Brooke
10-30-2006, 04:15 PM
Emma's short life story begins in April 2006. My husband, Kirk, and I found out that we were pregnant with our third child on June 22,2006. At that time I was already 8 1/2 weeks pregnant with Emma. Emma was scheduled to join our family on January 25, 2007 via a scheduled C-section. She was a surprise gift given to us at the time considering our youngest son was only 13 months old. We were quite taken by surprise, but happy that we would be having our three children that we had always talked about having.
I started immediately planning for our newest addition to the Van Someren family. I started to re-read all my pregnancy books in preparation for having yet another baby. I started to talk to our oldest son Carter who was 3 1/2 at the time about his new little brother or sister. He was so excited to have another baby to help mommy and daddy with. Ethan being only 13 months at the time didn't understand what was about to change our family forever. I would later find out that I'm glad I would only have one child to explain why their sister was not with us at the time. Ethan will later find out about his sister Emma that never got to live here on earth with her family. We traded our car in to upgrade to a mini van. We switched Carter from a single bed to bunk beds for him and Ethan to share in what was Carter's room, but would now be shared by his younger brother Ethan. Little did we know at that time how much our life was going to change forever.
Everything was going fine in the pregnancy. No morning sickness, once again I lucked out. No spotting those first three months as I did have with Ethan's pregnancy. Overall, I had been feeling quite well except being exhausted from being a pregnant mom with two young children to care for,working full time, and being a wife. I felt little Emma move when I should have and the changes that came with the advancing pregnancy were all normal and on schedule. Everything was great until my routine scheduled ultra sound scheduled for Friday, September 15th, 2006. That day we were all very excited because this pregnancy we had decided that we wanted to know the gender of the baby to know what to prepare for. I told my husband that the pregnancy was such a surprise that I didn't need the surprise at the end, I wanted to know if I was finally going to get my daughter. We had the boys with us at the ultra sound because I wanted them involved as much as possible. Everything was going fine during the ultra sound and the boys had us somewhat preoccupied so we didn't know that something was wrong with our baby until I heard the ultra sound technician ask, "When do you have you next O.B appointment?" I replied, "A month from now." The ultra sound technician replied, "You need to come in on Monday and talk to your doctor about the ultra sound." My mind went wild, I had never been told this during my previous ultra sounds with either of my boys!!! "What is wrong?", I asked. She couldn't say, it needed to come from my doctor after a radiologist read the findings from the ultra sound and reported the findings back to him. So we went home heavy hearted and worried sick only to have to wait 12 hours to be told what they had seen in the ultra sound.
Saturday September 16, 2006 our doctor told us about the future of our baby. Emma had a cyst growing off the back of her little head and neck and also some fluid on the brain. After a further level two ultra sound was preformed on September 19th, 2006 at MN Perinatal Specialist we where given the final diagnosis of our daughter's future, there would be no future for her. What they had seen was fatal. She was diagnosed with what is called Fetal Hydrops with Cystic Hygroma. Fetal Hydrops is when the Lymphatic system was formed incorrectly after conception and the lymph fluid builds up and fills around all the organs in the body. Cystic Hygroma is when there is a fluid filled cyst located off of the back of the baby's neck and head. Babies who are given this diagnosis never make it past 28 weeks gestation. This statement was made by the perinatal specialists, who has seen this far to often in the past.
From that moment on we decided to enjoy each and every last moment of the pregnancy with Emma as long as we had time with her. Because of all the fluid in her little body, they were unable to tell us the gender of our baby via ultra sound, so we chose to have an Amniocentesis done. The Amniocentesis would provide the gender of our baby and also hopefully an answer as to whether this was a chromosome defect or a genetic defect. So on Friday, September 29th, 2006 we got a call from the genetic counselor at MN Perinatal Specialst telling us the results of the Amniocentensis. You're having a baby girl with Turner's Syndrome. Yes, finally my baby girl, but by that point it didn't matter the gender anymore, I just wanted a healthy baby that would live a long, happy, healthy life. I was also glad that my husband was able to produce a female child for me. Before Emma, I had thought for sure that I would only have boys, given my husband had already produced two. Anyway, so our baby had yet another abnormality. Turner's Syndrome is when the female baby is missing the second "X" sex chromosome for some unexplainable reason. This is a chromosome defect. Typically these female babies live, but with the complications of Fetal Hydrops our daughter would not. After that call, we started to pre-plan her funeral. Instead of looking to the future for a baptism for her, we would start to prepare for her death. This time was especially hard waiting for Emma to live or pass in the womb.
