Meet Hannah Grace, the little fighter behind the Bananas for Hannah! family team. Her entry into the world was so complicated that both she and her sweet mother ended up on a ventilator. But now she's about to celebrate her 1st birthday - happy birthday, Hannah Grace! We at the March of Dimes are bananas about you, too!
From Hannah Grace's mom, Rebecca:
My pregnancy with Hannah Grace was a typical one. I went to all the normal prenatal appointments, took my vitamins, watched my diet, drank plenty of water, didn’t drink, smoke or take medications besides the occasional Tylenol. At my 24 week appointment in early March, my blood pressure was on the higher side, so my OB referred me to a maternal-fetal medicine group. They couldn’t see me until March 30.
On March 26, after a few sleepless nights caused by coughing and difficulty breathing, I went to see the doctor. My blood pressure was through the roof, and I was spilling protein in my urine. My doctor immediately admitted me to labor and delivery, and I was put on magnesium sulfate and given steroid shots to strengthen Hannah Grace’s lungs. I remember very clearly my OB telling me, “I’d like to say that we could keep you pregnant for another 4-6 weeks, but I think the reality here is that you’ll have this baby before the weekend is over.” It came as such a shock to me and my husband. She wasn’t supposed to be here until June!
On March 27, 2011 Hannah Grace was delivered via c-section. She cried the tiniest of cries and was whisked away by the NICU staff. Her Apgar scores were 8 & 9, and the staff was impressed by her feistiness. I was able to see her briefly and my heart filled with pride at this precious bundle God had given us. Shortly after she was born, my breathing rapidly declined and I was admitted to the ICU where I stayed for the next week on a ventilator. In addition to pre-eclampsia, I had developed peripartum cardiomyopathy, a rare form of congestive heart failure that affects pregnant and postpartum women. We were both very sick girls.
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| Hannah Grace in the NICU at Baptist Hopital |
After a lung bleed initially and the usual 28 weeker troubles of A&B spells, learning to feed, and bouts of anemia, Hannah Grace had a fairly uneventful NICU stay. We were so excited to bring her home on her 69th day of life. My husband and I agree that having a premature baby is the hardest experience of our lives. No one wants to leave the hospital without their baby, especially not for two months. No one should have to wait two weeks to be held by their mother, either. The schedule was exhausting; keeping up with work in an effort to save leave time, pumping 7 times a day, and spending as much time as possible with our little girl was the hardest, yet most rewarding task of our lives.
We found out several months later that two thrombophilias are likely the cause of my early pre-eclampsia and peripartum cardiomyopathy. Research funded by the March of Dimes helped find this link between thrombophilia and pre-e. Hannah Grace also received surfactant therapy while in the NICU. Without the March of Dimes, we wouldn’t know the power of this life-saving substance.
Hannah Grace has done so well over the past year. (We are quickly approaching her first birthday.) She is gaining weight, eating well, and has managed to avoid illness. We love every minute of the day with her and are so thankful that 28 weekers have the outcomes they do today because of advances in medicine and technology. We are eternally grateful to the March of Dimes for their role in saving our daughter.
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| And what a cute daughter she is! |
Family Teams Specialist
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