Wednesday, April 30, 2008
First I would like to thank EVERYONE for thier well wishes and prayers for Madison and our family. We are so fortunate to have such great family and friends by our side.
Chad and I celebrated the birth of our first daughter on Friday April 11th. Madison Lynne ( we are going to call her Maddie) came into the world at 9:19 pm and wieghed 7 lbs and 1 oz. I wont lie and say that labor and delivering her didnt hurt..BAD..but it was worth every minute for her! Chad was an excellent Coach and stuck by my side every second we were in the hospital, I am so lucky to have him. My Mom and sister were also there to share the moment Maddie was born, and surprisingly my sister didnt annoy me...lol, and was a huge help as "the towel puller" :)
Right after she was born, the doctor put her on my tummy so I could see her and Chad cut the cord. She was beautiful and looked so much like Chad I couldnt believe it! I will never forget how I felt at that moment because everything felt so perfect in my life. I have always dreamed of being a mommy since I was old enough to play with dolls and my dream finally came true.
After a few minutes the nurses cleaned her up and took her to the nursery area so the Neonatoligist could look her over, and she could warm up. Chad went with her. I spent months watching those stupid baby story shows on TLC so I knew how the system worked and I didnt worry about anything since she looked so good and I heard her cry. All the friends and family at the hospital got to see her through the window before they left since it was a loooong day. Maddie spent the most of the night in our room until a nurse came in at about 5am and noted her body temp was very low...so they took her back to the nursery area and reassured me everything was fine.
Chad and I woke up in the morning and wanted to see if they would bring her back to our room so I could feed her....The nurses told Chad she had to stay in the nursery for now and that she was not keeping her body temp warm enough...then I really started to worry when we were told a Dr. was going to speak with us about her condition.When we walked down to the nursury we found out Maddie was already admitted in the Neo Natal Intensive Care Unit, Chad and I wanted to see her so we were allowed back and were able to hold her.
The Dr. met us in the NICU and while I was holding Madison he gave us the news that our baby has Down Syndrome. I cant even begin to describe the sadness that came over us at that moment. I literally felt my heart break into a million pieces...like no pain I have ever felt in my entire life. Of all the things I expected to ever happen in my life...this was the last. I looked down at her and I couldnt see it...she looked like a completely healthy newborn baby, and just like her daddy. I silently was in denial for a moment, and thought this was a bad dream I would wake up from. Then I realized it wasnt.... I held her and just cried.
For those who dont already know, Down Syndrome is a Chromosomal disorder that usually results in delays in physical and mental development along with nurmerous health conditions. It is known that an error in cell division at conception causes DS, it is random and not caused by anything Chad or I did during my pregnancy. It can happen to anyone and the odds are 1 in 1400 in any pregnancy. Maddie's type of DS is trisomy 21, basically instead of having 46 chromosomes in each cell, Maddie has 47. We just want all of our family and friends who will be a part of Maddie's life to please understand Down Syndrome, accept her for who she is, and LOVE her.
This is a huge shock to Chad, myself and our families but we are optimistic about Maddie's future. We are very fortunate that she has a healthy heart but she still has some obstacles to overcome. We were finally able to bring her home from the hospital after 2 weeks and 2 days. During that time, coming home every night without my baby was the hardest part of the whole experience so far. Chad and I love her more than we ever imagined, and bringing her home was the happiest feeling. Maddie looks like a little baby doll, she is just so beautiful and she amazes us everyday.
I honestly believe Chad and I were given Maddie for a reason...I dont want anyone to feel sorry for Maddie or bad for us. Maddie is going to have the best life possible and we are going to see to it she has every potential to grow up the way any other child does. She could not have asked for a better family, she is loved by more people than I ever thought. Chad is the most loving and amazing man I have ever known in my life and will never let her down. He has been optomistic and supportive from day one and always reassures me when I have doubts. He kept all of our friends up to date day by day while I took some time to collect myself and focus on my baby. I truly love Chad with all of my heart and consider myself to be the luckiest girl in the world to have him. And I love my family for being there for us and making sure everything has been taken care of during the last few weeks, and spending hours with us while we sat in the NICU with Maddie.
Most people including myself, take the simple things in life for granted. I never expected to have a child with disabilites and was not prepared for these emotions. I thought Chad and I would go to the hospital, have a healthy little girl, and go home in 2 days..like eveyone else I know. I love my little girl more than I ever imagined and I know she is going to bring us a lifetime of happiness.
She is already bringing us plently of poopy diapers sleepless nights, and worrying mommy like crazy, but being with her is worth more than I can describe!!!!
Thank you again to eveyone. I will be posting LOTS of pictures of her to share
Love,
Kristin
Monday, July 20, 2009
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