Valerie Christie was ecstatic when her baby girl Ryleigh was born. However, just three days later — the happy mom received devastating news.
“She was a healthy weight when she was born and nothing had shown up during my pregnancy so I didn’t think there was anything to worry about,” Christie told the Mirror.
Three days after Ryleigh was born, Christie could tell something wasn’t right. Her newborn baby began to breathe rapidly, so she rushed her to the hospital. When Christie went to check on her cot after a few hours, Ryleigh wasn’t there — she had been rushed to NICU.
After running scans, the doctors discovered that the 3-day old baby had holes five holes in her heart.
Normally, when a baby’s heart is developing in the womb, there is an opening between the upper chambers of the heart. This allows the blood to bypass the lungs. Normally, it would close by the time a baby is born. However, this wasn’t the case for Ryleigh. The condition makes it hard for her to breathe; it can also lead to lung problems, heart failure, or stroke.
“It was a relief to know that there were finally some answers as to why she was so poorly, but it was terrifying when the doctors told me how many holes Ryleigh had in her heart. She was so tiny and her heart was the only the size of a walnut, yet she had five holes in it. I was worried that she wasn’t going to survive,” Valerie Christie said. “The doctors told me she would have to have an operation, so I had to hope and pray that she was strong enough to survive.”
Now at just 11-weeks old, Ryleigh was going to undergo open-heart surgery, a unique open-heart surgery.
The material that the doctors used to sew up the holes in little Ryleigh’s heart was Gore-Tex — the very same material used to make raincoats. According to the Mirror, “it is used in heart operations because it’s very elastic and has a honeycomb structure to it that allows the patient’s own cells to grow in and around it.”
“It was such a relief when the operation was over and she had survived it. The doctors have done a wonderful job in mending her heart and I am so grateful to them,” Christy explained.
After the risky heart surgery, Ryleigh regained consciousness but her battle wasn’t over yet.
The newborn little girl survived two infections and fitted with a pacemaker to help regulate her tiny heart. Her mom says that she is a fighter and will continue do just that. She’ll be required to go to the hospital for monthly check-ups, but everyone’s hopes are high.
Valerie Christie can’t wait until her baby girl is finally healthy and healed, but she couldn’t be more proud of her. Her daughter is left with two big scars across her chest, but she plans on getting tattoos on her own chest to show Ryleigh she’s not alone.
“She has been through so much, but she is such a little fighter. I call her my warrior princess.”
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