It's been way to long since I sent an update about our family. To our utmost delight, Theo came home from the NICU on Easter Sunday, 4 weeks after his predicted due date. When he first came home we had appointments 3-5 times a week, he was on oxygen 24/7 and his med list had us administering meds every 4 hours. Now, at 7 months old (and 4 months adjusted) he is completely off the oxygen, we don't have another doctors appointment for 6 more weeks and he will soon exclusively be on vitamins! We are so thankful for how well he is doing. We are still closely monitoring his development as the severity of his brain bleeds could still manifest as cerebral palsy. But he is currently meeting all of his milestones (for his adjusted age). He is still very small- about 9 lbs, which is well below the 1%, but we are hoping he will eventually catch up. It is unknown why he is not able to grow as effectively as other children.
The day Theo came home
5 months old
6 months old
7 months old
Summer has also started which means Andrew is busy with Camp. He moved into a new position last fall which means he has more time at home this summer than last. We also sold our tiny house! Although we were sad to see it go we were very glad it sold. We have been living in a mobile home we recently renovated at camp. It has a great backyard which Theo will eventually enjoy.
If you don't have Facebook, you probably don't know that I'm no longer pregnant. It's a long story and I will try my best to summarize.
Around November 11 we discovered that I had pregnancy-induced high blood pressure. This can be dangerous both for mom and baby as it can destroy mom's organs but also cause fewer nutrients and oxygen to be transferred to the baby. Little did we know that both of these would happen. I was put on medication and transferred to OB's care.
4 weeks between photos
A week later my blood pressure spiked again and we returned to the hospital once again. This time I did not leave. We managed to mostly get my blood pressure under control but found out that our little boy Theo was not growing, most likely due to the blood pressure issues. It would only be a matter of time before he was delivered. Though we had the incredibly difficult decisions of choosing to wait so he could grow bigger (and possibly die in utero because of the lack of oxygen) or deliver now and he may not live because he was to small and to early. We decided to wait. This was a time of incredible prayer and support.
On November 22, after a weekend pass which we spent at my parents place, we returned to the hospital. I was not feeling well at all, and we soon learned that I had developed pre-eclampsia and HELLP syndrome. My kidneys and liver were beginning to fail and my platelets were dropping quickly. It was a matter of time before I would go into kidney or liver failure. We had to deliver Theo as this is the only treatment of HELLP syndrome. So on November 23, 2015 at 26 weeks gestation (14 weeks early) weighing in at 1lb2oz (515g) Theo Walker Galster was born.
Teeny Tiny Theo
The first several weeks of his life were very difficult, both for us and for him. We learned that he had had a brain bleed in utero which has an 85-100% chance of manifesting as cerebral palsy. He also had a heart murmur which was fixed through medication and required brain surgery all within the first 4 weeks of his life. The first couple of days were very touch and go- but we are so thankful that God has allowed our little boy to not only live, but thrive.
Now at just over 8 weeks old Theo is 3.5lbs and growing daily. He has progressed so far and is now able to breathe on his own, regulate his own temperate, and is beginning to feed orally instead of via a tube. His original due date was Feb 26, and we are hoping he will be able to come home from the hospital around that time.
We have had a crazy last 10 weeks, and I have wanted to write an update for so long, but have been to busy and tired to do so. We have felt incredibly blessed by so many surrounding us and prayers have kept us afloat.
It will still be a long road with Theo, but we feel so prepared to do so.
