Meet Abbygael

Hi my name is Danielle and I am twenty years old. When I was 18, I found out I was pregnant and was very excited and nervous. I had a lot of stomach cramping early in the pregnancy and when I was 14 weeks I had an ultrasound and they noticed that I had a bleed. I was sent to Lehigh Valley Hospital in Pennsylvania at 17 weeks to get a 3D ultrasound to look closer at my bleed. The determined that is was just a small placental tear and that it had healed and everything looked fine. We also found out that we were having a baby girl that day. We joke because we asked the doctor how sure he was, because of only being 17 weeks, and he said "100% because her legs are wide open" we then continued to follow the doctor. 


I battled  kidney stones 3 times while I was pregnant because I have a kidney disease called Medulary Sponge Kidney. When I was 23 weeks I started having severe stomach pains and went to the hospital, when they thought I was in preterm labor they transfered me to Abington Memorial Hospital in Abington, PA because it had a Level III NICU. When I got there they said I was 70% effaced and did a Fetal Fibronactin Test. This is a test that determines if you are likely to go into labor within 2 weeks or not. Mine came back positive. They kept me for 24 hours to give me steroid shots for the babys lung and then despite all that I was discharged and told I could return to work and normal activity. 


3 weeks later I fell asleep watching TV and woke up and my underwear were all wet. We rushed to the hospital and were told that my water broke and that I would be admitted til I gave birth. They started me on the steroid shots again and within 24 hours I as in full blown labor and had to be rushed for an emergency C-Section because the baby was breech. I delivered a baby girl at 4:46PM on July 26, 2010. She was only 2lbs 2oz. She was in the NICU for 60 days and Is now 17 months and weighs 26 pounds.

Two hours old

First kangaroo care

1 month, with my ring around her fingers

Going home!

First birthday