Hello, friends! Ella Josephine arrived 49 days early, on February 20, 2024, and we are overjoyed to have her with us. Ella spent almost two months in the NICU and made it through thanks to the medical team at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City. Here are some photos from when we welcomed our sweet girl home!
Ella’s Birth Story
On February 15, 2024, I headed to the hospital for a regularly scheduled ultrasound at 8:00 AM, not knowing that I would not leave the hospital until the end of February! Several reasons made this pregnancy high-risk, so my doctor decided that I should be hospitalized and monitored from then on. It was only the first day of week 32, and my hospital bag was not even ready!
The following five days went by slowly, but I felt strangely calm. The goal was to make it to week 33 while ensuring we were both okay. I was dealing with polyhydramnios (a medical condition seen in only 1% of pregnancies), and the risk of uterine rupture due to my prior surgery. Our baby was dealing with a condition herself, one that we had learned of just four days before Christmas.
Would she make it? Would she be healthy? With so much risk and uncertainty, I spent the days praying to God and reminding myself that if He wanted a positive outcome for us, He would allow it.
On February 20, 2024, my husband arrived at the hospital at 8 AM, for the ultrasound that changed our lives. I remember being wheeled back to my room, and feeling numb after we were told that (I am omitting the exact prognosis) the pregnancy had worsened tremendously. One of my sisters FaceTime’d me at 10:30 AM, and while on the call with her, my surgeon, Dr. Callipari, rushed into my room and yelled “Ana, surgery in one hour!”
From that point on, the next twenty-four hours are a blur. Within a few seconds, I had a medical team around my bed, and I was being prepped for surgery. Then my doctor reappeared, and together we walked to the operating room located on the opposite side of the floor.
To say that I was fearful is an understatement, I was terrified. Once inside the OR, I met the anesthesiologist and started getting flashbacks of my previous surgery. The room was filled with specialists, including the neonatal and pediatric team that was ready to help our daughter during the first minutes of her life. My husband was standing right outside, waiting to be called in.
The surgery took about an hour – quite possibly the most painful hour of my life. At that point there was only one concern on my mind, our daughter’s life and well-being.
The next part is where I tear up. When our baby girl was born, I did not get a chance to see her as she was immediately taken for assistance. Also, because I developed pre-eclampsia, I was hooked to a magnesium machine for twenty-four hours, and unable to see her until the following night. When I finally saw her, inside the incubator, I couldn’t stop the tears from gushing out of my eyes. I couldn’t believe she had made it and that she was in front of my eyes.
What followed were 49 days in the NICU (the neonatal intensive care unit of a hospital), and daily commutes to the hospital to spend up to ten hours per day at Ella’s side.
It wouldn’t be until March 10, that my husband and I were allowed to hold her in our arms, for five minutes each. A few days later, on March 13, I did skin-to-skin with Ella for the first time – twenty-two days after she was born. Finally, on March 21, she tried breastfeeding for the first time.
Being a NICU parent for almost eight weeks is one of the hardest things I’ve done in my life, both mentally and emotionally. We are currently figuring out life with a newborn, and snuggling her as much as possible!
From the bottom of my heart, thank you for reaching out during these months.
Lots of love from us to you! 🥰
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