Embryo Rescued During Katrina Hurricane Born Today

Noah.

And, he had quite a story before he was even born.

This little guy, just over eight pounds, was born to parents Rebekah and Glem Markham at 7:23 Tuesday morning via Caesarean section at a New Orleans hospital. However, this was not the first time Noah was delivered....

The birth is in thanks to rescue workers at a nearby fertility clinic during the wake of last year's Katrina, who saved a batch of frozen embryos from being lost in the flood. Sixteen months earlier, the future of the embryo Noah grew from along with 1,400 other potential babies was uncertain, as the city was evacuated and about to be overcome with floodwater.

Rescue workers retrieved the canisters containing the embryos and liquid nitrogen, making their way to the fertility clinic on flat-bottom boats. They were saving lives, although at the time it was hard to fathom.

Had they not arrived when they did, the frozen embryos would have defrosted, as the power was out and there was no air-conditioning. Making it to safe, cold storage, the stock of embryos could be salvaged. The Markham's were the first to have their in-vitro procedure from this group.

This was the second child for the couple. Their other son, Witt was also an in-vitro baby, fertilized at the same time as his new brother. Witt and Noah are the biological sons of the Markham's, as it was his sperm and her egg used to make the embryo; they tried for ten years to have a baby the traditional way. The couple had five embryos stored in case there were miscarriages. They still have four left, and they may decide to have a third child.

The Markham's decided that if their Katrina-rescued embryo/baby were a boy, they'd name him Noah. Katrina was indeed out for a girl's name, and instead Hanna was their choice, meaning, "God has favored us."

One of the rescue workers who made Noah's birth possible joined the family about shortly after Noah was born.

So, Noah is the smallest rescue of Katrina. And, if a sister or brother should join him from the Markham's stock of embryos, there sure will be one more interesting Katrina survivor story to add to the family.

The only thing that would have made this story more fascinating: if they had twins. After all, two by two....

http://www.cnn.com/video/player/player.html?url=/video/health/2007/01/16/rosegen.nola.embryo.rescue.cnn&wm=10