Bringing a baby into the world is supposed to be a beautiful memory, but when baby comes early, it can quickly become an experience that is full of stress and fear. That was true for the Duch family from Aberdeen who faced an unexpected journey with their daughter’s early birth.
“Ava is so sassy and she is so lovable, and it's so amazing that we thought we were taking home a baby who would never walk on her own. It's just so fun to see her grow every day and change,” said Kristie Duch.
You wouldn't know it by looking at her today, but this almost 3-year-old was born at just 23 weeks and four days. Parents Michael and Kristie Duch had struggled with miscarriages before Ava and thought they were in the clear after the 20-week ultrasound. That was until Kristie went into early labor.
“Yeah, I completely dissociated from the entire thing. Like, I just remember my husband had to look at me and say, I know this is not what you wanted to happen, but it's happening” said Duch.
Kristie was only at the halfway point of her pregnancy, so she was flown to Avera McKennan where her NICU team worked to slow her labor and keep Ava in the womb as long as they could.
“I didn't think it was even possible to save her. I thought I was going to Sioux Falls to deliver a baby that we couldn't deliver in Aberdeen and then when we talked to the NICU team, they're like, we recommend trying (resuscitation) at least, because we've seen it that it can happen,” said Duch.
“It really depends how early the baby is. There's a very big difference from what we call the late preterm stage, the 34 to about 36 weeks, versus early preterm. So we're going down to as early as 22 weeks now. So that 22 to 24 week period, those are two totally different cases. The one cardinal rule of NICU is: Baby is boss. How they do determines how much we do,” said Katherine Wang, MD a neonatologist at Avera McKenann.
When babies come into the world younger than 24 weeks, their bodies need more time to catch up. Unfortunately, that can mean a little more isolation between mother and child.
“She had all these monitors and the room was blue because of the blue lights for her bilirubin levels. We had to be quiet because she couldn't take a lot of stimulation. I was afraid to even touch her because all stimulation and touch at that point is perceived as pain” said Duch.
“Those are the kind of things that are really tough for parents because what do you want to do after you have a baby? You want to hold your baby! Who doesn't? So it is a lot of sacrifice that parents are making in trying to make sure that their baby gets the best care,” said Dr. Wang.
But Ava is a fighter, and every day she grew bigger and surpassed milestones. As tubes and sensors were removed, the NICU team encouraged Kristie and Ava to reconnect.
“I think that really helped both of us heal through that process of being able to hold her skin to skin. So being able to see her face more, anything that took more things off of her face was so exciting,” said Duch.
And after five months in the NICU, it was time to celebrate.
“Discharge day is the best day. It's the best day because there's nothing better than putting in all this hard work, seeing it pay off and then sending the baby home on their way with a great family, you're like, well, hopefully we've given you the best start we can!” said Dr. Wang.
One out of every 10 babies are born early and possibly require a stay in the NICU. Every case will be a little different, but Kristie says parents will find a strength they never knew they had.
“You're going to think you can never make it through this and then after a couple of months, you’ll look back and you will amaze yourself and your child will over and over again. And you just hold their hand through it. I mean, they're really the ones who have to really fight and you'll be amazed at how powerful this tiny little human can be.” said Duch.
Definitive causes for why some women go into early labor is still a mystery, which is why prenatal visits are important to help identify risk factors and changes in a mother’s health.
