Full Name: Isaac Carlin
Birthdate: 10/09/2017
Gestational Age at Birth: 25 weeks
Hospital: St. Joseph’s Women’s Hospital
Favorite Book or Toy: Jeremy the Turtle

Sandra Carlin’s son, Isaac, is nothing short of a miracle baby. For others, he’s a living testimony of faith. Sandra was admitted to the hospital on bed rest after her 20th and 24th-week check-ups. She had been identified as a high risk pregnancy and forewarned of a potential weak cervix. At her 21st week check-up, she was in surgery for an emergency cerclage; by week 24 her cervix started to shorten again. By week 25 she was having contractions and delivered her firstborn at 4:49 pm on October 9th. Isaac Noah Carlin was born at 2lbs 1oz and 13.5”. The biggest test of faith happened over the next 104 days in the NICU and beyond.

On Isaac’s third day of life, the Carlin’s were told he had an inter-ventricular hemorrhage (IVH), also known as a brain bleed. A brain bleed can occur on one or both sides of the brain, from grade 1 to 4 (4 being the worst). Isaac had a grade 3 bilateral bleed and there was nothing to stop it. They were informed of all the lifelong complications he would have, including death, and given little hope of normalcy. On this day they prayed for his life and promised, no matter the outcome, they would accept Isaac for who he is. A few days later he fought his first infection. Then a few days after that, the Carlins were preparing for a PDA litigation, a surgery to repair the artery that flows from the heart to the lungs. This wasn’t even the peak of the emotional rollercoaster for their family.

As they prepared emotionally for the PDA ligation, they were told the IVH caused hydrocephalus (water in the brain). Isaac now needed brain surgery for a reservoir shunt to tap out the excess cerebrospinal fluid. Weeks went by and they had begun planning for the PDA ligation again. At this time, they received a call – the shunt was infected. It had to be surgically removed as soon as possible and replaced with an external drainage. Isaac was now fighting his second infection. The next day, his brain was combatting seizures.

The doctor explained that Isaac would likely have further lifelong complications, but the Carlins stayed true to their promise and their faith. No matter the outcome, they would accept Isaac. Weeks went by, the seizures stopped, his PDA was smaller and little fluid was draining. They received news that he may not need a PDA ligation nor a shunt. A few more days went by and the external drainage was removed. However, a few days later the PDA enlarged again, and the hydrocephalus was back. Isaac needed surgery. He received surgery for the shunt, but the catheterization never happened.

Isaac learned to bottle and breastfeed, and started room air trials, but showed he needed a little oxygen support. On Christmas, he finished his first bottle and a few days later, all of them. The Carlin’s were told Isaac would be going coming home an entire week before his due date! As they prepared for his arrival, they waited for the call to be discharged. Instead, a head ultrasound and MRI confirmed the growth of a cyst causing a midline shift of his brain. Isaac would undergo another surgery for a shunt revision and to add a catheter.

On January 21st, 104 days later and the day before his due date, Isaac arrived home. But the emotional rollercoaster did not end in the NICU. On March 1st, a head ultrasound was performed due to a bump on his head. A follow-up MRI was done on March 2nd and confirmed a larger cyst and a dramatic midline shift of his brain. Another catheter was added to Isaac’s shunt and in less than 24-hours post-op, Isaac was ready to come home.

Today, Isaac’s brain is midline again! The PDA closed, and the heart murmur previously found disappeared. The ROP (an eye disorder that can lead to vision loss) went away. Isaac has been off oxygen support since April 1st. An EEG found no seizure activity or risk; he’s no longer on anti-seizure medication. His primary care had found groin and umbilical hernias. The pediatric surgeon waited until Isaac was bigger to perform the surgery, but at his follow-up, no hernias were found, and a scrotum ultrasound confirmed these findings, dodging surgery again. Lastly, his therapist said Isaac is on target for his actual age cognitively and for his adjusted age on gross motor skills. Sandra said, “God has truly given us the best possible outcome and I’m glad our faith never strayed! Isaac is a living testimony of faith and miracles. I gave birth to my hero!”

Sandra also said, “Because of HRH’s support, I didn’t feel alone. The Bed Rest Basket I received was very heartwarming and allowed me to focus solely on my pregnancy while on bed rest. The milestone cards in the NICU Napsack gave me peace of mind that what Isaac was experiencing was part of being a preemie, and it gave me hope for the next step in Isaac’s journey. I looked forward to completing each and every milestone card. I’m also a big advocate on reading to a child early, so the book that was included was very much appreciated and the start of Isaac’s book collection. Lastly, the NICU dinners allowed us to connect with other families in similar situations and support each other by our lived experiences or by newfound perspectives to current situations.”

While Issac was in the NICU, the Carlin’s attended HRH’s 2017 Tot Trot. The day before Isaac had his bout of seizures. But that morning, right before the walk, the Carlin’s received a call from the NICU informing them Isaac didn’t have another episode of seizures and was doing much better. They almost didn’t make it to the walk but decided to meet up with their family and friends who had come to support their family. Sandra said, ” We were so happy that we made it. Seeing each child’s progress gave me so much hope in the uncertain situation we were then facing with Isaac. We’re so grateful for HRH’s support that we want to support the cause in return.”

