So it has been really hard to type up the rest of Mallory's Story. I am not sure anyone is reading this but I have to make log of her story so I can 1. remember it and 2. so that Tala and the rest of the kids will remember her.
After getting to see Mallory I was amazed at how small she was and how sick she looked. I cried a lot and I mean a lot. Good thing Lance was able to stray the first few weeks with me so that I could get accustom to the NICU and heal a little.
Since Mallory was so sick I wasn't able to hold her. Lance and I would stay in her room and talk to her and tell her about her brother and sisters she had waiting for her at home. Lance would sing to her in Spanish. We were able to help change her diaper and oral care. Oral care consisted of taking a sponge on a stick ( it looked like and sucker) and dipping it in water and swishing it around in her mouth. It wasn't very easy due to the face Mallory was intubated ( had a breathing tube down her throat). Diaper changing consisted of lifting her little body up and removing the dirty diaper and quickly putting a clean on under her. Her little tummy was so large with excess fluid and her skin was so sensitive that we couldn't close the diaper.
When Mallory was 6days old we finally got a diagnosis. She had "Neonatal Hemochromatosis" (try saying that 3 times fast). What does that mean? Well in the womb her liver developed but never functioned properly at all. She was retaining fluid due to her liver not working. She was immediately put on medication to help her liver function. The scariest part was that they had to preform a full blood exchange. Yes you read that right. They Dr. and a bunch of nurses had to take some of her blood out through one IV and put the new blood in through another IV. Her Vitals had to be checked every few minutes. Everything had to be sterile so I sat/ reclined in a chair in her room behind a curtain wearing a gown and mask. I tried to sleep but wasn't as successful as I had hoped. The Dr. would ask every once in a while how I was doing. I was so nerve racking to sit back and let them work on my sweet baby and not be able to do anything for her but pray and pray.
After being in the NICU a month I started to really get to know the Dr.'s and Nurses really well. I was determined to make my stay there as positive as I could. Having a baby in the NICU isn't easy and can be really depressing. So I had to find the silver lining in every day. Not as easy as it sounds but I fell I was successful.
Week after week and day after day Mallory was improving. Don't get me wrong we had our set backs but all in all she was improving. A few of her set backs were: getting blood clot in her left leg that surfaced and we were worried that she would loose her leg, for a long time she was struggling with breathing and we kept having to turn up her oxygen then she would do really good and we would turn it down and then up again. Finally she want onto a new machine and she didn't like it so we had to go back the stronger machine.
Just before Christmas I was talking to one of the Dr.'s and said something along the lines of When do I get to hold her? The Dr. was floored that we hadn't tried yet. She put her foot down and said tomorrow night you will hold no matter what anyone else says. I had been turned down many times due to the nurses be really nervous with all the Machines and IV's she was on. The next night I brought my Pajamas and after we did all her cares (diaper change, oral care, weighing and so much more) they arranged her room with a really comfy chair, pillows, blankets and lots of tape. They called in Repertory nurses, Dr.'s and nurses to help. It was a very emotional experience but the best feeling in the world. Mallory was so tinny and I was so scared I would drop her. Oh and for the tape they taped all her tubes to me so they wouldn't get pulled out. A few days after holding her one of the Repertory nurses informed me that normally when a baby in on the respirator they only reason the allow parents to hold is because the baby is dying. I was grateful she told me because there were many times we had a heart to heart with the Dr.'s that she may not make it though the night and what our end of life plan was for Mallory. All I could say is I just want to hold her, just let me hold her. After holding Mallory for the first time she was able to get off the respirator and onto a better breathing machine. Then after Christmas the Dr.'s were able to take the breathing tube out of her mouth and put the breathing tube in her nose. What a blessing.
In January Mallory was strong enough to go down stairs to have surgery to close her PDA. When we are in the womb to oxygenate our lungs there is a little valve in our hearts that does that. Once we are born the valve closes on its own. In most preemies it doesn't close on its own so a surgeon goes in under their left armpit and staples it shut. Mallory had to be intubated again and I was so scared that she would struggle getting extubated. This was not the case, within a few days she was on the nose cannula and was able to get her Oxygen turned down at a faster rate. (this was one of the reasons Mallory needed the surgery). We were told Mallory was doing so well that I would be able to take her home at the beginning of February. The best news ever.
