{A Better Way: Baby Wendy Inspires the WORLD!}

Please welcome Jamie to the blog! This amazing Mom and Dad have an AMAZING daughter and you will fall in love with them both...I'm sure! :) I most certainly have!


Here's their story in Jamie's own words:


"A Better Way To Live, Laugh, Love, and Inspire!

Have you ever experienced a life-altering moment? A moment that you knew your life was about to change forever? In the few seconds it took those two pink lines to show up, I went from being scared, to nervous, to excited, to knowing that nothing would ever be the same.

March 13, 2011. It had been one month and four days since my husband returned from a year long tour of duty in Afghanistan. We both knew we wanted a baby, however, we had tried for a while before he left and on his two week leave, so we both assumed it would take a while for us to get pregnant. We assumed we would have months to adjust to him being home before we began growing our little family. We were wrong. One month and four days after he got back I found out I was pregnant. Zed didn't believe me or the positive pregnancy test so he made me take another one. 

April 11, 2011. I went to the hospital and took a blood test. During that first appointment, I also filled out paperwork and was told I would come back on the 28th to hear the heartbeat.

April 15, 2011. I made an unexpected trip to the hospital because I was vomiting nonstop. They did an ultrasound to make sure my body wasn't aborting the fetus and I got to see my tiny baby for the first time. The little jellybean was bouncing off my uterus walls, literally. The doctor said I must have one happy baby because he/she had a high heart rate and was moving a ton. I was told I was 8 weeks and 5 days pregnant. 

April 28, 2011. I met my midwife. I was still nauseas and vomiting quite a bit. I had lost 1.8lbs. 

May 10, 2011. I had to go to the emergency room because I was vomiting so much. I received 2 bags of IV fluid for severe dehydration. I was miserable. I was only 12 weeks pregnant and already I was ready for November 20. I loved my sweet baby, and the thought of holding my precious little one is the only thing that got me through the vomiting, the aching, and the hospital visits. 

May 26, 2011. At my checkup I found out I had lost more weight. I was down 5.5lbs from my pre-pregnancy weight.

May 28, 2011. Today was the big day. We got up early for our appointment in Nashville, TN. We were going to Focused 4D Imaging to find out what our little jellybean was going to be! I was so excited, but I was also absolutely positive I was carrying a baby Zayden Odith McLanahan. I was wrong. After a good, long 45 minute ultrasound we finally got a picture of jellybean's princess parts. We were having a beautiful baby girl who we had already named Wendy Lee. Zed and I picked out baby names way before we got pregnant. When we were only dating we decided if we ever got married and had a little girl, she would be Wendy Lee. Wendy was Zed's mother's name and Lee is mine, my mother's, and my great-grandmother's middle name. I later found out Lee was Zed's sister's, aunt's, and great-grandmother's middle name. Our boy name, Zayden, was picked out while Zed was deployed. I wanted something odd and something that started with a Z. I am now very happy we had a baby girl because several people have named their baby boys Zayden. 

June 9, 2011. I was 16 weeks pregnant and I had lost 9.8lbs. At this appointment they gave me another bag of IV fluids. They kept telling me my baby was fine, and I was only experiencing morning sickness, but I knew something was not right. I should not have been this sick, all the time. 

July 18, 2011. I had my "20 week ultrasound". I was really 22 weeks pregnant. At Blanchfield Army Community Hospital they do one ultrasound during your pregnancy. They do it at around 20 weeks. The only reason I had one at 8 weeks was because I was so sick and at 14 weeks because we went to Nashville and paid for it. 

July 21, 2011. I had a checkup and I received the results from my ultrasound. They said my baby was measuring a little small and that they found something. Coming from a doctor, the words "found something" completely fills you with dread. The midwife said my baby had Choroid Plexus Cysts. CPCs are a somewhat common finding in pregnancies and usually disappear on their own by 32 weeks, that's what we were told. Zed and I were given the option of a second ultrasound at BACH or we could go to a maternal-fetal specialist in Nashville. Zed was quick to say we were going to Nashville. As we left the hospital that day, I will never forget that feeling of dread. My heart was heavy as I called my mother. I told her what the doctor said and read off a list of statics the midwife had printed out for us. I kept telling my mom, it was fine, I was fine, Wendy was fine. But all I really wanted to do was cry. 

August 4, 2011. This was my first appointment with maternal-fetal group in Nashville. They did an ultrasound. We then talked to Dr. Mayor-Lynn. Wendy was measuring about a week behind and the CPCs were still present as well as fluid around her heart. Dr. Mayor-Lynn told us we had about a 1% chance of having a baby with a chromosome problem. 1% doesn't sound bad, but when you think about it, that means one in one hundred babies. We wanted to know for sure so that we could prepare and give our baby the best chance possible. I had an amniocentesis that day. We were told if the baby did have a chromosome abnormality it was most likely Down Syndrome or Trisomy 18. Those are the two most common with CPCs. Down Syndrome we could handle, Trisomy 18 we were told chance of survival was low. Most Trisomy 18 babies are stillborn, the rest usually don't make it past a year old. I was heartbroken. This was my baby and I couldn't do anything to help her or fix her. And on top of me feeling sad and helpless, I was hurting, physically, from the amnio. I was cramping and my belly was extremely sore.

August 12, 2011. At 25 weeks pregnant I was told Wendy had a problem with her 7th chromosome. They were doing further testing and we wanted to test mine and Zed's blood to see if we were carriers.

