Hello everyone, my daughters name is Gabrielle. When I became pregnant with Gabrielle my water broke at 15 weeks and Doctors did not know whether or not she would even make it to a viable stage (23-24 weeks gestation) to survive life outside the womb. I began having 2 ultrasounds every week, seeing my regular OBGYN & Also a Specialist. To everyones suprise I stayed pregnant with her until 31 weeks & 4 days! (Crazy I know). I was admitted into the hospital for the 10 days leading up to the night she was actually born because I began leaking Mechonium. She  was then born October 16th at 2:03am. She was BEAUTIFUL. They had told me ahead of time that when she was born she would be rushed into the NICU immediately and I would have no time to hold her, but to my suprise she was born and they handed her right to me because initally everything seemed fine with her. That changed quickly when she began having a very hard time breathing & that quick they had taken her away and I had no idea that it would be 5 hours until I got to see her again. We waited and waited for word that she would be ok and we got no answers. FINALLY around 7:00am we got word we could go see her. She had extreme pulmonary distress and her 1 lung had collapsed. She
remained in the NICU for the next 2 months. She spent 19 days intubated on a ventilator & had 2 chest tubes put in. I was told every morning that she was VERY SICK and babies in her situation usually dont make it. My heart sank. As the days went on though she kept making progress! She slowely got better and better to where they could begin to ween down to less and less respiratory support. She was also Jaundice & needed 3 blood transfusions during her stay, She had a cyst on the lower right side of her head and her one Kidney was smaller than the other. It was a long 2 months but finally on December 7th she was cleared to come home with only an apnea monitor and oxygen! (amazing!) She then began Physical Therapy at home for developmental delays due to being Premature. During Physical Therapy her Therapist noticed a few suspicious signs leading her to believe there was a problem with her hip and recommended us to take her to the Orthopedic Doctor. After taking her to see the doctor he found that she had Hip Dysplasia (her left hip was dislocated) and again my heart sank. Yet another thing my poor baby had to go through. He told us she would need to be put into a Pavlik Harness for the next few months and be reevaluated to make sure the hip had gotten itself back into place. After 3 days of screaming he had to take the harness off. He told me its very uncommon for babies to scream in the harness, it should not bother them at all.  He then after examination determined her Tendon was very tight which was causing her pain in the harness. He had told us she would need a Closed Reduction Operation to get the hip back into place and also her tendon in her leg would need to be cut and stretched in order to be able to get her hip back into place. So on April 14th she  had her operation and was placed in a full body Spica Cast from just under her chest down to both ankles which she will remain in for 2 months, then be reevaluated and put into another cast for another 2 months. Due to all of her medical problems I have been unable to go back to work so I am now a stay at home mom to my 2 children.  Their father works extremely hard to support our family which also does not allow him to be home with us as much as he would like to be. Due to her current condition there are alot of extra out of pocket expenses and it can be difficult with only 1 of us working along with paying all of our current bills to live. She has to wear 2 different size diapers at a time that have to be changed twice as often as normal. She needs a whole new stroller because she now doesnt fit in her original one, she needs special chairs to sit, eat, etc. A crib wedge to keep her in a "reclined" position to sleep rather than flat on her back, all new clothing in bigger sizes etc. . We are also now beginning and will continue to recieve all of the Medical Bills from my Pregnancy, Birth, The NICU, Specialist Visits, X-Rays, Ultrasounds etc. Some the Insurance Covers & some they do not. Its hard to manage it all with only 1 income so people have suggested I reach out to the public for some help.  Those who already know our family and our story know how truely special our daughter is & also how much of a miracle she is! She has overcome so many obsticles already in only 6 months of life and continues to have a smile on her face everyday. We truely appreciate any help! Thank you for taking the time to read about our Special little girl!