Baby Two

Well, it has been a painfully long time since I wrote on here. A LOT has happened during the past year. At the time of my last entry, I was just finding out that I was going to have another baby.

That news was very joyful for us. There was also slight trepidation at the thought of having another baby so close to the first, and in a totally new country. My German doctor, I would come to find out, was very sweet.

During my pregnancy, we took a few really great trips. I will try to go back and remember the details so that I can write about them here. My parents came for a great visit, and we went to a wine festival. They even graciously allowed us to spend most of their visit in Paris while they watched Jackson - our first trip of that sort. We went on a cruise to Spain, Portugal, and Morocco in October, and a nice ski trip to Garmisch in January (Chris really did the skiing). I even got to go on a girls' weekend to Delft one weekend toward the end of January!

Then, a big surprise. During my 30th week of pregnancy, some complications arose. We went very early one morning to our hospital. I was quite sure that they would tell me to go home for bed rest for the rest of my pregnancy. But, they actually told me that they were sending me to the Mönchengladbach hospital about 45 minutes away, because there was a NICU there.

They sent me by ambulance, which was eerie. When I was nine years old, my family had just moved to Germany, and went to an airshow during which three airplanes crashed into crowds of people. The sound I heard all during that night were German ambulance sirens, and the sound has been haunting to me ever since.

Once I got to the hospital, I went through a battery of tests. The nurses finally told me that I would not be leaving that hospital until my baby came. I was stunned. When I asked how long they thought that would be, they told me they didn't know. I could potentially be there for the final ten weeks of my pregnancy, but they didn't think I would last that long.

Ultimately, I was on bed rest in the hospital for a little over a week. Then, my little bundle of joy, Colleen, was born! She weighed 1570 grams, or about 3.5 pounds. She was teeny tiny, and I didn't get to see her until she was 28 hours old.

Her first week was very scary. She had lung issues, and the doctors in the Kinderklinik could not diagnose what was wrong with them. Her tests for all kinds of diseases came back negative (praise God), but that still didn't tell us what was causing the inflammation. She turned the corner, eventually, and I was finally able to hold my baby when she was one week old.

The NICU experience is devastating and stressful in the first place. But, when you toss in language and cultural barriers, it is more so. Colleen was in the hospital for ten agonizing weeks. Ten weeks of driving back and forth every day, and highs and lows. My husband had to go to Afghanistan for a trip during this time, which only contributed to the stress. Fortunately, my incredible mother was able to come for the duration. She was here for three months, and we could never have done this without her. My dad and sister were also able to come visit, and I am grateful for the time we had with all of them.

Colleen came home mid-April, and I am very grateful to the Mönchengladbach staff for the great care. It was different from a stay in an American hospital and there were good and bad differences. I think she could have come home a little sooner than she did. But, I am so appreciative of the love and care shown to the most tiny and fragile of babies.

Our baby is doing really well. She still has a few lingering health issues, but she should outgrow them. I am, strangely, grateful for the opportunity to learn about the preemie world and the ability to have gotten through the experience with patience and strength that only God could give us. We are now fully entrenched in the German healthcare system, which allows us some real opportunities for cultural immersion. The theme of this for me is: Why Does the American Public Want a Socialist Healthcare System??