Children with Health Complications

Mom shocked by diagnosis (Penelope)

Bonnie (SOAM) Belly, Breasts, Butt, Children with Health Complications, Mom over 30, NICU, Postpartum, Submissions, Third Pregnancy 10 Comments

Age 30

Hello Well my name is Penelope and I am a mom of 3 beautiful children. My oldest daughter is 7 with a normal pregnancy and birth my second daughter is 3 with a normal 40 week pregnancy and birth. But after She had not passed the meconium and the doctors noticed her belly was veiny and distended they rushed her to the OR at 12 hours old. She under went surgery to remove the meconium that had hardened in her intestine. While she is recovering in the NICU my husband daughter and I play the waiting game,finally the surgeon comes to tell us that they suspect Cystic Fibrosis is the culprit in all of this. What is that ? We were both blown away , we had no idea what all this meant. It was confirmed after genetic testing that she did in fact have Cystic Fibrosis. I was in tears for about 3-4 months after that. She was released from the NICU at 3 months old…..My husband and I always wanted a lot of kids, but after this shocker, we didn’t feel right bringing another baby with a life threatening disease into the world. Although we felt strongly about this we were happy to find I was pregnant again!!!:) We wanted to know right away if the baby had CF. I underwent a CVS test and the test revealed the baby was free and clear of all CF genes and was not even a carrier. And it’s a Boy!!! So much stress went into that test we had to wait 12 weeks before we could take it and another 2 weeks for the results…..Anyway long story short, my little girl is doing well .With with all her therapies and feeding problems she is a normal energetic kid…… We are so blessed, Have never looked back and keep moving forward:)

These pics are 18 months post partum
7 year old girl
3 year old girl
18 month old boy

Feeling better about my body (George)

Bonnie (SOAM) Belly, Cesarean, Cesarean Scar and/or Incision, Child Loss, Children with Health Complications, HELLP Syndrome, Postpartum, Submissions, Third Pregnancy 16 Comments

Age: 26
3 pregnancies, 1st was a extremely preamture vaginal birth, 2nd was a catastrophic c-section, 3rd one I lost.
My first girl should’ve been 9 years old now, she died almost 6 weeks old. My second girl is soon 6 years old, and I just lost my third child in the first trimester 3 weeks ago.

Because of this page, and all you wonderful mamas, I’m feeling better about my body.
Before I saw all the gorgeous pictures here, I was feeling quite bad about myself. Particularly my belly and c-section scar.

I had my first child just over 9 years ago, vaginal birth, but in week 23, she was 17.5 oz and 11.9 inches. Traumatic and dramatic birth, and I watched them work on her after she was out, intubate her etc. She lived for almost 6 weeks before she couldn’t go on anymore, due to critical and serious illnesses. Long, heartbraking weeks in the NICU with a very sick baby who was in pain a lot.
Loosing her was the total loss. I still wake at night because every cell in my body is screaming for her, screaming that one of the people I loved the most is gone. I miss her more than words can say. The pain and grief vibrates with amplifiers in my bone marrow.Still.
She is with me in my heart and thoughts every day. I love her more than anything.

My second child was born 6 years ago in november. She was born in week 30. That was a catastrophic c-section. She was out less than 10 minutes after I woke up bleeding heavily. She wasn’t breathing and didn’t have a heart rate when born. My placenta had ruptured totally. But they managed to bring her back to me. I am so greatful for that, every day. She was 2.6 lbs and 15.8 inches. I was very sick with HELLP-syndrome, and luckily in the hospital when this happened, or she wouldn’t have made it.
That was a very dramatic and traumatic birth, again. This time though, I was so sick, and lost so much blood, I almost died too.
We were both very critical the first few days.
I didn’t get to see my baby until she was 40 hours old. I don’t even have the words to describe the pain in that.
She pulled through, came home after 7 weeks in the NICU. The next few years she struggled with a lot, they were filled with illness, hospitals, tests, doctors, meds etc.
But she’s doing great now.
My joy and pride, my beautiful, amazing, strong, miracle-girl. I love her more than anything.

