Baby Madeline Faith at 6 yrs old 

At 23 weeks I woke to a warm liquid rush. I was sure it was not my water that broke because it would be way too early. 

As I stood up I had a gush my fears had been confirmed my water had broke. I grabbed a beach towel and

Headed for the car. I lived in the country in Oklahoma and ambulance response would have been a long time coming.

So I grabbed my phone and off the the hospital I went. As I got closer to the hospital I began to get scared that the baby may deliver with out contraction

Ever being strong enough to be felt. So I called 911 and was put on hold for 10 minutes. As I continued to drive I hung up the

Phone and called the maternity at mercy hospital and asked to speak to the charge nurse. As an EMT-I I knew that the best

Way to tell them I was on the way was to talk to the nurse up stairs first. “alice speaking can I help you” I began to speak

“yes Alice I am a 29 year old female in route to your facility 23 weeks gestation with ruptured membranes. She immediately

Called down to the ER and notified them that I was on the way. I knew they would not try to deliver a

Baby in the ER if they could help it. I stopped my car in the ambulance parking area left the car running and went inside

I told them who I was and they rushed me upstairs. It was then that I knew Alice had taken me seriously she had a room ready

For me and my unborn baby. I spent the next 3 weeks in the hospital flat on my back trying to grow my baby with prayer.

In the 26^th week the ultrasound lady came in and took a look at the baby and did some measuring and other tests and left with out a word.

10 minutes later the nurse came in and said “your baby is in trouble the doctor does not belive your baby

Is going to be alive at the delivery. Prepare yourself!!!!!!!!!! we are taking you to c-section in 20 minutes the doctor has been called”

I was terrified for my precious baby that I had only seen in pictures until now. So off we went the room was cold and

Scary and I did not know any one in the room. Everything was moving so fast. I had never felt so helpless. Soon there was

A little pressure and out came my baby. She was dark and limp and I could not help but notice that they were handling

My baby with one had SHE FIT IN ONE HAND. I began to cry again uncontrollably and then it happen the sound I would cling to for the

Next 3 months a small tiny squeak and then the intubated her and off she went. I was brought a Polaroid of my baby but I could not go

See her because of the block for the surgery. But I was determined. I called 2 EMT friends of mine and said they won’t let me

See my baby I have to see her I have to tell her to hang on and fight FIGHT FOR HER LIFE!!!!! They picked me up and put me in a wheel chair and snuck me down the hall

We went to the NICU I pressed the button and announced who I was. I went in and they told me the procedure. pop open the hand scrubby and nail

Pick. Scrub for 5 minutes. Dry put on a gown and mask and enter. Incubators were lined up like parked cars. Each having its own parking number.

We were in parking space 14. As I located my baby I sat at her bed side. The next weeks would tell how she would fair.

With persistence and pleading I never checked out of the hospital. I stayed in the rooming in room for 3 months. The day finally came that they were going to let us

Room in and see if she was ready to go home and it was a failure. I got her out of her bed checked her temp and it was low.

I bundled her up and held her close and fed her she continued to lose her temp so back to the NICU she went and she regressed all the way back to the incubator.

She stopped breathing and her heart stopped 6-9 times during these 3 months it was the most rocky and stressing time in our

Lives. My husband filed for divorce, he could no longer take the stress of not knowing and having me at the hospital all the time.

I was stunned but I was undeterred in my desire to stay by my baby girls side.

We were able to come home with machines and o2 and pulse oximeter she is turning 6 this weekend and we will fly back to Oklahoma and make our trip to

The NICU to thank the nurses once more as we have every year. Believe me this is a much deserved trip if you think of the other option which is

With out these angels that we call nurses I would be going to my tiny baby’s grave. I am forever in debt to these nurses and doctors.

Maddie is my joy my life and my treasure. Just like the other 4 of my children before her.

 

Lori   

---

 Baby Audrey

Jenni & Audrey's Story

~Carissa ~

 Baby Austin

Lois & Austin's Story

My husband and I found out that I was pregnant with our third child in December of 2002.  The pregnancy was a happy surprise for us.  Our other two sons were both born at 36 weeks gestation and we assumed this child would be born early as well.  We didn’t expect him to be born 15 weeks early.

