March 29, 2024

2-year-old Newton boy gains national attention

Micah Pickering, born to mom at 22 weeks, was featured in NY Times

Micah Pickering enjoys playing with his toys, spending time with his family and watching a movie that includes a snowman who likes warm hugs. In short, he’s an average Newton 2-year-old boy.

Nothing about the start of Micah’s life was average, however, and his premature birth at 22 weeks and four days is the main reason he’s been in the spotlight lately. Micah was born and treated at the University of Iowa Hospitals in Iowa City, and after his doctor was interviewed by the New England Journal of Medicine for a story on the topic, the New York Times interviewed and photographed him with his mother, Danielle, in Newton for a story about premature births.

That led to the Pickerings being contacted by the Susan B. Anthony List, a pro-life nonprofit, and they were even mentioned by a Congresswoman during a House-floor debate in Washington, D.C. on HR 36, or the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act.

The bill that will move the latest date an abortion will be allowed from 24 to 20 weeks into a pregnancy. It was passed by the House last week, and has moved on to the Senate.

Danielle and her husband, Clayton, the pastor at Newton Baptist Temple, both describe Micah’s development into a fairly healthy child as “miraculous,” and is all the evidence they need that even at 22 weeks, a young life is flourishing. Danielle is still getting a handle on her newfound notoriety, but Micah —who turns 3 on July 25 — seems to take it in stride.

“I’ve become sort of a spokesman,” Danielle said. “But Micah continues to do well in many ways. He does have some things like chronic lung disease, so if gets sick, he needs a nebulizer; if he gets real sick, he goes to the hospital. But he has amazed us — considering he was born 18 weeks premature.”

Danielle is eight months pregnant with the couple’s second child — a girl — so she probably won’t be flying around the country any time soon. However, The Pickerings were in the process of selling their home in Pleasant Plain, Iowa, when they were dealing with the early months of Micah’s life.

Micah spent the first 128 days of his life in Neonatal Intensive Care Unit of the University of Iowa Medical Center. He was 55 days old before his parents could hold him skin-to-skin for the first time; his bones and other tissue needed to fully form before he could be lifted up without being injured.

Micah was also on oxygen when he came home; his lungs were formed at 22 weeks, but couldn’t really inflate and deflate right away.

“There were ways his body was still developing,” Danielle said. “For example, when he was born, his ribs were still cartilage — the ribs hadn’t solidified yet.”

Both parents said they’re grateful to all the staff at the University of Iowa facility, and said he knows not all places have hospitals with all the neonatal intensive care resources found in Iowa City.

“It helps that the hospital is a teaching center,” she said.

Clayton said he knows a large number of premature babies don’t survive, and he feels some divine intervention helped put Micah and his family in a situation to get quality medical care. He also said the way Micah was able to intensely squeeze his parents’ fingers in those first hospital days — despite being hooked up to machines — was a strong message about his son’s will to live.

“If we can help tell his story and save even a handful of lives, that will be worth it,” Clayton said. His wife is due to deliver Micah’s little sister on June 21 — Father’s Day.

Danielle said she really didn’t “show” with Micah — a November baby who arrived in July. Eight months of pregnancy has felt longer to her than it might to most women, having gone only about six months with Micah, so she’s trying to take in the experience of a full-term pregnancy for the first time.

Danielle said she’s been told the Senate’s process with HR 36 could take a while, so after her daughter is born, she’ll be following the bill closely.

The Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act was passed by the House by a 242-184 margin, with voting heavily split along party lines. U.S. Rep Vicky Hartzler (R-Missouri) described the Pickerings while speaking on the House floor, complete with a poster-size portrait of the family, saying Danielle was told Micah didn’t have much chance for a healthy life, yet he is reasonably healthy today.

Rep. Dave Loebsack, the lone Democrat among Iowa’s four U.S. representatives, was the only representative from the state to vote against it.

“I bet that if Micah could have gone up to everyone who opposes the bill and gave them a big hug, he could change all of their minds,” Danielle said.

Contact Jason W. Brooks at 641-792-3121 ext. 6532 or jbrooks@newtondailynews.com