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Indiana and Jackson’s Story

On the 2nd of May 2017 I had finished my shift at work, picked my daughter up from daycare and headed home. That night I went to bed early and at 9pm I awoke to find my bed wet. I brushed it off, changed my sheets and went back to bed. This kept happening hourly until 3am I realised something wasn’t right. I got up, turned the lights on and was sitting in the bathroom realising my membranes ruptured at 24 weeks. With Marc away at work, I made the dreaded call to him that he needed to fly home. After talking to health direct, an ambulance was called. I had to take my 5 year old daughter who was 2 at the time in the ambulance with me. My mum eventually returned my call at 5am and she came and got her. I then endured 6 weeks and 6 days of long, boring bed rest in King Eddies.

On the Sunday the 18th of June 2017 I enjoyed some nice hospital leave. After getting back to the hospital and feeding extremely nauseas, I knew things weren’t quite right. I was never one to buzz for a nurse nor make a fuss. It got to a point something didn’t feel right and so I buzzed.

The fluid had changed colour and the doctors ran an ultrasound, did some blood tests and canullated me just in case. The next morning my results came back which showed I had contracted the choreo amnitys infection.

At 8am the doctors came racing in, flung back my curtain and told me to call my partner who was on his way to work in the city at the time. I told him he wasn’t going to work and to get himself to the hospital immediately. I had half an hour to prepare and in theatre. With my heart sitting in my throat, crying my eyes out I drifted off to sleep with the help of a GA. I ended up in ASCU after my c-section as I wasn’t in a good way. I eventually got back to the ward where I was hooked up to a machine for some intense pain relief.

The next day I was wheeled down by my partner to go see our little boy, I cried – still to this day this moment sits extremely raw and one I’ll never forget. I couldn’t hold him for the first 8 days of his life as he was intubated and on nitric gas. He spent some time under the blue lights for jaundice.

After 8 long days of just holding his little hand, he was put onto c-pap and I got to have my first skin to skin cuddle which I cried again at a moment I waited so long for finally happened

On day 10, Jackson took his first ambulance ride and was transferred to Fiona Stanley hospital. We were then there until the end.

Days on c-pap turned into weeks but I enjoyed our private space each day of cuddling my little boy! He then graduated from c-pap onto hi-flow and we got to give him his first bath this was definitely another huge milestone, we knew we were on the home stretch. A couple of weeks later, he was then put onto low-flow, doing full breast feeds and thriving.

On the 16th August 2017 after 57 long days, Jackson graduated NICU and we were able to take him home. It was a moment I longed for and it happened the doctors and nurses at FSH were amazing and definitely helped Jackson achieve his little milestones to get out of those doors.

From 1440 grams and 38 cms, he graduated at 2915 grams and 48cms long. Jackson is now 2 years and 3 months old (2 years corrected), 14 kilos and doing very well developmentally. We have on going specialist appointments after a few respiratory diagnoses – Bronchopulomonary dysplasia, laryngomalacia and also the recent one Mannose- Binding Lectin deficiency which is an auto immune disease. Currently being tested for Cerebral Palsy and a few other minor things picked up in his recent sleep study test.

This is my third year doing the Walk for Prems. The first year I pulled together a big team.

Last year I volunteered which I loved and this year I am helping coordinate the walk.

Thank you LLTF’s for giving me an opportunity to grow in something I am passionate about and continue to raise awareness of Premature Births of babies.

Helen_2018

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