‘Everyone at the Princess Máxima Center knew who we were. They don’t often see a newborn baby there.’
Myrna (48) and Kat (37) have three daughters: one who is nine, one who is seven and baby Oakley. All three share the same father, a good friend of the couple. Myrna carried their first two daughters. For the third pregnancy, Kat decided she wanted to experience it herself.
Seeing through two bellies
‘It was a very smooth pregnancy. I wasn’t nauseous and didn’t really have any complaints. Until I was exactly 41 weeks pregnant and we went for an ultrasound at the University Medical Center in Groningen. The doctors saw something unusual in Oakley’s abdomen and noticed a high heart rate. It was hard for them to see exactly what was going on, because they had to look through two bellies. To be safe, they decided to perform an emergency C-section’, Kat explains. ‘It felt unreal’, Myrna adds. ‘This wasn’t the same world as yesterday. We suddenly found ourselves on a rollercoaster.’
To Utrecht
Kat continues: ‘A full team of doctors was ready. It was a regular C-section, and I knew what to expect because one of our other daughters was also born that way. Oakley was examined and tested. Everything seemed fine. Then she was moved to the NICU, the unit for premature babies. There they were able to do an ultrasound of her abdomen. The ultrasound showed a tumor of seven by seven centimeters near her kidney. It was very overwhelming. The next day, Oakley’s sisters were able to greet her briefly before we were taken to Utrecht in two ambulances. One for me, to the maternity ward at the WKZ, and one for Oakley in her incubator, so she could have another ultrasound and an MRI.’
A three-hour surgery
One week later, she underwent a three-hour surgery. Kat says: ‘At the end we received a call from the surgeon. Everything had gone well and her adrenal gland had been spared. Then we had to wait for her to start breathing on her own again. The tumor was probably benign, but it needed to be examined in the lab to be certain. The doctors could only tell after ten days if she needed any further treatment. Thankfully, we received good news!’
A newborn at the Máxima Center
Kat: ‘Despite everything, we felt very supported at the Princess Máxima Center. They think along with you, everything is explained clearly, and someone always joins you during treatments. The food is delicious, too. The nurses and child life specialists helped us so well. Everyone knew who we were, because they don’t often see such a young baby. As soon as they saw the car seat, they’d say: ‘Oh! That’s Oakley!’’
Feeling safe
Oakley is doing very well now. She is growing, keeping her temperature stable and breastfeeding is going well. She is starting to gain weight. Kat says: ‘At first she couldn’t drink well because the tumor had been pressing on her stomach. Now she is becoming such a beautiful, chubby little baby. We are also catching our breath again. Over the next two years, we will go for check-ups at the Máxima Center every three months. That gives us a sense of safety. And we simply turn those visits into a day out.’
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