Help Caitlin and Chris with Ella’s Medical Bills

Our Story

On March 6th, 2021, Chris and I were deep in wedding plans and were doing a wedding cake testing. I was having some concerning symptoms, so after leaving the tasting, we went to the ER. That was the first ER visit and the day I found out I was pregnant. I truly didn’t think that I actually was. I had an IUD and I’ve been treated for endometriosis for years, so this should have been a medical impossibility. Statistically speaking, just unheard of. A miracle.

I was indeed pregnant, it was not ectopic as was feared, and the next step was removing the IUD that was sitting right next to my baby. There was a very high probability that I would miscarry after the removal. It didn’t happen . The IUD was removed and the baby survived. A miracle.

At 14 weeks, I started heavily bleeding. This was different from the usual spotting that I constantly had from the IUD removal. I thought for certain I was miscarrying. ER visit number 2. The baby was okay, thank God. There was no explanation for the bleeding. A miracle.

At my anatomy scan a few weeks later, I was told the baby was perfect, but small. They scheduled a growth scan 3 weeks later. At that point, the baby’s percentile based on size had decreased more to <1st%. I was referred to maternal fetal medicine at UVA for an appointment 3 weeks later. I tried to get an earlier appointment and they were completely booked. I showed up to this appointment nervous, but optimistic. The doctors that day told me that my placenta was failing and that I had to be admitted that day, Monday, July 13th, until the baby was born or I risked stillbirth. I was on a monitor 3 times a day for a couple hours each time, on average. I got steroid shots to help Ella’s lungs. That Friday, her blood flow looked a little better so they discharged me. That Monday, the 20th, I had my outpatient appointment where the blood flow through the umbilical cord was persistently reversed, worse than it was originally, and I was admitted again. The next couple of weeks in the hospital were some of the hardest of my life to that point. The goal was to keep her inside for as long as possible. Eventually, on July 28th, Ella was born via emergency c section. I spent that day having no idea that it was any different than the others. However, Ella’s monitoring was unfavorable, I was having contractions, and it was decided that Ella was safer outside than in. That was the tipping point. Ella was 28 weeks and 3 days gestation, with IUGR, which means she was growth restricted because she had been surviving off of a failing placenta. But mostly God. We knew she would be very small and a critical situation. At 6:15 pm, they decided to deliver, and at 7:08, Ella was born. 1 pounds and 13 ounces. A miracle.

She was so sick in the NICU during her 119 days. We were thankful that she did not have a brain bleed, which is common in preemies of her size, but were discouraged by the state of her lungs, which was worse than expected. This affected her ability to eat as well. She wasn’t able to be taught to eat for many weeks, until she was able be on a certain flow of nasal cannula oxygen. It took months of weaning her oxygen levels and multiple machines. Breathing and eating at the same time is quite the ordeal for a preemie, and eating is still more challenging now. She was on numerous types of respiratory support the entire time she was in the NICU. She was intubated for nearly 2 months and had multiple infections and illnesses, which put her in isolation and kept her from being able to have food through her tube for days at a time, several different times. It was 2 steps forward and 3 steps back. We didn’t know if she’d live several times. It was touch and go a lot and so much is a blur. It was the most painful thing to watch Ella struggle every day to stay alive. To do the most basic of things, like breathe, eat, and maintain her vital signs. Every system she has was immature and underdeveloped. She survived it all. A miracle.

At the time, I took my unpaid maternity leave before returning to work part time for about 6 weeks before Ella came home. Once she was home, I took another unpaid 4 weeks off. I spent every single day in the NICU during that time. Although money was a concern, survival was the first goal.

Currently, Chris works full time during the week and I work a weekend shift. Ella is doing incredibly given her start, but she does have special needs. She has chronic lung disease and always will have lower lung capacity than normal. She is developmentally delayed and we won’t know to what extent she will be for a long time. She’s at risk for cerebral palsy and it could be 2 years before we know. That diagnosis is based on developmental delays and symptoms, which may or may not develop. Her extreme prematurity puts her at a high risk and there’s no way to know the extent of her developmental delays at this point. There are so many unknowns. She sees different therapies and specialists to give her the best shot at normalcy. Physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, pulmonology, cardiology, neurology, ophthalmology, audiology, and I may be forgetting one. But whatever normal is for Ella, is what normal is for us, and we will love and support her all that we can. Because of Ella’s weak immune system and special circumstances, our option of daycare and/or a babysitter was eliminated. That has locked our dual income household into what’s mostly a single income household, with a special needs baby, while making too much money for government assistance. Thank God, most of Ella’s hospital stay was covered by insurance. I do have medical bills from my ER visits and 2 1/2 week admission and surgery, though. Now that Ella’s out of the hospital, we have numerous weekly copays. And from me being out of work for the time that I was, and then having limited options to work now, monthly bills have started coming from our savings account. We’re so incredibly thankful to those who have given to us since Ella was born. We pray the worst is behind us.

We take each day as it comes and know that Ella is a miracle and we are thankful for so many things. We are thankful for the support, prayers, and love from so many people. We thank God for so many examples of mercy that He has shown us. We ask that you continue to pray for us and for Ella. We pray her life is completely normal and we pray for God to help us if she always has special needs. Thank you for reading this, for being invested in Ella’s life, and for loving us through this! ❤️