Parent Stories
I am a mother that has faced tragedy that many women have not had to endure. A brief history on what has taken place in my life. I am a mother that has faced difficult pregnancies that resulted in 7 miscarriages, 1 still birth son at 38 ½ weeks and most recently found myself pregnant with twins.
Although, I was ecstatic about being a mother again, the fear due to my past pregnancies was overwhelming. What was worse for me to face then to find myself facing premature labor. On October 16, 2009, I had an emergency cesarean performed due to a placenta eruption. I delivered Twin ‘A’, Miiche, was born 2lbs 7oz, and Twin ‘B’, Akuutechem was born 1lb 7oz. My Miiche, was born with very immature lungs that collapsed repeatedly. Sadly, I had to face the loss of again another child, Twin A, Miiche, passed on October 17, 2009.
Her twin Akuu, has also had to fight for her life since taking her first breath. She came into this world with many challenges but is continuing to struggle daily as she fights to beat the odds. Her challenges are many. She had 4 holes in her tiny heart and one large PDA, 3 VSD’s lung disease, thyroid not producing the hormones, and the inability to produce red blood cells. With all these ailments she has also had to face the risk of numerous transfusions. She underwent surgery in December to close the PDA. Akuu has had to be intubated several times and she had times where her gut was not moving because she had an infection and the doctors feared for a devastating disease called necrotizing enterocolitis. As you can see every day has been a challenge.
I am certain that this is a lot to take in at this moment but let me express some positive outcomes that I have encountered. First and foremost, I feel very fortunate to be at University Hospital in Texas, where as a mother I was able to choose an entirely human nutrition for my baby girl, Akuu, and them providing Prolacta the 100% maternal milk fortifier. I was fearful with them being premature that my milk would not produce at a rate necessary for their growth. I was told that although my body would produce breast milk, it did not have a sufficient amount of calories and that they would need to use a fortifier. My initial fear was that she would have to be given formula instead of breast milk, which I was not happy about. Being a mother that knows all the benefits of breast milk, I expressed concern and they shared with me that she could be given Prolacta, the human milk fortifier. Having the human milk fortifier has given me some peace of mind, since I was already informed that my child had a very high risk of necrotizing enterocolitis or NEC, and that Prolacta had additional protection. I hope and pray that all premature infants are afforded the same opportunity for life as my daughter had. The little I know of NEC has terrified me and I couldn’t bear the thought of losing another child. Thank you for your time. Sincerely, Mayda Garcia