Nathan Bracken speaks about premature birth of son Chase

As Australian cricketer Nathan Bracken competed in a major tournament this past fall, his wife Haley — pregnant with the couple’s first child — was harboring a secret.  The former cheerleader had been diagnosed with preeclampsia, but opted not to tell her husband for fear of him departing from the competition early.  As it was, Nathan’s team was eliminated and he rushed home to be present for the premature birth of their son Chase, with only 20 minutes to spare.  Said Nathan recently,

I could have lost Haley.  It really wasn’t until I got back home and spoke to the obstetrician that I knew the full extent of how bad Haley really was, her kidneys and liver weren’t working properly and her blood pressure was through the roof.

The experience was so frightening for Nathan and Hayley that they’ve considered staying a family of three, Nathan says.

It doesn’t matter if he’s the only one.  I don’t know if I could bear to put Haley through it all again. I don’t know if I want to take that risk. Haley and Chase are my family now.

Added Nathan,

The first time he grabbed my finger, it was an amazing feeling.

Source: News.com.au 

Comments

I can’t even imagine keeping that kind of condition from my husband. Hopefully she had someone in her family that knew just in case something happened.

- Lisa on December 17th, 2007

pre eclampsia and HELLP Syndrome are very serious. my daughter was born at 27weeks due to this condition and many babies are not so lucky. Hayley may have not known how serious the condition was because we are not educated enough on them. I am glad Chase and Hayley were both okay. Choosing to have another baby is a tough choice.

- Fiona - Moment by Moment on March 28th, 2008