Tradwife influencer Estee Williams is asking for prayers as her infant daughter spends Christmas week in the hospital.
“My little Estelle went into cardiac arrest in the middle of the night. Chest compressions were done for 47 minutes and she’s now on full life support (ECMO),” Williams wrote via her Instagram Story on Wednesday, December 24. “Please keep my sweet girl in your prayers. This next week is a scary time as we see what her next option will be.”
According to a GoFundMe launched to support the Williams family, baby Estelle was born healthy on September 5.
But 14 hours after Estelle was born, the hospital pediatrician detected a heart murmur. Soon after, doctors informed the family that their newborn had two ventricular septal defects (VSDs) or two holes in the walls of her heart.
Williams revealed in her latest Instagram Story that her daughter’s health has taken a turn for the worse. There is, however, still plenty of reason to hope for good news soon.
“Estelle’s neurological status is being closely monitored for the next week to ensure there was no brain damage or brain bleeds after such a long CPR time. She’s also being evaluated for a VAD aka ‘berlin heart,’ which is a mechanical pump that will be surgically placed to help pump blood to her heart, which will be the next step to help her native heart function until she is approved and put on the heart transplant list and awaits her hero heart,” Williams wrote. “Prayers are so appreciated.”
Williams promised her followers that she would make more posts regarding Estelle’s heart journey. She also hopes to bring awareness to congenital heart disease as well as organ transplant/donation.
In the family’s GoFundMe page, Williams’ mother-in-law, Holly Nielsen, was able to provide more details on what comes next for the family.
“Baby E is a fighter,” Nielsen proclaimed. “She’s one tough little girl! She has shown more strength in 11 weeks than most of us show in a lifetime.”
The self-proclaimed “Nana” added, “Her recovery is expected to be long and fragile, with many unknowns. This is a marathon, not a race!”
According to the Mayo Clinic, VSD is a common heart problem present at birth. While some smaller defects can close naturally and lead to no problems for infants, others with larger VSDs may require surgery.
Estee Williams Courtesy of Estee Williams/Instagram
Estee has been married to Conner Williams since January 2023, after tying the knot at a Baptist church.
In May 2024, the couple appeared on The Dr. Phil Show to speak about the traditional wife movement.
“Proud to be an American. Proud to be a wife. Proud to have a blue-collar husband,” Estee previously wrote via Instagram in May 2024. “Proud to be a homemaker. Proud to be a Christian. Proud to have left college behind.”
While both Estee and Conner have faced surprises in their daughter’s health journey, they have remained hopeful that baby Estelle will get better soon.
“We had no idea this was in the cards for us during my pregnancy, however, we couldn’t be more blessed with this sweet little girl God gifted us,” Estee wrote via Instagram in November. “We know the Lord is with her and the surgical team and that she’ll do wonderful! Our little heart warrior ❤️.”
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