It has taken me a week to get around to blogging William's birthday for several reasons, the most prevalent being the nasty virus that has been taking us each down one by one, and of course William was the first to come down with it. We even postponed his party because of it.
Another reason for posting late is how hard this is for me emotionally. I don't like to dwell on the hardships we've been through in this last year, but when I see how miraculously things have worked out, I can't help but marvel at the wisdom and love of my Father in Heaven. I'll take the cue from my twin sister, Holly, (who has gone through much, much worse than we have) and write down what I can remember. Not for the sake of the reader, but for my sake and William's--and because, like Holly, I feel it is important to remember and reflect even if I don't want to.
On September 7, 2011, central Pennsylvania flooded. A lot. Our house--15 years old at the time-- had never had a problem with flooding. We ended up with about 2" of water in the basement when 9" of rain fell in that one day. We had to move Ashley and Melissa's beds upstairs to the other bedroom and moved a lot of other furniture and storage as well while things dried out. We were very fortunate, unlike many of our friends, to have lost little in that flood. But I did end up steam-cleaning the carpet three times a day for the next three days and was constantly emptying the reservoir in the dehumidifier. I was 15 weeks pregnant at the time. We assume that the stress and strain on my body may have contributed to early membrane rupture and a partial placental abruption. There was no evidence of this until I had an ultrasound three weeks later, when the tech could hardly make out images because of a lack of fluid. She sent me down to the OB/GYN clinic where I was greeted by my OB, the attending, and Jason --all with very somber looks on their faces. Things did not look good. At that point, we didn't expect the pregnancy to last much longer.
Another week went by and anatomy scans and labs were normal. The only abnormal findings were lack of amniotic fluid, fluid leakage and hemorrhage. Despite these problems, William continued to surprise us and defy the odds. He seemed determined to grow and survive. I was on bed rest at home for the month of October. I never would have made it through that month without the incredible sisters in my ward. They took care of kids for me every day, even taking them Trick-or-Treating! What a wonderful support group. Ashley learned to cook very quickly and still enjoys it.
At 25 weeks, I was admitted to the hospital for the remainder of the pregnancy. We had hoped that I would make it another eight weeks, but that wasn't to be. During my hospital stay, family members took turns coming to live with my kids and take care of them and sisters from the ward brought me food from home because Geisinger Medical Center has some of the worst hospital food I've ever had and had a very limited menu. Friends brought games to play with me, some just came to chat. The visits and food meant a lot to me!! I watched lots of movies (most of them Christmas movies), read lots of books, and worked on some craft projects. I also had lots of quiet time to bond with my incredibly strong son.
We had gotten to 28 weeks and 5 days when things started happening. Jason was near breaking point. He was really struggling to handle everything on his plate and I was really getting tired of sitting on the sidelines watching my family struggle. That evening I watched a movie with my mom and Jason. I was contracting regularly, but it wasn't painful and didn't seem like a big deal. Still, by the end of the movie, I felt the need to have Jason stay with me that night. William was on his way out by the time I concluded I was in labor. The nurse barely got an IV in as Jason prepared to catch the baby in case the doctor didn't make it in time. He made it. Barely!
William was born at 1:25am on December 11, twelve weeks before he should have been. He was 3 lbs. 3 oz., and he was perfect. When the doctor who delivered William examined the placenta, he was barely able to fit his fist inside the tiny amniotic sac. Pathology determined that I was developing an infection (a very common thing with PPROM), which is why William decided to come out so soon. He didn't want me to have to go through a C-section, so he came quickly his own way. What a good boy.
There were so many things that could have been wrong with William including underdevelopment of lungs, blindness, deafness, amputation of limbs or fingers (amniotic band syndrome), brain hemorrhage, etc, but he was perfect. He was amazing. He spent five weeks in the NICU with some fantastic nurses and doctors and was finally able to come home and be a part of our family.
This is William on his first day. He was only intubated for one day then on a CPAP for three weeks.
This footprint reindeer was a Christmas gift made for each NICU baby with his/her own footprint. It's a treasure.
This is William eating his birthday cupcake.
Chocolate makes him happy.
The picture doesn't do justice here. This is the onesie he was wearing when I brought him home for the first time and it's even too small for most of my kids' baby dolls. It's so tiny. William is now 17 lbs. 6 oz. and is healthy as can be. He will always be known in our family as the miracle baby. I know that without the support and prayers of family and friends things would have turned out very differently. I am grateful every day for the miracle that is my son. Happy Birthday, William!!
