Imagine...Having a healthy full term baby, then with your second pregnancy your water breaking at 20 weeks, and no one knowing why.

Imagine...signing a death certificate when that you can still feel your 20 weeker move around inside of you.

Imagine...resealing, and carrying to 37 weeks.

Imagine...the doctor tells you that it has been 4 years, and it will probably not happen again, and if you want to have another baby go ahead.

Imagine...how nervous you are when that you hit 20 weeks with your third pregnancy.

Imagine...how excited you are when that you make it to 21, 22 and 23 weeks, and everything is going great!

Imagine...waking up in the middle of the night at 24 weeks, and you and the bed is wet.

Imagine...being given Steroid shots, just in case.

Imagine...spending a week in the hospital, and your water resealing and breaking three more times.

Imagine...going home, and a week later you wake up in the middle of the night...wet, and think that you water broke again.

Imagine...your husband turning on the bedroom light, and seeing you soaked in blood.

Imagine...delivering a 26-weeker, by emergency c-section, at a hospital an hour away from home, (that you were transferred to by ambulance).

Imagine...that 26-weeker, 1 pound 15 ounce baby boy, screaming and crying, when that he was taken out of your belly.

Imagine...the doctor telling you, that if he had waited 5 more minutes, that you or your baby would not be here.

Imagine...with in hours of your baby being born...the doctor telling you that you will never be able to have another child.

Imagine...being told that your baby has a hole in his heart.

Imagine...8 weeks of not being able to bring your baby home.

Imagine...getting a call at 6 AM from the nurse, and as your heart sinks she says, you need to get here ASAP, Christopher is being extubated today! And you make it there in an hour, including shower, make up and the drive there!

Imagine...today, a 20 month old happy, healthy, little boy running around, and watching blues clues!

Imagine...the joy, when that he learns to sign.."I love you."

Imagine...being excited about going to the pediatrician this week, because you know that he has to be 20 pounds now!!!

Thanks,
Lori/Indiana
Parentsplace Community leader for the NICU board.
Wife to David
Mom to Michael (FT) 8 years old,
Bryan (37 weeker) 6 years old,
and Christopher (26 weeker) 20 months old. (1 pound 15 ounces (880 grams) at birth, now 19 pounds 4 ounces, 56 days in NICU, 3 Inguinal Hernia surgeries, 1 heart Cauterization, VSD repair (open heart surgery) 8/20/98, PDA resolved 11/22/97, Chronic Lungs disease, (28 days vented), Reflux, PVL, FTT, Congenital Heart Disease, but he is doing great!)