MIRACLE MONDAYS – Autumn Gredzielski
Ariana Farlese’s pregnancy had been fairly smooth until one morning when she noticed something was very wrong. “I went to the bathroom early one morning and noticed I was bleeding,” she said. “All I could think is ‘Is my baby OK?’”
Ariana had experienced a placental abruption. “The placenta had detached from the womb,” she said.
Ariana was taken to the ER at St. John’s. “After being admitted to St. John’s because of the bleeding. The doctors gave me Steroids to help Autumn’s lungs grow a little more. Two days later right at 34 weeks), Autumn came via emergency C-section. Her dad and I got to see her for a brief second and then they rushed her to the NICU. The scariest moment was during the C-section when the doctor pulled her out. I couldn’t hear Autumn crying. I didn’t know if she was OK or not. I started crying and told Chad to go make sure she was OK.”
Autumn was OK, but she did call the NICU home for some time. “Wile in the NICU, you become friends with some of the moms. Some of them are in the exact same boat as you. That way you can support each other. The most difficult part of the experience was leaving the hospital without my baby. I knew she was in good hands in the NICU but I couldn’t help but to feel depressed when I went home because there was no baby there.”
One thing Ariana remembers is what one caregiver said to her about taking caring of yourself. “She said you need to take care of yourself before you can take care of her. If you are good, she will be good too.”
It was a happy moment for Ariana when she finally got to take Autumn home! Today, Autumn is almost two years old. She loves painting, the movie Moana and blueberries.
“HSHS made me feel that Autumn and I were in good hands being there. I knew I could count on them when I couldn’t be there. The staff even helped me be a better mother to Autumn.
Do you have a miracle child that was treated as HSHS St. John’s Children’s Hospital? Facebook message us or email dave.newton@hshs.org and tell us your story! #miraclemondays