Way back When- Wednesdays

Last week on my Way Back Wednesday was my husbands take on our "story." Here is mine: Same outcome... different places.

Four years ago (written for his birthday this last year) I was laying in a hospital bed being told that I was going to have to deliver my son. I was told not to yell, scream, cry, or even throw up.

My only thought......It was to early……

September 20th 2005 : I had been feeling really yucky all day. I had been up for most of the night not feeling well. Having some strange cramps and some strange discharge ( hindsight it was my mucus plug) There was something not right. I called my doctor and the nurse told me to take it easy and not do anything, that I was being a paranoid first time mom. I stayed on the couch watching TV and doing homework. Dallas came home early from work and he had to go to a job interview that night. I decided to go to work. I was sitting at work so no big deal. He was going to drop me off and when my shift was over he would come and get me. Big Brother season finale was on and we were gonna watch it together. I got off work and he was not there yet. I called him and he was on his way so I decided to walk and meet him. BIG mistake. I started to cramp that evening but the Nurse earlier said that if there were less than four in an hour then it was not a big deal. So I was up and down with the feeling that I needed to go to the bathroom. I couldn't go but I really had to. I decided to eat something. It all came back up. I keep getting sicker and sicker as the night went on.

We decided that I had a bladder infection and that we needed to go to the ER. We decided to go to Alta View so that Dallas and his Dad could give me a blessing. ( At the time they lived close by Alta View) Dallas went into the ER and told them that I was sick and outside so if they could help me. They took me into the Labor and delivery part of the hospital.

I had the most wonderful nurse. Her name was Windy. She had me take a urine sample and put on a monitor. The monitor didn’t pick up anything including a heart beat. They had to get the doppler out just to find a heart beat. I could feel Tyler kicking the whole time and knew he was alive but they couldn't find him. They figured I had a bladder infection. They were not in a hurry to get things moving knowing a bag of fluid and antibiotics would send me on my way. But it was more than that.

I was having a baby!! And it was too soon.

The room went crazy. Nurses were everywhere and doctors were called. I was laying there so confused and thinking that it was to early. That he was not really coming and they were wrong. They tipped my bed upside down and started me on Magnesium to stop the labor and gave me shots of steroids to help Tyler's lungs.

There was nothing they could do he was coming.

15 week early.

It was to early. I knew deep in my heart that it was to early. If he came now he would not make it. I would go home empty handed with a broken heart.

They called maternal life flight to come and get me. They got there and I was to far dilated to take on the helicopter. For two hours they sat there discussing what they should do with me. At that point they called pediatric life flight to take my extremely tiny infant somewhere where they could help him. You see, we made the wrong choice. We went to the wrong place. We went someplace that didn't take care of sick babies.

With me staying and Tyler going they decided to do a c-section at that point and do it without being in an emergency situation. My water had not broken yet. His feet were hanging out. He was coming. The nurse put in my catheter and my water broke.

It became an emergency situation.

As I was wheeled into the OR I had to leave the love of my life behind with no idea how or what the future held for our son. We loved him so much but had never met him. He was too soon!!! As I moved onto the operating table from my bed I had another contraction. Up till this point I had no pain medication. The anesthesiologist decided that I had had enough and didn’t even wait to start putting me under. The last thing I remember was them draping my belly.

Waking up I immediately asked for Dallas and they let him in and he told me that they were working on him and that he had seen him and that he was alive. Dallas had been watching them do CPR on our little son. I then went back to sleep. On the way back to my room I remember being wheeled past my parents and everyone telling me that he was beautiful. They were going to let me see him before they took him to LDS or PCMC. They wheeled him into my room. I couldn't really see him because I had to take my contacts out to have surgery. But Dallas gave him a blessing and I KNEW that we would be okay.

That day our family would be started that day.

Tyler Kenneth Brown, my sweet, amazing and miracle son was born at 1:24 AM on September 21st 2005. He weighed 1 lb 11oz. He was 13 inches long. He was life flighted by helicopter to LDS hospital where he would stay for 30 days. He would have one surgery, and suffer from grade 3 and 4 brain bleeds. He was transferred to have a reservoir placed for Hydrocephalus. He would stay at PCMC for 63 days. He would endure 2 more surgeries( resevoir placement and ROP stage 3) and many ups and downs. He came home one day before his due date…. December 23, 2005.

