When we conceived Reece I was already having a problem with my lower back but I really had no idea what was wrong nor did I think the discomfort would last long. As it turned out I had a degenerative disk in my lower spine(L5) which just so happens to be one of the disks that supports the extra pregnancy weight! Wonderful! During the first 3 months of my pregnancy I experienced "all day" sickness along with some back discomfort. As the pain progressed I became more concerned and when I did not feel completely comfortable with my docter we made the decision to switch to a specialist. I felt like I needed more attention and they did not seem to be paying enough attention to my thyroid levels(My thyroid gland was removed in Jan,2004). I started seeing a peri-natologist which was probably a life saving decision for Reece. By the 2nd trimester I was in a lot of pain with my back and barely making it through the day. I was not able to take anti-inflammatories due to the pregnancy so I took daily doses of tylenol(which the dr. said was fine).
I often wonder now if the Tylenol somehow caused the problem that Reeec had but I try not to beat myself up about it. The Doctor told me that it just happened!.
At around 28 weeks I felt like I was having some cramping so I was sent to the "pregnancy" emergency room at St. John's. After a complete examination it was determined that I was fine but we decided to do an ultrasound just in case(even tough my Dr. had just done one the week before). During this ultrasound it was determined that my amniotic fluid was very low,Reece's arm's and leg bones were shorter than usual and His kidney's and bladder were distended due to aminiotic fluid backing up into these organs. We were told that there was a chance that Our baby had Down Syndrome and we were crushed! They quickly scheduled us an appointment with a genetic counselor and told us we needed to decide if we wanted to do an amniocentisis(to further determine if he had DS). We were also told if we chose to do the amnio then there was an increased risk of preterm labor. It was not a hard decision for us becuase we were not willing to risk him being born too soon. If he had DS we would deal with it and love him no matter what!
The next day , after a lot of tears, we met with my perinatologist. He checked me again and also did another ultrasound which again showed even lower fluid levels and larger bladder and kidneys. That day I started steroid injections...I needed to get 2 and they had to be 24 hours apart(this was tuesday) so we were told to come back friday for a stress test and ultrasound. I was told to pack my bags because most likely we would have Reece that day.
Reece was born via emergency c-section on April 29th at 3PM. The first thing the resident doctor said was "WOW...there is not any amniotic fluid and the second thing was "that's a big baby for 30 weeks." ( 17 inches 3 pound 13 ounces) From behind the curtain I prayed that we would be able to hear Reece's cry(they were not sure his lungs would be developed enough). I just remember saying out loud "cry baby cry" ...and he did it! The next I heard was that at a glance he did not look like he had DS but they needed to check him out further. Neither Joe or myself were able to hold him because they needed to get him to the NICU immediately. Joe went with Reece because I forced him to. He felt needed in both places but in my mind there was no place more important then to be with the baby. He kept me posted on Reece's progress and I was able to see him for a few moments after surgery (c-section) and then not again for 24 hours. Joe was a superstar running across the whole hospital all night getting updates and touching Reece whenever I asked him to. At some point during our stay at the hospital we were told that if I had not had that particular ultrasound and/or those cramps that Reece would probably not have survived. I truly believe that God sent me to the hospital that day in order to save his life. I still tear up just thinking about the possibility that we would not be celebrating Reece's 4th birthday! He is truly our miracle baby!
I was sent home from the hospital after 4 nights and nothing can describe the emptiness you feel when you leave the hospital without your baby. I remember touching my empty belly as we rode home and feeling so lonely and afraid for him and for us. At 5 days old Reece had surgery to reroute the opening to his bladder. A hole was made in his tummy just below his belly button and the urine flowed directly from his bladder to this opening and out of his body. There is nothing like following your tiny baby to the operating room, kissing him through the incubator and walking away from him partly wondering if you will ever see him again. He made it through surgery and was intubated for a few hours because preemies forget to breath when under anesthesia. It was hard for me to watch as his chest rose and fell to the sound of the machine...it was really great to have him breathing on his own again. Needless to say we were quite a mess during his 5 week stay in the NICU not only was I recovering from a c-section but we spent every bit of time that we could stand at the hospital. I would go early in the morning and stay until 2 pm or so, drive the 40 minutes home and nap until 4 when Joe would get home from work and then we would go back to the hospital for most of the evening. Of course I called the hospital during the night to check on Reece and could barely wait until morning when I could go back to see him. Reece was released from the hospital the first week in June. He was just over 4 pounds when we brought him home and a TERRIBLE sleeper! Of course Joe and I were amateur parents so when Reece decided he liked sleeping with the lights on (like the NICU) we slept with the lights on! in addition to that it must have been too quiet for him so we took turns winding up a 30second wind up toy to use as music(so smart we were haha). The next night we used the battery operated swing and played music all night long and we turned on our closet light instead of the overhead light. It is so funny now to think that this baby who just the day before was hooked up to numerous monitors was actually sent home without monitors with 2 amateur parents one of whom was suffering from post pardum depression. I was terrified to let him sleep without my eyes literally next to him at all times so sleeping was not really happening much.
Reece required 2 more surgeries before he was able to urinate like all the other boys(he was 13 months old). We were so happy that he was all in one healthy piece again and grateful for his health! I could write forever about all of our experinces during that first year but some stories we will save for later.
This was how Reece looked when the brought me from recovery to see him. It was definitely not how I ever imagined I would be looking at my baby full of tubes and monitors with his little face covered.
Reece wanted a Shark party this year and he wanted the ice cream truck to come so that is what we did. I love to make their birthdays special and individualized! He also celebrated his birthday at school with his friends.
1 comment:
It is truly amazing to see Reece now and realize what a struggle you all had at the beginning. I don't think I'd ever be able to completely understand what you guys went through unless I had to go through it myself, but thanks for sharing the story and reminding everyone who reads it what a true blessing each little life is!!
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