There is so much to consider when having a baby, and that is when there are no additional complications.
One sweet little guy was born with some of his brain coming out onto his forehead, giving his caring parents a whole new list of decisions to make.
But contrary to all the recommended preparation, God had another plan for this family’s life.
Ozzie had all the characteristics of a newborn: healthy birthweight of 7 pounds and 5 ounces, 10 little fingers and 10 little toes, and cheeks that just beg you to snuggle up and kiss them.
Four months before Ozzie’s birth, however, everything changed for Omobola and her husband Checotah.
Every ultrasound before that point went well, and Ozzie’s heartbeat gave a reassurance only a parent can experience. He was perfect.
Then it was time for the 20-week anomaly scan, and that’s when the technician had difficulty “getting to baby’s head,” Café Mom reveals.
“Let’s see if emptying your bladder helps,” she said.
Many moms who have had an ultrasound have heard this familiar tip, doing the song and dance to try to get a baby in the womb to cooperate with your needs.
It will be the first time of many where your child quickly turns the other way when you are asking them to come here.
Omobola and Checotah left the office with no worries, figuring Ozzie was just not in a good position to be able to measure his head.
A few weeks later it was time for the routine OB check-up, but “this time the vibe of the room is off,” recalls Omobola.
The doctor began with a host of unusual questions, like if she had been out of the country recently, or if she remembers getting bit by a mosquito.
All the answers were no, but the doctor still continued to tell the worried parents that she suspected Ozzie may have Trisomy 18, a condition that causes developmental issues due to an extra chromosome.
The specialist they saw in Tulsa, Oklahoma also could not get a measurement of Ozzie’s head in the ultrasound; and that’s when they heard words like microcephaly, encephalocele and anencephaly for the first time.
Trisomy 18 was now out of the picture, but these other brain conditions were more than possible.
The specialist found that Ozzie’s head had not formed all the way and brain tissue was protruding from the opening.
This made Ozzie’s future very uncertain, but one thing was for sure – Omobola did not want to “terminate” the pregnancy as the professionals had suggested.
The brave mother said:
“We weren’t 100 percent sure what was going on and neither was the doctor so we weren’t going to just take his word for things, I wanted to be certain and see things for myself so for me that meant carrying our baby to full term and letting God handle things from there.”
Doctors, along with Ozzie’s parents, created a palliative care plan at St. John Medical Center so that he would be as comfortable as possible if he were to pass after birth.
A few days before Omobola was supposed to be induced, she went into labor, delivering Oz shortly after.
A proud mom shares her feelings when she first saw her sweet boy:
“He didn’t cry first thing, but he did sneeze to assure he was there with us. They laid him on my chest and I fell in love. I looked down and even with his encephalocele covering a third of his face, and a misshapen skull, he was just so perfect to me. I was already in love.”
After Ozzie was born he was allowed to stay with his mom instead of going to the NICU, and instead of deteriorating, he began making all the developmental steps of any newborn.
Despite the fear and prognosis, little Ozzie quickly became too healthy for daily home hospice visits and began to thrive!
Soon, Oz will have his encephalocele removed by a surgeon in Dallas.
Prayers were answered and another baby has defied medical expectations, which goes to show that doctors don’t know the outcome of every situation, just the statistical odds; and people measure up to more than that.
Omobola had a lot of uncertainty with her labor, delivery, and with her child’s health thereafter. She will have a rough road ahead, but at least she gets to go on that journey with choices she can be proud of.
Little Ozzie is a delightful little boy, full of smiles, and we hope he continues to beats the odds, being a beacon for others in the same situation.