Then I got pregnant again, and I was very happy about that. But this time, I lost my child, just three weeks ago, in the first trimester. I am sure she was a third girl. I’ve never felt so empty in my life, this emptiness is filling me up. I didn’t know that a loss like this could be so terrible, so painful.
I dreamed last night, that my baby was gone, and even in my sleep the pain was so real and so overwhelming.
I’m scared I wont be able to carry more babies.
I wanted this baby with all my heart. I miss her so terribly much.

So, that’s my story, longer than I thought it would be.
My contribution to the page.
It is kinda scary this, putting yourself out there like that.
But I’m hoping others can feel better from looking at this page too, so I’m going to do it.
Best wishes to all the beautiful mamas out there, and thanks a lot for this page!

2.5 Months PP, Second Cesarean in 2.5 Years (Shannon)

Bonnie (SOAM) Belly, Cesarean, Child Loss, Children with Health Complications, Postpartum, Pregnant, Second Pregnancy, Submissions, Update 9 Comments

Previous posts here and here.

age:22
Pregnancies:2 pregnancies and 2 births

I wrote that I would eventually post some pictures of my PP body, so I am! I am now 3 months PP…the pictures are 2.5 months PP though! The part where my stomach hangs from my cesarean really bugs me…but it has gotten better! Liam is doing great, laughing, smiling, doing good on his tummy, breastfeeding like a champ. I see so much of Connor in him! I read him a book my Mom made me for him called “My Big Brother, My Guardian Angel”, and he loves it. I have made 2 very amazing boys, and I love them both so much!!

Pictures:
6 months pregnant with Connor
About 8 months PP with Connor
9 months pregnant with Liam
The rest are me 2.5 months PP after both boys

Updated here, here and here.

5 Weeks PP 2nd Baby (Shannon)

Bonnie (SOAM) Belly, Cesarean, Child Loss, Children with Health Complications, Second Pregnancy, Submissions, Update 18 Comments

Original entry here.

i had liam april 10 via cesarean at 11:53, 7 lbs 15 oz, 19 in. he is very healthy, although i am still so scared to lose him. it has been a very emotional month…the 1 year anniversary since connor passed was may 1st. i miss him so much, he would have loved his little brother! i know he is in heaven watching over us and making his baby brother smile! liam is amazing and i love him just as i love connor. i will be posting my body at another time…but that is not what matters right now, it gave me the 2 greatest boys ever!

pics:
connor
me the night before i had liam
liam at birth
liams 2nd walk and my connor shirt
liam and mommy 1 month pp

Updated here, here, here and here.

19 years old struggling to accept my new body. (Meg)

Bonnie (SOAM) Belly, Children with Health Complications, First Pregnancy, Postpartum, Submissions, Teen Mom 4 Comments

I found out I was pregnant at 18. I was actually thrilled, even though the father and I had only been together for a short three months. I had a wonderful beginning to my pregnancy. I loved watching my belly grow, and eating whatever I felt like. (I always did anyways.) I was 120 lbs before pregnancy, and I gained exactly 35 lbs on the day of delivery. I’m now back at 128, not bad, but I’d like to lose more. At 21 weeks of pregnancy, something I had never considered a possibility, happened. My daughter was diagnosed with a congenital heart defect. Actually, three. She has a single ventricle defect, luckily she has the right ventricle, which does most of the work, and is way easier to remedy than hypo-plastic left heart syndrome. Also, transposed arteries, meaning the two major arteries are reversed. And lastly, she has two large holes in her right ventricle, which are actually blessings in disguise. They keep the arteries open. She’s the strongest most beautiful person I’ve ever met. I am very blessed to have her, and I know this. She has beaten every odd the doctors thought she wouldn’t. I just wish I could be half as proud of the body she left me with as I am of her. I wish I would have known that the body I had before pregnancy was beautiful, and taken advantage of that. And as soon as I started to feel that my pregnant body was beautiful, my pregnancy became overwhelmingly stressful. After a long 36 hours of labor after being induced, she was born c-section. I got to see my Ava Elaine for about 30 seconds before they whisked her away to the NICU. She’s had her first of three surgeries, the next right around the corner, and she’s doing amazing! The pictures shown below are of me at almost 4 months postpartum. As you can see, I have an umbilical hernia, and I’ve had it since birth. I will be having surgery to fix that soon, and hope it helps the shape of my tummy a little. Right now it looks like a deformed brain.

