."

After the break, we're going to talk to a specialist who does neonatal medicine, going to join us with insight to try to help us understand what's called kangaroo care.

Eighteen minutes past the hour. Stay here.

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(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

K. OGG: I remember looking at you at one time going, what if he lives. And we were both just giggling like kids, like he might live -- like we could be the luckiest people ever.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: Now, just tell you the story about a baby born prematurely in Australia the doctors had declared dead. But the baby seemingly came back to life when he felt his mother's skin. Skin-to- skin contact between the babies and moms, it's called kangaroo care.

We're going to bring Dr. Edmund La Gamma now. He specializes in neonatal and prenatal care. He's on the line with us now.

Sir, thank you for being here. And can you tell us, first of all, just what know of this case? Is there a good chance the doctors just made a mistake, the child was never really dead? Or is it possible the child was actually dead and came back to life, if you will?

DR. EDMUNG LA GAMMA, NEONATAL CARE (via telephone): Well, T.J., I think it's an interesting semantics of the definition. Basically, when one is pronounced dead it's the absence of a heart rate and no response to stimulation. And the immediate newborn period, the resilience of the human body is extraordinary and has a tremendous capacity to literally bounce back from the dead in the sense the heart will come back in most cases, just start beating again.

HOLMES: Now, would that have happened, sir, without this so- called kangaroo care? If this child would have just been set aside and placed somewhere on its own, was there less of a chance that the child and the heart rate and things you just named would have bounced back like that?

LA GAMMA: Well, you see, the 27-28-week gestation, that's around -- well, 40 weeks is term and 14 weeks premature. So, it's quite a premature baby.

But what really kangaroo care does, it provides warmth. One of the most important stimulus, first, after birth is actually just having warmth. A second stimulus would be having handling. So, touching the child, holding the child, the gentle breathing of the mother's inhalation, exhalation, moving of her chest, would cause this baby to get stimulated, warmth, and the handling and drying would actually release catecholamines -- epinephrine and norepinephrine -- to help start breathing, clear the lungs and sustain life.

HOLMES: Well, sir, how much do we know? I mean, you mentioned kangaroo care -- it's been around, people know about it. But how helpful can it be? I know this was an extreme and rare case. But how helpful can it be for a child who is struggling?

LA GAMMA: Well, actually, it's something that has been recognized perhaps over the last 20 years where the energy requirements for the baby and the nutrient requirements and use of calories for growth have actually been improved by this method. It has two basic achievements. One has to do, as we say, for the baby's ability to grow. And the second is the bonding between that child and its mother.

Historically, babies born so premature would have been kept in incubators and not handled and not touched. With the introduction of kangaroo care, the holding, the bonding, the warmth of the mother's body or the father, because it could be done by the father, the warmth of their body, even if the child is on a ventilator can be adapted to allow them to develop that relationship even when they're in intensive care on a ventilator.

HOLMES: Well, Dr. La Gamma, sir, that is fascinating, fascinating stuff. It certainly worked out for this family. But thank you so much for hopping on the phone and helping us understand this a little better. Again, Edmund La Gamma, again, for us on the line, thank you so much.

Quick break here. Twenty-five past the hour. We'll be right back.

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HOLMES: All right. Climb aboard the Election Express bus, hitting the road next week. And I am climbing aboard as well, along with some of my colleagues, John King, Jessica Yellin, Gloria Borger. We are focusing on some important races in some swing states and some big issues.

Monday, we are kicking this thing off in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Tuesday, Columbus, Ohio. Wednesday, Covington, Kentucky. And then Thursday, in Indianapolis.

Tune in to CNN all day for our live road reports.

I'm going to give you an update on some of the stories that are making headlines right now. Up first, talking about Earl. It's not a hurricane anymore, still can be a threat right now. It's a tropical storm. It's brushed past Long Island, also Cape Cod.

It's still on the move heading on out. Still some high winds, some strong storm surge. And to watch out for those rip currents this weekend.

Our Reynolds Wolf continues to update us throughout the morning on where this storm is headed.

Also, Ben Roethlisberger has gotten a couple of games knocked out of his suspension. He was suspended for six games. It's now only four. The Steelers quarterback was accused of sexual assault but no charges ever filed. But, still, he was accused of violating the league's conduct policy. So again, he is down to four games suspension instead of six.

One more story here. ATF has determined that a fire at a Tennessee mosque construction site was, in fact, arson. That investigation now continues. That mosque, that construction site, had been a place that has come under so much controversy because people were opposing the building of that mosque.

I'll be back here with you at the top of the hour with more live news. Right now, I'm going to hand it over to "SANJAY GUPTA, M.D."