Babypalooza Summer 2019

days because her blood pressure was rising—even with
medication.
On her first half-day, she went for an ultrasound
and the doctor told her she was struggling to get good
blood flow through the umbilical cord.
Dr. Aultman said, “You know you need to be
admitted.” “I know,” Julie replied.
She was 31 weeks pregnant.
THE ARRIVAL OF BABY WINSTON
That night in the hospital, Julie prayed. She prayed for
her baby’s safety, for his little lungs, for her own safety,
and for the safety of her husband and daughter. She
relished every moment and every movement because
she knew her pregnancy was drawing to an end. She
was scheduled for a C-section the following day.
It was a difficult night. The next day at 1 p.m., baby
Winston entered the world. Julie’s partners prayed for
her before and after the procedure.
Winston weighed 2 pounds 6 ounces. Julie and Craig
were shocked at how tiny their baby boy was, but they
agreed his first cries were the sweetest sound in the world.
“My c-section was smooth, the staff were my friends,
and the nurses were comforting and kind,” Julie says.
“I can’t imagine delivering anywhere else but at my
home hospital. They were fantastic.”
63 DAYS IN THE NICU
Winston was here, but the Taylors’ journey was just
beginning. Their time in the NICU at the Women’s
Center at Brookwood Medical Center, Julie says, was
“scary and humbling.”
Julie soaked up the knowledge and leaned on the
neonatologists for support. His vital signs are OK
became her mantra.
“The NICU was my safe place,” she says. “They
took such good care of us.”
At one point, Winston developed an infection
in his leg from an IV line that required a visit to
Children’s of Alabama.
It was nerve-racking leaving their home hospital
for a less familiar facility, but Julie was grateful when
she realized the nurse at Children’s was actually one
of her patients. “I almost cried when I recognized her,”
Julie says. She also saw a Brookwood nursepractitioner
at Children’s who was already familiar
with Winston’s care.
When they returned to Brookwood, Winston
continued to grow stronger and bigger and less
dependent on tubes every single day. “It was a miracle
to watch,” Julie says.
To preserve some of her maternity leave to spend
at home with Winston, Julie went back to work. She
spent the evenings with Craig and Cady Riley, and she
spent early mornings, lunchtime, and any other spare
moments with baby Winston.
A SONG WITH SPECIAL MEANING
Though the NICU can be a scary place for some families,
the Taylors took the experience in stride. It helped
that they were surrounded by people who loved them.
“Some of my senior partners prayed over Winston
in the NICU daily,” Julie recalls. “We were surrounded
by prayer. My family and friends were amazing, from
calls to texts. We never once felt we were alone in all
of this.”
The song “Jesus, You Alone” took on a special
meaning for the Taylor family. Julie and Craig sang it
while they prayed over Winston both at Brookwood
and at Children’s, and Julie played the song the first
time she held her baby boy.
“It was so comforting to know that the Lord was with
us and in total control,” Julie says. “This has continued
to be a special song, and I think of God’s faithfulness
and what a miracle Winston is every time I hear it.”
LIFE WITH WINSTON
And then it was time to bring Winston home. The
feeling, Julie says, “was like a big sigh of relief. Like
such a big weight was lifted off us.”
Cady Riley was thrilled to have her baby brother
and her mommy and daddy home as a family. The four
settled into normal family life.
Winston is now a happy 1-year-old who crawls and
cruises everywhere. He and Cady Riley have a sweet
sibling relationship, and their parents love watching
their bond strengthen.
“He’s a happy baby, and for all the time he spent in
the NICU, you can’t tell he was a preemie!” Julie says.
He’s had follow-up appointments and passed all his
visits with flying colors. He does wear a helmet due to
a flat area of his head from the long NICU stay, but it’s
temporary.
Julie and Craig are so grateful for the health of baby
Winston. “I know that not every mom gets a truly
healthy baby,” Julie says. “I know that pregnancy is
easy for some and hard for others. But God is faithful
and hopefully, through our journey, someone else has
hope and comfort from someone who faced the same
struggle.”
Another silver lining? While preeclampsia was certainly
a challenge, Julie realized early on that the experience
would make her a better doctor. “I knew that
God was allowing some of these experiences,” she says,
“so that I could hopefully be able to bless someone else
that was going through something similar.”
34 Babypalooza.comalooza.com