“Ghost Baby” Named Hope Born with Only 20% of Her Blood

February 13, 2014

The baby had suffered a fetal-maternal hemorrhage, and doctors estimate that baby Hope had lost almost 80% of her blood supply. A life-saving emergency C-section allowed physicians to give Hope a blood transfusion and deliver her safely. The infant girl’s very pale, ghost-like coloring at birth was the result of her being born with almost no blood in her body.

Why fetal hemorrhages happen is somewhat of a medical mystery: they often simply take place spontaneously. Hope is only the second-known child born in recent years to survive this condition. Doctors believe this infant girl would have died after just a few more hours in her mother’s womb.

Motherly instinct made all of the difference in Hope’s survival.

Vicki Clinebell majored in journalism at the University of Colorado and headed to an advertising agency before beginning a long career in broadcasting, spanning production and copywriting to Sales and Management for an ABC affiliate station.

Her decision to switch gears to pursue a career in writing fulfilled a lifelong ambition. She started as a blogger for a diverse group of businesses, and now writes for a number of digital publications for companies stationed in her hometown in the Rocky Mountains, and provides advertising copy and media buys for national and regional clients. She finds the research as intersting as the writing—she loves learning about subjects as diverse as construction scaffolding, child safety seats, and the newest trends in beauty and fashion.