Michael David Brock 

October 13,2006 - October 26, 2006

6lbs. 2ozs.and 19.5 inches long

My son’s name was Michael David Brock and he was diagnosed with amniotic band syndrome causing anencephaly.

I found out I was pregnant the first week of February 2006 and was so excited. He was planned. I have three other healthy children and didn't think anything would go wrong with this pregnancy either. Everything seemed to be going well.

We had an ultrasound at 10 weeks because I was measuring bigger than 10 weeks, but the baby looked great and we were right on schedule. He was due October 22, 2006.

Well, when we got home from ultrasound that night, I started bleeding and went to hospital. They told me I was miscarrying. I was devastated and went home to miscarry, but never did. Michael was a fighter. At the 12-week ultrasound, they told me I had placenta previa but the baby was still looking great, nothing wrong.

I started to pick out how I was going to do his room and everything.

Well, at 16 weeks, I went to have a check up and an AFP test done. I didn't think anything of it. A week later, they called and told me something was wrong, the test was reading high and the baby probably had Spina Bifida. I freaked out thinking: “oh my god! What did I do wrong to cause something to be wrong with my child?” The doctor scheduled me for an ultrasound the next morning (the longest wait I ever had to go through). I went in and they started scanning me and they told me he was a boy. There were no signs of Spina Bifida, so we thought we were ok and the test was wrong. Well then she went and looked at Michael's head and saw there was a large knot or tissue coming out of his forehead. She called in the doctor.

This was May 22, 2006.

The doctor told me not to panic and scheduled me to see a specialist the very next day. Again a very long wait for us and an emotional one too.

So the next morning, May 23,2006, we went in to see a specialist. The tech started to scan me and confirmed that the baby was a boy and that he did have something on his head. She went to get the doctor, came in and did another scan. Then the worst news came, that no mother should have to hear. They told me he was a non-vital fetus and had 100% death rate. I collapsed and asked her how does a mother plan to bury her own son that she already loves and wanted very much. I was crying very heavily and almost fell off the table I was laying on.

We choose to carry him to term if my body would let me. There is a risk of stillbirth with this kind of birth defect. So I prayed he would make it to birth and at least cry one time so I could hear him.

I continued all my doctor appointments and 13 more ultrasounds to keep tabs on my little angel. He was doing well. At 38 weeks I went in for my last ultrasound and they told me he quit growing at 33 weeks and they thought it was time to deliver him.

I had the choice of a vaginal birth, but they said if I delivered him vaginally, there was a risk that he would die during delivery or only make it about for 15 minutes. Or a c-section, they said he would have about 2 days to live if doing well. So we took the c-section.

I chose to have him on 10-13-2006.

We went in at 10 am after we got my other 3 kids off to school. They got me ready and I was so scared; I never had a section before. I went in at noon and baby Michael was born at 12:22 pm, crying. He was 6 lbs. 2 oz and 19.5 inches long. I was so happy: he was alive and doing well. His head was closed but his brain came out of his forehead and the skull never developed. He only had a brain stem and what was sticking out of his forehead. We looked at him and he was so handsome, but we knew at anytime he could pass.

We were going to donate his organs to help other children in need. The transplant team was there, thinking we were going to loose him at anytime.

I was in the hospital 3 days and he was doing so well that we choose to bring him home under hospice care. We loved him and treated him no different from the other children. He had to be fed through a feeding tube, but needed no other special care.

The morning of day 5, we woke up and he started having spells where he was forgetting to breath and turned blue (Apnoea spells). I was terrified by this, he started having seizures. I was not prepared at all for this, but I would hold him and tell him it was ok to go, we would be fine. I knew I had to tell him that so he would be ok with it. But knowing I really didn't want him to go, I wanted to keep him. He went through this until day 13, when he got really bad and we knew it was close to him leaving us. I bathed him and dressed him and listened to him coo and smile at me. He was only 13 days old and he passed away at 5pm peacefully in his aunt’s arms.

The doctors only gave him 2 days to live and he lived 13. My son was beautiful and very happy for the short time he was here. It has been 5 months since my sons passing. I have come to realize we only have short minutes here on earth. My son was only here 13 days but, he taught me a lot. I miss him and always will but, I know one day we are all going to be together. I know he is in a better place and is a happy little boy. I have learned that it's not the time you get here it's the love you get when here. Michael got a lot. He got a life time worth all in 13 wonderful days.

To Michael

Mommy and Daddy love you and miss you a lot. We know one day we will see you again.

JoEllen

E-mail

More pictures of Michael David

home

deutsch | français | english | nederlands | español | italiano | portuguesa

 webmaster

©Copyright 2000-2007 www.anencephalie-info.org