Such a Happy Baby
June 11, 2022
Taryn happened to be one of the first mothers to join our prenatal support group. Her little Zoey was such a happy baby, she says, despite going through a lot in her first few months of life. She shares her story in her own words below.
Taryn’s Story
I actually didn’t find out that it was a possibility for my baby girl to have Trisomy 18 until I was around 25 weeks pregnant. They told me her hands were clenched and that it was an indicator. I didn’t want to believe them. I did a lot of research and joined many support groups. I refused all invasive testing. I decided to do the NIPT [non-invasive prenatal testing], and it came back with a 21% chance of her having an issue…which didn’t really answer anything for me.
So we waited until birth to test her. We scheduled an induction at 37 weeks because I was having blood pressure issues. She was born vaginally and came out breathing on her own but needed a little extra support from the CPAP. We did full interventions. She had a large VSD [ventricular septal defect] and bicuspid aortic valve and was born in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, at Sanford Hospital.
After Zoey was born, I reached out to Omaha Children’s hospital for possible heart repair. At 7 weeks she was flown there and had a full VSD repair. After a week of recovery she was flown back to Sioux Falls. She had tube surgery a few weeks later. And at 3 months old, she got to come home on no oxygen or any support.
Zoey was doing wonderful at home. Getting so big! She was such a happy baby. Always smiling and laughing. Unfortunately she caught a case of pneumonia, and it wasn’t caught in time. She passed away suddenly and unexpectedly.
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Zoey’s Story Lives On
Taryn reflects on her journey with joy even as she misses her sweet girl. She writes, “I am so honored to be a mamma to such a strong little girl. She taught me so much in her short life and has inspired so many other people. I constantly get messages from teachers, nurses, advocates, etc. that ask to share her story so they can educate others. I will forever share her story!”