Monday, August 22, 2016
Thursday, August 27, 2015
Mallory May's Story: Part 1
I kept telling myself it's too soon, it's too soon. But I keep getting promptings to share Mallory's story. I feel that if I don't share her story I am being selfish and keeping her all to myself. So here I go. This in no way will be easy but I feel it will help me grow and heal.
The Good News: In February of 2013 Lance and I were so excited to find out we were expecting our 5th child. The Due date was December 17th 2013. We were excited to be having a baby in a month other than June or October. The anticipation of welcoming another precious gift from God was so exciting. I had never pictured us having five kids but it was happening. While I was still pregnant with Bria I kept having dreams that there was another one in heaven waiting to join our family so we decided it wasn't just a dream it was a prompting from Heavenly Father so we followed the prompting. Like most of my pregnancies I was always really sick with "morning sickness" and had to be prescribed medicine so I could keep food down.
The Other News: In June we made an appointment for the all anticipated ultrasound to find out the gender. We had gotten a babysitter so Lance and I could go together. As many of you know we already had 3 girls and 1 boy so naturally we were hoping for a boy. "It' a girl" the ultrasound tech announced. To be honest I cried all the way home from the appointment. What was I going to tell Cohen? I though. How do I break the news that he wasn't going to get a little brother after all. Cohen was bummed a little but he was excited either way. Before I could even sit down and take it all in at home my phone rang. It was Rhonda my midwife. She said: "I am on my way home from Phoenix and just got a call saying you are having a girl". Then she paused..."I haven't seen the results yet but there were some abnormalities on the ultrasound and I wanted to make you aware. A specialist from Women's Health Specialists (another OBGYN office here in Yuma) would be contacting me soon. A soon and I get back to The office I will review the ultrasound results and get back to you." Within an hour of Rhonda's call we were contacted and an appointment with Dr. Freeman was scheduled for the next day. The appointment consisted of a hour ultrasound and then a 45 minutes meeting with Dr. Freeman a specialist at women's health. We were informed that our little girl had extra fluid building up in abdomen and that she seemed to be anemic, he was not sure why but he wanted me to get a second opinion from a few Dr.'s in Phoenix. We made an appointment on Thursday of the same week. Lance and I drove up together. We got to talk about our thoughts and concerns on the way there. Our appointment was about the same thing that we had in Yuma only her little tummy had already gotten bigger. We talked about doing an amino synthase but they wanted me to wait a few weeks because of the risks. We made another appointment for next Thursday in Phoenix. Lance and I drove to Phoenix once a week for 4 weeks. Each appointment the ultrasounds showed she was continuing to accumulate fluid just in the abdomen. The results of the amino synthase was inconclusive and we just had to wait until she was born to run more test. After many blessing and prayers Lance and I knew the Lord was in charge and would take care of me and our unborn child. On one of our many trips to Phoenix we felt that she needed a name soon incase something was to go wrong we had a name to give her. We decided on the name Mallory May Kerestes. From then on we called her by her name. I continued to have appointments in Yuma with Dr. Freeman weekly. By September morning sickness had worn off but there were some red flags that I over looked. I over looked the idea that I was drinking lots of water but not using the restroom like a normal pregnant woman, my maternity clothes were getting to small really fast, and I was gaining weight a lot faster too. By the end of September I got on the scale and realized I had gained 5lbs in a day. Strange I thought so I weighed my self the next night and I had gained 5more lbs and I was starting to swell in my hands and ankles I started to drinking more and more water to help with the swelling. Weighed myself a few nights latter and I had gained another 10lbs. Scared I called a friend of mine that was a nurse the next morning and she had my come over and check my blood pressure and heart rate and made sure I wasn't seeing double and wasn't having head aches. Everything looked normal. The next day I started getting a head ache so she told me to go to the hospital and get checked out. I did and they sent me home and told me to keep my feet up and take it easy. 2 days later I had gained another 10lbs. This time my nurse friend took me to the hospital and demanded that they admit me. I was admitted and I weighed in at 