Heather and Lon Beckius
Minnesota, USA

OUR NAIT STORY

I was 31 weeks pregnant when I went in for a non-stress test due to having gestational diabetes. While doing the non-stress test Jayger’s heart rate kept dropping really low and then going back up to normal. The doctor also did an ultrasound to check on him. The doctor wanted me to do a 3 hour non stress test to see if Jayger’s heart rate would continue to drop then go back to normal. Only 30 minutes into the 3 hour test – the doctor told my husband and I that I needed to go to Rochester for further testing and to possibly deliver. It was at this time the doctor also said that Rochester could also check out the spot on his brain to see what that was.

At 4:00 am on April 25, 2012 the nurses and doctors came rushing into my room. Jayger’s heart rate had dropped real low so they started to prepare me for delivery.  As they were getting mommy ready they did an ultrasound. Shortly after the ultrasound, his heart rate jumped back up to normal and stayed stable – so no delivery today.

With his heart rate stable, it was time to take a closer look at the spot the doctors saw on his brain. This is where it was found that he had a grade 4 bleed on the left side of his brain. The doctors tried to prepare us for the worst – Jayger may not survive.

Jayger was born May 25, 2012 four weeks early.

His platelet count was 6000. The doctors told us that this is what caused the bleed but they were not sure why. They had done blood work and tested us for NAIT prior to Jayger being born but the test results were negative. The doctors gave Jayger 4 transfusions and 3 treatments of IVIG. We spent 11 days in the NICU. During this time the doctors decided to retest us for NAIT as they could not come up with any other reason for the ICH.

At my 6 week check-up we were told that NAIT is what caused the ICH and that if we had another child we had a 50% chance the same thing would happen.

 

 

 

 

Here is our little NAIT miracle (now 18 months old)

Heather