"Evan" God's Gift

My sweet Evan. I am so very grateful for you. You brighten my days with your fighting spirit. You are a true survivor. You beat all the odds. You are here because it is part of God's Plan. God has something wonderful in store for your life. "Evan" means gift from God, and it could not be more fitting. Evan was born via emergency c-section on August 24, 2004 at 7:35 p.m., weighing only 1 pound 15 ounces, and then began our journey of having a 27 week preemie. Here are some pictures and the story of his arrival.

One day old

Our tiny Miracle Boy!

My water broke while sleeping (yes 3:00 am) just like the movies. I was praying I had peed the bed...but I knew I hadn't. I just kept frantically saying "No..It's too early". We grabbed nothing and ran out the door to the hospital. My contractions started on the way to the hospital, but they were nothing unbearable. I was so used to having contractions at this point, it hardly fazed me. So after being at UC Davis for hours of having interns telling me no we don't think it was your water bag, I insisted on seeing my Perinatologist, who of course then determined it was, duh! The question was whether it was Evan's water bag, or the identical twins. It was really never determined since testing for that sort of thing is not the easiest to do and of course involved risk.

I stayed at the hospital for what felt like an eternity while they loaded my body with every drug imaginable to keep me pregnant. The neonatal doctors came to talk to Geoff and I about the dreary statistics of having a baby at 26-27 weeks. I was then given steroids to help Evan's lungs develop faster. The steroids are most effective if they are injected 48 hours before delivery. So that became the new goal, since we knew I wasn't going to be pregnant for much longer because of risk of infection for Evan and me. Geoff insisted that Evan (whom we had already named) was going to be fine. He had this indescribable peace that God had and would take care of Evan, and that he would be okay. I later would experience this peace, but hadn't yet. I was very sick, and very uncomfortable. The medications (Magnesium Sulfate a.k.a. "Mag") made my vision blurry and made me feel like I was on fire from the inside out. Not to mention they had me on antibiotics, but wouldn't let me eat. Anyone who knows me knows I don't tolerate medication well to begin with. It doesn't take a genius to figure out that that just might make a person with an empty stomach sick. Looking back I can't believe some of the crappy (for lack of a better word) care I was given. Then came my angel nurse Mandy. When her shift started suddenly I got better. Even though it was Doctor's orders that I take the antibiotics, she insisted I be taken off. The vomiting stopped. It's not fun to have vomiting and contractions simultaneously. Thank you Mandy! She was the best nurse ever, and the only positive thing I have to say about UC Davis for oh so many reasons. I could write a book about that alone, but I won't bore you.

After 5-6 of the longest days of my life the Dr.'s decided it was time. I was not tolerating the medications well, hadn't eaten in days, was throwing up nothing, had dilated to a 3-4 cm, and had been having lots of contractions (getting stronger) for about five days. Yes that means I hadn't slept in what felt like forever. I began experiencing tenderness under my belly which was interpreted as infection. Within 1 hour Evan was born. Looking back it is pretty amazing how things work out. Geoff, my Mom, Dad and Jeannine, my brother Scott and his wife Trish, Casey, and Ly were all there visiting. It was nice to have their support and to know they were all there, and would be there when I woke up. I was partly awake during the c-section, but very groggy.

Our precious Evan weighed only 1 pound 15 ounces and was 14 1/2 inches long. We were all shocked. All of the ultrasounds estimated his weight to be between 3-4 pounds. Now we know it was daddy's huge head that threw off those measurements (sorry Geoff). He of course was intubated and taken directly to the NICU. We heard the tiniest little cry imaginable, and that was it. Geoff wasn't even able to see him. It seemed like forever until someone came to tell us anything. What scary moments those were. After about five minutes they came and told us his weight and length, and that he was intubated and taken to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Geoff was able to see him while I was in recovery, and my family and friends actually were able to sneak a peak as he was being wheeled to the NICU. I did not get to see him until the next day, but the nurses brought me pictures late that night. I couldn't believe he was here. I prayed in between being asleep and awake that he would survive. I couldn't take anymore loss at this point. I knew then that God would protect him, and He did!

Evan stayed in the NICU for 86 days. It felt like we were never going to leave that hospital. I would watch babies come and go, and waited patiently for our turn. On November 2, 2004 Evan was finally discharged. We were nervous, but so excited.