In a remarkable tale of resilience and parenthood, Jennifer Maestas experienced the unexpected arrival of her baby daughter, Kiana, on the side of a highway in Colorado. On the morning of February 18, just after 35 weeks of pregnancy, Jennifer lost her mucus plug, signalling that labour was imminent. Realising the urgency, she contacted her husband, Ricardo Maestas, who was away on a work trip. He promptly booked the first flight back to Denver.
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Upon his swift return home, Jennifer and Ricardo immediately jumped into the car, heading towards the Colorado Fetal Care Centre at Children’s Hospital Colorado in Aurora. This hospital was their chosen destination due to the knowledge that their baby would be born with Down syndrome and a heart defect. Jennifer described the moment they set off, noting the intense feeling that struck her at the exact moment Ricardo walked through the door: “Then suddenly my body was like, ‘Now is the time to have this baby,’” she recalled.
Fortunately, their doula was tracking their journey and managed to catch up with them as they rushed along the highway. This close encounter proved crucial as they began to realise time was running out. “She’s coming. We’re going to have to pull this car over,” Jennifer said she thought as labour progressed. In a moment of sheer instinct, their doula leapt from her vehicle, joined Jennifer and Ricardo in the car, and prepared them for delivery.
In an extraordinary instance of timing, Ricardo was present just in time to witness the birth of Kiana. “Our doula opens the door and she says, ‘Rick, come catch your baby,’” Jennifer recounted. Despite the unconventional setting, Kiana was born safely, much to the relief of her parents. Jennifer expressed a surge of emotion as she described the moment: “I was like crossing my legs. ‘We need to make it. This can’t happen this way.’ And then the moment she came out, I was like, ‘This is how it was supposed to happen. This is it.’”
Paramedics arrived shortly after the birth, transporting the new family to the hospital. However, their journey was far from over. Shortly after arriving home, Kiana contracted respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and required intubation for 12 days. In addition to that, she faced challenges such as severe reflux and underwent open-heart surgery.
During her extended time in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), a significant milestone was reached; Kiana became the first baby at Children’s Hospital Colorado to have her mother’s breast milk fortified with freeze-dried breast milk through Milkify Medical. This innovative approach underscored the hospital’s commitment to tailored care for each infant.
After a lengthy battle of nearly 130 days in the hospital, Kiana returned home, marking a momentous occasion for the Maestas family. “Finally just having our family all together under the same roof is just everything we could have ever hoped for,” Jennifer said, reflecting on the emotional toll and triumph of their experience.
As they settle into life at home, Jennifer and Ricardo are filled with gratitude and amazement at Kiana’s strength. “Every day that we think about the story, it just feels unreal to us,” Jennifer noted. She emphasised the irony of their extraordinary journey: “The fact that she has Down syndrome and had this cardiac defect, and still just did miraculously well during that transition.”
Their story, a blend of unexpected challenges and memorable moments, serves as a reminder of the extraordinary often hidden within the ordinary. Jennifer reflected, “The fact that all of that accumulated in this beautiful story of her being born on the side of the highway… turned into a crazy long and wild NICU and hospital journey. But she has been so remarkably strong and capable every step of the way.”
Now, with Kiana at home and surrounded by her loving family, the Maestas look forward to the future, relishing every moment of their time together.