A World Away From the Birth Plan: Chelsea’s Story

Summary Paragraph

Chelsea was visiting family and friends in Kentucky when the unexpected happened. The night before she was supposed to fly back home to Germany, she went into preterm labor with her first baby while her husband Matt was an ocean away.

Thankfully, the advanced obstetrics and neonatal teams at St. Elizabeth Healthcare helped Chelsea navigate the unexpected and guide her through her daughter’s early arrival.

 Key Takeaways

• Chelsea went into preterm labor at 27 weeks while visiting Kentucky, thousands of miles from her home in Germany.
• The St. Elizabeth Healthcare Family Birth Place helped Chelsea navigate an unexpected early delivery with trusted, compassionate care.
• Vivian received specialized support in St. Elizabeth Edgewood’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), where the team cared for both the baby and her family.
• Chelsea and Matt credit the NICU team’s clear communication, compassion and presence with helping them feel supported during a vulnerable time.

A Visit Takes an Unexpected Turn

After living with Matt in Germany for almost a year, Chelsea found herself missing her loved ones back in the United States. She flew to Kentucky for a visit when she believed she still had several months of pregnancy to go — plenty of time to catch up with her parents and others before returning to Germany to deliver their baby.

Instead, the night before she was scheduled to fly home, Chelsea couldn’t sleep. She felt sharp, shooting pains in her lower back and into her abdomen.

“It was a pain I had never felt before, so I was concerned,” she says.

Chelsea went to the St. Elizabeth Healthcare Family Birth Place — a labor and delivery unit she was familiar with not only because of its proximity to her parents’ house, but also because she’d once worked there as a postpartum nurse.

“I know it’s a trusted place with compassionate care,” she says.

Chelsea learned that although she was only 27 weeks pregnant, she was in labor.

“I was truly shocked,” she says. “Just when you think life is unfolding exactly as planned, everything can change in an instant.”

Meeting Vivian

Chelsea’s care team tried to delay delivery by using magnesium sulfate to reduce her contractions. Before Matt could catch a flight from Germany, though, Chelsea’s contractions started again. Although it wasn’t what they’d planned, Matt was still able to watch the birth of his daughter, Vivian, on video — and he arrived the next morning.

“It wasn’t the most desirable situation, but it was truly beautiful, and [now] it’s just a part of our story,” Chelsea says.

Because Vivian was born prematurely, she needed to go to St. Elizabeth Edgewood’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) after delivery. The NICU holds a Level III designation, meaning it provides one of the highest levels of care and support to newborns born early or who need extra attention.

When nurses wheeled Chelsea over to the NICU to meet Vivian for the first time, she felt nervous. Yet as soon as she saw her daughter, her eyes welled up with tears.

“My heart cracked wide open,” Chelsea says.

NICU Assistant Nurse Manager Julie Wolking remembers her first interaction with Chelsea and Matt.

“Their strength stood out immediately,” she says. “It was clear that this is an incredibly kind and caring family.”

Finding Comfort and Care

Vivian’s progress in the NICU has been nothing short of a miracle, Chelsea says. She required minimal assistance from the beginning, has continued to gain weight and, for the most part, has tolerated her feedings well.

“We are just so proud of her and admire her strength so much,” Chelsea says.

For now, Chelsea and Matt are postponing their return to Germany while Vivian grows bigger and stronger in the NICU at St. Elizabeth.

“My conviction is that God’s timing is everything,” Chelsea says. “I could have gone into labor on an airplane across the world, but God protected us. He also kept us safe at home, with family, where we have all the support we need. Vivian being safe, in the NICU here at St. Elizabeth, is a miracle. We know in our hearts that she would not be receiving the incredible care in Germany that she is here.”

A typical day for the new parents includes arriving at the hospital in the morning and spending quality time with their daughter — holding her, reading to her and changing her diaper. Matt plays guitar for Vivian.

Chelsea credits the team at the NICU for not only caring for their daughter but also for her.

“One day, I had a heart-to-heart with Mary, one of [Vivian’s] incredible nurses, and I was explaining to her that I had been feeling anxious,” Chelsea says. “She was so reassuring. She cried with me and gave me the most reassuring hug. Her compassion really shone through for me in that moment.”

For Wolking, compassion is one of the pillars of the NICU team’s philosophy.

“[We strive] to meet families exactly where they are during one of the most vulnerable times in their lives,” she says. “We focus on compassion, clear communication and being fully present — walking alongside them through both the highs and the lows.”

Learn more about the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at St. Elizabeth Healthcare.