Mile 73

​Baby Lydia was born with bladder exstrophy, a rare congenital condition where the bladder has formed on the outside of the body. Most cases also include orthopedic issues, where the hips are “butterflied” or flared out and the pelvic bones are not joined. Because it is so rare – affecting about 1 out of every 50,000 births – there is little research on what causes bladder exstrophy. More tests were needed to confirm there weren’t issues with other organs, like the heart and brain. The helicopter to take Lydia to New Orleans was already on the way. Micah and Zoe soon got the answers they were looking for from Dr. Christopher Roth, Pediatric Urologist at Manning Family Children’s. One of the most surprising pieces of news Zoe and Micah received that day was that they would be taking Lydia home within a few days, even though her bladder would still be outside of her abdomen. Dr. Roth explained Lydia’s closure surgery – which would put her bladder inside her abdomen, close her pelvis around it, and correct the flaring of her hips – would be more successful when she was older. Lydia was six days old when she was discharged from the Children’s NICU.

​On Jan. 26, 2024, the orthopedics and urology teams at Manning Family Children’s had a single case on their surgery schedule – little Lydia’s big day had finally arrived. Five days after surgery, Lydia was doing well enough to be transferred from the ICU to a floor unit. To begin preparing Lydia to return home, one of her four catheters was removed a few weeks post-surgery. On Feb. 23, Lydia’s last catheter was removed, marking the first time in her young life that she didn’t have something outside of or attached to her body. It took about a day, but Lydia finally had a wet diaper on her own. As Lydia continues to grow, she receives ongoing medical care from the urology team at Manning Family Children’s. She is doing well, and is thriving.