Overcoming challenges: Family’s journey to parenthood includes exceptional care from Essentia

To say starting a family has been a difficult journey for Jordan and Wesley Trapp might be an understatement. The couple has two young children, Dallas, who is about 3 months old, and 3-year-old Addy.

In 2020, shortly before the COVID-19 shutdowns began, Jordan found out they were expecting their first child. As she had for the last six years, Jordan trusted her care to Essentia Heath. Despite the complications caused by COVID, her pregnancy went smoothly — right up until it was time for Addy's birth.

Jordan was induced on Nov. 17 at Essentia Health-St. Joseph's Medical Center. Unfortunately, her body didn't respond to any of the induction measures.

"It turned into a worse-case scenario," Jordan said. "I wouldn't dilate no matter what we tried. When I finally went into labor, Addy was breach and got stuck in my pelvis with her umbilical cord wrapped around her neck."

Jordan's care team had to act fast. She underwent an emergency C-section, which was successful. Yet plenty of complications remained.

"Addy wasn't breathing," Jordan explained. "The doctors had to perform CPR and resuscitate her — a process that took about 30 minutes."

While that was happening, caregivers were also scrambling to help Jordan, who had lost a lot of blood during the procedure and had very low hemoglobin levels.

Addy was rushed to a NICU in St. Cloud while Jordan stayed at St. Joseph's for additional care.

"My whole team took such good care of me the entire time," Jordan said. "This was extremely frightening for me and my husband, but I knew I was in good hands."

Fortunately, after several scary hours, the outlook improved for both Jordan and Addy. They began to recover and, after spending a week in the hospital, were discharged.

"Jordan's first birth was incredibly complex and required her care team to use every tool at their disposal," said Dr. Patricia Segler, an OB/GYN at St. Joseph's. "We do everything we can to make sure mom and baby stay safe and provide the best possible care we can during birth."

Due to the challenges involved in Addy's birth, Jordan didn't think she would be able to have another child — a big blow for her and Wesley, who wanted multiple children.

But in 2023, a surprise — Jordan was pregnant again.

"We were overjoyed at the news, but also scared given how things went during my first pregnancy," Jordan said.

The Trapps again turned to the experts at Essentia for their second child.

"They handled all of my complications so well; I knew I could trust them again," Jordan said.

Knowing how Jordan’s first delivery went, her doctors prepared for every contingency ahead of baby No. 2. 

"My doctors were on top of everything and way ahead of the game," Jordan said.

"With Jordan's prior complications, we were prepared for the possibility of anything," said Dr. Segler. "Having a safe plan in place ensured the best possible outcome for both Jordan and their new son."

Again, the pregnancy was smooth, outside of Jordan having gestational diabetes, which she said was well-managed. On Jan. 12, 2023, she went in for another C-section at 38 weeks.

"I was terrified," Jordan explained. "But every member of my care team was in the room to talk to me about the process. They calmed me down, let me know everything that was going to be happening and kept me informed of every minor detail. The comfort they provided me was second to none."

Again, Jordan experienced issues, albeit less serious than what she encountered when Addy was born.

"The C-section was a little more complicated because there was so much scar tissue from my first pregnancy," Jordan said. "I also had low kidney function and needed three blood transfusions because my hemoglobin was critically low."

In the end, she received all the care she needed, and the family of three became a family of four after welcoming baby Dallas.

"The mental care my team provided me during both pregnancies was second to none," Jordan said. "Not just for me, but for Wesley as well. They made sure he was OK and treated us as a team to make sure we had everything we needed mentally, physically and emotionally."

With two kids under the age of 4, the Trapps are healthy, thriving and grateful for the care they received at Essentia.

"I had two very complicated births through the fault of nobody," Jordan said. "But every single person at Essentia worked through each issue and ensured I was well taken care of and that there was an answer for every complication."

At this point, Jordan doesn't think they'll be able to have more kids. If there is another surprise, they know exactly where to turn.

"I would love to have more kids, but I don't think my body can handle it," Jordan said. "But if we do, I would feel 100% comfortable going back to Essentia."