Happy Birthday Freckles...

 
After the miscarriage of our second child, I honestly didn't think we would have another child...Three years later we were surprised...I mean SURPRISED that I was pregnant. We were excited. At 27 weeks my body started to reject my baby girl due to my Rh-negative blood type...Our blood was crossed/mixed sometime before I was able to get my rogham shot. At that point my body was seeing her as a foreign object. I became sensitized as antibodies crossed the placenta and started to attack her blood. The antibodies break down the baby's red blood cells and produce anemia (the blood has a low number of red blood cells). This condition is called hemolytic disease or hemolytic anemia. It can become severe enough to cause serious illness, brain damage, or even death in the fetus or newborn. I was already having a hard pregnancy with the constant illness that never let up, then the fear of possibly losing her was unimaginable. 5 1/2 weeks early, she decided to enter the world on her own. Would she be alright? Would she have brain damage? Would she survive? We didn't know. She came into this world August 7th at 11PM sharp....They took her immediately to the ICU for she was not breathing well enough. Thank God...They did tests, showing us she was fine, she did not have brain damage whatsoever, she would survive this ordeal...Just one thing...She needed to be kept in the ICU for a time, until her breathing and lungs were normal and the severe jaundice was gone. I went to my baby shower which had been planned before she came...I wasn't pregnant and couldn't have my baby in my arms on that joyous celebration. Only a little picture of her in the incubator came along with me... After a week or so, she was able to come home. Praise God from whom all blessings flow....She still needed the bili lights though. The hospital set us up with a little biliblanket that wrapped around her body with ultraviolet light glowing from her. We called her our little glow worm. A nurse came to take her blood every day...just to be certain she was well enough from the blood crossing incident and to make sure she was able to get off the bili lights. It was another long week until she was pronounced a healthy baby girl. Every day we thank God for bringing her through...She is and always will be our little miracle blessing.

She looked like a little porcelain baby doll. She is perfect in every way. I will always and forever cherish her and will miss the tiny baby she was. Yet, of course we will thoroughly enjoy all that she is today. A beautiful young girl. Today she is 12. Never to be a baby again, never to see 11 again. Oh bitter sweet. No matter what...In my heart she will always be my baby girl though...Of course it won't matter how old she gets...always, my baby she'll be.

Happy Birthday Freckles...
We love you so.