Why Harris came early
& What happened to Mama...
For 8 years my husband and I prayed to God everyday for children. We
believed that He would be our Infertility Specialist and never went
through all the mess and finances to try and get pregnant. We simply
waited on the Lord.
On October 27, 1999 I found out I was
pregnant! I was stunned and had a hard time believing that someone was
growing inside of me until November 11, 1999 when we had an Ultrasound
to find out how far along I was. I was 7 weeks pregnant by then.
Praise
God!!!!
By the following week I was on bedrest
due to my blood pressure beginning to rise. For the next 5 months I was
on Strict - Moderate - Strict bedrest. By my second ultrasound - which
was the most awesome, wonderful thing I had ever seen - the results said
that the baby was 1 week behind developmentally. The doctor didn't seem
too concerned about that and that was on February 11th.
March 21, 2000 my doctor sent me to the
Perinatologists at a hospital known for its NICU. The worries really
started then. They took an Ultrasound and the baby hadn't grown in size
since the February Ultrasound. I was a swollen, high blood pressured,
sick and worried pregnant woman. The perinatologist started talking
about how my child may be small due to Down's Syndrome, or Pre-eclampsia,
or a host of things. Turned out to be a severe case of Pre-eclampsia
that went to the HELLP syndrome. By March 24th I was admitted in to the
hospital.
At the hospital I
was put on my left side, breathing oxygen, wearing monitors, poked with
an IV to put fluid in me (not much amniotic fluid around baby), put on
Magnesium Sulfate to stave off seizures and/or contractions, blood drawn
just about every day, and checked every 2 to 4 hours by nurses and
doctors. I was rolled to Ultrasound everyday. The perinatology team
there at the hospital was hoping I would stay healthy enough to not
deliver the baby for 2 weeks to a month. 4 days later I was in MUCH
PAIN as my liver started to spill enzymes. The only cure for Pre-eclampsia/HELLP
syndrome is delivery of the baby, otherwise I could die from a ruptured
liver, go into convulsions, slip into a coma, and a host of other bad
things the illness causes.
We decided that since the baby was the
size of a 22 weeker but that I was 26 weeks and 6 days pregnant we would
give him the best chance for survival and have a C-section. Vaginal
delivery could crush him to death.
The moment of truth came when he was
lifted out of me...would he have the lungs of a 22 weeker or a 27 weeker?.....HE
CRIED!!! When I heard that sound I wanted to jump up and down. The
little guy would have a chance! He had usable lungs. He got scores of
8 and 10 for his APGAR's. He was moving his arms and legs trying to hit
the doctors and nurses. What a Fighter!!!!
By the time I was closed up and back to
my room, the pain stopped and my blood pressure dropped from 166/116 to
127/70. That quick. 4 days after the delivery of my son, every pound I
had gained was gone too. That was one of the difficult things to handle
along with having a preemie; to leave the hospital looking like you had
never been pregnant... I cried a lot. Empty Arm Syndrome hit me hard.
To have the C-section, go through all that pain, and not be able to hold
your baby and have to go home to a big "empty" house? Doctors telling
you your baby probably won't be able to come home until the end of
August when your baby was supposed to be due June 30, 2000. 5
Months!!!! Dear God give me the strength and patience to be able to
handle that long without having our baby with us.
Well it is now June 7, 2000 and a
little over 2 months has gone by. Harris has fought off the jaws of
death 4 times and come out stronger each time. He is our little
champion! Also, 2 days before his 2 month birthday, I was able to hold
him for the first time (Kangaroo Care)! Now I get to hold him almost
every day! He is growing and getting stronger...Still looks like the
end of August before we'll take him home, but at least with being able
to hold him things are better. :')
Today is August 26, 2000. Harris has
survived his final surgery to get his intestines reattached to each
other and is now able to use his little bottom as it was intended to be
used. He has had a couple of setbacks but is now doing GREAT. It now
looks like some time in September for him to come home - all we are
waiting for now is for him to take all his meals orally and home he
goes!
I am doing pretty good now and have
discovered that a large part of my problem was an unknown Blood Clotting
disorder. I have a Factor V Leiden deficiency. This almost alway
causes Pre-eclampsia and a host of other problems. But now, praise God,
if we are able to get pregnant again, we know exactly what to do to have
a successful full-term pregnancy.
10-2-00 Harris came home
today and what an exciting day! It is so wonderful to be able to pick
him up and kiss him and hug him and tell him that I love him anytime I
want to! So this is what it is like to bring a baby home! I can see
why people are doing this all the time. He is a lot of work due to all
the meds plus the normal 3 hour feedings whether he's awake or not. He
has an NG tube to feed him and give him meds through. The tube goes in
his nose and down to his stomach and if he is too tired to finish a
feeding orally we "tube" him the rest.
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thepapa@ourmiracleboy.net
© 2000 Jonathan and Carri
Johnson
