Alina´s
birth (click on the flag for the german version)
Now here is the english version. My sister in Florida was so friendly and does a wonderful job helping me with the translation. Thank you very much, Sabine.
The last four weeks in Momīs womb were very chaotic: Mom started her labor and with it came also bleeding. She had to go to the hospital in Haan where the doctor gave her medication to stop the labor. It was not time for me to come yet. I wanted to come two weeks before the doctorīs calculated delivery day. For a short time, I saw the light of this world on the 26th of October 1995, at 3:00 AM. The doctor took me from Momīs womb by cesarean section. Immediately after my birth, my breathing got bad... and it got worse as every minute passed. How lucky for me that a specialist for prenature babys from Solingen was present in Haan with his equipment! He practiced fantastic first aid and stabilized my vital functions, put me into an incubator and took me to his hospital in Solingen. My Dad will tell you the rest of the story, because a short time after birth my memories are lost.
26th of
Oct, 1995
03:00 AM Birth by cesarean section
04:00 AM Transfer to Solingen. Diagnosis: Diaphragm Hernia in the region
of her left lung. Chance to live about 15%
06:00 AM Transfer to Cologne to a children hospital. Condition stabilized,
but not enough for an operation.Decision in the next two hours, what to
do. Chance to live about 30%.
02:00 PM Cologne tries to get an ECMO-treatment in Mannheim, but the ECMO-places
in Mannheim were busy.Other hospitals are too far away.
03:00 PM Uni-hospital in Nijmegen (Netherlands) has one ECMO-place free.
05:00 PM Transfer to Nijmegen with a very big ambulance bus.
06:00 PM Doctors in Nijmegen confirms an excellent first supply. Explain
the ECMO-procedure to me. Gets something to eat (first meal of today).
The doctors and nurses were very thoughtful.
08:00 PM Start operation ECMO. Duration about three hours.
11:00 PM Condition of Alina after operation was very stable and generally
well.
11:30 PM Moving forward: keepcondition stable. Now we have time. Chance
to live 80%, because doctors never tell you 100%.
27th of
Oct
Different tests with ECMO are satislied. Alina is very strong. The colour
of her skin looks healthy now.
28th of
Oct
ECMO-flow is reduced very carefully. Only small problems. Date for the
operation of her hernia will probably be decided today.
29th of
Oct
The doctors are wondering, whe Alinaīs Mom will arrive in Nijmegen. Tina
will not be released because of her big scare with the c-section, even
though I have arranged the transport and the takeover of costs. Alinaīs
condition continues to further stabilize. Doctors play with the ECMO-flow.
30th of
Oct
ECMO-flow reduced again. Hopefully, the operation will be in2 days.
31th of
Oct
Alina wakes up in the night. Doctors have to increase the dosage of drugs
so that Alina falls asleep again.
Go On (but be careful...there will be a terrible photo of Alina on ECMO )