Recently my friend Caitlin shared the amazing story of her miracle baby Quinn with me and it touched me so much that I wanted to share it with you, my readers. It speaks of the power of a mother’s love and how great a blessing motherhood is in the life of a woman. Being a mother has been such a blessing in my life, I couldn’t imagine not having my two girls as part of our little family. So without further ado… the beautiful birth story of Quinn Peterson.
On the 20th of February we had a pretty typical evening until my water broke in the middle of the night. My water never broke on its own with my first son, Cole, so it was a new and strange feeling. I wasn’t even sure that was what it was. I wanted to think that it was nothing because I was only 29 weeks, but I just had a feeling that wasn’t the case. My husband (who just wanted to go back to sleep) reassured me that it was probably normal. But it didn’t go away and I quickly realized we needed to get going. I got my purse, got Cole out of bed, and headed to the hospital.
Once we got to the hospital they checked me in and after a quick exam told me that my water had indeed broken. I just have to say that I had the best OB ever; he called me after he talked to the nurse and explained what was going on and what the plan was. That plan was to get steroid shots for the baby’s lungs, take two kinds of antibiotics, and stop the contractions. With my water broken, the biggest risk was infection to the baby. The other concern was that the baby was still so premature (just over 29 weeks). So ultimately the goal was to try to keep him cooking until 34 weeks – long enough for vital organs to mature and hopefully soon enough to avoid any infections. At 34 weeks I would be induced – as, at that point, the risk of infection would be a greater concern than his prematurity.
In the meantime, I was stuck at the hospital on bed rest. They were monitoring the baby especially closely for any signs of distress because he had low fluid and the cord was wrapped around his neck twice. The situation was obviously not ideal, but I felt blessed that the baby was still safe. I told myself that I would be prepared for an early birth with this baby (because I went into labor with Cole at 34 weeks) but I never expected that I would need to be ready at 29 weeks. So just like with Cole, I was caught off guard with no hospital bag packed or anything. I was a little in shock at everything that was happening. The hardest thing was going to be being away from my Cole. I already missed him so much.
It was an uneventful few days on bed rest at the hospital. I was starting to settle in to what I thought would be a long and boring 4 weeks, but Quinn had other plans. On Sunday my family brought dinner to me and brought Cole to visit. Just before they arrived, my contractions started to get more painful. They were getting more intense so the nurse called my doctor. He ordered morphine to calm them down but it did not help and the contractions just kept coming. The doctor was going to order magnesium to help protect the baby, but there was no time because I was at a 6. I got my epidural instead. Andrew and my sister were helping me through the contractions and were being so sweet to me. Within an hour I was at a 10 and ready to go. It had all happened so fast and nothing we did could keep him from coming. I was wheeled into the operating room because of the possible complications of having a baby two and a half months early. During the first contraction I pushed 4 times and he was out. I literally pushed for less than one minute. At 8:18 pm my perfect baby Quinn entered the world at only 29 weeks and 5 days gestational age. He weighed 3 lbs 5 ounces and was 15 inches long. My little miracle!
Once he was out the doctor quickly cut the cord (that was wrapped around his neck twice) and handed him to the NICU team. I heard him cry and caught only a glimpse of him as they took him to the other room. I felt such an overwhelming and instant feeling of love for this tiny baby. Andrew followed him and stayed with him as they intubated him and put him on a ventilator. After the birth I was annoyed and just wanted to see my baby. After a couple hours, I was finally able to see my sweet Quinn in the Newborn ICU. Quinn was stable but hooked up to so many machines. He was tiny! Like really SO tiny. He gripped my finger and would not let go. It was one of my favorite moments to see him and automatically feel so much love for him. I thought my heart’s capacity to love was at the max with Andrew and Cole… but I instantly fell in love with him just as much.
The first few days following his birth were joyful, stressful, emotional, thankful, prayerful, and tiring. Baby Q had a long road ahead of him in the NICU. He went through so much in his short life. I am so incredibly proud of him. He was on oxygen, a feeding tube, had multiple brain scans, lots of blood tests, and so much more. It was a roller coaster ride for sure! After the longest 9 weeks of my life (literally), I am proud to say that we survived! Quinn spent 58 days in the NICU and I was able to be there each day with him. Quinn came home on medications, oxygen, and a heart monitor. He still has a lot of catching up to do but I am so glad he is home. I will not miss the half hour drive to the hospital, the sounds of alarms going off all the time, dropping Cole off each morning to kind friends and family who were willing to watch him, or coming home without my baby. But I will miss some of the greatest nurses and doctors. Quinn is so lucky to have been in such great care! Andrew and Cole have been patient, supportive, and loving through all of this. We could not have made it without such generous family and friends.
Quinn has now been home for almost 4 weeks. I absolutely love having baby Q home with us. I feel so incredibly blessed! It has been an adjustment of course, but a great one. I was really worried about how Cole would react to Quinn joining our family; but, I am happy to say that Cole has been absolutely amazing with Quinn. The first thing he asks for when he wakes up is Baby Quinn. He wants Quinn to do everything with him. When anyone comes over he runs over to him and tells the person to look at “Cute Quinn” (that is how Cole pronounces his name… so adorable)! He seriously hasn’t complained once or been jealous at all. He is just as obsessed with Quinn as I am! I feel so blessed that Cole loves Quinn so much already and I know they will be best buds.
Quinn is my little miracle baby. I can’t imagine my life without him. He is the sweetest little boy and I feel so honored to be his mom. I know he came to me straight from heaven and am so thankful to Heavenly Father for letting me have him and Cole. There is no role in life that is more fulfilling, more important, and more eternal than being a mother. Being a mom is my dream job and I would not trade it for anything. It is my passion. I love my boys more than I could ever begin to describe!
To keep following Quinn’s story, see Caitlin’s Blog or follow her on Instagram @caitlinnicolep
