shawna
11-01-2006, 03:59 PM
What a wonderful Valentine's Day surprise! After five years of fertility treatments, we had given up on the possibility of having a baby naturally and there it was- a positive test. I had been feeling tired and a bit sick since Thanksgiving, but I didn't even consider that I could be pregnant. Our little boy Colter, who came to our family through the gift of adoption, was 17 months old and we were thrilled to be giving him a sibling. We made an appt. with our midwife for an ultrasound to find out how far along I was and had another shock on March 2-17 weeks! That meant a due date in August, not October as we had guessed. The rest of pregnancy was as easy as the first half and we continued to travel, play and wait for our new baby. We were constantly making plans for how we would be sharing our mountains, rivers, and all the activities we enjoy with our new baby. Colter used to blow raspberries on my belly and say "Baby, come out and play with me!" We decided not to find out if it was a boy or girl since we were enjoying the surprises. All of our appointments were normal and we had no idea what the future held for us.
We live three hours from the hospital that I would be delivering in, so we went down to Grand Junction around my due date and decided to just get a hotel and stay. On August 12th, we went to the hospital for a little Cytotec boost ( I was at 2cm and having irregular contractions). Well that did the trick and 17 hours later at 12:58am on August 13,2006 Tyson John LaBorde was born, 8lbs and 21 1/2 inches long and a head full of curly hair just like his Daddy. His apgars were good at 6 and 8, but he was a little lethargic. At first we all just thought he needed a little extra fluid volume because his cord was wrapped twice. After we held him, took a precious few pictures and a short video, my husband carried him down to NICU. He was the only one to see Tyson's beautiful eyes and that is such a wonderful memory to help comfort him . Once in the nursery, things started to go down hill. His heartrate was very low and although they tried everything they could think of, it never came back up. Apparently since my heart had been beating for him throughout the pregnancy, we had no way of knowing that something hadn't formed correctly in his electrical system. He passed away three and a half hours after his birth in our arms and surrounded by all of his grandparents. To say it was unexpected would be an understatement. We were blindsided. Although we had an autopsy performed and many other tests, there is still no answer as to what caused his death. As time passes, we are healing. We had a wonderful staff of caregivers who gave us lots of support, information and follow up care. Our family and friends have helped beyond all reasonable expectations and we have found help in healing from many sources. It all happened so quickly in the middle of the night and my current guilt and sadness is that Colter and Tyson's other family members didn't get to meet him here on earth. I am sure that is a regret that a lot of parents who have lost a baby share and I hope that sharing our story with others will help with the healing process.
Even though we didn't learn about NILMDTS at the time of Tyson's birth and death, I am so thrilled to have found it now. I was led here down a strange path that can only be explained as God's will. This site has already comforted me and helped me connect with others in a similar situation.
Thank you,
Shawna
We live three hours from the hospital that I would be delivering in, so we went down to Grand Junction around my due date and decided to just get a hotel and stay. On August 12th, we went to the hospital for a little Cytotec boost ( I was at 2cm and having irregular contractions). Well that did the trick and 17 hours later at 12:58am on August 13,2006 Tyson John LaBorde was born, 8lbs and 21 1/2 inches long and a head full of curly hair just like his Daddy. His apgars were good at 6 and 8, but he was a little lethargic. At first we all just thought he needed a little extra fluid volume because his cord was wrapped twice. After we held him, took a precious few pictures and a short video, my husband carried him down to NICU. He was the only one to see Tyson's beautiful eyes and that is such a wonderful memory to help comfort him . Once in the nursery, things started to go down hill. His heartrate was very low and although they tried everything they could think of, it never came back up. Apparently since my heart had been beating for him throughout the pregnancy, we had no way of knowing that something hadn't formed correctly in his electrical system. He passed away three and a half hours after his birth in our arms and surrounded by all of his grandparents. To say it was unexpected would be an understatement. We were blindsided. Although we had an autopsy performed and many other tests, there is still no answer as to what caused his death. As time passes, we are healing. We had a wonderful staff of caregivers who gave us lots of support, information and follow up care. Our family and friends have helped beyond all reasonable expectations and we have found help in healing from many sources. It all happened so quickly in the middle of the night and my current guilt and sadness is that Colter and Tyson's other family members didn't get to meet him here on earth. I am sure that is a regret that a lot of parents who have lost a baby share and I hope that sharing our story with others will help with the healing process.
Even though we didn't learn about NILMDTS at the time of Tyson's birth and death, I am so thrilled to have found it now. I was led here down a strange path that can only be explained as God's will. This site has already comforted me and helped me connect with others in a similar situation.
Thank you,
Shawna