260lbs. My weight the day I found I was expecting was 199lbs. I was put on Magnesium and other IV fluids to try and get me to pee the weight off. No such luck. On October 9th the morning I was told I would be air lifted to Phoenix. It was Kaelyn's 9th birthday and I was going to miss it. I had planed that I would not be feeling up to making her a cake so I had bought cupcakes a few days earlier. When I arrived at Banner Good Samaritan hospital they admitted me and ran blood test and did an ultrasound, they even wanted to weigh me. By then I could barely get out of bed and stand up. I weighed in at 280lbs. 20lbs over night I had gained 20lbs over night. The took a chest X-ray and the Dr.'s said I would be delivering soon. They told me I had Mirrors Syndrome. Since Mallory was retaining fluid so was I and the only way to get me to stop gaining weight was to have Mallory right away. I delivered Mallory at 3pm on October 11th via C-section I was 30 weeks and 5 days along. Mallory May weighed 5lb 8oz at birth. I know that is big for only 30 weeks. I don't do anything small I guess it was go big or go home. I heard her cry out once and that was it. There was a large team of Dr.'s and nurses for the both of us. Mallory was whisked away by the NICU team but before they took her they let me kiss her little head. That was the last time I saw her for about 3 days. I was still really sick and so was Mallory. I was on oxygen and lots of medication for 3 days. I finally was able to get out of bed and see Mallory as long as Lance pushed me in a wheel chair. I was discharged a few days later. This is where I will leave it for now. Stay tuned for the next installment coming soon.
The Good News: In February of 2013 Lance and I were so excited to find out we were expecting our 5th child. The Due date was December 17th 2013. We were excited to be having a baby in a month other than June or October. The anticipation of welcoming another precious gift from God was so exciting. I had never pictured us having five kids but it was happening. While I was still pregnant with Bria I kept having dreams that there was another one in heaven waiting to join our family so we decided it wasn't just a dream it was a prompting from Heavenly Father so we followed the prompting. Like most of my pregnancies I was always really sick with "morning sickness" and had to be prescribed medicine so I could keep food down.
The Other News: In June we made an appointment for the all anticipated ultrasound to find out the gender. We had gotten a babysitter so Lance and I could go together. As many of you know we already had 3 girls and 1 boy so naturally we were hoping for a boy. "It' a girl" the ultrasound tech announced. To be honest I cried all the way home from the appointment. What was I going to tell Cohen? I though. How do I break the news that he wasn't going to get a little brother after all. Cohen was bummed a little but he was excited either way. Before I could even sit down and take it all in at home my phone rang. It was Rhonda my midwife. She said: "I am on my way home from Phoenix and just got a call saying you are having a girl". Then she paused..."I haven't seen the results yet but there were some abnormalities on the ultrasound and I wanted to make you aware. A specialist from Women's Health Specialists (another OBGYN office here in Yuma) would be contacting me soon. A soon and I get back to The office I will review the ultrasound results and get back to you." Within an hour of Rhonda's call we were contacted and an appointment with Dr. Freeman was scheduled for the next day. The appointment consisted of a hour ultrasound and then a 45 minutes meeting with Dr. Freeman a specialist at women's health. We were informed that our little girl had extra fluid building up in abdomen and that she seemed to be anemic, he was not sure why but he wanted me to get a second opinion from a few Dr.'s in Phoenix. We made an appointment on Thursday of the same week. Lance and I drove up together. We got to talk about our thoughts and concerns on the way there. Our appointment was about the same thing that we had in Yuma only her little tummy had already gotten bigger. We talked about doing an amino synthase but they wanted me to wait a few weeks because of the risks. We made another appointment for next Thursday in Phoenix. Lance and I drove to Phoenix once a week for 4 weeks. Each appointment the ultrasounds showed she was continuing to accumulate fluid just in the abdomen. The results of the amino synthase was inconclusive and we just had to wait until she was born to run more test. After many blessing and prayers Lance and I knew the Lord was in charge and would take care of me and our unborn child. On one of our many trips to Phoenix we felt that she needed a name soon incase something was to go wrong we had a name to give her. We decided on the name Mallory May