Isn't She Lovely

Clara Mae Hardy - Born 5:07pm, 3/23/11
8lbs, 4oz.
Crying, Breathing*, Pink, and Chubby.

*(some)

She's here. At around 4:15 this afternoon, Dr. Scherer let us know that Chrissy was not making the progress she had hoped for, and that we probably needed to go ahead and take her in for a C-section. Very quickly, she was prepped and put onto a stretcher and whisked down the hall to the O.R. Chrissy's mother, Mary Ann, and I got suited up and waited outside while Chrissy was prepped for the procedure, and were soon called in. I sat next to Chrissy's head and held her hand while the surgical team worked; luckily, the epidural did its job and Chrissy didn't feel a thing. We were barely aware that they had started when I heard "OK Dad, stand up and take a look." I peeked over the curtain to see the top of Clara's head (full of curly, dark hair) emerging from Chrissy's stomach:

Closely followed by the rest of her:


Newborn babies are gross. They're discolored and covered with goo. But to these eyes, she is the most beautiful thing in the world. And even more, she provided these ears with the most beautiful sound in the world, crying. Sucking in air (at least some) and pushing it out through her vocal chords. A symphony.

Unfortunately, we only got a brief listen to her cries; she still needed to be intubated and ventilated to get adequate oxygen throughout her body.


After the NICU team got her initially stabilized, they rushed her down to the NICU proper and got to work placing tubes and sensors and everything else that was needed. We got to stay and watch for about half an hour though, and we even got to have a little intimate contact with our little girl.


Then the transport team from Brenner Childrens Hospital arrived and got her all suited up in the mobile incubator for her short ambulance ride between hospitals.

Clara's now in her temporary home at the NICU at Brenner (part of Wake Forest Baptist Hospital). I'm by her side here for a few more minutes before I go back to Forsyth to be with Chrissy for the night. The medical staff here at Brenner are already doing a fantastic job working with her, and have been excellent to an emotionally fragile father as well. I'm very glad to have her here where she can get such excellent care.



Clara's started off with some wonderful and encouraging steps, but still will have a very long and uncertain road ahead of her. We've heard from several doctors and other families that have been affected by CDH, and the phrase "roller coaster" gets used quite often. They have been very clear that many of these babies have a "honeymoon period" after they are born, and often begin to have a hard time after the first few hours or days. Clara will need your prayers more than ever for the next few days, weeks, or even months as she struggles to get her lungs working as they are intended, as well as for an uncomplicated surgery to repair her herniated diaphragm. For now though, we will celebrate the successes of today and get some much needed rest.

-Robert