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Catharine Richert

Reporter's notebook: Another baby, another dramatic labor, two happy outcomes

Zein Ibrahim, left, poses for a picture with his baby brother, Fen.
Zein Ibrahim, left, poses for a picture with his baby brother, Fen.
Courtesy of the Ibrahim family

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When I first met Yvette and Tamer Ibrahim in December, it was in the living room of their cottage deep in the woods a half-hour north of Grand Marais, Minn. I was there to hear the story of the birth of their now 2-year-old son, Zein.

Because the nearest hospital in Grand Marais had stopped deliveries, they endured a harrowing four-hour drive through a blizzard to a hospital in Duluth.

Their story is growing increasingly likely to repeat itself as rural hospitals shut down their obstetrics units for a variety of reasons, primarily involving financial constraints and quality of care concerns.

The Ibrahims wanted to avoid their initial nightmare with their second baby's birth.

So, they devised a plan that would allow for a home birth in Duluth, a short drive from a fully equipped obstetrics unit.

It didn't turn out that way.

Check out this Twitter thread for the story:

When we last heard from them in January, they were preparing for their second baby's arrival. pic.twitter.com/y7EfWuynAo

— MPR News (@MPRnews) May 7, 2019

They live off the grid, north of Grand Marais near the Canadian border. And they wanted to have a home birth, but also wanted to be near a hospital, just in case. pic.twitter.com/OMEr1lByt5

— MPR News (@MPRnews) May 7, 2019

The hospital in Grand Marais no longer offers obstetric care, and only delivers babies in emergency situations. It's a part of a larger trend that's left rural clinics and small-town leaders frustrated across Minnesota -- and across the country.

— MPR News (@MPRnews) May 7, 2019

Between 2000 and the beginning of 2015, 15 of the state's rural hospitals stopped delivering babies -- a nearly 38 percent decline.

So what does that mean for pregnant moms in rural Minnesota? pic.twitter.com/rdvi5gm0nv

— MPR News (@MPRnews) May 7, 2019

For Yvette Ibrahim, it meant planning -- lots of it.
This time, they figured, things would be different.

— MPR News (@MPRnews) May 7, 2019

And at first, they were.

They arranged to deliver their new baby at a house in Duluth, not far from the hospital.

Their own midwives would join them, and they'd all leave for Duluth as soon as Yvette was in labor. pic.twitter.com/8Siu6Jq9cJ

— MPR News (@MPRnews) May 7, 2019

But labor can be unpredictable.

Yvette said she'd twice gone into false labor in the weeks leading up to her second son's birth, so it made deciding when to leave for Duluth confusing.

— MPR News (@MPRnews) May 7, 2019

When they finally did leave, they made it as far as Grand Marais to the midwife's house. Yvette said when she got there, she walked in, kicked off her boots and said, "I'm not going anywhere."

— MPR News (@MPRnews) May 7, 2019

Baby Fen, a boy, was born healthy and without complications about an hour and a half later in her midwife's house. If they'd left for Duluth, they likely wouldn't have made it. pic.twitter.com/4juDlDTp3D

— MPR News (@MPRnews) May 7, 2019

Yvette said in some ways, this delivery was less stressful than her first, even if things didn't go as planned, because they ended up being so close to home. pic.twitter.com/ctHKm4p2UC

— MPR News (@MPRnews) May 7, 2019

And as for their older son Zein, Yvette and Tamer say he's pretty excited to be a big brother. pic.twitter.com/rof7BlhjAY

— MPR News (@MPRnews) May 7, 2019

When reporter @CatRichert first reported the Ibrahims' story in January, lots of other moms across the state told us their own stories: of endless searches for midwives, of preparing for the possibility of a roadside delivery, of planning and logistics https://t.co/7q0BQ0C8Xk

— MPR News (@MPRnews) May 7, 2019

And if the trend continues and more rural hospitals close their labor and delivery services, it's likely more parents in more rural parts of the state will have similar stories to share.

— MPR News (@MPRnews) May 7, 2019

Did you opt for a home birth because you live far from a hospital? Why and what was that experience like? As @CatRichert continues to report this story, she'd love to hear from you: crichert@mpr.org

— MPR News (@MPRnews) May 7, 2019

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