Vivienne is here!

Vivienne Eleanor looking at her daddy. Notice how small her abdomen is compared to her chest - this is because of the location of her organs.

Vivienne Eleanor is here! My contractions last night never really went away and became full on labor at about 2:30am. At 3:45 I decided to wake-up my happily sleeping husband. My pain was intensifying, and I was getting jealous of his slumber. We called the doctor around 5:30 and were at the hospital by 6:00. A quick check revealed that I was 7-8 centimeters dilated and 100% effaced - quite the change from the 2 centimeters dilated and 80% effaced that I was during our trip a few hours earlier.

I labored drug-free (!) for the next 4 hours, bringing our sweet daughter into the world at 10:05am. It was the hardest and simultaneously most rewarding thing I've ever done. Dave immediately cut the cord, and Viv was passed through to the adjacent room where a team of doctors and nurses were waiting. Her personality was on full display as she tried to bite the breathing tube while being intubated. Despite having extremely high CO2 levels, she punched and kicked furiously and had to be restrained. She's a fighter - just as mom and dad predicted.

Despite her feistiness, the truth is that Viv is facing an uphill battle. Her lungs are very small, and while she did enjoy a honeymoon period for most of the day, reality was setting in by evening. The first few days for a CDH baby are a true roller coaster ride. They tend to start off strong and then take several steps backward. This is where we are now. She's hanging in there and fighting hard, but it's likely that she will need ECMO (heart and lung bypass) very soon. This isn't a certainty, but a CDH baby with a severe defect rarely escapes this machine. Regardless, there's nothing we can do but listen to her doctors and hope that she first adapts and then eventually makes steady progress.

She looks so tiny in a sea of tubes and machinery.

They keep her face covered to prevent over-stimulation. 

Please send positive thoughts and prayers for our daughter. She is embarking on a difficult journey, and her situation is very fluid. We are very grateful to be at CHOP and are hopeful that her fighting spirit will carry her through the difficult days ahead.

P.S. - We still don't know her key stats like length and weight - those things weren't top priorities after she was born. We'll let you all know as soon as we get the info.

P.P.S. - Mom and dad are doing well. We're exhausted and nervous of course but are above all thrilled to have Vivienne here! We will try to provide daily updates to keep our readers informed of her condition. Thanks for all of the prayers and well-wishes!