My Journey with Katie -- Birthday

Katie was born at 8:03 Monday August 13, 2007. When she was born I realized that she was not presenting correctly her head came out forehead first instead of the normal back of head. Katie was bluish gray, very limp and not breathing. I thought she was having respiratory distress due to the way she was born. We tried to resuscitate her and called 911. She reached the hospital 40 mins later due to Monday morning traffic. Neil went with her and I stayed at home because I thought she was going to start up and be just fine, plus I had to deliver the placenta. I called my Mom as soon as Katie left and she rushed down to my house. She began the calling of the family and my Grandmother was near the hospital at church so she met Neil there with a Priest. Katie was baptised and given the anointment of the sick. Neil finally called with information a hour and half after Katie was born. He told me that Katie had a whole in her right lung and in her diaphragm and that she suffered severe brain damage due to the lack of adequate oxygen for 40 mins from birth until reaching North Collier Hospital.

Katie needed to be life flighted over to Miami Children’s Hospital because they are a level 3 NICU. I got to the hospital as quickly as I could. My Mom drove and we were both a wreck. I was sore from the birth but I had to see Katie before she left in the helicopter. The Doc at NCH said she was very sick and she might not make it to Miami. I was in shock, she looked so much better at the hospital then when she left in the ambulance. Her head was very bruised but she was pink and even had her eyes open. We kissed her and took pictures and then she left. I remember the flight crew coming in with their blue jump suits. One of them was a very nice woman in her fifties I grabbed her arm and looked right into her eyes and begged her to take good care of Katie. We raced home to pack clothes and anything we might need and then my Mom, Dad, Neil, and I headed for Miami. Miami is about 1hr 45 min away from Naples and as we were driving Miami Hosp called and said that Katie had arrived and she was stable. I finally felt like I could breathe, I was so tired from labor that I fell asleep and when I woke up we were 10 min from the hospital. We went up and saw her and the doctors told us she had a birth defect called Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia. She was in a plastic baby warmer box and had tubes everywear. She had machines all around her and it was so sad and scary. This began the hardest time I had ever been through. Katie looked just like Matthew and she was so beautiful. I wanted so much to hold her but we couldn't at the most we could touch her and kiss her. We watched the machine that told us how much oxygen Katie's body was processing. That number was what we lived by for the next nine days. 100% being the best and 80-100 being acceptable Katie was normally in the high 80's. The number would drop when the nurses had to do anything like clean the tubes or change Katie's diaper. Katie needed to rest and not be bothered as much as possible. The room we were in though was bright and very loud with beeping sounds that I still hear sometimes in my head. We did our best to keep her calm. After the third day I was allowed Four times a day 3 and 9 oclock to change her diaper and put lotion on her. It was amazing when I touched her the numbers went up to the 90's. Neil and I both are sure she knew us.