I too had difficulty carrying my babies to term. I was 18 when I had my miscarriage at 5mos. along I had gone into premature labor and by the time we arrived at the hospital it was too late to stop contractions and in the delivery room we lost the heartbeat before I delivered.
I felt devastated and alone but in time I was ok. Then on Oct.17,1989 I delivered my premature baby boy Brian . My husband and I had told my Dr. about my previous experience and how my mom and sisters also had trouble carrying and he said,"Apples and Oranges". I had been having some cramps and he just put me on bedrest for a day or two but then a week later I had been feeling the baby move and I just thought it was normal but then I started to bleed. So off we went to the hospital and my contractions were pretty strong ,I remember being in a lot of pain. when we got there they tried to stop my contractions but were not able too and they took an ultrasound and said the baby was ready to be delivered at 27wks. I was taken by ambulance to S.B.Memorial where the o.b. there was flipping out when he looked at the ultrasound because Brian was breech and ready to come. They did Emergency C-section and he was born @ 10:1 7 a.m. on Oct.17,1989 the same day of the earthquake in California. We always said he shook the world when he came in. He weighed 2Lbs& 1.23ozs. and was 13 in. long he was so tiny and his little lungs were not developed enough to breathe on his own so he was put on a ventilator along with IVs and monitors. The Dr, told us he would be in the incubator until at least his natural birth date and then we'd see from there.
Jan. rolled around and Brian was still not able to come home he was having some seizures and respiratory problems still. With more nurturing from the N.I.C.U. by the time March rolled around we were finally able to bring him home at 5mos. after we were taught his care with Oxygen,apneamonitors, feeding him etc....... Since Brian had bleeding on his brain in the hospital ,it killed the part of his brain to help him function physically. WE had been told that he might have Cerebral Palsy, which he did. Later he needed a trach at the age of two, and a feeding tube in his belly, because of aspiration at age one. He had to have a shunt put in to drain the pressure off his head.
Aside from all the medical difficulties Brian had He was a happy little boy always smiling and laughing and he was pretty smart too .He learned to communicate with his eye brows He would raise them for yes and wrinkle them for no. He had a lot of friends at school and was the sunshine of his class as he was for our family. I was very blessed when I gave birth to such a special little Angel. I got pregnant in 91 and went to a high-risk ob and he told us something we did not know I have a bicornuate uterus or heart shaped that only allows me to carry so far before contracting. He said that each time I got pregnant though I would carry a little further. Well he was right at 29wks the same thing happened only he put me in the hospital on bedrest for one month with a fetal monitor on and turbutline I.V. to control contractions, and as time started going on I received a steroid shot for the baby's lungs incase he was born too early. I was able to go home at 33 with a turbutiline computer to cont. dose me and I had to monitor over the telephone twice a day so if I had too many contractions the nurse would call me back and tell me to drink a glass of water, lay on my left side and monitor again. this went on until I was 38wks. and he was ready to come. We had a 4lb.5oz. baby boy William Randall McCrory he only had to stay in the ICU for one week until he was eating right and he only require oxygen the first hour or two after he was born. He is now 6yrs. He gets a lot of colds in the winter which makes us a little nervous especially since we lost Brian to a bad Pneumonia after a shunt replacement but we are sure to take extra care as we are blessed to have found such a wonderful O.B, to deliver us another wonderful baby boy. I hope this info. about my pregnancy difficulties can help others to possibly have their baby to term or as close to term to be healthy. I know how that empty void feels and I am sorry for anyone else who does too.
Sincerely,
Mare
Brian Lance, Jr. 10\17\89-04\04\97
You can send email to Katherine at: [email protected]
mail welcome
anniversary date 04-04-97
date of post 02-09-98
