I thought for the third part of our premature birth story, I’d share with you a scrapbook page I did for them.
Here is the journaling in case it’s too small for you to read….
At 30 weeks gestation and just three days after being admitted to the hospital my doctors decided it was time to deliver the babies. As far as we knew they were healthy and their steriod shots had just enough time to take effect, but everyday that we waited, my blood work showed that my health was getting worse.
I was told to call my husband to come from Ft. Jackson where he was training to be an Army chaplain and the c-section would be performed as soon as he arrived.
I was excited to welcome EA and MC into the world but I was also frightened because I knew the dangers of coming so prematurely.
I prayed that the Lord would take care of my babies and I had an undescribeable peace. I prayed Psalm 121:5 as the doctors began my c-section and just repeated it over and over.
EA and MC both cried after they were delivered. That was the most beautiful sound I have ever heard! I remember my OB commenting on MC being “mad as a hornet”!
I didn’t get to hold them but the NICU doctor did pause on the way out to let me get a glimpse of them.
After the delivery I began to hemmorage badly and the doctors and nurses could not get it to stop, so I was given a blood tansfussion. I had to stay in the operating recovery room all night to be observed for complications.
I was finally able to see EA and MC the next day. I was wheeled to the NICU on a stretcher on the way back to my hospital room.
The NICU nurse gently laid EA on my chest and let me hold her close for a little while.
MC was too fragile and sensitive to be held, but the nurses did open up the isolette and let me touch her tiny fingers.
They were both such tiny babies! EA weighed 3 pounds 5 ounces and MC weighed 2 pounds 8 ounces.
Both of the struggled during their first days in the NICU. I was so out of it because of my own health issues and just trying to navigate the NICU that I didn’t realize exactly how sick they were until the day I was to be discharged. Keith had already left to go back to Ft. Jackson the day before and the doctor explained the situation to me in very plain terms.
MC was in extremely critical condition. I called Keith and he was able to come back for another week until things stabilized more.
If it were not for the prayers that were prayed on her behalf, I honestly don’t know that she would have survived.
EA had a fairly normal NICU stay, once she stabilized. She moved from being on a ventilator to a C-PAP to a nasal canula for oxygen and eventually came home after 7 weeks without needing any further medical intervention.
MC was like a roller coaster. She struggled a lot, especially in the early days. But she eventually got strong enough to come home after 9 weeks in the NICU. She came home on apnea monitors and needing home oxygen. Thankfully, she thrived at home and was able to be weaned off of the monitors and oxygen in a few months time.
My husband was permitted leave from his Chaplain’s course at Ft. Jackson on the weekends to visit the babies in the hospital. He reported to his new assignment at Ft. Campbell in Kentucky the weekend before EA was released to go home. And deployed to Iraq for the first time when they were about five months old.
Looking back, it seems so long ago that this all happened.
I’ve realized that I have so much to be thankful for as I wrote out our story of premature birth. First, I am so thankful to God for answering prayers said on our behalf, for the miracle of life, and for being so faithful to us and granting peace during such a difficult time.
I am thankful for family and friends who stood by our side, who prayed for us and our babies, who called delivered meals and offered such care to us when we were hurting.
I am thankful for the NICU doctors and nurses that took such good care of my girls. For EA and MC’s first two birthdays we visited the NICU staff and brought by a cake to thank them for all that they did for us. I am looking forward to doing that again when we are back in the states. I don’t have adequate words to express my gratidude to them.
And I am thankful for the March of Dimes. I am so thankful for the work that they do, for their research that had helped to make tremendous advances in the care of premature babies, and for the advocacy that they give to this worthy cause.
Thank you for allowing me to share our story with you during this week. If you want to know more about how you can aid in the fight for preemies, visit the March of Dimes Fight for Preemies.
And if you’re here for the first time, you may want to visit and read Part 1 and Part 2 of our story.
Mary @ Giving Up on Perfect says
Monica, thank you for sharing your story (I clicked over from Twitter). I delivered my daughter at 33 weeks due to severe pre-eclampsia, and we were so very blessed. She was tiny but strong, and she’s been healthy her whole life. (You know, other than colds and whatnot.) God is so good, isn’t He?! 🙂
.-= Mary @ Giving Up on Perfect´s last blog ..“Leftovers are the enemy.†=-.
Nancy M. says
Wow, I had no idea you had such a hard time after the delivery! The Lord does answer prayers!
.-= Nancy M.´s last blog ..Wordless Wednesday =-.
Cindy Bergeron says
I am so very much looking forward to seeing those baby girls, and YOU of course. I have been looking at your website for almost a year now and cannot believe how big those baby girls are…I was so fortunate to have you as a neighbor. I was going thru a horrible divorce at the time and not dealing with life very well. Once I got involved with those babies, I was in heaven. It’s amazing how children can be such a “healing” factor in life…Your a amazing woman…I admire your strenght after all these years…I can tell that those baby girls and of course, William have been in the spotlight of your life…That is such a awesome feeling, isn’t it??? Take Care and hope to hear from you soon…
LifeAtTheCircus says
I can not even imagine going through such an experience and all the way while having your husband away. I can only imagine that you had to lean on the Lord in a way you’ve never had to before. And Great is His Faithfulness! He upheld you and sustained you the entire time. What an awesome testimony this story is of God’s faithfulness in your life, and your faith to lean on Him during those dark and scary times. Thanks for sharing! And I am so thankful for the healthy and happy girls they blossomed into.
.-= LifeAtTheCircus´s last blog ..Momma Bear Protecting Her Young =-.
Hallee says
God is so amazing.
Thank you for sharing your story.
Hallee
.-= Hallee´s last blog ..Homemade Vanilla Extract =-.