the lewis note: Baby Nolan's Story

I am so honored to share precious Baby Nolan's story. I so hope that you will take a few minutes to read about this sweet little boy.

Dayna is a brave momma who had to make a decision no one ever wants to make. Her story deserves to be told.

I am helping Dayna through my business to raise funds for her March of Dimes walk in honor and memory of precious baby Nolan. If you'd like to help, click on the link below to shop for Arbonne. 35% of your retail order will go to March of Dimes, in honor of Nolan.

https://www.arbonne.com/cm/a/external/invitation/showInvitation?presentationId=765388&attend=Y&language=en&country=US

April 24 is the last day donate funds for Nolan's walk.

-- Rachel

Baby Nolan's Story

I found out a week before Christmas that I had placenta previa and placenta percreta. They said they usually don't detect it until about 24 weeks. Most cases don't hemorrhage/bleed as early on as I did.

I hemorrhaged two times in the beginning of November, one of which times I passed out in the bathroom, while home alone with the kids and had to call 911. One set of paramedics had to watch my kids until my mom got there. My kids were freaked out. I ended up staying 3 days in the hospital and having 2 blood transfusions.

I was then sent to a high risk doctor at St. Joseph who sent me to have an MRI. When the results came in, she called and said I had to go to UW medical that week. I went and they said my placenta percreta was basically like having a rapid growing cancer. When the placenta grows through the wall of the uterus it invades other organs. Because they can't leave any kind of placenta tissue or it will just continue to bleed, they would have to take all of what it invaded.

The MRI showed the placenta had already invaded a good amount of my bladder and also looked like it had started growing into my bowel. They told me my best chance to live was to deliver under a controlled surgery and told me there was a very high chance I still might not make it. I had to make the choice which made everything even harder.

How is a Mother supposed to kill their baby?

I begged them to wait till 25 weeks so he could have a chance. They said I would have to be admitted in the hospital for the rest of the pregnancy and if I choose this then they would have to push the pregnancy till I started bleeding again or at 30 weeks. I could bleed out at any time.

They said if I started bleeding again the would have to do emergency surgery and would not have all the specialists needed for the surgery. They also said Nolan would not be like a normal preemie because if I start bleeding he would be losing his blood too. And because I had already had a couple of major bleeds and one that needed 2 blood transfusions that early on, it scared them. She said she didn't even think I would even make it to 24 weeks without bleeding out.

I know I made the best decision, but still one I regret every day. I will always have the what if’s.

Even with the controlled surgery, I lost 6 ½ liters of blood and I had to have 14 blood transfusions. I had a 9 ½ hour surgery, 2 days in the ICU and 8 days total in the hospital. I had to have a full hysterectomy, and half of my bladder removed.

In the recovery room, I was able to hold my sweet baby boy, although he was already gone. He was perfect in every way. He looked just like his older brothers and sister. He was tiny, only weighing 9.2 oz. I didn’t get to hold him long because of just being out of surgery. They told me I could ask to have him anytime during my stay, but I could not bring myself to ask again. I was afraid . . . but I now wish that I held him more.

10 perfect, tiny toes.

I had a rough recovery while in the hospital. I had low spinal fluid from the epidural which caused the worst headache of my life and nonstop throwing up. They ended up giving me 3 different blood patches, each worked for a short period of time. During one day/night I got so bad they sent me in for a head CT (that I don’t remember because I was so out of it) and pumped me with IVs to help my body replace the fluid, which finally started helping. I had to have a catheter in for a little over 3 weeks while my bladder healed.

Nolan Mason was born on January 5, 2012, and passed shortly after. He was just about 21 weeks gestation. We found out he was a boy at 14 weeks, and his brothers were so excited to be having a baby brother. We buried Nolan Mason on Feb 3, 2012. We know he was with us that day because the weather was blue skies and sunny and 60 degrees out.