Lyla Jane Hughes made her arrival twelve weeks early and was born on May 10th, 2012 weighing a whopping 2lbs 4oz. However, it was not an easy journey and had many complications along the way.
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| One of our favorite pictures |
It all started because of some minor epigastric pain that progressively got worse. The real fun didn't start until after I was admitted into Labor and Delivery at SGMC. Hours later the pain had gotten much worse, my BP was starting to increase, I had severe swelling and elevated Liver Enzymes. The on-call physician, Dr. Yarborough, decided it would be best to transfer me to MCCG in Macon just in case something happened and I had to deliver early.
After a very long ambulance ride, I arrived at the hospital in Macon where things went down hill quickly. I was diagnosed with Pre-eclampsia and found out later that it had progressed to HEELP Syndrome. After three days in the hospital, things started to look a little better and I was hopeful that I might get to go home the next day. I was sadly mistaken. My BP stayed around 180/110 but at some point it got even higher and caused me to have a gran mal seizure. Soon after that my liver and kidneys started shutting down and Dr. Boddy decided to proceed with an emergency c-section.
I was so scared that me and my baby weren't going to make it or that Josh would be left to raise Lyla alone. This entire experience made me value Josh even more than I already did. He never left my side and stayed positive the entire time, assuring me that everything was going to be okay. Just knowing he was there made me feel safe.
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She was so tiny and so precious
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Before I could go see Lyla, Josh had been several times to visit with her. The nurses said that they had never seen such a proud daddy. I've always known that Josh was a wonderful man, but seeing how much he immediately loved his baby girl melted my heart and confirmed that he was the person I'm supposed to have in my life and start a family with.
All the complications leading up to my c-section was the easy part. The hard part was not being able to hold your baby in your arms after she's born. The even harder part is having to lay in a hospital bed not knowing if your baby is going to survive. The first time I ever saw Lyla, I was so out of it from all the medications and I didn't remember anything. So instead I count Sunday, Mother's Day, as the first official time we ever met. She was so tiny and already so beautiful. All I could do was cry and smile. I couldn't hold her and I couldn't kiss her, but I was so thankful that she was alive.
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| The first time I met my sweet Lyla Jane |
After four days in ICU and fighting off multiple infections, including pneumonia, I was finally discharged from the hospital. As happy as I was to be going home, it was bittersweet because I knew I wouldn't be able to have my baby girl with me. It was so difficult leaving that day and knowing she had such a long road ahead of her. The doctors warned us that she would have good days and bad days but our little girl was so strong and she progressed quickly. Regardless of any problems she has had or may be having, we are beyond thankful that our tiny blessing survived and is here with us today. It's so easy to take things for granted, but I try to stop and thank God every day for allowing us to experience such a miracle.
