My son was born on September 21, 2000, at Lutheran Hospital in Fort Wayne, Indiana. He wasn't due until November 17, but I had polyhydramnios (excessive amniotic fluid) and my membranes ruptured while my boyfriend (now my husband) and I were driving to Indianapolis for a level II ultrasound to determine the cause of the excessive fluid. With his father beside me the entire time, Andrew John Barrand came into the world at 3:56 a.m. on September 21, 2000. It didn't take the team of neonatalogists long to figure out what was causing my polyhydramnios. Andrew had a complete tracheal atresion ... meaning he had no trachea at all. While he was inside me and I was breathing for him, he was fine. Once outside, he was unable to breathe on his own and there was no way for the doctors to establish an airway because there was simply nothing there. Andrew's tiny heart, which had beat steadily and strongly for months, gave out when he couldn't fight anymore. He died at 5:29 a.m.  View My Guestbook Sign My Guestbook |