You can support families like the Carlins by donating to Team Isaac Strong.

by Lee Cordon, Dallas Blogger, DoSayGive

In our modern medical era, I naively thought that there was a treatment or cure for most high risk pregnancy conditions. When my water broke at 14 weeks gestation, a condition known as Preterm Premature Rupture of Membranes or PPROM, I found out the hard way that this wasn’t the case. I’ll never forget looking at the bouncing figure on the hazy ultrasound screen (hazy because these machines see through water and I didn’t have any) and not believing my ears when the specialist advised us to terminate the pregnancy.
You see, medical professionals, particularly those trained in the high risk field, are taught that there is little hope – and definitely no “fix”- when a woman’s amniotic sac breaks before viability (23 weeks). Their main priority is the woman’s health and once an amniotic sac ruptures the woman is at risk for infection, bleeding, and death.

My eyes glazed over as I listened to the grim statistics my MFM doctor shared: the chances of a baby surviving to viability without me contracting an infection were very slim. The chances of my baby developing enough lung tissue to breathe on her own were even slimmer. And the fact that I also had a partial placental abruption and bleeding made everything even worse. “Even if for some reason you made it to viability,” she said, “this baby would be severely disabled, both mentally and physically.”

When my husband and I begged for any trial or alternative treatments around the country we could try, we were told that none of them had proven effective. Most just introduced infection, which is what we were trying to avoid. There was nothing we could do except go home, get in the bed, and “pray for a miracle.”

So that’s what we did.

For the first few days, though, I sobbed under my covers, lost in my own hopelessness. But every time I cried more fluid leaked out (pregnant women are always producing fluid, but when your amniotic sac is ruptured, it would just leak out). It made me want to be still and never move or laugh. The stress of it all was almost too much.

Then my sister forwarded me a website she found about PPROM. I searched desperately for stories of hope on the page. Most of the PPROM stories had sad endings. But then I stumbled upon a story of a baby boy whose mother PPROM’d about the same time. And he survived! I read the story over and over again, looking for any similarities and gleaning any tips as to what this mother did to help avoid infection and keep her baby inside.
After a week I started having a bit more hope. My mom pretty much moved in with us to help with our two-year-old. I started a website to keep friends and family up to date. My sweet OB was encouraging and hopeful at my next appointment. The fact that I hadn’t miscarried that first week was a huge turning point.

During my time on bed rest at home, I filled the days with reading and writing and praying. I couldn’t watch tv because it seemed so trivial in such a serious time. I only got up to use the bathroom and took a shower every few days. And, based on the advice from the mothers in the PPROM group board, I drank a ton of water. Not only to help avoid infection but to aid in the development of amniotic fluid. There is no scientific proof for this, but I was desperate to try anything.

Nine weeks passed. At 23 weeks gestation, I was admitted to the hospital since the baby was considered “viable.” I thought things would be so much easier in the hospital where they could monitor the baby often and get her out quickly if possible. But I found the opposite to be true. The six weeks I spent on the antepartum floor were extremely difficult. I’ve never felt more alone in my life. Not only was I away from my family, but sleep was impossible with the constant interruptions (and the bed was just awful!). And I was routinely reminded of the probable ending of all this bed rest: our baby probably wouldn’t be able to breathe when she was born and would pass away within a few minutes.

At 29 weeks gestation things took a turn for the worse. I was raced in for an emergency C-section. It was like out of a movie. They were able to get her out so quickly. The whole time I was praying she would cry when she was born. Crying might mean she had enough lung tissue to breathe. When they pulled her out we heard a little whimper. And instead of putting her on my chest to take her first and final breaths, they raced her up to the NICU. I only saw a glimpse of her as they raced by, but I was not upset. I was praising God that they were doing just that. It meant she had enough lung tissue to be intubated.

Our 29 weeker spent three months in the NICU. The first few days were touch and go and there were several times we almost had to say our goodbyes. But she prevailed. We prevailed. Don’t get me wrong, the journey has not been easy. The first four years of her life were filled with surgeries, buttons, and therapy almost every day, but it has all been worth it. The 15 weeks on bed rest were worth it.

Our preemie is nearly nine years old now. She goes to a rigorous academic school, plays soccer and basketball, and not surprisingly, is the most determined child I know.

She also gave us hope when I PPROM’d at 23 weeks with my fourth child. You can read her story here.

You can learn more about Lee on her blog, DoSayGive, and more about PPROM support at Little Heartbeats.

By Brittany Elise Anderson RN-NICU, CLC

As a NICU nurse, newborn photographer, lactation consultant, and mother of two I have always been an advocate for mother and baby connections. The act of producing and providing breastmilk to our new little babies is one of our most precious roles as moms. It is often our first “challenge” as new mothers (and yes, it is a huge challenge) and many of us enter into it with fears, anxiety, questions, and doubts. It is my hope, that after reading this post, you will feel educated, but also empowered, as we are uniquely built for this task and opportunity in our babies’ lives.

