Courtney Pruitt

My son is Gabriel Royce Young. At 28 weeks I started experiencing preterm labor. I went into the hospital where they confirmed I was indeed in preterm labor. Thankfully at that time I was still closed and wasn't dilating at all. They gave me fluids and were able to stop the labor. Two days later I went back for preterm labor again. This time I was 1cm dilatedand 50% effaced. They could tell this was starting to get serious so they went ahead and gave me the set of steroid injections and put me on moderate bedrest. Once again they were able to stop labor. I made it to 31 weeks before I started having labor again. I went and was still 1cm dilated and 50% effaced. Even though I wasn't dilating, the hospital I was at decided they were going to transfer me to the bigger that was equipped to handle babies born before 32 weeks if he were to come that night. When I got to the other hospital we all expected it to be an easy night since my dilation hadn't changed from what it was at 28 weeks, but to all of our surprise I was 4cm dilated within the hour it took to transfer hospitals. They got an IV in me and started magnesium to help Gabriel's brain and to stop my labor. Thankfully they were once again able to stop my labor and this time they put me on strict bedrest and labeled me high risk and switched me from my OB to the high risk clinic. I only had one appointment at the clinic before my water broke at home at 33 weeks 2 days. I went into the hospital and they confirmed it was PPROM. They gave me another set of the steroid shots. They told me they were going to try and keep him in till 34 weeks if possible, but that my son had flipped and was now breeched. If he didn't flip before 34 weeks I would need a c-section. They informed me it was unlikely for him to flip back head down because he had no fluid to flip around in. Throughout my stay I was having contractions on and off. Then Sunday night I was having the worst contractions of the whole ordeal. The doctor came in and told me my son's heart rate was dropping with each contraction and was in distress. They said it was because the umbilical cord was compressed and with each contraction it would compress more. Gabriel Royce Young was born via emergency c-section at 3:04am on September 26, 2016 at 33 weeks 5 days gestation weighing 4lbs 14oz (maybe 4oz, I never got a definite answer) and 18.5in long. He had some breathing trouble upon being taken out, but once they suctioned the gunk out of him he started breathing on his own just fine and never needed a breathing tube. While in the NICU Gabriel had jaundice (common in preemies) and for the first day or two was taking his feedings solely by a GI tube. By day three he was starting to take a bottle and would switch between the bottle and his feeding tube. Thankfully all he had to work on was eating on his own, gaining weight, and bringing down his jaundice. After spending 2 weeks in NICU he came home weighing 5lbs 2oz. We are truly lucky he did as well as he did for being born at the gestation that he was. He's my miracle baby and my little fighter. I walk for Gabriel.