Kassidy Leighann Peterson Tribute

My husband and I were married on June 11, 2005.  I had been married before and have a daughter.  Her name is Madison.  He also has a daughter and her name is Chelsey.  After we were married for a while, he wanted a baby between the two of us.  He wanted to do it the right way.  He wanted a baby to be brought up the Christian way not as we had done before.  But what he failed to remember was that he was told he couldn't have any more kids.  As for me, I didn't want anymore children.  It wasn't because I don't love children, it was just because ours are grown and why start over?!?  He managed to deal with that decision that we both had made.

On October the 15th, 2008, I remember this like it was yesterday, I saw our nurse practioner.  I work for a medical office that has a Family Practice department and an OB/GYN.  I told her she need to refer me to one of the doctors upstairs  because my periods were just not getting any better.  (Now this wasn't my first talk about my periods.  They were horrible as far as pain goes.  I can not take birth control anything because it makes me sick.)  She asked me when was my next one due and I was suppose to start that day.  She told me to wait a week and take a test to make sure I was not pregnant and then set up an appointment to see an OB/GYN doctor.  I thought she's crazy if she thinks I'm pregnant!!  I went ahead and set my appointment up with Dr. Freeman.  A week later, on October 22, we had gotten home from church and I though what the heck, I'll take a pregnancy test.  IT WAS POSITIVE!!!  I took another thinking whatever, it's got to be wrong.  IT WAS POSITIVE!!!  I called my husband in and told him and of coarse he was excited.  I cried and cried.  The next morning I talked to a nurse and she done one and IT TO WAS POSITIVE!!!  She paged her doctor and he okayed an ultrasound (first of many since I worked there!).  I was 5.6 weeks. 

It took me awhile to face the fact that I was pregnant and it wasn't gonna go anywhere.  When I got excited and found out it was a girl, I almost put us in the poor house!!! 

I had started spotting and seen a doctor and found out I had a SCH.  This is some kind of hemmorrage that is attached to the sac and will resolve itself.  And it did.  Then we find out that I had a low lying uterus, which can resolve itself and it did.  Everything was rocking and rolling smoothly. 

On Sunday, March 1, 2009, I didn't quite feel to right and I had started leaking some but I though it was normal. I was 24 weeks along. That night we were watching TV and I went to the restroom and I had bright red blood and leaking.  The next restroom trip it was normal again.  That night, I woke up thinking I had wet the bed!!  I went to the restroom and used it and got back in bed.  I was crying like a baby because I had wet the bed so this woke my husband up.  I wet 2 pairs of underwear in a 30 minute period.  We paged the doctor on call and went to the ER.  There we underwent several test and an ultrasound.  The fluid level on the ultrasound was on the normal low side.  It was a 10.  This meant it was okay but usually slightly higher at my weeks.  He admitted me for observation and would do another ultrasound that next morning.  The tech came in and done the ultrasound.  The nurse came in and said the level had dropped to a 2!!  That night the doctor came in and said she was thinking about transferring me to an Atlanta area hospital called Northside.  Well......she did!!!  We left that Wednesday morning about 11 and got to Atlanta around 1.  We got admitted there and went through several more test.  I was rounded on everyday by 2 doctors; my OB/GYN and the Paranatologist.  I had an ultrasound every Monday and Thursday to check the fluid level and the baby.  We stayed there for almost 3 weeks.  On the morning of March 21, I had some bleeding and was checked.  I wasn't really dilated so she kept me on the same restrictions and I basically slept all day.  I was having some mid-stomach pain that felt like contractions but were not being picked up on the monitor.  At 11 pm they started up again but were harder as time went on and lasted longer.  My husband had fallen asleep about 11:30.  My contractions were getting closer together and more painful.  He finally woke up at about 5 til 1 and noticed me crying.  I was crying cause I was in pain but my main cry was I wasn't ready for her to come.  She needed to "bake" a little more.  At 1 am, I started writing them down and they were coming every 15 minutes.  I was hooked back up to the monitors, but it picked up nothing.  I had to then press a button type thing so it would record when and how long.  The nurses paged the doctor and the mid-wife came in.  I had dilated to a 2 or 3 and they transferred me to LD floor.  I was prepared by the doctors for the delivery but mentally was NOT ready for that.  I still wanted more weeks, I wanted to be pregnant longer than 27 weeks, I wanted everything to go the way my other pregnancy went!!  WRONG!!  On March 22, 2009 at 4:11 am Kassidy Leighann Peterson entered our lives.  She was stablized and transferred to the NICU.  Her doctor came in later that morning and told us his assesment and the probable outcomes.  At this time, she was stable but very critical.  Her lungs were not as mature as they needed to be and oxygen was not getting to where it needed to go.  The morning of March 23, we were woke up by our nurse that said we needed to go to the NICU that they had called.  We got to the NICU and was told that she had quite fighting.  Her doctor said he didn't understand what had happened.  He had left at 1 am and she had made a turn and was headed up hill.  We spent time with her alive and had her baptized and then was told that if she pulled through the night she would have life long problems.  He tried a few more things to help her and then there was nothing more.  My husband was holding her when she went on home. 

That was the hardest thing I have ever had to do.  Her service was the sweetest I've ever been to.  We wanted an alter call at it and had one rededication and one saved. 

She touched so many lives in the short time she was here.  We wanted her here longer but God needed her more.  It hurts each and every day but knowing that I will see her one day helps.  I also know that we are not alone!