Saying Goodbye to Pepper Elizabeth

During the summer of 2020, Jennie and Andrew were excited to find out they were expecting their first baby. It was a girl! They decided on the perfect name; Pepper. Pepper Elizabeth was due to arrive on February 25, 2021. At a routine ultrasound on December 9th, the doctors diagnosed the baby with hydrops fetalis and sent Jennie right to Jersey Shore University Medical Center. After a few days of testing and keeping mom and baby stable, the doctors were coming up with absolutely no answers as to why Pepper had developed such a serious condition so suddenly. On December 12, Pepper took a turn for the worse and was no longer stable. At just 29 weeks and 2 days, the baby must be delivered. After a failed attempt to transfer Jennie and the baby to CHOP, they prepared for delivery at JSUMC. The doctors unfortunately were not very optimistic. The nervous parents to be were told that baby Pepper had less than a 10% chance to survive. The doctors performed an emergency cesarean on December 12, 2020 at 5pm. Pepper Elizabeth Krystopik was born at 5:58pm. The doctors stabilized Jennie and the baby. The fight had just begun for Pepper though, and the first 24 hours would be crucial. Pepper was critical but stable for most of the first 24 hours. The evening of the 13th Pepper started to take a turn for the worse. The NICU doctors did their best to explain what was going on, and how to address it. What medications are changing and why. What procedures will be done and the risks. An absolute nightmare for any parent! At just 2 days old Pepper lost her battle with hydrops fetalis. She took her final breathes in the arms of her loving parents. The first step in healing for Jennie and Andrew is to provide a proper burial for their angel.