Kerestes. From then on we called her by her name. I continued to have appointments in Yuma with Dr. Freeman weekly. By September morning sickness had worn off but there were some red flags that I over looked. I over looked the idea that I was drinking lots of water but not using the restroom like a normal pregnant woman, my maternity clothes were getting to small really fast, and I was gaining weight a lot faster too. By the end of September I got on the scale and realized I had gained 5lbs in a day. Strange I thought so I weighed my self the next night and I had gained 5more lbs and I was starting to swell in my hands and ankles I started to drinking more and more water to help with the swelling. Weighed myself a few nights latter and I had gained another 10lbs. Scared I called a friend of mine that was a nurse the next morning and she had my come over and check my blood pressure and heart rate and made sure I wasn't seeing double and wasn't having head aches. Everything looked normal. The next day I started getting a head ache so she told me to go to the hospital and get checked out. I did and they sent me home and told me to keep my feet up and take it easy. 2 days later I had gained another 10lbs. This time my nurse friend took me to the hospital and demanded that they admit me. I was admitted and I weighed in at 260lbs. My weight the day I found I was expecting was 199lbs. I was put on Magnesium and other IV fluids to try and get me to pee the weight off. No such luck. On October 9th the morning I was told I would be air lifted to Phoenix. It was Kaelyn's 9th birthday and I was going to miss it. I had planed that I would not be feeling up to making her a cake so I had bought cupcakes a few days earlier. When I arrived at Banner Good Samaritan hospital they admitted me and ran blood test and did an ultrasound, they even wanted to weigh me. By then I could barely get out of bed and stand up. I weighed in at 280lbs. 20lbs over night I had gained 20lbs over night. The took a chest X-ray and the Dr.'s said I would be delivering soon. They told me I had Mirrors Syndrome. Since Mallory was retaining fluid so was I and the only way to get me to stop gaining weight was to have Mallory right away. I delivered Mallory at 3pm on October 11th via C-section I was 30 weeks and 5 days along. Mallory May weighed 5lb 8oz at birth. I know that is big for only 30 weeks. I don't do anything small I guess it was go big or go home. I heard her cry out once and that was it. There was a large team of Dr.'s and nurses for the both of us. Mallory was whisked away by the NICU team but before they took her they let me kiss her little head. That was the last time I saw her for about 3 days. I was still really sick and so was Mallory. I was on oxygen and lots of medication for 3 days. I finally was able to get out of bed and see Mallory as long as Lance pushed me in a wheel chair. I was discharged a few days later. This is where I will leave it for now. Stay tuned for the next installment coming soon.
Thursday, December 6, 2012
Wow!!! I need to catch up!
 |
| We made Pear Raspberry Jam YUM! |
 |
| Bria shopping |
 |
| Kaelyn got Baptized |
 |
| Lunch Box (who loves the shower) Joined the family in August. |
 |
| Bria turned 1! |
 |
| Loving her cake |
 |
| Carolyn made the wreath and the pillows. |
 |
| 3/4 of the kids at the balloon festival |
 |
| attempting family pictures! |
Friday, August 17, 2012
First day of School
 |
| First grade 2012-13 |
 |
| Second Grade 2012-13 |
 |
| First and Kinder 2011-12 |
 |
| Kinder 2010-11 |
My how they have changes in the last 3 years
Monday, August 13, 2012
I'm Commin' Home
Thursday, August 9, 2012
Update on Liam Butterfeild
So this is a picture of Liam a little shy of 24 hours old. He was on Oxygen, a feeding tube, antibiotics, all kinds of monitors, and more much much more. The Dr. had him sedated so that his little body could heal. 
And this is Liam at 2 weeks old. The only thing he is sporting now is a little bit of oxygen and "Rocking it" I think. He has been recovering really well and we look forward to when he is strong enough to not need the assistance of the extra oxygen and can go home with his wonderful parents.
Thanks to all who fasted and prayed for this little miracle.
Friday, July 27, 2012
Welcome Baby Liam
Charlene (my younger sister) had her baby Lima Conner on Thursday July 26th at 3:30am. There were some complications but from what I have heard he has a fighting chance. He weighed in at a whopping 9lbs 9oz. Liam is in the NICU due to a lack of oxygen while in the womb. Charlene is recovering from and emergency c-section in Rexburg with baby Liam is in Idaho Falls. All the family asks is for you to pray for a speedy and full recovery. Thanks in advance for your thoughts and prayers.
Welcome to the family Baby Liam!
Welcome to the family Baby Liam!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
