Introduction

Jeremy Duke (jeremyd@netzone.com)
Wed, 6 Mar 1996 16:07:09 -0700 

The Duke Family
Jeremy, Margann & Zachary

        Hi, I'm Margann, and I'd like to introduce my family to the group.
My husband Jeremy and I have a wonderful son, Zachary, who was born to us on
September 29, 1995.  Zachary was born at 28 weeks gestation which was a
miracle for us since the doctors truly didn't believe that he would even
make it viability once I went into labor at 22 weeks.  I think that the last
7 months have been some of the most terrifying and rewarding months of our
entire lives.  
        One morning last August I woke up and didn't feel well.  I hadn't
felt very good for about 3 days, but when I had seen my OB earlier in the
week he said I was just feeling my ligaments pulling in my stomach because I
was putting on so much weight too fast.  At the time he didn't realize the
cause of this was too much Amniotic fluid.  I tried to tell him that I was
watching what I ate and exercising, but he said to try harder.  However,
thank God, on this particular morning I decided I didn't care what he had
said, I wanted him to look at me once again and tell me that everything was
ok.  Well, within 2 hours of that decision, I was in the hospital, flat on
my back, being pumped full of Mag Sulfate, Terbuteline and Indocin to try to
stop the contractions I had been having.  I had dilated to 2 cms. and was
100% effaced.  Amazingly, it took several days for the severity of the
situation to really sink in.  At that point, the perinatologists decided
that I had an excess of Amniotic fluid - rather rare with a single fetus -
and that this needed to be drained and a cerclage put in, since I also had
an incompetent cervix.  In all, I ended up hospitalized on bedrest (often
with my head dipped down in Trendelenberg position) for 6 weeks with 5 Amnio
drains (9 liters total) and two cerclages. At the time I wondered how long I
could hang on - I spent the last week dilated to 9 cm. after pulling through
both cerclages and contracting every 5-10 minutes.  However, once Zachary
was born, I realized that I would have stayed that way for as long as needed
to spare him the NICU.  He is an amazing little boy.  He had the normal
course of early preemie problems: grade II IVH, retinopathy, PDA,
infections, transfusions, inguinal hernias and a very stubborn disposition.
It was impossible to keep an IV in him - he'd pull them out and even
extubated himself from the ventilator (at which point they almost needed to
put Mommy on one!)  Now though, it is all behind us and he is doing
wonderfully!  He is 5 months old and his development seems to be right on
track for his adjusted age. We got to bring him home after 8 weeks in the
NICU without monitors or meds.  We did have one hospitalization last month
for 3 days when he got RSV, but he even sailed through that much easier than
expected.  He is a little fighter and we adore him!  I think our challenge
now is to move beyond the fear and caution and crisis that has been a daily
part of our lives for the last half-year and truly enjoy our son.  We look
forward to keeping in touch with you all on the mail list and hope for the
best for you all too.
                                                - The Duke Family