Karlie’s Arrival

Because of Karlie’s omphalocele, a C-section was my only option. I was scared but I knew it was the safest option for Karlie so I didn’t care. My C-section was scheduled for Dec. 20th, 2022. It was so exciting and terrifying to have an exact date. As the day drew closer, I became more and more afraid of what the future would hold. The doctors could only predict so much and unfortunately there was so much that would be unknown until Karlie was born. I believed everything was going to be okay but there was also the horrible reality that I may never bring my baby home.

The night before Karlie was born I remember just sitting in the bathroom crying because I would no longer be able to keep her safe. It was going to be up to her now and it was going to be so scary. I tried so hard to be excited but I was so scared for what was to come. The big day finally came and I had never felt so nervous. My husband and I sat in silence as we drove to the hospital. The staff were all so amazing and helpful and we had such a large team to assist in Karlie’s arrival. They did an ultrasound right before the surgery so they could see exactly where Karlie’s omphalocele was sitting. The C-section itself was actually pretty quick with no issues. I was in full focus mode and just laid there staring at the ceiling. I didn’t care that I was being cut open, I just wanted my baby safe. Once they pulled Karlie out they held her up to me for about 5 seconds before they had to rush her away. I was finally able to see her sweet face and hear her little cry. As I was getting stitched up the neonatologist gave me updates on how she was doing. She was doing so much better than anyone had expected! They had her on CPAP and got her omphalocele all wrapped up and protected.

I didn’t get to see Karlie again for a couple more hours and by that time she had a breathing tube and was covered in wires. All I could see though was my beautiful baby girl. I wasn’t able to hold her and we were hardly even allowed to touch her. We were able to admire her and take a few pictures before they had to wheel me away to my own room. I was in the hospital for a total of three days and I tried to visit Karlie as much as I could. I had to recover from the C-section so the visits were sparse and short. It was time to discharge so we visited Karlie in the NICU for a little bit before going home. It was hard to leave her there but we had to go home. My husband and I cried together as we drove home without our baby. I was finally able to hold her for the first time when she was 4 days old.