Missing my baby boy, and expecting my second (Shannon)

Bonnie (SOAM) Belly, Child Loss, Children with Health Complications, First Pregnancy, Pregnant, Second Pregnancy, Submissions, Update 46 Comments

Before I ever had children I was 5’2″ and 105-110 lbs. I got pregnant with my first (Connor) when I was 19. I got stretchmarks everywhere possible! We had no idea that Connor was going to be born with any issues. He was born emergency c-section at 37 weeks. Right when he came out the doctors knew something was wrong. Connor was not breathing well, and he looked “different”. He was taken to the neonatal ICU at Children’s Hospital just hours after birth. He spent a month in the NICU (I was there every day by his side reading to him and holding him). He had to have a trach placed to breath and a g-tube placed to get nutrition. I was lucky to have an amazing fiance (now husband), who was absolutely wonderful with Connor! Connor did well for a while (lots of hospitalizations, but nothing longer than a week at a time), then when he was about 13-14 months he started running fevers all the time. They would get as high as 105.5 and nothing other than IV meds would bring them down. After running countless tests the doctors called them “central fevers”, a neurological problem. Connor was 19 months old when he passed away in his sleep at home. His heart could not handle the fevers any longer. He was and is the most amazing boy I have ever known, and I miss and love him so much. Who would have thought that a baby would be my hero. He was the happiest child I have ever met! He smiled all the time! I will never regret choosing to stay home full time with Connor. I used to say that when I was done having children I would have a tummy tuck…not anymore. I want to keep these stretch marks that my angel baby gave me. I found out I was pregnant again just 3 1/2 months after Connor went to heaven. It was very unplanned, and too soon for me. But my husband and I figure that Connor had us get pregnant with his little brother when he was ready. I am now 31 weeks along, and being followed by high risk pregnancy doctors very closely. As of now, Liam (baby number 2) looks good. I will never have the body that I used to have…but who else can say that they carried a saint?


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In labor with Connor

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Connor after birth, before Children’s Hospital arrived

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January 2008

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September 2007

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November 2007

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Valentine’s Day 2009 – 31 weeks pregnant

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Liam at 22 weeks

Updated here, here, here, here and here.

SMA: We Can Do This! (Submitted Anonymously)

Bonnie (SOAM) Activism, Children with Health Complications 0 Comment

I came across this postcard on post secret

As a Mother, it made me cry. I would not ever pretend to understand the pain that must come with being told your child will not make it past 2. I cannot pretend to understand the strength it must take to get through the day.. But I do understand what it is to love your child and to want to watch your child grow up strong and healthy, to have a full life. I saw this post last Sunday and it made me think that maybe, just maybe, by taking 2 minutes of the day to sign this petition I could help. Every child counts, every child deserves a chance. Please take a moment of your time and sign this petition, take a moment to search Spinal muscular atrophy, find out about these children. The marks they leave on the world in such a small amount of time..

SMA Petition

Cat

Bonnie (SOAM) Belly, Breastfeeding, Children with Health Complications, First Pregnancy, Postpartum, Pregnant, Submissions 23 Comments

My son is a miracle, and my body is a mess. It was so hard to see such a beautiful little creature nursing while resting on my “pillow” of a tummy. I was always thin and fit, but was put on restriction at 23 weeks pregnant. I had a hard pregnancy and my son was born prematurely a month early. He had to be whisked away to the NICU and stayed there for 5 days due to respiratory problems. This is a picture of our first nursing session, when he was 51 hours old. I was not allowed to feed him before then.

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At two week sold he was diagnosed with a heart condition. We had such a turbulent pregnancy (including fertility treatments), birth and now this. I really didn’t have time at first to focus on how much my body was disappointing me! My stomach grew huge…here I am at 35 weeks preggo. The last pic before my son was born.

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I only got one stretch mark on my tummy, but my hips, butt and thighs are a veritable roadmap of deep, thick stretch marks. They have since pretty much faded and I often run my hand over them to feel the new texture. My tummy now hangs over my pants, as if I am still 4-5 months pregnant. I often look at myself naked and remark how much I look like my mother did when I saw her naked as a small child. I produced something truly miraculous and beautiful….and for that, my body is beautiful, too.

I still marvel at the whole process, and am thankful to have a loving husband and sweet son who think I am the prettiest mommy around.

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