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Eli's Story

Kayla

I had gone in to the doctor during my 23rd week of gestation for spotting, which I was told was nothing to worry about, just breakthrough bleeding possibly. The following Monday, October 17th 2011, I was leaving work and started to hemorrhage. I was told to go to the ER and the doctor on-call would contact them and let them know I was on the way in. I found out I started to go into labor that night, and they were able to stop the labor with some medicine. I was not due until Feb 6th 2012, and this was way too early to have my little girl -- at only 24 weeks gestation. I was kept for observation and released on Oct 21st, after my bleeding had subsided. I took it easy and even sat quietly in the corner of my son’s birthday party that Friday. Come Sunday the bleeding was back and after calling the doctor I had met at the hospital during my prior stay, he advised me to get back into the hospital ASAP, so I did. I was now in my 25th week gestation and was praying things would be OK with my daughter. They still could not find the cause, and after my bleeding had slowed down again on Oct 27th they decided to release me once again. I was to be on light walking and bedrest for a few weeks and then follow up with my doctor again.

I called my husband to come and pick me up. After finishing my lunch I went to take a shower but had forgotten my clothes on the bed. As I crossed the threshold
between the bathroom and my room, my water broke. I called to the nurse and she
went to go get the doctor I called my husband and he was just pulling into the
parking lot. By the time he got up to my room, there were 3 Specialists and an
Ultrasound Tech in my room along with a few nurses. The doctors talked with my
husband and I asked the Tech (who was biting her lips) if my daughter was going
to be ok. She said there was no fluid around her, her foot was in the cervical
opening, and it was on her umbilical cord. I was immediately rushed to an
emergency c-section after hysterically signing paperwork that really wasn’t
explained to me other than it was allowing them to perform the c-section. After
the c-section, it was determined that I had a blood clot on my placenta and
Kayla was probably getting starved of oxygen. We never heard Kayla cry and
later found out the doctor had nicked her above her left eye while cutting me
for the c-section and that she would have steri-strips on her forehead when I
would finally get to see her. The doctors never did another ultrasound before
starting the surgery to verify her position. She was born at 1 lb 14.9 oz and
was 13.5” long at 25 weeks gestation.

My husband and I had her baptized the next day by the Pastor of our church because no one knew which way things were going to go. As time passed in the NICU, things got a little better day by day, but there was quite a lot of emotional days. Thankfully my husband and Mom were there for support. I was put in touch with Jessica through a co-worker of mine, and she came up to the NICU to see Kayla. Jessica was very understanding and answered all my questions thru her own experience, which made things easier for me to understand. I kept in touch with Jessica during my 93 days in the NICU to present. Kayla was released on Jan 28th 2012 with oxygen and a couple different monitors.

After experiencing the NICU, being at home was just as stressful, if not even more.
Her PDA valve was still open and she had Chronic Lung Disease. Her eye sight had to be closely monitored because she was on oxygen in the NICU for so long and was released with oxygen as well. It always seemed like if I wasn’t at home, I
was struggling to get to doctor’s appointments with all the machinery, oxygen
tank, stroller and carrier. If it wasn’t for my Mom, when my husband went back
to work I think I would have lost it. With multiple monitors, sleep was not really possible, nor was anything else. I felt like a dog on a chain in the ground with the oxygen tank -- and being in a tri-level house, moving around during the day was not an option. I would call Jessica from time to time to get a Mother’s perspective and to keep my footing grounded. Jessica has been there through it all with me and I can guarantee she was re-living her own experiences while I was going through mine. Eli’s Hope was the only organization that contacted me during and after our hospital stay, and I feel blessed to have been given the opportunity to cross paths with Jessica.

We still see Kayla’s Pulmonologist even though she was taken off her Oxygen back in March, along with all of her monitors. We also see the Optometrist for her eyesight, but we have been given a great review with each visit that things are in her favor and she is almost out of the woods completely. Her PDA valve has been
confirmed to be closed by the Cardiologist since leaving the hospital as of
August 27th 2012. On Sept 8th 2012, Kayla just had her first tooth come in! Kayla is now almost 11 months old, nearly 15lbs, 26” long and is a very strong and happy little girl who loves life. She has a way of making each day special and a blessing by touching everyone who has met her. She is our little miracle. Thank you Jessica for all the things you did for us while we were in the NICU and outside of the hospital, you are truly and angel on earth. God Bless.