{"id":155591,"date":"2016-10-31T07:00:35","date_gmt":"2016-10-31T11:00:35","guid":{"rendered":"\/news\/?p=155591"},"modified":"2016-11-03T13:59:23","modified_gmt":"2016-11-03T17:59:23","slug":"born-25-weeks-baby-coeli-beat-odds-parents-refused-let-her-die","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/born-25-weeks-baby-coeli-beat-odds-parents-refused-let-her-die\/","title":{"rendered":"Born at 25 weeks, Baby Coeli beat the odds when her parents refused to let her die"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>

Before the recent surge in conversation about late-term abortion, many people didn\u2019t know that it’s\u00a0legal in the U.S. to have an abortion well past the point of viability. What is life like at this stage? Is it really possible for a baby to survive being born so young?<\/p>\n

Let Coeli\u00a0Zielinski\u00a0show you what\u2019s possible.<\/p>\n

Merissa and Brian Zielinski were excitedly awaiting the birth of their daughter when Merissa started bleeding at 25 weeks. She saw her midwife and was sent to the hospital immediately. Doctors discovered she had dilated to six centimeters in the 40-minute drive, and they told Merissa she wasn\u2019t going anywhere until the baby was born.<\/p>\n

Coeli was breech and extremely fragile, weighing in at less than two\u00a0pounds. \u201cWe had many wonderful doctors coming in and out of the room, with one \u2018bad egg.\u2019\u201d Merissa\u00a0says.\u00a0\u201cThe \u2018bad\u2019 doctor recommended that I just push Coeli out and let her pass away because the chances were high that she would experience disabilities, and, he cautioned me, it would be easier on MY body to not have the classical c-section that would be required.<\/p>\n

\u201cI remember just looking at him, stunned, and then I looked over at Brian who stood next to my bed. He didn’t hesitate. He just said, ‘No,\u2019 to the doctor, then he looked at me and said, \u2018We’re giving this baby every chance possible.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cI’ve thought about that moment a lot over the years, and I’m devastated for the mothers who haven’t made the same choice — whether it be from shock, fear, or just not having someone stand by them. It’s scary how enticing the doctor’s words were: It will be better for YOUR body, it will be better for your future children.\u201d<\/p>\n

Merissa and Brian were told that Coeli had a 50% chance of survival and would likely experience developmental issues.<\/p>\n

Throughout her prenatal care before Coeli was born, Merissa \u201cdefinitely got the feeling that they were caring for ME, and the baby in utero was a second thought. Once Coeli was safely delivered, I was relieved. I knew that now that she was born, the doctors would fight for her life — and they did! We were blessed that she didn’t have any huge obstacles in her way during her NICU stay. She was just a tiny person and needed time to grow.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"coeli-zielinski\"
\nCoeli stayed in the NICU for three months, and Merissa recounts that \u201cevery part of the NICU process was incredible.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe doctors knew exactly what she would need and when. They knew every intimate detail about her little body, and we were updated almost hourly about how her needs changed. After about two days, we were able to hold her skin-to-skin, which was an amazing feeling.
\n\"coeli-zielinski-nicu\"
\n\u201cIt’s terrifying to be a parent while looking into the unknown of your child’s life. In our case, the neonatologists thoroughly explained the plethora of disabilities (physical, mental, emotional, behavioral) possible and I clearly remember feeling like, \u2018This is just all too much.\u2019 I spent many hours in the NICU imagining what her future would hold and the developmental obstacles we would face. It’s easy to get lost in the fear factor of the disability label.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

<\/p>\n