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Mom Of Conjoined Twins Faced One Of The Hardest Choices She’d Ever Make. Here’s What Happened Next
A social media post of a newborn baby may be common these days; but for one Minnesota mom, it is validation of a miracle.
“So greatful! She is still recovering well from today’s surgery. Thanking God for looking after my precious daughter and all the supportive people in my life,” new mom Amber McCullough wrote in a Facebook post.
McCullough, of Hastings, Minnesota, posted the first photo of her daughter Hannah on Sept. 6. Hannah is the survivor of an operation to separate her from her conjoined twin, Olivia. Doctors never anticipated Olivia surviving the operation and determined her heart was too damaged to save her.
McCullough gave birth last month in Denver when she was 32 weeks into her pregnancy. The girls were conjoined from mid-chest to the pelvis. The five-hour operation was risky for both children, but doctors said both were likely to die if the operation wasn’t done. McCullough almost lost both during the surgery.
Hannah lost a lot of blood during the surgery as doctors were attempting to separate a fused liver the two girls shared. The blood loss caused her heart to stop. The baby needed an emergency surgery for a perforated bowel. After surgery, Hannah had jaundice, low blood pressure, and fluid in her lungs. She was put on a ventilator that all premature babies are on.
However, McCullough said she is improving daily.
“She is very much aware who her mommy is. She hears my voice and looks for me. The nurses can tell be the response in her vitals when she sees me and hears me. Her pulse decreases if it’s high, she squeezes my hand, and she refuses to let go of my hand especially is the nurses are performing their regular cares on her at the time. She responds well when I read to her,” McCullough said.
The GoFundMe page to help McCullough pay for medical care has reached its $30,000 goal. McCullough said she now wants people to donate directly to Children’s Hospital of Colorado, the Ronald McDonald House and Prenatal Partners of Life. All three helped her deal with the situation and care for her babies.
“Without the Children’s Hospital of CO, neither of my daughters would have had a chance,” she wrote in her postings. “They didn’t put me off or turn me away contingent on guarantee of payment like most places do. Instead, they told me we’d figure it out from there.”
This post originally appeared on Western Journalism – Equipping You With The Truth
Source: http://www.westernjournalism.com/mom-of-conjoined-twins-faced-one-of-the-hardest-choices-shed-ever-make-heres-what-happened-next/
