Everything Is Not Always As It Seems
I was only 28 weeks and three days into my seemingly perfect pregnancy when I was sent to Magee-Womens Hospital of UPMC because of ruptured membranes. Until Wednesday, January 28, 2009, I never needed to visit a hospital concerning problems with my pregnancy. I never could have imagined the turn of events my life was about to take. 
To the right: Cameron is a happy and healthy baby after his 75 day stint in Magee's neonatal intensive care unit.
After receiving treatment, I learned that I would have to stay at Magee for the remainder of my pregnancy. However, within nine hours of arrival I went into labor. Only 45 minutes later, I delivered my first baby, Cameron, three months early.
Everything happened so quickly. I have trouble remembering the unexpected chaos of the day, but I remember seeing my son Cameron for the first time. At birth, he was only 2 pounds, 5 ounces and 14 ˝ inches long. I never saw a baby so small. I was shocked and scared when they let me hold my tiny newborn son. It soon became apparent that Cameron was surrounded by loving care at Magee. There were so many people helping, and every one of them showed genuine concern for my baby.
They took Cameron from my arms and to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) where he stayed for the next 75 days. At first, it was incredibly hard to leave my baby while I went home with my husband, Chuck. We visited him twice a day during his stay. Each day when we arrived, the nurses would update us on Cameron’s progress and answer any questions we had. They never seemed impatient even when answering the most menial questions. Even if Cameron was not their patient for the day, many nurses would stop in to check on him anyway. They truly became our family over the trying two-and-a-half months.
Day after day, we watched as the Magee staff treated each new complication that arose. Cameron went “through the book” of preemie conditions. If there was a complication common in preemies, he had it. During his time in the NICU, Cameron overcame Patent Ductus Arteriosus (PDA) and Respiratory Distress Syndrome, and endured two blood transfusions.
Once it was time to take Cameron home, we were very nervous. However, thanks to Magee’s wonderful staff, we knew how to properly care for our baby on our own. We came home with oxygen to use while feeding and an apnea monitor. We were able to discontinue the oxygen after three weeks and the apnea monitor after two months.
Cameron is now 5 months old and weighs 13 pounds. While I now spend my days with Cameron at home, I would love to continue my involvement with the NICU. Many parents never foresee their baby’s stay in the NICU. When we returned home, I left most of Cameron’s preemie clothes at Magee for future unsuspecting parents. As unprepared as we were for the sudden change of events in our lives, Chuck and I could not have asked for a better place for our baby to be born and nurtured back to health.
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