It started out a normal work day and ended as the scariest day of my life. Most of the day I can recall every detail but then there are some blurry moments as well. 7 am my work call gets cancelled, a few minutes later I feel cramps (contractions), they get more painful and at 7:45 am my husband and I are in the car on the way to the hospital. We arrive in Burnsville, MN where I am supposed to deliver, I am hooked up to monitors and within an hour my water breaks. I thought we just lost our baby girl.
Next thing I know I am alone in an ambulance on my way to Abbott Northwestern in Mpls because I am told that Children's Hospital NICU next door can care for premature babies of my gestation. I get settled and hooked up into my Hospital room at Abbott and my husband and parents arrive behind me. I couldn't move from my right side because each time I do the babies heart rate drops, I received medication (Magnesium) to try to stop labor and a steroid shot for the babies lungs. I saw the perinatologist and he told me that we need to keep this baby in as long as possible (days and hopefully weeks) and I can remain on bed rest there. All of a sudden within an hour I am dilated to 4 cm and the nurses are throwing scrubs at my husband and rushing me down for emergency C section.
My daughter, Morgan Grace, was born at 3:19 pm weighing 1 lb 7 oz and 13 inches long. I didn't get to see her until later that evening but my husband held her little hand and went with her to her NICU room at Children's Hospital next door. She was tiny, intubated, hooked up to many monitors, IV's going into stomach, severely bruised and bandaged. She was beautiful to me.
My Journey with hydrocephalus and Cerebral Palsy
Morgan Grace was born 3 1/2 months early on Aug, 21, 2012 weighing just 1 lb 7 oz and 13 inches long. Morgan was hospitalized at Children's Hospital NICU in Minneapolis, MN for 108 long days. During this time she encountered many medical challenges common to "micro preemies" but most devastating was to hear she had suffered from grade III/IV Intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH / brain bleed). We were told she may never walk or talk and they would not be able to tell the severity of the damage until she is older. The IVH resulted in Hydrocephalus, a condition she will have for life. At two, Morgan was also diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy.
I have found it very difficult to find information online - stories and information on hydrocephalus, shunts and people's experiences - so decided to write this blog to share what we have been through. I hope some day that Morgan can take over writing from her perspective. More importantly I hope maybe it can shed some light for other hydrocephalus and Cerebral Palsy patients and families. We welcome comments and questions.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:
Hydrocephalus is also known as "water on the brain", is a medical condition in which there is an abnormal accumulation of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in the ventricles, or cavities, of the brain. This may cause increased intracranial pressure inside the skull and progressive enlargement of the head, convulsion, tunnel vision, and mental disability. Hydrocephalus can also cause death. It is more common in infants, although it can occur in older adults.
The cause of Cerebral Palsy is a brain injury that occurs while the brain is developing. As a result of the brain damage during brain development a child's muscle control, muscle coordination, muscle tone, reflex, posture and balance can be affected.
I have found it very difficult to find information online - stories and information on hydrocephalus, shunts and people's experiences - so decided to write this blog to share what we have been through. I hope some day that Morgan can take over writing from her perspective. More importantly I hope maybe it can shed some light for other hydrocephalus and Cerebral Palsy patients and families. We welcome comments and questions.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:
Hydrocephalus is also known as "water on the brain", is a medical condition in which there is an abnormal accumulation of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in the ventricles, or cavities, of the brain. This may cause increased intracranial pressure inside the skull and progressive enlargement of the head, convulsion, tunnel vision, and mental disability. Hydrocephalus can also cause death. It is more common in infants, although it can occur in older adults.
The cause of Cerebral Palsy is a brain injury that occurs while the brain is developing. As a result of the brain damage during brain development a child's muscle control, muscle coordination, muscle tone, reflex, posture and balance can be affected.
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