The couple was referred to neonatologists at Geisinger’s Janet Weis Children’s Hospital, where they toured the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) to prepare for what their daughter would face. Sabine continued to receive regular ultrasounds, monitoring the progress. Then, at a doctor’s visit 34 weeks into the pregnancy, she found out it was time for her baby to be born. “The doctor said my blood pressure was too high, and I needed to have the baby today,” Sabine says. “I was feeling fine, but when they say, ‘you can go by helicopter or by ambulance,’ that puts things in a different perspective.” She was suffering from pre-eclampsia, with dangerously high blood pressure that put both her and her baby at risk. Tom drove her to their local hospital, where she was stabilized then transferred to Geisinger by ambulance. At 10:29 p.m. on Jan. 23, 2004, Matilda was born; she immediately was admitted to the NICU and was scheduled for surgery to begin the process of repairing the omphalocele, one of two abdominal wall defects where the organs develop outside of the abdomen. “Her liver and most of her bowel were outside the abdomen, so it was covered with saline-soaked gauze, and she was brought to the NICU,” says Janet Weis Children’s Hospital neonatologist Lauren Johnson-Robbins, MD. “The next day, the first surgery to put the organs back in was completed. Her skin couldn’t stretch to close the wound, so it was patched, and she was brought back to the NICU until she could undergo a second surgery to close her abdomen.” One of the most frightening aspects of seeing their child in the NICU, the parents remember, was when she needed to be put on a paralyzing agent between surgeries. “She had no control over any bodily functions,” Sabine recalls. “It was scary to watch because she had no muscle tone. Her entire body, including her head, would flatten out, and they had to keep moving her.” She would remain paralyzed for three days, with her only nutrition through an intravenous tube. She also required a central line, a line placed in the neck that allows doctors to administer emergency medication in the most efficient and effective manner. As frightening as it was to see their daughter in that state, a more frightening battle was just around the corner. “Dr. Johnson-Robbins came into the room and said, ‘we almost lost your baby,’” Sabine remembers. The central line had led to a very rare complication, and Matilda was in cardiac arrest. Matilda required cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) to bring her back. “I also had to remove fluid from the pericardial sac around her heart, but as soon as that happened, Matilda was dramatically better,” Dr. Johnson-Robbins says. “The next couple days were a little rocky as well; she was on a ventilator and also had an episode of chest-tightening, which caused problems.” “To hear that, after everything she had gone through, something still could go wrong, it was scary,” Sabine says. Fortunately, Matilda’s luck seemed to improve. She returned to the operating room for the second surgery, which completed the repair, and her health progressed. Then, 11 days after she was born, her parents finally were able to hold her. “I was equally terrified and amazed to hold her,” says Tom. “She was so tiny. But she was so sweet, and she just curled up on my chest.” “We held her non-stop, and I think that helped her get better,” Sabine says, adding that they could watch the monitor and see her vitals improve as she was in their arms. With help from the hospital lactation consultant, Sabine was able to start breast-feeding at two weeks. Thanks to the support of the hospital Matilda was always fed with breast milk once off the intravenous nutrition, something her parents also credit for her quick recovery. While doctors had anticipated a six- to eight-week stay in the NICU, Matilda was ready to go home after only three weeks. Sabine says it was difficult to leave the NICU – especially when they had grown accustomed to watching the monitors and having the doctors and nurses on-hand – but Matilda did great. “She’s a very sweet kid, and that made everything easier. We knew it hadn’t traumatized her,” Sabine says. While Matilda needed an additional surgery to battle an infection, she has done very well and is expected to have no further problems. “Through it all, she’s been happier than expected,” Tom adds. “Even right out of that last surgery, she was giggling and laughing.” “We just got really lucky a lot of times. Even when the odds weren’t great, we won out,” Sabine says. “The folks in the NICU were fantastic,” adds Tom. “While they clearly had plenty to do, they never rushed us and always made sure all our questions were answered. They understand what it’s like for the parents – and that made such a difference.” Meet Matilda during the 2007 Celebration broadcast on WTAJ TV 10. Return to miracle kid index | 
