My name is Kristine B. and my daughter’s name is Chloe Leigh Anne. She was born 7 weeks early at 4lbs 15ozs. She was kept for only 6 days under observation. Actually, she was discharged a day before I was so she was my little visitor for a night.
Chloe with Grandma
I started having very high blood pressure (182/137) at 31 weeks. Before that I was perfectly healthy. I ate very well and took my supplements. I was in the hospital for 8 days as they tried magnesium drips and various blood pressure meds. Nothing worked so I was just there now for observation. My mom and dad came to visit me at the hospital on a Friday afternoon, 4 days before Chloe’s birth. We talked and laughed for a few hours before my dad kissed me on the head, told me he loved me and left. I wish I could have predicted that he would die of a massive heart attack the next day.
I was discharged that Saturday regardless of my high blood pressure so I could see my dad one last time before he was cremated. I saw family over the next day and a half that I haven’t seen in years. It was a whirlwind experience. I was very sick and just trying to make it through. That Monday I was readmitted and the next day I had an emergency c-section.
Chloe was very healthy from the beginning. She was only put on oxygen for a few minutes. Besides her weight and a few minor issues you wouldn’t know she was a preemie. I think my dad got to hold her before she was born, and he’s been watching over her since. She has put on a good amount of weight and is thriving now that she’s home. One of the pictures shows my mom holding her a few days after she was born. Watching my mom watch Chloe being born just days after my dad’s sudden passing was a very humbling experience, one I’m not soon to forget.
It’s only been three weeks, and some days I struggle with the thought that he was just days away from holding his first grandchild, but knowing he’s with us now all the time helps in healing. Oh, the stories we’ll tell as she gets older and asks about her grandpa.