Lincoln’s Story
O Warrior Stories
Written by: Shelbi Zimmerman
Lincoln Andrew Zimmerman was born on 5/14/2020 weighing 7lbs 11oz and 19.25 inches long! He was born at 39 weeks, 1 day with a giant Omphalocele containing full liver and partial intestines. He was born with Hydronephrosis, Bilateral Inguinal hernias, Torticollis/right-sided weakness, and a moderate/large ASD. We were told around 12 weeks of his Omphalocele diagnosis, which even me as a nurse I never knew about! We denied amniocentesis and gave this pregnancy 100% to God. We held onto our faith and support from other Omphalocele families we were blessed to meet along the way! Carrie and Beta led me to utilize the MOO page on Facebook, and meet Kingslea, Heather, Sarah, and Alyssa. Three of us brought our blessings into the world in the same week! We all share our Omphalocele babies with each other virtually—for now! Without our tribe I don't know where I would be!
Throughout our pregnancy we lost two family members—Lincoln’s great grandma & grandpa, and a good family friend. As our corner in heaven grew, we kept cheering Lincoln on, knowing he was loved and protected from the start. We vowed from day one to keep moving forward with our pregnancy although abortion was continually brought up, we knew love is greater than fear!
We ended up travelling to a hospital two hours away for the final two weeks of pregnancy, moving to an Air B&B for the last week of it with both my parents. He was born into the pandemic-filled world and had a 16 day hospital stay. Seven days in the NICU and nine in the Surgery Unit of the Childrens Hospital of Pittsburgh, PA. My classical c-section delivery required me to be away in a different hospital for two days, so his dad was with him from the start! He met his grandparents around three weeks old. By three months, he had total skin coverage (by the paint and wait method) and by four months his ASD was healed. A true miracle. We decided to switch surgeons and never looked back! His surgery for repair of his Omphalocele was on 12/28/2020. He was exactly 7.5 months of age. They repaired his inguinal hernias at that time too. We had to isolate for two weeks before it, so once again our team of three faced a huge milestone together.
He stood up two days after his surgery, had the most perfect flat belly, and brought in the New Year at home as our stay was only two nights, three days. He graduated PT and started walking around 9 months. He was cleared by Cardiology, GI, and his Kidney/Urology team by 20 months. Lincoln remains full of life. He is in the 55th percentile for weight and 17th for height! He is our constant reminder of resilience. He has brought us immense joy and we are the lucky ones to be parents to this miracle boy!
