Beautiful Twin And Angel, Kayleigh Nicole Wright

by Stephanie Wright:) :)O:)
Mommy to Trevor(4) and Kristen(11mo) and Angel Kayleigh (April 16-19, 1995).

Our story begins in August of 1994. Trevor was an ever growing 2 1/2 year old and we thought another baby would be nice now. We thought we would start trying in September. I began to feel ill daily in mid August. I told James I thought I was pregnant. He laughed and said no way. We aren't trying yet. I took a home test the last week of August and sure enough it was blue. I didn't even have to wait the full time. It turned blue immediately.

I immediately made a doctors appointment to confirm the pregnancy. My doctor asked me the usual questions and by dates I was 5 weeks pregnant. My doctor was confused by the size of my uterus. My doctor turned white and said either our dates are wrong or you may have a growth other than this baby. I was sent immediately down the hallway to a sonogram room. My son and husband were both their. Two circles showed up on the screen and the doctor said "Dad do you want to sit down?" He said, "No, what is wrong?" When we saw Trevor for the first time he never looked like that. I began to cry and told him, "It's twins silly." My son was eating a lollipop and said in his cute little voice, "We are having two babies?." I really began to cry then. I didn't know he had a concept of twins.

The doctor began to move the probe around a lot and said there is a problem. We both just stared at her. She said there is a tear in one sack. The baby is most likely going to miscarry. I began to scream. I was terrified. I was loosing a baby that I had just found out was there. I was scheduled to come back the next week for a heart beat and sack check. I took it easy that week and rested a lot. When we came back the next week we had two strong heart beats and two babies. We were so happy. The worst was over. Our nightmare had ended right? Wrong!! Boy were we wrong. It was just beginning.

We had picked out a boy name and a girl name by 10 weeks. I was sure it was a boy and a girl. Nathan Joseph and Kristen Michelle were the names of our children. I knew which was which and where they were. Nathan was on the left and Kristen was on the right. At our 20 week check (December 19) which I had at 17 weeks due to a scheduling error, the doctor told us we were having two girls. I was excited. We had to find another name. (Nathan became Kayleigh after much arguing over girl names.) The doctor had me go back to her office with my husband and told us their was a problem with one of the babies. She said one of the babies seems to have a malformed heart. The rollercoaster ride begins here for a never ending journey.(And I don't like rollercoasters.)

The next week at a second opinion appointment we were told we would loose both babies. I would not carry them passed February. I told the doctor he was a liar and a quack and had no business practicing medicine. I knew my babies and they were going to make it. I got a third opinion and was told I should carry them to the due date, May 12, 1995. The heart defect was still there but was operable upon delivery.

I was put on bedrest on February 24, 1995. I was in the early stages of preterm labor and that worried my doctor. She sent me to a specialist in Atlanta so I could deliver near the hospital Kayleigh would be transferred to. I was put on a home monitoring service to monitor contractions and also began taking tributeline.(SP) I had to take it twice a day. This made me feel very strange and so I slept a lot.

I told everyone the babies would be here Easter Sunday which put me at 36 weeks and two days. My doctor told me that wouldn't happen because I needed to wait one more week to be sure they were mature. Well I was right again. On Saturday April 15, 1995 at 6pm I went into the early stages of labor. I thought I was in labor and sent a strip to my home monitoring service. They told me it was just gas. Take some gas-x and go to sleep. I did that but I couldn't stay asleep because the cramping from the "gas" was toooooooo bad. At 9pm I called the service and told them I thought I was in labor. They said send another strip. I said no I am going to the hospital. We called the Hospital in Atlanta I was supposed to deliver at and told them what was going on. They made me send another strip. I was told I only had three contractions and not to worry. I counted ten.

At 10pm I threw up the gas x and my supper(pizza). I knew then I was in labor. We called my doctor here(She was on bedrest herself to prevent an early delivery she referred me to another doctor who knew me). He told us to go to the local hospital and a chopper would take me to Atlanta. We got to the hospital and Kristen's sac was about to break and I was dilated to 7. I couldn't be transported. James went threw the roof. He argued with everyone. When my epidural took effect I took over and calmed him down. I told him they knew what to do. We had the #2 NICU in the state at the hospital we were at. He calmed down and prepared for the delivery.

At 1:29 am Kristen came into the world. She was beautiful. She weighed 6lbs 3 1/2 ounces and was 19 inches long. It was Easter just like I had said. Kayleigh was born at 1:32 am. She was also beautiful. She cried and turned pink just like Kristen did. (This was something they said would never happen) We got very hopeful that she would be just fine. She was 4lbs. 15 1/4 ounces and 18 1/2 inches long. At 4:00am she was taken by ambulance to Egelston Children's Hospital in Atlanta(2 hours away). My family followed her and I was left all alone with Kristen. I was so scared.

I was released on Monday, April 17 at 9am. Nobody was able to pick me up until after supper. On Tuesday I got to go and see Kayleigh. She was just as beautiful as I remembered. She opened her eyes for me. I was told that was the first time she had opened her eyes.

On Wednesday April 19,1995 I got to hold her for the first time at 6 am. I was with her until they wheeled her away for surgery minus the time I was feeding Kristen as I was breastfeeding. She was four days old and undergoing open heart surgery. So tiny and going through something most adults never face. She made it just fine through the surgery. At 730pm they came and got me and put me in a conference room and told me that she was in cardiac arrest. James had gone to get some supper with my mom and aunt. My grandmother kept Kristen while they took me away. I was all alone when they told me of the problem. What seemed like hours later James came in and I told him what was happening. He put a dent in the wall.

At 8:45 pm a presence came into the room. We know it was Jesus. He asked us to let her go home to be with him. We both told him no she belonged to us. He told us that she was in pain and needed to go. We finally told him he could take her with him and then she was there with him. She had come to tell us she was OK and better now. I looked at my watch and it said 8:59pm. A few minutes later the doctor came in to tell us and we said we know. The time of death was 8:59pm. Some don't believe this part of my story but they were not there.

This was the end of the dream. The dream of raising twins. The dream of having two little girls to love and watch grow together with their special bond. I often wonder what if? and Why? I know I will never get the answer to my question as long as I am on this earth. All we wanted was for her to grow up to be the best little dancer. We had been told that would be the only sport she could handle with a weak heart. The dancer is now a dancer in heaven. Our little angel, our little dancer, our little guardian.