My Little Angel!

   Well, as my first post, I thought I would tell about my sweet little angel, Lucas. Some of you may not be aware, but in 2008 Jesse and I found out that we were pregnant with our second child. At our 20 week ultrasound we were informed that we were having a little boy. We were so excited! But then came the bad news. . . our little boy had MAJOR abnormalities!
   Our OB-GYN then referred us to a specialist who gave us a more detailed ultrasound. We were seen by Dr. Gainer at the Utah Valley Regional Medical Center. She was amazing and very friendly. She informed us that the baby had three main problems. First, his umbilical cord only had two veins instead of the normal three. Second, he had a build-up of cerebral fluid in the brain which they call "water-on-the-brain". And third and most severe, our little boy had a severely underdeveloped heart. At first when we heard these things we were told that the baby's chances of survival were slim to none. We were told that his heart was probably not fixable. As you can imagine, we were devastated! How could this be happening to us? Well, Dr. Gainer wasn't entirely convinced on what was wrong with the heart. She believed that there was either a mass of some sort or that the heart had been pumping so hard to dispense blood to the body that the muscle had built up so much that the blood was neither entering or exiting that part of the heart. So she referred us on to a Pediatric Cardiologist from Primary Children's Medical Center. His name was Dr. Jason Su and he saw us for a fetal echo. He gave us a much more detailed explanation on what was wrong with the baby's heart. I don't want to quote him wrong or confuse anyone, so I won't go into too much detail. But, long story short, he said that the baby should live and lead a semi-normal life following a series of three open-heart surgeries. The first was to take place within the first week of the baby's life, followed by another at 6 months of age, and the last at 2-4 years. We would deliver the baby up at the University of Utah hospital. Dr. Gainer or one of her associates would be delivering. As soon as the baby was in a stable condition, he would be transported, by way of a connecting hallway, to Primary Children's Medical Center where he would be placed into the Infant Intensive Care Unit to await his first surgery.
   We then had an appointment with Dr. Gainer to have an amniocentesis. If you aren't aware of the procedure, they take a long thick needle, insert it into the stomach, and draw out a sample of amniotic fluid. They then take the fluid and test it for any chromosomal abnormalities. It was EXTREMELY painful and not at all pleasant. But, those of you who are mother's understand the strength and courage we can find within ourselves when our children are in danger. I would continue to draw from this strength an courage for the next few months. Test results came back normal and we were relieved to have one less thing to worry about.
   At 27 1/2 weeks along I was sitting in my grandmother's living room eating a bowl of soup and chatting away when I suddenly felt a strong urge to pee! I stood up and turned to walk to the bathroom. Before I could realize what was happening, I looked down to find my pants soaked in blood and water! Oh my goodness!!! What in the world was happening. It took me a few seconds to realize what was going on. I was WAY too early to have my water break, but there was no denying the evidence. I started crying hysterically and my grandmother grabbed the phone to dial 911. The following events are hazy to me but I remember thinking, 'This can't be happening! My baby has enough problems!' There was no doubt in my mind, at that point, that my baby boy was going to die.
   I was rushed by ambulance to Utah Valley Regional Medical Center and placed in labor and delivery. I was hooked up to many machines and doctors and nurses were flying in and out of the room. Ultrasounds were done as well as blood draws and other tests. It was determined that I should be rushed to University of Utah hospital right away, but, being the end of November, the roads were too slick and the weather was too bad for LifeFlight. I ended up having to stay overnight.
   First thing in the morning, I was rushed out to the helipad and was transported by helicopter to U of U hospital. Can I just say, what a scary and EXPENSIVE experience. Luckily insurance covered this, but looking over the statements, the flight alone cost over $13,000!!! That was not including the pay for the pilot, medical staff, or any of the medical equipment used!!
   The next few days are a blur to me, but I ended up being stabilized and put on complete hospital bedrest. I was not allowed to get out of bed or go to the bathroom without assistance. All the while my poor husband had to continue going back and forth to orem for work and to visit our son, James. And our poor James had to be swapped back and forth between my parents and Jesse's Dad and Stepmom.
   I made it to Christmas and my parents brought my son up to the morning with me. They were even nice enough to haul all of our presents up so we could watch him open his gifts. It was a very special Christmas but I longed to spend it in the comfort of my own home.
   New years rolled along and I spent it in Labor and Delivery. I had developed a UTI and it was triggering contractions. Fortunately, nothing happened that night. But, on January 4th, late at night, our sweet little angel was born. It was such a scary experience. I gave birth in a surgical delivery room which had a little window that went straight into the Infant ICU. He came out SO quickly! I cried as he came out and they held him up just long enough for me to see my poor 2 lb 5 oz baby boy! They rushed him to the window before I could even say hello. The doctors informed me that I would probably be unable to see him before they rushed him through the hallway to Primary Children's. Luckily, the LifeFlight nurses were able to stabilize him enough that they wheeled in the tiny little incubator and allowed me to hold my sweet baby for a few minutes. They even brought me a disposable camera and let us take some pics with him. One pic in particular that really touched my heart was one of Lucas holding Jesse's wedding ring. His little hand was smaller than the ring, in fact, the ring slipped right onto his little wrist. They rushed him off to Primary's and I was left to wonder if I would ever see my baby again . . .
   I wish I had the pics to post, but they are packed away and need to be scanned to the computer. When I find them, I will definitely post them!

More to follow . . .