The story of our miracle does not have a traditional ending, but is a miracle nonetheless, and we feel it might help others who have had similar outcomes feel less alone.

It was a fairly uneventful pregnancy, with plenty of prenatal care and few concerns until I reached 24 weeks 4 days. In the space of four hours, I went from having what I mistakenly thought were just painless Braxton Hicks contractions to rushing to the hospital with very painful and frequent contractions.

I was checked into labor and delivery, without much sense of urgency. As I was changing into a hospital gown I had one last extremely painful contraction, and then my water broke. My husband ran out to get a nurse. She said that "these things happen every day." But when my husband asked: "Yes, but should they be happening at 24 weeks?" the staff started to move.

It was discovered that our son was in distress, and the decision was made to deliver him immediately via emergency c-section. Thomas was born at 1:28 a.m. on Valentine's Day, weighing 1 pound, 10 ounces and measuring 13 inches long. He let out one tiny cry and was whisked off to the NICU. He did very well during his first 24 hours, and even earned the nickname "Monkey Man" from the NICU nurses because he was so active. However, on the second day of his life he developed severe bleeding in both sides of his brain, Grade IV Intraventricular Hemorrhage (IVH). Repeated ultrasounds over the next three days showed the bleeding was persistent, and Thomas's activity began to decrease as the pressure in his brain increased. On February 18, we sat down with the perinatologist who told us that it was only a matter of time before the prematurity complications would take Thomas's life. Not wanting him to suffer, we made the heartbreaking decision to take Thomas off life support, and at 11:10 p.m. on February 18, 2003, our precious son took his last breath.

We are grateful to the March of Dimes for the medical advances that are a result of their efforts and that allowed us to spend five days with our son. During that time, we read him stories, sang songs to him and held him in our arms, making memories that will last a lifetime. Equally important, Thomas was afforded the opportunity also to meet his grandparents and aunts, and it is a time our family will always treasure.

Brian and I volunteered last year at the March of Dimes WalkAmerica two months after losing Thomas, and this year we participated as walkers on Thomas's Team. We raised over $1,200 and feel good that those funds will go toward research that hopefully will keep other families from experiencing a loss like ours. We are glad to have the opportunity to keep Thomas's memory alive in such a special way, and believe that he walks with us as we help fight the battle against prematurity on behalf of those who cannot yet fight for themselves.

Katheryn

Make a donation in memory of Thomas.