*Picture above is the first time I held him. He was about 3 weeks old. It was before his transfer to PCMC.*

Way back When- Wednesdays

I needed a place to link people back to our story. Since we are not on the same blog we were on then I thought I would start from the beginning and Way back When is what will happen..

SOOOO Our story. WAY BACK WHEN:

This was written by Dallas when we were in the NICU. I was kind of out of it and not up to par so he started me a website for Tyler. This was the second post. The first was just letting those who saw it ( which was like no one) that we had Tyler. This was his experience that night.

This all started two nights ago when Nancy started feeling cramps at 25 weeks into her first pregnancy.
The next morning (yesterday 9-20-05) she called her OBGYN and reported having some cramps and some discharge.
She was told that since there was no current cramping just to watch it.
Then at 8:00pm she started having really bad cramps which turned out to be contractions.
Around 10pm she started vomiting and the cramps got so bad that I insisted we go to the hospital.
So we took the drive to Alta View hospital.
When we showed up in the ER we were automatically taken to the women’s center.
After some tests the doctors found that Nancy was completely dilated and the sack was protruding.
They also found that the baby was head up, so they called for Life Flight to take her to either LDS Hospital or the U of U Hospital.
Life Flight showed up however they were unwilling to take her since she was fully dilated, because they have a rule that they do not transfer if the woman is dilated at a 6 or above.
Therefore Life Flight and the doctors argued back and forth in front of us for a good hour, each trying to convince the other of their recommendations.
They were getting ready to finally decided to take her when the doctor decided to take one more look.
He then found that the baby was coming right now and she could no longer be transferred.
Life Flight therefore left and they prepped Nancy for a c-section.
Once the original Life Flight left they called in the newborn Life Flight specialists and the doctors took her into the OR. (I was unable to accompany my wife since they had to put her to sleep.)
The baby was delivered at 1:24am, bottom first.
The baby was rushed into ICU where he began steps to save his life, including chest compressions on his frail little body.
By this time the new Life Flight had landed and was helping the doctors stabilize Tyler.
Once he was stable enough to transfer they pushed him into the room with his mother for a quick glance and a Priesthood blessing.
They then rushed him to the helicopter, where I helped them load my new baby son into the Life Flight helicopter, and then watched them take off to LDS Hospital.
Then I went in and briefly talked to my wife and then headed to LDS Hospital.
When I arrived he had already landed and they were taking steps to stabilize him again.
After a long wait they finally allowed me into the NICU to see my son after landing.
There was my first and only child, tiny as could be hooked up to all types of equipment.
One of the nurses kindly sat with me and tried to explain everything that was happening.
At 6:30am they made me leave and so I therefore headed home after being awake for 24 hours straight and having a roller coaster of emotions.
Once arriving home I was unable to get any sleep as my emotions and worries once again overtook me.
It is now the afternoon after this amazing and terrifying experience and I have yet to get any sleep.
I have visited my wife again and from all reports mother and son are doing as well as can be expected with the baby being this early.
This is a miracle that is still in progress. Especially since when we were first told we were having the baby this morning we were also told that the chances for the baby’s survival were not very good.
I was later told that my son is a fighter and that is a great thing and that his chances were now at about 80% that he will survive.
Since he is so early he is also unable to create his own red blood cells and therefore with the loss of blood and the blood taken for tests, I was told he would have to have the first of many blood transfusions throughout the next few months.
His blood type is O+ and we thank all that donate blood, and especially thank the unknown people whose blood Tyler has and will get.
I would also like to state that the Women’s Center doctors and nurses at both LDS Hospital and especially Alta View Hospital were SO amazing and so thoughtful and helpful.
We ask all too please keep our family in their thoughts and prayers, as we still have a long, expensive, and tough battle in front of us, with at least 3 months in the hospital.
If all goes well we hope to be able to finally take him home around Christmas.

His version is a lot of what I remember. He doesn't post some of the details that he has since remember or always did remember and didn't' want to share. His journaling of that experience has been so amazing for me!

So stay tuned. We have a LONG story to tell.