On April 15, 2018, we found out we were pregnant with our rainbow baby. At the time, I was only 2 ½ of 3 weeks along and in denial that it took six tests (even after a blood test confirmed). I also found my progesterone was low due to PCOS. My first trimester consisted of constant monitoring to be sure our little bean stuck.
A few weeks into my second trimester, we went to find out the gender of our little miracle. After fighting with our stubborn child, we found out we were having a little girl!
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We decided since she was due on December 22, 2018 (my Nanna’s birthday), she was going to have my Nanna’s name in her name.
After talking for a while, we each picked a name and it was decided she would be called Rylei Arcadia Diane Lovett. Shortly after finding out her gender, I had an appointment to do a quad screen to make sure all was well with our precious little girl. We received the disheartening call a few days later that the screen came back positive for an abnormality in the form of a neural tube defect. When we were told she had a "greater than 1 in 5" chance to have what they suspected was spina bifida, we were floored. We were then sent to a specialist in Chattanooga to see what was going on.
I went in expecting to hear she may never walk, but at 18 weeks and four days, I found out the situation was much worse — our daughter was diagnosed with anencephaly, rare, deadly brain disorder where the brain doesn’t fully develop. I was in shock. The doctor told me we had two choices: we could either carry her to term or be given medicine to induce labor. Not pleased with those choices, the following day, I went to my regular OB’s office to confirm the news. I was slightly calmer when I was told by the ultrasound technician that the other doctor was correct. The doctor then sat us down and explained we had another option: we could carry to term and donate her organs.
For organ donation, Rylei needed to be 6 pounds, and if she wasn’t born alive, they would only be able to donate tissue.
We wanted to give parents the option to take their babies home, even if we couldn’t.
On December 22, 2018, we went for our induction.
I refused the epidural for a long time. The labor was awful. I wouldn’t dilate, my body wasn’t ready. Each day was worse on the attempts to get my body to labor. The nurses kept trying and even tried Pitocin and manual dilation. STILL, after 48 hours I was not progressing.
Finally, on the 24th, they broke my water in a last attempt to get this going.
If this didn’t work, we were going for a C-section. Sure enough, a few hours later, my body was doing what it was supposed to. Baby Rylei was on her way!
Doctors were rushing around, calling organ transplant specialists, getting teams ready to send her to surgery for tissue. They told us she wouldn’t survive the birth. But she did!
Then they said once the cord was cut, it wouldn’t be long.
So, they kept the cord attached for 30 minutes. As long as they could. When it was time to cut the cord, Heather Moore, the godmother, cut the cord under tear-filled eyes.
They were so sure she wouldn’t make it, we had the chaplain come in and pray over her.
She’s still beating all of the odds and I cannot help but be amazed as I look at the little girl lying beside me.
She has shown me what true love is in such a short amount of time. The organ donation team were some of our favorite people. The man pictured was the kindest, and most gentle man. He brought in a fingerprint kit and was able to get her fingerprint to send off for them to turn it into a silver-plated item for us.
Doctors waited around. They expected her last breath to happen any moment. An hour goes by. A nurse still by my side waiting to call time of death (this was crucial because since she was born alive, they could do live donations and there is a window of six to 12 hours) then a little more time goes by, and the nurse, in complete shock, put a monitor on Rylei’s wrist and said to call her as soon as something happens.
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Then a whole 12 hours goes by. Her vitals were strong.
No end in site. Now here we are, Saturday, December 29, 2018, and Rylei is being discharged to come home with us Wednesday! She’s almost a whole week old and still holding strong. The doctors are shocked. We all are. We were not expecting this.
She’s still eating like a champ and her personality is really starting to emerge. If you all could have only seen the mad face I got today when I cut skin-to-skin short because I had to pee. She was giving me the stink eye hardcore.
After seven magical days, Rylei passed in our arms.
She will save many lives. So far, we know her valves will be helping someone, and her lungs will, too (last I was told lungs will be sent to research, how cool is that?), and her placenta was sent off and the nurse told me that every placenta in this situation matters because one placenta could be the one that tells them the cure or more causes.
There are going to be two kids who make it a lot longer because of her. If I wasn’t able to bring my baby home forever, at least others could.
This post was written by Krysta Davis and reprinted with permission.
