Davids premature birth I guess you can say was "expected". I had an excess amount of fluid during pregnancy that put me at risk for preterm labor. When I was about 28 weeks pregnant I starting having a lot of issues with not feeling David move, and having mild contractions. After several doctors visits and hours on a fetal monitor, which did determine that David was moving I could just not feel it, we were sent for an ultra sound. The doctors where concerned with my size, I was VERY big for 28 weeks, but we found out, it was just extra water! This explained why I couldn't feel David move, he was swimming! It also had me placed on bed rest, but they allowed me to rest at home.
Selfishly one day I decided I was sick of staying at home and begged my husband to take me to the park near the river where we live so I could feed the ducks. All was fine until we were about to leave and I was walking to the garbage can to throw away the bread wrapper. At 2:50 pm on December 19th, my water broke! My husband rushed me to the hospital where they confirmed my water had in dead broke. I was 33 weeks and our local hospital has no NICU, so they got me ready for the ambulance ride to the hospital where David would be born.
I remember crying so hard, I was so scared for my baby. I kept saying he isn't ready, he is to little, he needs more time. Well, David had plans of his own! After a 20 minute ride we reached the hospital. The nurses where gentle and understanding and for that I will forever be grateful I was so afraid for my baby boy.
They immediately started me on Pitocin to increase my contraction frequency and strength. After 12 hours our handsome baby boy made his debut, weighing 3 lbs 13 oz and measuring 16 1/2 inches long! He was beautiful. The nurses took him and cleaned him up and allowed me and my husband to give him a quick kiss and they raced him to the NICU for evaluation.
After a 6 hour wait the doctor and a nurse entered my room, looking nervous. Me and my husband glanced at one anouther and I started to cry. They explained to us that David was born with a CHD. Wait, what? No not my son, sure he is small but other wise healthy, they must be mistaken. Unfortunatly, I was the one mistaken. They explained that Davids heart had several defects, but didnt give us details. All we knew for sure is that within the next few hours a transport team would be arriving from a childrens hospital to take our baby away for long term treatment.
Not exactly what a first time parent expects to hear. We both fell apart. My husband called our familys and gave them the news. About 30 minuites after the talk with the doctor they finally let us go see our son. It was such a horrific yet glorious sight. So many lines and tubes. He was on a ventilator to help his tiny underdeveloped lungs breath, so we couldnt even see his entire face. My tears turned to smiles when the nurse said "Do you want to hold him?" OF COARSE! It was the most amazing feeling in the world but it at the same time broke my heart. My helpless little bundle of joy was so sick. Was he in pain? Why couldnt they fix his heart here, now, TODAY? I just wanted to never let him go. Me and my husband took turns holding him and where then asked to leave as the transport team had arrived, and needed to get him ready to go.
I told the hospital staff I would be leaving the moment he did, and to my surprise, they did not argue. I went to my room changed my clothes and my husband took my things to the car. I then eagerly went back to the NICU to wait for my son to be ready for us to leave. I was then informed that I would not be able to travel with David in the ambulance. My heart sunk again. I wasnt ready to hand my child over to complete strangers. It was to much to ask of a new mother.
My concerns quickly went from Davids trip to David well being. The transport team had to change the type of breathing tube on David to a full intubation tube and they could not get it into his airway. He went into cardiac arrest. My heart stopped beating with his, he was blue and completley limp. Please GOD dont take him away, give HIM a chance.
The team finally got the tube in and after a few chest compressions, he was pink again! THANK YOU LORD. At only 12 hours old my sweet innocent baby was ready to go, more than 120 miles away, to the hospital that would fix his broken heart.
The day David was born we had a terrible snow storm. The tires on our car where bald, and it had numerous other problems. We would not be able to follow our son, not be able to make the trip with him at all, if even just to follow. Me and my husband stood there helpless in the snow and watched a team of strangers drive of with our son, take him away, into the blinding white snow.
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