Support Sophie Caldwell's NICU Journey

Sophie Aurora Caldwell was born on August 19th via C-section with a condition called Gastroschisis, where part of her bowel and appendix were outside of her abdomen. Sophie went into surgery under general anesthesia within an hour of being born to have her bowel put back inside. Fortunately the surgery was a success, the surgeons were able to tuck everything in, but with all of the bowel put back in, it was causing some trouble with breathing so she was put on a ventilator for a couple of days, and then went onto high flow oxygen, at which point we could hold her for the first time. She was given a PICC line (a long term IV running from her leg to the main vein along her spine) for medications, fluids and nutrients. Sophie was unable to eat at all for the first 10 days. Once she was able to breathe on her own, they were able to give her an NG (Nasogastric) tube through her nose for feeding. Once her bowel was able to "wake up", and they could be certain that there was no blockages or pinching in the bowel, they were able to start the long process of feeding and coming off the fluids/nutrients a little bit at a time, so she still has a ways to go before she can go home. We learned about her condition early in the pregnancy, prompting us to move from rural Oregon to Maryland to be closer to family and a Level 4 NICU at The Johns Hopkins Hospital, where Sophie could receive the care she needed.

Our journey has been challenging. We lived in a converted school bus in Oregon, which we felt was not suitable for raising a newborn, especially with Sophie’s medical needs. We drove the bus cross country to Easton, Maryland (about an hour and a half from Hopkins) and found a rental home near family, who have been incredibly supportive. We thankfully qualified for Medicaid to help pay the enormous costs of high risk pregnancy appointments, birth, Sophie’s surgery, and lengthy NICU stay, though financial constraints have made it difficult to pay the bills and left us unable to afford a car or save money.

Christopher's full-time seasonal job in the Lowe’s Garden Center recently came to an end, and he has had to miss work due to our baby’s birth, his father’s passing two weeks before Sophie's birth, and a bout of COVID for both of us. Unfortunately, Lowe’s does not offer sick time, paid paternity leave, or bereavement for seasonal employees, so we have had additional loss of income on top of Robyn being unable to work an extra job because of pregnancy. Fortunately we are both able to continue working on our online stationery design store Honey Blossom Artistry , and Christopher is able to return to his work as a private landscape/gardener while Robyn is looking for another remote from-home job so that we can better support our family.

Sophie is making progress, but her recovery in the NICU will take time. She needs her parents to be present, which has been difficult due to our financial situation. We are asking for help from our community to support Sophie’s care, including acquiring a car to get her to her numerous pediatric appointments post-discharge, cost of further pediatric care, and allowing us to both be present as much as we can for her during this crucial time. Any amount we are able to raise beyond our goal will be able to go towards Sophie's future medical care, including possible cosmetic surgery for the scar on her abdomen 4-5 years down the road if she so choses.

Your support will help us overcome these challenges and ensure that Sophie receives the care and love she needs. Every contribution makes a difference, and we are deeply grateful for any help you can provide. Thank you for being a part of Sophie’s journey.