Home for mom: NICU patient arrives home early, spends Mother’s Day with family

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- Nicole and Cody Seaman weren't planning on having their baby in El Paso, or delivering her two months early. But when Nicole was suddenly diagnosed with preeclampsia, their plans changed.

Experts say preeclampsia is a complication of pregnancy in which the mother can experience high blood pressure, high protein levels, or signs of organ damage. If left untreated, it can lead to serious or even deadly complications for both mother and baby.

"It was a wild ride," said Nicole. "It started with... a complimentary ambulance ride, with the empty ambulance for the baby following behind, which was nerve-wracking. We ended up at Del Sol."

Once they had made the nearly two-hour trek from their home in Cloudcroft, New Mexico to Del Sol Medical Center in El Paso, Nicole said nurses and doctors immediately began preparing her for an emergency delivery. Although she had given birth seven times before, she had never experienced anything like it.

"I have had healthy, full term babies. So to deliver a 33-weeker was still terrifying for me," she said. "The only treatment for preeclampsia is delivery... Moms would give their lives for their babies. So I was like, 'Just keep her, and let whatever happens to me, happen.' But unfortunately, it wouldn't have helped the baby. So the safest thing to do was deliver her."

After her daughter, Tulie, was born, Nicole said they spent a month in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). And while Nicole, Cody and Tulie missed Easter and one of their other childrens' birthdays during that time, they said the nurses at Del Sol Medical Center helped them feel at home.

"We got to kind of know each of the nurses that were on staff, and that was fun. So we made some new friends," said Cody.

Towards the end of their time at Del Sol Medical Center, a doctor told Nicole and Cody that Tulie was strong enough to be cared for at home -- two weeks earlier than they had initially thought. Now, all three are back in Cloudcroft with the rest of their family, just in time for Mother's Day.

"She's cute and fun and all the other kids coo over her and they love having her home," said Nicole.