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My birthday
June 30th 1999
Mum and dad’s routine, boring life is about to change as I introduce
them to some excitement, unpredictability and stress and a chance to
learn something about priorities patience and love
It’s five weeks till I’m due, but I’ve stopped kicking. Mum
comes to hospital to get it checked out and instead of returning home to
hang out the washing as planned, finds herself having an emergency
caesarean.
At birth
I manage a short cry and there is relief that I’m alive, then shock on
seeing that I have Down syndrome and fear when mum and dad get to the
neonatal unit to find me the centre of attention in intensive care.
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Age two hours
I’ve got tubes and wires running everywhere but even being ventilated on
100% oxygen I’m not doing well.
I’ve met so many people already, nurses, paediatricians, cardiologist,
radiographers, even the vicar who came to bless me.
Age 12 hours
I’ve had my first
aeroplane flight and I’m spending my first night away from home without
my mum, how’s that for early independence?
Only this morning dad was doing a predictable responsible job, now he’s
dropped everything, raced round finding care for my six brothers and
sisters, packed for an unknown length of stay at National Women’s
hospital (he wishes he’d brought more socks and some peanuts and
chocolate to replace missed meals - still at least he remembered the
camera and important phone numbers) and accompanied me to Auckland.
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Day 1 to day
3
Mum joins us and my breathing improves so I’m moved from a
ventilator to CPAP.
Mum and dad choose me a name “Noah” just in time for it to be written
on my ark (or portable
incubator) for our return home to
Palmerston North.
Day 4
The "ChildFlight" plane brings us back to the neonatal unit in
Palmerston and mum and dad make the mistake of relaxing. Suddenly my
tummy swells up, making my tiny face screw up in pain and the doctors
think I have necrotising enterocolitis.
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