Adelaide

by Lesley McGowan

On January 3rd my second daughter, Adelaide, arrived almost 3 months early. I was only 25 weeks pregnant and the labor that started that night began one of the most trying times my husband and I have had to face.

Rushing down the interstate toward our local hospital while I endured painful contractions was complicated by a typical New England ice storm that made the driving treacherous. By the time I was admitted and checked by my OB, I was already 10 centimeters. "Just try to hold off until the transport can get here, " he said.

Our tiny local hospital was not prepared for the micro-preemie who was just about to make her debut. The NICU transport was on its way, driving over 2 hours of back roads because the freezing rain had grounded the helicopter unit. Despite my best efforts, Adelaide hurled herself into the world and strait onto the delivery bed - so quick, no one even had time to catch her.

The respiratory technician went to work on her right away and I was wheeled out of the room, too afraid to even look at the tiny girl who was fighting now for her life. After an emergency baptism and an uneventful trip to a larger hospital for Adelaide, I was waiting for my transport ambulance. A nurse peeked her head in: "Do you plan to nurse, Mrs. McGowan?" The question floored me. How could I nurse a baby who couldn't even breathe on her own?

My 1st daughter had been a champ; latching on and not letting go until she was14 months old. How would I manage to feed this baby I hadn't even really seen yet? The answer: pump. So I did. From the first few sticky drops of "liquid gold" colostrums to the seemingly endless vials of milk I squirreled away in the NICU freezer I pumped every 3 hours, round the clock.

At about 34 weeks I was able to put her to breast: she was strong enough to learn how to nurse. She was and remains a pretty inefficient nurser. She made lots of noise and I wasn't sure that she was getting anything. The nurse aspirated her feeding tube and 2 ml of milk showed up. "Well, she's getting it!" she said cheerfully. It was such a great feeling to finally feed Adelaide myself!

Eventually Adelaide was discharged from the NICU and was able to come home to us with no complications. A 20 year veteran of the NICU said "I've never seen a 25-weeker go home without an oxygen unit." Much of the staff attributed her wonderful progress to the fact that they were able to feed her my breast milk throughout her entire 3-month stay.

Now Adelaide is almost 7 months old (really about 4 months, gestational age). I breastfeed and supplement with calorie-enhanced formula to keep her weight up. She is still very small, but smiling and cooing like any other baby. I have to say that I take a great deal of pride in the fact that I have overcome such a great nursing obstacle, and that I still have the supply to nurse my baby.