August 18, 2011. Zed and I went back to Nashville to give our blood samples. We still didn't have final amnio results. We were in limbo. We didn't know what to think or how to feel. All I could do was look up stuff on the Internet and that was scaring me to death. All I kept reading was mental retardation and leukemia. 

August 25, 2011. I was 27 weeks pregnant and we were heading to Georgia for my baby shower. We were stopping on the way to have yet another ultrasound. This time, they said I had too much amniotic fluid and would have to come back weekly for ultrasounds. At this appointment I also had 3D pictures done. When we left, I cried for the first time. She was beautiful and I was terrified that she wouldn't survive. I wanted Wendy so badly. I didn't know what to do or how to feel. Not long after we left Maternal Fetal Group, BACH called to tell me they wouldn't be seeing me anymore and that I would be finishing my pregnancy out with the specialists at MFG. I was happy about that, knowing Wendy and I would both have better care in Nashville than we would at Fort Campbell. 

September 6, 2011. We had been back from Georgia for a few days. I had went grocery shopping and cleaned my house top to bottom. I was cramping some and having Braxton Hicks contractions. I decided to take a warm bath because that always helped before. As I was getting undressed, I noticed some fluid leaking down my leg. It wasn't a lot so I didn't panic, but I did call my doctor. I had an appointment scheduled for the next morning. I asked if I needed to go to the hospital or if it would be okay to wait until the morning. My doctor called back a few minutes later and said just to be safe I should go to the hospital. They put me on the monitor and watched me for a few hours. They said I was having some irritabily but not full blown contractions and I wasn't in active labor they wanted to do a quick test to make sure my water hadn't broke and then I could be on my way. Well, instead of the nurse coming back to discharge me, the ER doctor came in and told me my water had broke. Zed actually said, "shut the ____ up". The doctor said I would be camping out at the hospital until I delivered. Zed was drilling him with questions. He was wanting to know would Wendy be okay if she came now. I was just trying to breath.

September 21, 2011. We received news from the geneticist that our final report from my amniocentesis was in. Our daughter had an unbalanced translocation between chromosomes 7 & 10. She had many deleted genes. There was no medical record of another case even similar to hers. They couldn't even give us a survival rate or tell us what to expect. We decided to bank her cord blood through ViaCord. Many times when there is a problem with the 7th chromosome, the child will end up with leukemia. 

October 6, 2011. I started having really bad contractions. They were different from the Braxton Hicks I had been experiencing the past weeks. I told the doctor that I was hurting and I thought Wendy was coming. My magnesium drip was increased and an ultrasound was ordered. Wendy had definitely dropped. Over the next day, the contractions worsened, but the doctor did not want to check to see if I was dilating for risk of further rupturing my membranes and putting me in labor, if I wasn't already. I received 5 shots of Terbutaline within 40 hours.

October 8, 2011. Early that morning, I refused any more medication to try to stop labor. I was Wendy's mother and I had to listen to my body. My body was telling me I was having a baby and I wasn't going to keep pumping my body full of drugs. Finally at lunch, a wonderful nurse named Kelly that had taken care of me many days I was there talked my doctor into letting her check my cervix. I was 5cm dilated. I called my mom and dad and it just so happened that they were on their way to surprise me. I was immediately taking to the labor and delivery floor- I had been on the high risk floor. By the time I got moved and Zed got showered, was 7-8cm and I got my epidural. After that I got on my makeup and put in my contacts. They checked my cervix again and I was 10cm. My mom and dad had just arrived. They both got to come in and give me a kiss then they waited in the hall. I pushed once with the nurse, then they got Dr. Robinson. I pushed twice with her and Wendy was out. She was born at 3:01 pm, weighing 3lbs 15oz and 17 in long. She didn't cry. And the doctors took her immediately. Zed cried seeing our beautiful daughter and he stood by her while they stitched me up and examined baby Wendy. Finally, I got to hold her. Zed and I got to take a few pictures and then they took her to the NICU. Not long after she was born, a neonatologist came to tell me she had an imperforate anus and would need surgery. She was to be transferred to Vanderbilt within a few hours. I got in a wheelchair and went to see my baby. She was beautiful and I did not want to hand her over to the transport team.

October 9, 2011. At 9 am I signed myself out of the hospital and went to see my little angel. 

For 71 days she was in the hospital. She was born with an imperforate anus, microcephaly, kidney reflux, swollen kidneys, interrupted infra hepatic IVC, anemia, intestinal malrotation, gastrointestinal reflux, feeding difficulties and she was jaundice. Wendy has had two surgeries, one at 3 days old for a colostomy and one at 6 weeks old to have a g tube inserted and a LADD procedure. She came home on December 18, my 22nd birthday.

Wendy Lee is now 8 months old and 11lbs. She still looks like a newborn and is only in 0-3 month clothes. She still has a colostomy bag and a g tube. She has to take medication daily. We are preparing for a surgery on the 28th. But with all that said, I have to mention all her accomplishments too. She can now roll over. She's babbling a ton. She's learning to eat baby food. She has two bottom teeth and she loves to smile and show them off. She's reaching milestones and doing so much better than any doctor anticipated. She is a true miracle and an inspiration to us all. Wendy is a one-of-a-kind, million dollar baby."

 

Jamie---I couldn't agree more! Thanks for sharing your inspiring story----you are all awesome...and Wendy is a little star! You've truly discovered better ways to live an awesome life! Blessings to you all~Read more about precious Wendy at http://alwayskissmegnight.blogspot.com

Love,

Laura