The Seventh

Here we are where it all began, the very same room we were in to prepare Chanel for surgery in early December. I came to realize Isabella had already been born about 30 minutes after I got the call that Chanel was in labor. That puts me in downtown St. Louis on a train headed for the hospital the moment she was born. I arrived to find Chanel half awake surrounded by nurses on every side. It was not until a few light congratulations were thrown my way that I came to understand Isabella had already been born. When it was finally my turn, I took Chanel's hand and kissed it, then proceeded to kiss her softly on her forehead. Her face was covered with an oxygen mask, and she could not speak very loudly to me. One of the doctors, Dr. Yang came in and told us the condition of Isabella. At 3 pounds 12 ounces, she was in stable condition, but without any major improvement in lung performance within the next couple hours, they do not know what will happen. They are transferring Isabella back to the Children's hospital, and we will follow shortly after. They told us they would wheel in Isabella before the transfer so we could see her, which made me very excited. Isabella entered the room with an arsenal of paramedics and nurses, escorting machines and her glass isolette draped in blankets. They removed the blanket from the side so we could look in. She was so tiny and fragile. Tubes ran from inside the isolette to a variety of machines helping her breathe. One side of her isolette opened, and Chanel was able to hold Isabella's hand for a minute. As she did so, Isabella's heart rate monitor increasingly sped up. She knew who her mom was, and that made all of us really happy. Another round of light congratulations was succeeded by Isabella being moved into the hallway and towards the ambulance where she could be transferred.