That excitement turned into an anxiety-filled 90 minutes. As I sat in their room fiddling on my phone or watching TV, EVERY TIME the monitor made a beep or a blip, I looked up to see if she was dropping her O2 and had failed the test.

The Neonatologist, Dr. Clark, came by and said Emmy’s genetic test came back, and she tested positive for Down Syndrome; specifically, she has a clear third chromosome on the 21st chromosome. Or XXX. So we are now moving forward with this clear diagnosis to work with.

When I tell you that Greg and I are completely and utterly exhausted from this last hour of a roller coaster of emotions, that would be a gross understatement. It makes us question some of the medical advice we are being given, and it brings up all kinds of doubts about how much we have to advocate for our daughter.

Dr. Alim called and was super happy with Emmy! She’s not had any de-sat episodes and is even exhibiting better head and neck control in the last 24 hours so she doesn’t need the neck roll for support.

Dr. Alim came and visited and let us know that Emmy failed her second hearing test. She will need to see an audiologist when she leaves the hospital. They sent out for a Cytomegalovirus (CMV) test to see if she has a virus that could be affecting her hearing.

We returned to the hospital this morning and were told that Emery desaturated down to 73 in the middle of the night last night (she needs to be 95 or higher)

Callie and Savannah came to the hospital today to visit Emery. They were so cute, they are so in love with their baby sister already!

They both wanted to know why they couldn’t hold her

I was discharged at noon today, so Greg and I got to go home for a few hours and shower and unpack and just rest for a little bit. We returned to the hospital later this evening to be with Emmy. Greg and I happened to be in the room holding Emmy

Today was a special day. Not only did Emmy progress in her breathing by needing less oxygen, but we also got to celebrate mom’s birthday too! I slept at our house last night and made a stop on the way to the hospital to pick up some balloons and a sugary treat for Julie.

Julie, 7:00 am 3/13: What a whirlwind these last 12 hours have been. Emmy was born at 6:08 pm. Apparently, she was pushing my lungs up into my rib cage, so during the entire c-section, it was really hard for me to breathe, which was truly terrifying.

Emery (Emmy) Joy Ramer was born on March 12, 2023, at 6:08 p.m. She weighed in at 7lbs 15oz and measured 20 1/8”. She was born via planned cesarean section “c-section.” I, Greg, was allowed to be in the room with Julie during the procedure. Julie was an absolute champ during the surgery.