Breastmilk is quite possibly the most powerful medicine a baby can receive while in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). It is one of the most calorically dense liquids produced in the human body. In the first few days following birth, the milk produced by mom is extremely thick and rich. Not only is breastmilk a rich nutritional staple, but also the first line of defense for a new little one. More important than nutrition, are breastmilk’s germ-fighting antibodies, helping to build babies’ immune systems. This is the main reason why it is so important for moms to try and produce milk early post-partum and why those first few drops are called “liquid gold” by NICU staff.

At birth, a premature baby’s immune system is undeveloped and extremely vulnerable. They haven’t had the exposure to bacteria, viruses, and fungi necessary for developing their own immunity, but a mom’s exposure to these “bugs” over her lifetime has left her body packed full of immensely powerful immune cells. To use a simple analogy, it is almost like a mom giving her child a cheatsheet of every test she ever took in school so they have a head start in life. Breastmilk can serve as a baby’s first round of immunizations and gives them a substantial head start in the immunity department. But the more amazing part of this whole process is the uniquely created antibodies that are custom built exclusively for her baby. When a mother touches and exposes her body to the same germs and bacteria that her baby is being exposed to, she begins to produce “custom-made” milk just for her baby!

Not only is the immune system underdeveloped in premature babies, but the respiratory, gastric and intestinal systems (GI) are too. When a baby has immature lungs they will frequently drop their blood oxygen levels. When this happens the body shunts blood to the most important organs including the brain. Even just a few drops of a mothers breastmilk can help to coat and protect the lining of the GI system and reduce the occurrence of these problems.

In extreme prematurity (less than 28 weeks) a baby may not be able to even digest food. Doctors will begin to introduce milk by swabbing the babies mouth with the mother’s breast milk. This allows for the body to begin receiving those amazing germ-fighting antibodies and also “prime” the GI tract for digestion. Breastmilk helps with GI motility and digestion and data shows that very premature babies have better outcomes when breastmilk is introduced early on, specifically outcomes related to nutrition and GI function.

I know this is a ton of science but hopefully, this helps you to better understand just how amazing breastmilk is and why it is so important for a premature baby or ANY baby for that matter.

Therapy animals have always had a big impact in my life. It began when I was 2 years old and my mom was in the hospital with my brother Hill. I visited her every day, but Wednesday was the day the therapy dog came. It was always the highlight of my day! It was an amazing experience because I had a connection with animals, especially when I was little. The dog made me feel better in tough times.

About a year and a half ago I decided I wanted to do the same when we got our pigs, Thunder and Bolt. One day I heard about a therapy pig on the news and I thought, “We could do this with the pigs.” I researched pigs and found out they are much smarter than dogs. I began preparing them for their certification test. After they passed we started visiting the kids and adults receiving treatment at Tampa General Hospital. There are so many amazing things about therapy animals, but here are 5 reasons why therapy animals make the world a better place.

1. They brighten people’s day

To me, nothing is better than seeing a patient smile when they see the pigs. When we visit Tampa General Hospital the patients and nurses have these huge smiles on their faces as soon as they see the pigs! Therapy animals have a positive impact on people. They make people smile even when they have not smiled in a while. Thunder and Bolt have made people smile around the world. On their Instagram @Thunderboltpigs, we receive direct messages from people that are struggling. They say stuff like, “I have been going through a hard time and when I see your pigs my whole day turns around!” And those types of messages make me smile!!

2. They bring a positive impact for hospital visits

When I was little I used to dread going to the hospital because it just reminded me of how sick my mom was, but when the therapy dog started to come I loved it! He made me feel better during those tough times. Thunder and Bolt have had that impact on people too. I remember one time we were visiting with the pigs this little kid came up to me and said, “I wish they could come every day!” That’s when I knew they were bringing a positive impact on kids.

3. They make the hospital a less scary place for kids

The hospital can be a scary place, especially for kids. Tampa General Hospital has done many things to help kids feel better about their stay. Many kids have a love for animals like I do. When a therapy animal comes they light up. Frowns turn to smiles, and they run to them. There are many different types of therapy animals that kids connect to. The little girls connect with the “unicorn” and the boys love the dogs. It makes them feel happy during a hard time.

4. They teach people compassion for animals.

When you think of a pig the first thing that may come to mind is bacon. Many people think that before meeting the pigs. After they meet them and play with them for a little it’s hard to for them to eat bacon. It teaches a lot of people that pigs are friends, not food. I have one friend that stopped eating pork products because of the pigs.

5. They inspire people.

Therapy animals are an inspiration to everyone. They show people that an ordinary dog or horse can make a difference and that inspires people to do their own type of good. Even though it’s hard to train a therapy animal, people are taking what therapy animals do and doing it themselves. Which I think is amazing!

Therapy animals are so amazing in many ways! They make people smile and they inspire others! Those are my top 5 reasons therapy animals make the world a better place.