Deundhray Steele works a top secret job on a U.S. Navy submarine, so making sure people don’t know where he is at any given time is his job.
But, when his first child came two weeks earlier than expected, JPS Health Network helped him coordinate much more high profile travel plans, arriving just in the nick of time to be there for his significant other, Hurst native Baylee Baker, to deliver their first child.
“We were expecting our daughter to born Dec. 19,” Steele said. “I’m currently stationed in San Diego when my boat isn’t at sea so I was there waiting for the last couple of weeks to pass when my mom called and told me Baylee was dilated at 8 cm. I told her I didn’t know what that means. She said ‘It means you need to get here -- right now.’”
Neither Deundhray nor Baker thought there was any chance he was going to arrive before the baby was born. There just wasn’t enough time.
“I didn’t think there was a chance he was going to be here,” Baylee said. “Not a chance.”
In addition to being halfway across the country, COVID-19 slowed travel in bottlenecks at checkpoints. The virus also created complications when Steele finally arrived because it limited patients to only one visitor. Typically, once the patient designates who their visitor is, initially Baylee’s mother in her case, they can’t switch to another one later.
"It was a true blessing to be witness to this wonderful event, especially in the middle of the current pandemic -- a true bright spot to us all."
Baylee couldn’t initially commit to Deundhray as her visitor because she didn’t know for sure was even going to be there in time -- until he walked into her room about an hour before their daughter was born.
“Words can’t really describe the feeling when I walked in,” Steele said. “We both cried a little bit. I know it was going to hurt my heart not to be here for the birth of my daughter. I barely made it. As soon as I got here, it seemed like she started pushing.”
Because of the circumstances, with Steele quarantined with his submarine crew, he said JPS was able to work with him to switch him into the delivery room. Jessica Weathers, RN Clinical Manager Labor & Delivery and Women’s Operating Room, said her team was as excited to see Steele make it in time as he was to be there.
“I was overjoyed that JPS and my staff were able to be a part of the joyous occasion of not only welcoming a new life into the world but also a surprise reunion of a family,” Weathers said. “It was a true blessing to be witness to this wonderful event, especially in the middle of the current pandemic -- a true bright spot to us all.”
With the craziness of the whirlwind cross-country trip behind him, Steele and Baker said they planned to spend the next few days taking it slow and easy, soaking in every minute of their first two weeks with their daughter they named Adrianne. Then he’ll head back to his boat and she’ll remain with her family until his two-month-long patrol is over.
“I’m just so glad we’re all together now to enjoy this time,” Baker said. “This is what it’s all about.”