Western North Carolina mom gives birth amid chaos of Helene
Mikum Leah Webster gave birth to her baby, Wolfgang, on Sept. 29, three days after Hurricane Helene's landfall in western North Carolina.
North Carolina mom gives birth to baby amidst Hurricane Helene chaos
Mikum Leah Webster gave birth to her son in the middle of Helene's aftermath in western North Carolina. Webster said the storm posed some challenges when she was supposed to deliver her baby, but in the end, she was able to have her baby in a hospital.
CULLOWHEE, N.C.– Amid the devastation Hurricane Helene left behind in North Carolina, one family had a new life to celebrate.
Mikum Leah Webster said she was on bedrest when Helene caused flooding and damage to her neighborhood.
"My goal that day (Sept. 27) was to stay on bedrest and keep myself from going into either a hypertensive crisis and/or labor," she said.
Webster said she had an appointment scheduled at the hospital the day after the storm, but the storm's damage presented a challenge.
"The hospital that I was scheduled to go to called me and said ‘Do not even try to come,’" she said.
The hospital told Webster they were flooded, the roads were impassable and they couldn't see her, she said.
![Flooding in Mikum Leah Webster's neighborhood after Hurricane Helene.]()
Image 1 of 3Flooding in Mikum Leah Webster's neighborhood after Hurricane Helene. (Mikum Leah Webster)
![A flooded part of Mikum Leah Webster's neighboor post-Helene.]()
Image 2 of 3A flooded part of Mikum Leah Webster's neighboor post-Helene. (Mikum Leah Webster)
![Floodwaters in Mikum Leah Webster's area in western North Carolina after Hurricane Helene.]()
Image 3 of 3Floodwaters in Mikum Leah Webster's area in western North Carolina after Hurricane Helene. (Mikum Leah Webster)
Webster said she had to wait for the water to go down in her area the next day before she could get to a different hospital to give birth, but she said trying to find a way there wasn't easy.
"Luckily, we had a neighbor who is in his surgical residency at the other hospital, and he had a way to get there," she said.
After she arrived at the hospital, Webster said she went to the emergency room entrance of the building, where dozens of people were being seen after the storm. She said she was told there was an 18-hour wait to be seen in the ER. Thankfully, she didn't have to wait before she was taken to the labor and delivery department.
Webster said the power was out in most of the hospital, and a lot of the building didn't have any air conditioning.
"Only the things they absolutely needed were getting run at the hospital," she said.
Luckily, in labor and delivery, Webster was able to have air conditioning.
"I had preeclampsia, and had to have an emergency induction," Webster said of her birth experience. "We had to get the baby out quick."
Preeclampsia is a condition that causes high blood pressure and other complications during pregnancy that can lead to serious complications for both mother and baby, according to the Mayo Clinic.
"I do say, delivering in a hospital without running water and without food and without electricity, is not the most fun, but I can't thank the nurses enough," Webster said. "They kept us going. They were bringing food and water from their own homes before the trucks came in with supplies. We were just so grateful to have such great support."
Baby Wolfgang Webster
(Mikum Leah Webster)
In the end, Webster was able to safely deliver her baby boy to prevent any extra complications. She introduced him while talking about her experience on Weather Command.
"Wolfgang Owen Webster, here he is," she said, while showing the sleeping newborn on camera.
Photo of Mikum Leah Webster holding her son, Wolfgang.
(Mikum Leah Webster)
"The best consolation prize," she said of her baby.
Wolfgang was born on Sept. 29, weighing 6 pounds, 3 ounces, according to Mikum Leah Webster.
She said her family's home wasn't damaged during the storm, but they don't have running water, so they cannot stay there. In the meantime, she said they are staying with family.