The Tale of Two Christmases: Celebrating a NICU Miracle

In December 2022, Haley and Scott Ingold received an early Christmas present – the exciting news that their first child was on the way. This December, they have a new reason to celebrate – overcoming the most difficult time of their lives and reveling in their baby’s triumphant victory.  

“We were expecting a normal, healthy pregnancy,” Haley recalled. “But, my blood pressure was high at my first appointment, so my OB-GYN referred me for a maternal fetal medicine consultation. They said the baby was measuring small, but everything else looked fine, so we were definitely relieved.”  

A rubber duck gender reveal announced that a baby boy, later named Rhett, was on the way.  

“We were hoping for a boy, so we expected it to be a girl,” Haley said with a laugh. “At this point, we were very excited and looking forward to his arrival. My original due date was Aug. 6, but we were expecting him to arrive in mid-July.” 

In late May, at 28 weeks pregnant, Haley went to her local hospital in Lake Charles to get a shot needed to protect her and the baby. During the appointment, Haley’s blood pressure was significantly elevated, and she was admitted for monitoring. She was diagnosed with preeclampsia, a pregnancy-related condition characterized by high blood pressure. If left untreated, preeclampsia can lead to serious complications for both the mother and the baby.  

“I was on bedrest for the next few days, but the medical team grew increasingly concerned about both of us because my blood pressure wouldn’t go down,” Haley explained. “Recognizing the urgency, they decided to deliver Rhett early, via C-section on May 24.”  

Rhett arrived almost ten weeks before his due date and immediately faced challenges with his breathing. He initially spent time on a ventilator, a machine that breathes for the patient while the lungs are developing or recovering. As Rhett’s lungs got stronger, he progressed to a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine, which does not require a breathing tube. 

At the end of June, Rhett developed a minor infection that was quickly treated. All of the follow-up tests were negative, indicating that the treatment had been successful. Unfortunately, Rhett became ill again and was transitioned back to the ventilator and then to a high frequency oscillatory ventilator, commonly known as an oscillator, a specialized type of ventilator that can be used as a rescue strategy to provide more oxygenation and ventilation support for the lungs.  

“The following day, my husband got home from work around three o’clock in the morning, so we called to check on Rhett,” Haley explained. “The team was concerned about how much oxygen he still needed but gave us a bit of hope in that they had been able to wean him down just a bit. By the time I arrived at the hospital around 11 a.m., Rhett was in serious respiratory distress, and they told me to call Scott to rush to the hospital.”  

The NICU team in Lake Charles told Haley and Scott that it was time for Rhett to be transferred to a higher level of care. Within hours, he was flown to the Level IV NICU at Children’s Hospital New Orleans.  

“The team in Lake Charles was wonderful, and I know they did everything they could for Rhett,” Haley said. “I’m so thankful that they recognized when Rhett needed more than they could provide. His condition was so serious that they wanted him to be evaluated for ECMO.”  

ECMO stands for extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, a type of life support treatment that oxygenates the blood outside of the body, allowing the heart and lungs to rest and recover. Haley and Scott rushed home to get some clothes and then jumped in the car. They arrived at Children’s Hospital New Orleans around midnight. Haley recalled that both of them were okay on the drive, but that she was overcome when she saw Rhett in New Orleans and had to sit down. 

The neonatologist on the overnight shift quickly reassured Haley and Scott that Rhett had handled the flight well. Sensitive tests revealed that Rhett had pneumonia from a bacteria similar to his earlier infection. After careful evaluation, it was determined that ECMO was not the best course of treatment for Rhett, but the Children’s Hospital New Orleans team had a battle plan to help his weak lungs fight the pneumonia.  

“We thought ECMO would be a life-saving measure, so we were very scared after learning it wasn’t a safe option for Rhett,” Haley said. “But, from the beginning, it was clear that the Children’s Hospital New Orleans team knew what they were doing, and we quickly trusted their expertise. We also appreciated they didn’t shy away from the hard conversations. They were as compassionate as they could possibly be, while being honest with us about his situation. Their NICU team is much larger than what we had been used to, and it was comforting knowing that Rhett was being cared for by so many experts.” 

Dr. Julie Gallois became Rhett’s initial primary neonatologist and visited with the Ingold family multiple times a day.  

“At one point, she told us there was a chance Rhett might not make it,” Haley shared. “We would later learn that Rhett was one of the sickest babies in the NICU when he arrived.” 

Within a few days, Haley and Scott were able to secure a living space at the local Ronald McDonald House, allowing them to stay close to Rhett and lifting a significant financial burden. Although Scott made a few trips back home in the ensuing months, Haley remained in New Orleans with Rhett.  

“The NICU in Lake Charles was one large room, making it challenging to stay for a long time,” Haley explained. “Since Rhett had his own room at Children’s Hospital New Orleans, I was able to stay all day, stepping away only to eat or sleep at night. Even when we weren’t at his bedside, the nurses were amazing about giving us updates. They never made us feel like we were bothering them.”  

Together, Rhett’s care team and parents celebrated every victory – the little drops in the amount of oxygen he required to the big news that he would not need a tracheostomy, or “trach,” to support his breathing.  

“We took time to transition him from the oscillator to the ventilator, the ventilator to the CPAP, until he only needed a simple nose cannula,” Haley said. “As his breathing improved, we began to focus on his feeding. He had spent so long on a ventilator that we were concerned about oral aversion.” 

Oral aversion can be common in NICU babies who require intubation and mechanical ventilation, as the tube can impact their oral motor skill development and create discomfort around the mouth.  

“He was doing well with a pacifier, so we started offering him a small amount of thickened breast milk each day,” Haley explained. “He did well for the first few days, and then he was just exhausted and wanted to sleep all day. But, because the doctors were really happy with how well his lungs were progressing, we decided to place a feeding tube to ensure Rhett’s nutritional needs were met while we continued to practice feeding by mouth at home.” 

After 115 days at Children’s Hospital New Orleans and a total of 161 days in NICU, the Ingold family headed home to Lake Charles.  

Today, Rhett needs a low level of oxygen via a nose cannula and continues to practice his bottle feeding. At birth, he weighed two pounds and two ounces, but is now a big boy at 13 pounds, 3 ounces.  

“Without a doubt, this was the hardest experience of our lives,” Haley said. “But the NICU team at Children’s Hospital New Orleans kept us afloat. We arrived as terrified parents with a very sick baby, and we left as friends. They did everything they could to brighten our sad, scary days. Two nurses even came in on their day off to see Rhett one last time, and we are still getting messages from our care team checking in on us and Rhett. This experience has shown me just how special you have to be to work in a NICU.”   

Thanks to the expert, compassionate care of the NICU team at Children’s Hospital New Orleans, the Ingolds will surely enjoy a very Merry Christmas. For more information about the NICU at Children’s Hospital New Orleans, visit this website: Neonatal Intensive Care | Children's Hospital New Orleans (chnola.org)