On the morning of April 11, 2003, I had a regular pre-natal visit with my doctor.  Everything was text book so far, and she asked me how I was doing.  I had a few complaints, but what pregnant woman doesn’t.  She seemed a little concerned when I mentioned I was having a discharge along with slight discomfort.  Luckily, she did not feel comfortable sending me home and wanted to do an internal exam just because my other two children were early.  I got the shock of my life when she told me I was between 4 and 5 centimeters dilated with bulging membranes.  I was told to lay down as she did not want any pressure on my cervix and I was rushed to the hospital by ambulance.  The doctor on call told me what the plan of action was and I was given steroid shots for lung development along with another drug to stop contractions.  Shortly after I arrived at the hospital, I started leaking amniotic fluid.  I was practically upside down so that there was no pressure on my cervix and I was on strict bed rest and was told I would remain in the hospital until my baby was born.  I was monitored around the clock for three days.

While I was on bed rest in the hospital, we had a consult with the neonatologist and were told that our baby had an 80 percent chance of survival.  The longer he could stay inside me the better off he would be.  On Monday, April 14^th, I had a sonogram and the amniotic fluid level dropped, the baby was now in the breech position and I was seven centimeters dilated.  At this point they told me I could sneeze him out which could be fatal for him.  The doctor recommended a c-section.  Austin was born at 25 weeks and 4 days gestation, weighing in at 1 pound 12 ounces and he was 13 inches long.  He was whisked away to the NICU immediately after he was born.  I remember my husband saying “he’s bigger than I thought.”  They wheeled him by me so that I could catch a glimpse of him.  At that moment, all I could do was cry, he was so tiny.  I didn’t know what to expect.

His first week of life went pretty well, but the doctors and nurses warned us of the “honeymoon period.”  That was definitely the case for Austin.  He started out on the conventional respirator at very low settings.  There was even talk of putting him on c-pap his first week of life.  The honeymoon period was over when he had a partial lung collapse and he was moved to the oscillator respirator for two weeks.  The oscillator gives short quick breaths and he seemed to just be shaking. While he was on the oscillator, he had to be sedated because the tube in his throat needed to stay stationary.  So, we could not hold him during that time.   At this point, we were told that he was a “very sick baby.”  We were not sure if he was going to make it.  It was so hard looking at him. 

He was moved back to the conventional respirator after about 2 weeks.  I finally got to hold him for the very first time when he was about a month old.  Our original primary nurse did not push for kangaroo care.  We finally realized that we had to speak up for our son because he obviously could not.  I was able to start kangaroo care with Austin and things started to look up.

After about six weeks of age, Austin had his first eye exam.  The doctor saw some ROP and wanted him to be checked again in a week.  When the eye doctor came for the follow up visit, the ROP had progressed and surgery was recommended.  We had to have Austin transferred to another hospital to have the eye surgery.  His transfer did not go as smoothly as we had hoped.  The new hospital did things differently and everything was new and different.  Austin seemed to struggle the first night and surgery was set for the next day.  I remember crying when we finally met the doctor who was going to do the surgery.  He seemed cold and basically spoke directly to my husband.  I just wanted to know if my baby was going to be o.k.  The surgery went fine and we went over to see him in recovery.  He had some sort of reaction to the morphine he was given and was not breathing on his own.  The respirator was doing the breathing for him.  Twenty four hours later when the morphine was out of his system, he was a new baby.  He stayed for a few more days and was transferred back.

Once he came back to the original hospital, he extabated himself (it was Friday, the 13^th) and they decided to put him on CPAP.  He did great!!  He was on that for three days then went to the nasal canula.  Once he was comfortable on the canula, they started feeding him bottles.

Finally, after 93 days in the NICU and nine days before his due date, we were able to bring our baby home.  He came home with a breathing monitor as well as oxygen for feedings only.  He was followed by some specialists once he was home, and had a few struggles with weight gain, but basically he thrived.  He started wearing glasses at 10 months old and for the first two winters we kept him away from crowds.

Austin is now five years old and he just started Kindergarten.  He is small for his age, but he is on the growth chart and growing at a steady rate.  He wears glasses for extreme nearsightedness and is followed three to four times a year by a pediatric ophthalmologist. 

Not a day goes by that I do not think about his days in the NICU.  We thank God every day for our little miracle.

~Lois~