In May of 2012, Liz and Steve Saul learned that there would be a new addition to the family, and began to make plans for Carter James’ anticipated arrival around December 30th of the same year. However, everyone was surprised when Liz’s water broke at only 21 weeks, well before a baby has ever been reasonably known to survive after birth. After a short stay in the hospital, she was immediately put on bed rest and advised to do minimal walking. This included a limitation on caring for Claire, who was just starting to get into everything in sight with her new-found wobble-walk. After completing several seasons of Mad Men and a few attempts at knitting Steve a scarf, Liz knew that the time had arrived for Carter to enter the world and rushed to the hospital in the middle of the night on Sunday, September 9.
Fortunately, Liz had received a course of steroids that have been shown to dramatically increase the development of lungs for premature infants on Friday and Saturday the week before. The doctors attempted to postpone labor using a few methods, but it became very clear that by the early morning hours on Wednesday, September 12, Carter was due to arrive.
In a matter of moments, the labor and delivery room at Edward Hospital was filled with nurses and doctors, all prepping for the delivery. They knew that there would be many challenges from the moment that Carter was born, including stabilizing his breathing and heartbeat. Carter was born at 6:08 am and delivered naturally. He was immediately placed in the care of some of the most amazing doctors, and made it through the first 48 hours without any unforeseen setbacks. Though Steve and Liz went home from the hospital on Friday afternoon, Carter will remain at Edward for a significant amount of time. This website is created to serve as a source for updates, pictures, and news related to Carter’s marathon journey in the NICU – and a goal of getting to the finish line we can’t yet see but hope leads him home safely. Please feel free to share our family’s story!
carter's marathon 
Dearest Liz and Steve,
I can’t tell you how sorry I am that you are going through this, but our God is a great and magnificent God and will surely get you through this with precious Carter.
I hope that sharing with you my husband’s story will give you a great sense of hope. David’s mom was said to never have been able to get pregnant as she was born with half a uterus, but God had other plans in mind. She indeed got pregnant and against doctors suggestions continued to carry her precious bundle. Because she had only half a uterus, she was carefully monitored and with no more room in which to grow David Allen was born at 26 weeks a hearty 3 lbs. He was in the NICU for 5 months and came home swaddled in a shoe box weighing 5 lbs keeping him warm on the stove top. The amazing part of this was that this was before March of Dimes, before all the modern day technology and extensive research done to aid premies to live and thrive. It was 1961. That baby that the doctors said would never be….he grew, really thrived, and today is an amazing man of God of 51 yrs.
My prayers are with you as I know this cannot be easy and is a roller coaster of emotion. Know that your cousins in Oregon love you and are holding you and Carter up in prayer in our family and through our church.
Take care and much love to you both,
Suzanne (your dad’s cousin, Liz) and David Minshew
The Gassett family will keep Carter and his whole family in our prayers.