Garrin's story   — Marla , OK, USA

A single Mother and GBS. My beautiful gift from God!

. . . he was in intensive care for a month, and finally made it

First let me start off saying that I am a single mother, when I found out that I was pregnant, I had no idea what road was ahead of me. My Doctor induced my labor when I started showing signs of toxemia one month before my due date. I could not get an epidural because of a problem with my blood work, I was in labor for twenty seven hours, after 7 hours the Doctor broke my water, so I went with my water broke for around twenty hours. It was then decided to do an emergency C-section. The Anesthesiologist for whatever reason made me walk to the surgery room. After a very lengthily time, of trying to prepare me for surgery, they delivered my son. After all had been through over the past twenty seven hours, it didn't matter anymore, I was very happy and content to see that he had all his fingers and toes, and everything was normal. I was on the operating table when one of the nurses came in and told me that there was some kind of problem and that he was going to be taken to another city that was about one hundred miles away, to be in the Neo Natal Intensive Care Unit. We still didn't know what the problem was, other than he was having difficulty breathing.

I was taken back to my room, a few hours later the Doctor that was treating my son at the hospital he was taken to, called and told me that my son had Strep B. They gave him a 20% chance to survive. I was in complete shock to say the least. My Mother had a child die(my brother), from Strep B, about twenty years ago, we were living the same horrible nghtmare all over again.

For the next twenty four hours I called the hospital every hour, and he was only getting worse, I could not understand why the same thing that happened to my Mother and her child, was happening to me. I kept thinking over and over again, it could have been prevented if someone would have just listened to me, and gave me a simple test.

Two days later my son started improving, to all the Doctors surprise. I was released from the Hospital, and stayed with my son. He was stable one night and I decided to go home to get some rest, only to find when I woke up in the middle of the night I could not breath, I was rushed to the Emergency room, and found out that my lungs were filling up with fluid. I myself was not treated for the infection with IV antibiotics, only oral ones, so it was only a temporary fix.

They admitted me to the same Hospital where my son was born, and he was in another town, fighting for his life. I received a call saying that he had developed complications from being on the respirator, and that one of his lungs had a large amount of blood in it. It was touch and go again for the next forty-eight hours. To the Doctors surprise again, he pulled through. I was released from the Hospital on my 28th Birthday, it was then that I got to hold my child for the first time, even with all the tubes and all the medication that they were giving him, I finally felt like a Mother. Over time he made great improvements, and I was finally able to bring him home.

I consider my child and myself, to be very blessed because he has no side effects, or damage from being so ill. I look back over the nightmare that I lived almost every day, I wonder how many more children and family's that wont be as fortunate, my Mother and Father being one of them. I also find myself wondering about all the other children that were in the Neo Natal Intensive Care Unit at the same time we were. I remember the pain and suffering that were in the eyes of the family's as they were sitting with there children, most of them could not have prevented the problems that there child was having, but I know mine could have been prevented.

I'm not telling my story to get any kind of pity or sympathy from anyone, I am telling about the nightmare that I lived so that one day it can be prevented.

I look back over the nightmare that I lived almost every day, I wonder how many more children and families won't be as fortunate. My mother and father being one of them.

Marla - Garrin's mom