Fortunately during this brief 3 1/2 week waiting period I was able to start to get comfort from a mother who had lost a baby boy named Isaiah just 3 1/2 months prior to our loss. She contacted me, which was very courageous and strong on her part. It was unfortunate that we would create this friendship through loosing our children only months apart and we live only miles away from each other. She told me immediately about Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep and about Heather Lombardo the wonderful photographer that helped them capture Isaiah's short life here on earth. So I contacted Heather on Monday, October 2, 2006 and we set up a family pregnancy photo shoot for Friday, October 6, 2006 at her home. The shoot went really well and during the session my husband and I actually forgot the real reason that we where there. We were just having a good time and enjoying the moment with our baby girl and our two boys. I am forever grateful for Heather offering to do the photo shoot for us and inviting us into her life and home. That is all we have of our dear little daughter Emma and it is very special for us to have been given that gift.
Prior to the photo shoot we had just been to MN Perinatal Specialist for another level two ultra sound and they confirmed that there was indeed more fluid building up in Emma's little body. This was to be expected of the Fetal Hydrops. The doctor informed me at that visit that when the end of her life was near I would start to feel less and less movement from her before her little heart would eventually stop beating. That is exactly what happended after Friday, October 6, 2006. That next day it was hard to feel her move and by Sunday October 8, 2006 I was sure that her little body was getting ready to let go. Later that day, I went into our local hospital to have a heartbeat check and she was still with us, despite the lessening movements. The next day at my weekly scheduled doctor appointment on Monday, October 9, 2006 they confirmed at that time that her heart had stopped beating. I believe that I felt her move for the last time as they where trying to locate her heart beat via doppler. Emma was stillborn the following morning Tuesday, October 10, 2006 at 9:27 a.m. after 12 hours of induced labor at United Children's Hospital in St. Paul, MN. Emma weighted 1 pound 11 ounces and was 9 inches long. We choose to spend the next 6 hours holding her and cherishing every moment we had with her. Both sets of her grandparents where present and able to hold her and make some very precious memories with her during those hours as well. We said our final goodbye to our precious baby girl after 3:30 p.m. that cold dreary Tuesday afternoon. It was a bittersweet moment.
On Saturday, October 14, 2006 we held a funeral for Emma Dori Van Someren in our home of Baldwin, WI with a graveside burial. The funeral was short but sweet and touched many hearts. We sang Jesus Loves Me and let pink balloons go after the song ended. Following the funeral we held a community visitation for 3 hours for any family and friends to attend to honor our daughter's short life here on this earth.
I can't wait to see my daughter again one day in heaven. I'm not scared of dying and going to heaven anymore knowing that I will once again have my little baby Emma waiting to see me up there and we will once again get to be with one another. Waiting for that time won't be easy, but I have many more memories that I hope to make in my lifetime including giving Emma another sibling to look down on from heaven and know that she will get to meet that new little person along with her two wild older brothers someday. Until we meet again my little daughter angel Emma, please know how much you are loved and missed every minute of every day by your family.
Love your Mommy,
Brooke
I started immediately planning for our newest addition to the Van Someren family. I started to re-read all my pregnancy books in preparation for having yet another baby. I started to talk to our oldest son Carter who was 3 1/2 at the time about his new little brother or sister. He was so excited to have another baby to help mommy and daddy with. Ethan being only 13 months at the time didn't understand what was about to change our family forever. I would later find out that I'm glad I would only have one child to explain why their sister was not with us at the time. Ethan will later find out about his sister Emma that never got to live here on earth with her family. We traded our car in to upgrade to a mini van. We switched Carter from a single bed to bunk beds for him and Ethan to share in what was Carter's room, but would now be shared by his younger brother Ethan. Little did we know at that time how much our life was going to change forever.
Everything was going fine in the pregnancy. No morning sickness, once again I lucked out. No spotting those first three months as I did have with Ethan's pregnancy. Overall, I had been feeling quite well except being exhausted from being a pregnant mom with two young children to care for,working full time, and being a wife. I felt little Emma move when I should have and the changes that came with the advancing pregnancy were all normal and on schedule. Everything was great until my routine scheduled ultra sound scheduled for Friday, September 15th, 2006. That day we were all very excited because this pregnancy we had decided that we wanted to know the gender of the baby to know what to prepare for. I told my husband that the pregnancy was such a surprise that I didn't need the surprise at the end, I wanted to know if I was finally going to get my daughter. We had the boys with us at the ultra sound because I wanted them involved as much as possible. Everything was going fine during the ultra sound and the boys had us somewhat preoccupied so we didn't know that something was wrong with our baby until I heard the ultra sound technician ask, "When do you have you next O.B appointment?" I replied, "A month from now." The ultra sound technician replied, "You need to come in on Monday and talk to your doctor about the ultra sound." My mind went wild, I had never been told this during my previous ultra sounds with either of my boys!!! "What is wrong?", I asked. She couldn't say, it needed to come from my doctor after a radiologist read the findings from the ultra sound and reported the findings back to him. So we went home heavy hearted and worried sick only to have to wait 12 hours to be told what they had seen in the ultra sound.
