early bird- life, love, loss and nicu

Gaby’s Story

She’s such an amazing little girl.

She’s had a long road; I’ll try to give an abridged version...

Her mom, Jasmine, ruptured at 14 weeks. That is where Gaby’s long road begins. There was no measurable amniotic fluid from 14 weeks on, and Gaby is apparently the youngest baby to survive having no fluid.

The doctors in the ER told her parents that she would die soon anyway, and they wanted to induce. They couldn’t bring themselves to induce while Jasmine was continually feeling her kicks, and knowing that she was still alive, learning that they would just leave Gaby out and she would "eventually die". Her parents decided to keep her in as long as she would stay. The doctors told Jasmine that she would get an infection and have to come back. She didn't. Four days later her regular obstetrician called and checked on her, telling her much the same thing. She said they basically begged her to induce.

Jasmine and Angel bought a Walmart fetal doppler and listened all the time. She put herself on bed rest. The doctors were still not giving her any positive options. At 19 weeks they brought Jasmine in and admitted her. She was still had no infection. She spent the next 8ish weeks on complete bed rest. Gaby’s heartbeat was strong, and every test they did had a positive result. The doctors couldn't understand it. Her doctor said he was going to "throw out the books" and "just learn from her baby"... because it was unprecedented. The doctors said those things while still telling her all the time that her baby would die within hours of birth, that it would likely be deformed… "not like a baby"... missing organs... etc. But they hung in there. They did a c-section at 26 weeks 4 days (remember 37-40 weeks is considered full term). Gaby was perfect, except her lungs- of course. She had a severe bowel issue (where part of the intestines die, called NEC) when she was just a few days old and the doctors told her parents she would never survive. She received a g-tube at a few months old after she wasn’t gaining enough weight… this allows her to be fed through a button on her stomach.

Now all of her organs are intact and work perfectly. Her lungs are the only problem... they are so unhealthy because of the lack of fluid during pregnancy. That is what has kept her on a ventilator for the first year of her life. They were never expected to grow or heal in any way. Her mom told me "she coded so many times it would make your head spin"....

Gaby had a procedure in March (I’m not sure exactly what it was...) and it caused inflammation in her tracheotomy and they had to transfer her from Baton Rouge to Houston. They’ve been there for several months now. At one point, she got an infection and they told her mom she wouldn't make it- to call in her dad, Angel. He was 4-5 hours away, in Louisiana, at work. They pronounced her dead after an hour... turned off all the machines, and let her mom hold her.... Jasmine told me she just cried, and sang... talked to her and prayed over her... and Gaby started moving!!! The nurses rushed over and were like "what did you do?!!" Angel actually has a picture on his facebook from just a few hours after she was pronounced dead. Her doctor said it's nothing they did, "it's the Great Physician at work". Honestly amazing! What a miracle child!

Up until the past few weeks they wouldn't even approve physical therapy for Gaby because they said it would be wasted. They wanted her parents to be "realistic". Now they've approved it and the therapists have said that she has low tone- from being in a bed her whole life- but doesn't seem to have any big issues, they expect her to catch up to normal in about 2 years.

Gaby’s parents met with the transplant board last week and they believe that she may not need a transplant after all. It seems that she is, again, defying the odds and her lungs are continuing to grow and develop some healthy, functioning, parts. They think she *may* be able to go home on a nasal cannula (the clear tube of oxygen that Wren came home on) in about 3 more months. (Gaby’s ventilator settings have been halved in the past few weeks.)

        

And just this week Gaby passed a swallowing test that now has her able to eat by mouth! She’s been enjoying applesauce and bottles for the past few days now!

Gaby’s story is one of hope and encouragement… and a testament to the power of prayer.