Hello all!!! First I want to say that the outpouring of love and prayer from everyone had been amazing. Brian and Erica are so honored to have such wonderful people rooting for baby P the family. Keep all the prayers coming! They are working! They are still trying to navigate work/hospital/ home life balance. Baby P won't be coming home for a while and they could still use a lot of help!

Tuesday morning, Erica went to Labor and Delivery due to contractions that had started the evening of her birthday. They were coming every two minutes and had become intense enough that she could no longer stay at work, so she headed to the hospital around 10:30 a.m. She was taken to triage and hooked up to both a fetal monitor and a contraction monitor. Penelope appeared to be tolerating the contractions fairly well, and despite how frequent they were, Erica’s cervix was not dilating. Around 4:00 p.m., she was sent home. She was told that while contractions at this stage were certainly not normal, they did not appear to be progressing into labor. She was advised to return if they worsened, if there was any bleeding, or if she experienced a loss of amniotic fluid. Tuesday night was rough. The contractions continued every two minutes throughout the night. By morning, Erica decided to call into work to rest, hoping the contractions would finally ease. When she noticed one tiny speck of blood, she trusted her instincts and returned to Labor and Delivery to be evaluated again. Brian took her in, and from that point on, everything happened very quickly. Although the contractions were not showing clearly on the monitor, the medical team noticed that Penelope was beginning to struggle. The decision was made to transfer Erica and Penelope to KU, as their NICU is equipped to care for 25-week preemies if delivery became necessary. Erica’s doctor reassured her that this would likely mean just a couple nights of monitoring and that they would probably be able to stop the labor so the rest of the pregnancy could continue as “normal.” As a precaution, Erica was given steroid injections to help develop Penelope’s lungs in the event that early delivery became unavoidable. Shortly after, a very small leak of amniotic fluid occurred. It was tested, and moments later her doctor ran back into the room. She explained that while she couldn’t yet pinpoint exactly what was wrong, she knew with certainty that something serious was happening. Erica was no longer safe to remain pregnant, and transfer was no longer an option. Penelope needed to be delivered immediately via C-section. In a whirlwind of moments, Penelope was born safely, making the tiniest, sweetest micro-preemie sounds. ⸻ SO… WHAT REALLY HAPPENED? It turns out that making it to this gestation was a miracle in itself. Dr. Martinelli not only saved Penelope’s life that day, but also Erica’s. Penelope had developed from a cornual ectopic pregnancy, a rare and extremely dangerous type of pregnancy where the fertilized egg implants in the cornua, the upper outer portion of the uterus where the fallopian tubes connect. These pregnancies carry a very high risk of uterine rupture and catastrophic bleeding. After safely retrieving baby Penelope, Dr. Martinelli discovered a “ballooning,” or outpouching, at the top of the uterus where the placenta was stuck. Miraculously, Penelope had escaped this outpouching and had implanted lower in the uterine endometrium, essentially living her best life in the safest place possible. That single detail is what ultimately saved both of their lives. Dr. Martinelli explained that cornual ectopic pregnancies typically result in uterine rupture between 13–17 weeks gestation. When it is discovered preganancy termination would have been advised due to the risks. The fact that both Erica and Penelope made it all the way to 25 weeks was nothing short of a miracle. Divine intervention, without question. Dr. Martinelli, Kirstin (the triage nurse on Tuesday who reassured Erica that she wasn’t crazy), and every quick-thinking healthcare professional involved on Wednesday saved Erica and Penelope’s lives. Because of them, this story can even be told. Never before has Erica felt so seen, so heard, or so cared for—and she owes them everything. This story ends in gratitude and awe. What should not have been survivable became possible through divine intervention, intuition, and extraordinary medical care. We are endlessly thankful for Dr. Martinelli, Kirstin, and every provider who listened, acted quickly, and cared so deeply. Because of them, both Erica and Penelope are here. Our hearts are forever grateful and Penelope’s story is only just beginning