Saturday September 16, 2006 our doctor told us about the future of our baby. Emma had a cyst growing off the back of her little head and neck and also some fluid on the brain. After a further level two ultra sound was preformed on September 19th, 2006 at MN Perinatal Specialist we where given the final diagnosis of our daughter's future, there would be no future for her. What they had seen was fatal. She was diagnosed with what is called Fetal Hydrops with Cystic Hygroma. Fetal Hydrops is when the Lymphatic system was formed incorrectly after conception and the lymph fluid builds up and fills around all the organs in the body. Cystic Hygroma is when there is a fluid filled cyst located off of the back of the baby's neck and head. Babies who are given this diagnosis never make it past 28 weeks gestation. This statement was made by the perinatal specialists, who has seen this far to often in the past.
From that moment on we decided to enjoy each and every last moment of the pregnancy with Emma as long as we had time with her. Because of all the fluid in her little body, they were unable to tell us the gender of our baby via ultra sound, so we chose to have an Amniocentesis done. The Amniocentesis would provide the gender of our baby and also hopefully an answer as to whether this was a chromosome defect or a genetic defect. So on Friday, September 29th, 2006 we got a call from the genetic counselor at MN Perinatal Specialst telling us the results of the Amniocentensis. You're having a baby girl with Turner's Syndrome. Yes, finally my baby girl, but by that point it didn't matter the gender anymore, I just wanted a healthy baby that would live a long, happy, healthy life. I was also glad that my husband was able to produce a female child for me. Before Emma, I had thought for sure that I would only have boys, given my husband had already produced two. Anyway, so our baby had yet another abnormality. Turner's Syndrome is when the female baby is missing the second "X" sex chromosome for some unexplainable reason. This is a chromosome defect. Typically these female babies live, but with the complications of Fetal Hydrops our daughter would not. After that call, we started to pre-plan her funeral. Instead of looking to the future for a baptism for her, we would start to prepare for her death. This time was especially hard waiting for Emma to live or pass in the womb.
Fortunately during this brief 3 1/2 week waiting period I was able to start to get comfort from a mother who had lost a baby boy named Isaiah just 3 1/2 months prior to our loss. She contacted me, which was very courageous and strong on her part. It was unfortunate that we would create this friendship through loosing our children only months apart and we live only miles away from each other. She told me immediately about Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep and about Heather Lombardo the wonderful photographer that helped them capture Isaiah's short life here on earth. So I contacted Heather on Monday, October 2, 2006 and we set up a family pregnancy photo shoot for Friday, October 6, 2006 at her home. The shoot went really well and during the session my husband and I actually forgot the real reason that we where there. We were just having a good time and enjoying the moment with our baby girl and our two boys. I am forever grateful for Heather offering to do the photo shoot for us and inviting us into her life and home. That is all we have of our dear little daughter Emma and it is very special for us to have been given that gift.
Prior to the photo shoot we had just been to MN Perinatal Specialist for another level two ultra sound and they confirmed that there was indeed more fluid building up in Emma's little body. This was to be expected of the Fetal Hydrops. The doctor informed me at that visit that when the end of her life was near I would start to feel less and less movement from her before her little heart would eventually stop beating. That is exactly what happended after Friday, October 6, 2006. That next day it was hard to feel her move and by Sunday October 8, 2006 I was sure that her little body was getting ready to let go. Later that day, I went into our local hospital to have a heartbeat check and she was still with us, despite the lessening movements. The next day at my weekly scheduled doctor appointment on Monday, October 9, 2006 they confirmed at that time that her heart had stopped beating. I believe that I felt her move for the last time as they where trying to locate her heart beat via doppler. Emma was stillborn the following morning Tuesday, October 10, 2006 at 9:27 a.m. after 12 hours of induced labor at United Children's Hospital in St. Paul, MN. Emma weighted 1 pound 11 ounces and was 9 inches long. We choose to spend the next 6 hours holding her and cherishing every moment we had with her. Both sets of her grandparents where present and able to hold her and make some very precious memories with her during those hours as well. We said our final goodbye to our precious baby girl after 3:30 p.m. that cold dreary Tuesday afternoon. It was a bittersweet moment.
On Saturday, October 14, 2006 we held a funeral for Emma Dori Van Someren in our home of Baldwin, WI with a graveside burial. The funeral was short but sweet and touched many hearts. We sang Jesus Loves Me and let pink balloons go after the song ended. Following the funeral we held a community visitation for 3 hours for any family and friends to attend to honor our daughter's short life here on this earth.
I can't wait to see my daughter again one day in heaven. I'm not scared of dying and going to heaven anymore knowing that I will once again have my little baby Emma waiting to see me up there and we will once again get to be with one another. Waiting for that time won't be easy, but I have many more memories that I hope to make in my lifetime including giving Emma another sibling to look down on from heaven and know that she will get to meet that new little person along with her two wild older brothers someday. Until we meet again my little daughter angel Emma, please know how much you are loved and missed every minute of every day by your family.
Love your Mommy,
Brooke