Mackenzie's Story

Linda Emmenegger

Date: Tue, 22 Dec 1998

As I read the stories about others losses my heart goes out to all. My 18-year-old daughter delivered a baby girl that was still born on October 24, 1998. She is a single parent with no involvement with the father of the baby. She had a very uneventful pregnancy with no complications. She received excellent medical care throughout. I went to the doctor with her on October 9 and everything was real good. The doctor said that the baby was growing and the heartbeat was strong. On October 21 we finished painting the babies room. On October 22 Amy went back and the doctor could not find a heartbeat. They did ultrasound and still could not pick anything up. She was sent home and told to come back on Tuesday and he would schedule to have her induced. On October 24, at 33 weeks at 1:00am we left for the hospital. This was the worst night in our lives. At 5:35am little Mackenzie was born. Amy was not able to hold her because Amy had lost a lot of fluid and it caused the babies skin to be very tender. When they tried to wipe her off it would damage the skin. The decisions that parents have to make in these circumstances are incredible! Amy chose to have an autopsy done but to this day there has not been anything found. We held graveside services on October 29, 1998. I have always been able to help my children when something has went wrong but this time there was nothing I could do to make it hurt less. I never realized how much we would miss this little girl. One thing that I would like for everyone who has lost a child to remember: You are still a mother. And even though at 40 years old I didn't want to be a grandmother, I would give anything to have her here with me now and I'm a grandmother and I miss her so very much. This loss has been very hard on everyone as I have a 4 and 6 year old and it is hard for them to understand. No, losing a child is not for the best and they can never be replaced.

Update 1/21/99:

On January 12, 1999 we got the final autopsy report on Mackenzie. The autopsy showed that she had "Osteogenesis Imperfecta" Type II. She had multiple angulated and "crumpled" fractures of her long bones, upper and lower limbs.

My daughter (Mackenzie's mother) has a appointment on February 15 to see a Genetic Counselor (doctor) to see if she is a carrier or this disease. This has been a very hard time on my daughter. She is so worried about what the blood tests will reveal. Since October 24, 1998, she has delivered a still-born baby and now she has to wait to see if she is a carrier. Her doctor is hoping that it was just something tragic that happened and that her tests will be ok.

We were wondering if anybody else has had a baby born with this and if you have any information on it?

My e-mail is: emmenegger.1@osu.edu 

My thoughts are with everyone who has written to this site.