When Alex and I found out we were pregnant, our prayers were answered and luckily our pregnancy was as normal as it could be carrying triplets. Every week I would make the trek to Boston to Brigham and Women’s to have an ultrasound, and every week I would come home with a perfect report card and pictures of my beautiful growing babies. Everything was fine until the 27th week.
After waking up with strong pains in my belly, my husband Alex took me to the emergency room at Cape Cod Hospital. Within the next hour I was told the babies were on their way.
There was no time to get me to Boston. All I kept thinking was that my doctor at Brigham’s had said that if the babies could make it until week 28, they would have a very good chance. I was only at 27 weeks.
There is no Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Cape Cod Hospital. What would all of this mean? For the next couple of hours we waited for Boston to come to us. Three teams of experts from the Floating Hospital for Children at Tufts Medical Center were airlifted in. On January 27, 2009, our babies were born. Jacob weighed in at 1 lb. 12 oz, Campbell was 1 lb. 13 oz, and Madison was 1 lb. 15 oz.
As soon as the babies were stabilized, they were whisked away to Boston. The girls were airlifted by helicopter and Jacob was taken by ambulance. It was a crazy, incredible night with a whole lot of pieces falling together at the right time. For the next couple of months, we traveled back and forth to Tufts to see our babies. We were faced with all of the typical issues that most preemies face, but in no way were these issues typical to us. We faced life on and off ventilators for breathing support. There were blood transfusions, a collapsed lung,
Pneumonia and hernia operations. None of this is anything you ever get used to.
After 123 days in the NICU, we brought our last baby home from the hospital.
As much as I like to see signs or symbolism in events, I know that my babies got to be where they are because of how incredibly advanced medical practices have become. Medical practices are where they are today in part by funding from the March of Dimes.
Today, a little over two years later, we have three amazingly beautiful and very healthy children. They are the happiest little things, they have the funniest personalities, and you would never know what they went through. They are thriving.
Every day I cry—a VERY happy cry. I really hope that is a sign that I will never forget what the efforts of so many wonderful people and organizations have done for us, how much we appreciate all of their work, and how VERY lucky we are. My kids are living proof of what the efforts of the March of Dimes can do for families. Who knows where my world would be right now if it weren’t for the March of Dimes.
Tricia Smith
2011 Ambassador Mom
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