The Birth Story

To begin the story we must go back many generations, how far we just don’t know. The first known premature birth in my family begins with my Great-Grandmother. She gave birth at 7 months to a son, who survived by living in the old wood stove and who was fed with a dropper. My grandmother gave birth to a son at 6 months, her only son, he did not survive. My mother gave birth to her only son at 6 months in 1977, he weighed 1 lb 15 oz. With both her pregnancies my mother had no more then 2 real painful contractions, so when I became pregnant in the Summer of 1993 and decided to go to a doctor that was 45 minutes away there was always a concern that I too would go into either a premature or quick labor. I had a text-book pregnancy, and 4 days before my due date gave birth to my first son, K1. After I had him I began to have abnormal pap smears. I got pregnant with K2 in December 1996 and at 24 weeks I began to have cramps. I was tested, they determined I was having contractions and I began bed rest and Brethane. I was closely monitored and finally at 38 weeks I was induced. Before and after my pregnancy I continued to have bad paps and even tested positive for cancer and had to have many procedures and finally a cone biopsy that left me with very little cervix.

We decided in 2001 to have one last baby. I quickly became pregnant but at 11 weeks suffered a miscarriage. It was so severe that I almost bled to death before they were able to finalize the termination of the pregnancy. After a couple of months we tried again and I got pregnant. From the first I didn’t feel well. Nothing that I could quite put my finger on but I just felt sick. For the first time ever in my life I had a yeast infection and continued to have them throughout my pregnancy. Christmas was bad, I was mentally in a bad place and still just didn’t feel good.

January 19, 2002 I gave K1 a big bash for his eighth birthday. The week previous I had been having cramps, my doctor was on vacation but his staff had me go to my local doctor and be tested to make sure I didn’t have a kidney infection. I kept telling myself that if I still felt bad the Monday after K1's party I would call the doctor. Monday rolled around and I made the call. The doctor on call told me to come down and they would check to make sure everything was okay. I took K1 down with me because I figured it would be a quick trip down and back. HA! The doc decided to do the dreaded vaginal and discovered I was dilated to 2. There was a test they can do that shows if you are going to deliver within the next 2 weeks but they can’t do it if you have had a vaginal within 24 hours. They decided to keep me overnight in the hospital to make sure until they could do the test. I had to call DH, my mom and arrange for K1 to be picked up and DH to get down to me. They gave me the first steroid shot “just in case” and some other shot to stop the contractions and we settled down for the night. I woke up around 5 a.m. and called the nurse to request another shot. They checked me and discovered I was dilated to a 5. That began the frantic calls to Life Flight, on call Pediatrician and all the extras that were needed. They were concerned because they wouldn’t Life Flight me since I was so far dilated and there were severe storms and Life Flight wasn’t able to get in the air. The hospital I was at was not equipped to take care of a 26 week baby.

Finally at 9 a.m. the Life Flight crew showed up and within half an hour K3 was born. Unless you have been present for a premature birth there is no way to describe the horror of seeing that baby. I just kept saying “he’s too small, he’s too small”. There was no crying, there were people running around and trying to save his life. They prepared him to fly to Provo, my mom went in the airplane with him, and brought him in to us before they left. DH & I hurried and did what we had to do to be released and drove home. We had to buy K1's birthday present still (it was his birthday) and pack the kids up and take them to the various family members that were keeping them. We also had to prepare them for the possible “death” of their brother. We then drove the 2 hour and 40 minute ride to Provo, the first of many trips. Upon arrival we learned that our baby was considered "septic", his whole body was one giant infection.

The first night we stayed in the stay-in room at the hospital. I just remember not being able to sleep, laying in the uncomfortable bed with all the unusual noises and crying. Thus began our 13 week stay in NICU (neonatal intensive care unit). That period of my life began shaping who I am now. I learned to be a fighter, a person who stands up for what I believe in. I learned to juggle 2 homes and 2 lives. No words could ever truly tell the story of our stay. But I am so thankful for the blessing that is K3 and all that he has brought to my life. Even if the start was a little rough the rest has been great. Thanks for being in my life K3. You have brought so much.



Also Happy 15th Birthday to K1. Without you our family would not be. Thanks for the smiles, the hugs, the love and for letting me be a mom. You are one of three of the best things that ever happened to me.