Baby Libby

A beautiful baby girl named Libby was born last week. She came into the world earlier than expected, 5 weeks in fact. She weighed in at 2lbs 8 oz and has a full head of dark hair. Libby looks perfect. Unfortunately she has a rare disorder. The following are actual words from her mother:

On Wednesday afternoon we were informed by the doctor that Libby has a very serious chromosomal condition called Trisomy 18. Basically the genetic makeup didn't match up the way it should have after conception. This is why Libby did not grow the way she should have. This is also the reason for her heart problems and esophagus problems. There are many many other complications that are associated with this condition and it is not something that could ever be "made better." Since I was still in Fargo in the hospital recovering from delivery, I was told over the phone by the doctor here at Children's Hospital. Jay and I decided that we wanted to wait to tell everyone about this because we knew that there were some really major and difficult decisions that we would have to make. We wanted to be able to be together and talk to the doctor together before we shared the information with others.
Jay and I met with Libby's doctor this morning for a long time. She took the time to explain the condition to us and what Libby's outlook would be. We asked her a lot of questions and did a lot of crying. This is not something that Jay or I ever ever thought we would have to face.
There is nothing really that can be done to save our precious daughter's life. The doctor said that she is too small and fragile and that if we chose to go ahead with doing surgeries, it is very unlikely she would survive them. The doctor's recommendation at this point is doing comfort care. Comfort care means making sure Libby is as comfortable as possible with the use of pain medication and medications to keep her calm. We would be able to hold her and spend time with her as a family and make the most of the time we can get with her. The doctor said that what would come next would be to remove the breathing tube. Libby does do some breathing on her own right now, meaning that the ventilator is not at 100% at all times. So removing the tube does not necessarily mean that she would leave us immediately. The doctor said that it could be a few hours or a few days. We are not going to have the tube removed today or tomorrow even. We want to have the next couple of days for friends and family to see her and we want Max to make the trip here so he can meet his baby sister.

I do not know Libby's family. They are close friends to a couple of my friends. I have been praying for them all weekend and have been consumed with their story. Day to day a person stresses about a dirty house, bills, whining children. None of that matters. Hearing Libby's story has truly put my life into perspective. Please let it do the same for you. Hold your babies, kiss them, hug them, and pray for Libby as I have.