A new year means the beginning of a whole new group of NICU Family Stories! It is our hope that through the openness with which our families share the story of their unique journeys, we can help spread awareness of what life is like when you have a child in the NICU. It is always even more bittersweet when those stories come from dear friends of ours but it is so wonderful to be able to be a resource of hope and encouragement to them! This months story belongs to the Hastie Family!
My name is Kristin Hastie, I am 30 years old and I am married to my best friend. He has been my biggest supporter through our journey of infertility, pregnancy and parenthood. I am so blessed God chose him for me.
We tried to have a child for over 3 years. We had 8-9 (can’t keep track) failed intrauterine insemination. One fresh IVF cycle (negative), a frozen embryo transfer (negative), a couple surgeries later we did another frozen embryo transplant and I got pregnant which ended at 7 weeks. As heartbroken as we were, we weren’t giving up. We decided to use our last embryo and I got pregnant again but only for 9 weeks. We felt defeated but kept believing and trusting that it would happen one day. With the help and support from our friends and family we decided to try IVF again from the start of the process because we were out of embryos. And to our surprise a month before we were going to start, WE GOT PREGNANT NATURALLY! It was truly the best moment of our lives.
My pregnancy was a little rough. I had a placental abruption at 25 weeks which landed me in the hospital for a while. Being on the magnesium drip and steroids helped a lot and I kept trucking on. Once I was released I had another bleeding episode at home just a few weeks later. Luckily I only had to stay one night in the hospital. The doctor told me if I bled again we would do an emergency c section! What do ya know….at 34w6d I bled again and my sweet baby boy was born on November 16, 2018 at 4:54am via emergency c section. I was heavily medicated so I didn’t get to see or hear him which to this day still makes me extremely sad.
He had to be admitted to the NICU right after he was born for multiple reasons. He had trouble breathing and he was jaundiced. I didn’t get to see him until that afternoon when they wheeled me down to the NICU in my hospital bed. He had wires all over him, a feeding tube, IVs etc. I immediately balled my eyes out because all I wanted was to hold my baby. If it weren’t for my wonderful friends who had experienced the NICU life already, I wouldn’t have been the strong mama I was. Their knowledge, experience and support really helped me get through this emotional time.
I am so thankful for my friends, family and the amazing doctors and nurses who watched over and prayed over my baby boy. He surpassed all expectations and was released from the NICU in only 5 short days weighing 4 lbs. 5 oz. We are so grateful for all the love and support we received in the hospital. It was truly an experience we will never forget.
Thank you so much to Kristin for sharing her sweet family’s journey with us and our community of NICU families and NICU family supporters. It is a story of loss, hope, fear, courage, strength and, ultimately, love. Join us in praying over them as they continue their journey in life at home after the NICU.
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