When little Winter Josephine was born, everyone who saw her said, “She looks so mad,” because she was a newborn baby with a frown. Her mother Hollie Wallis thought that her baby girl could’ve been thinking, “‘I was comfortable in there. Put me back!” But her grumpy face made people smile, especially her mother, who went through a scary time while carrying and delivering Winter.
We are happy to tell you the story of this bundle of joy with an angry face and hope that her story will carve a smile into yours.
Hollie Wallis couldn’t believe her eyes when her pregnancy test kit came back positive. She was in the third trimester of her pregnancy and was fully prepared for what was ahead. From a previous relationship, the woman had two sons. One was 13 years old, while the other was 9 years old.
But she was married now and she and her husband wanted to have a bundle of joy of their own. This proved to be troubling as she needed to be on fertility treatments if she wanted to become pregnant again.
Her pregnancy was just like the pregnancies before. She suffered from what she referred to as “all-day sickness.”
At first, everything went pretty smoothly and the pregnancy was no different than her earlier ones. That was until she went to the doctor to get an ultrasound when the doctor couldn’t detect any . This was very worrisome because it’s this protective liquid that serves as a cushion for the growing fetus. Hollie’s heart sank.
She was diagnosed with oligohydramnios, a disease in which the amniotic fluid level is abnormally low during pregnancy. They were able to locate fluid pockets on the second ultrasound, much to her relief, and the baby seemed healthy on the monitor.
The baby showed no signs of anything being wrong. Until one day, something felt off. She went to the hospital where hysteria ensued. During her visit, her nurse quickly pressed the emergency button sending several people rushing into her room.
The baby’s heart rate had dropped and she needed a c-section immediately. The woman had never had a c-section before and was worried. But it was her only option. The baby needed to come out. Suddenly, she heard a cry. When she was born, all she could think was how tiny she was! She was 6lbs and 6oz and healthy! The woman named the girl Winter Josephine. One thing that stood out to her though was how angry her daughter looked.
Hollie silently prayed for the safety of her child while her husband waited outside, completely ignorant that she was in surgery. Despite all odds, Winter Josephine was born safely. She was little for a baby born over her due date, but she was otherwise healthy. The challenging infant greeted her family with furrowed eyebrows, as though they were all making her uncomfortable.
Babies born with so little amniotic fluid are at risk of having a disability after birth, even with physiotherapy. Some babies don’t even survive while others may suffer from incomplete lung maturation. But Winter was a survivor! She was tough, just like her facial expression. Hollie put Winter’s photos up on Facebook to get help on how to photograph her since she always looks so grumpy. A lot of people were thankful to see Winter’s photos because they made their days a little brighter.
Her photos were also put up on Instagram because Hollie wanted her to be a bow rep, but her unique face made it hard to do so. However, Winter’s photos continue to give joy to people, especially with Hollie’s sassy captions.
