The Middle-child Munson

Abby at 4 hours old

Abigail Hope Munson

Born: 10-9-2003, 1:23 pm

Weight: 7 lbs, 4 ozs Length: 20 in.

She is beautiful! Abby has these aborable chubby cheeks and at birth was so
pink and healthy looking!
Abigail has always been our miracle baby! Following an ectopic pregnancy in July '02, we were told we'd never have another child (without IVF). I became pregnant within 6 months. The pregnancy was completely normal, with no sign of HELLP syndrome (the reason Emma made her early appearance), until we had an ultrasound at 33 weeks. At this time, my local OB determined she had a rare heart defect called Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome (HLHS). It occurs in about 3 out of every 10,000 births (varying statistics). Seven weeks to delivery was the perfect amount of time to readily prepare ourselves, accept the diagnosis, and do some research. When the time came to deliver, we were ready. We'd been given two real options for our expected daughter. One was a heart transplant or a three-stage repair process that could be performed at UIHC. We chose the repair surgeries because it seemed our daughter would have a more 'normal' life and we could be closer to home, with a wonderful support system. The three open heart surgeries would reconstruct her heart and make it function without her left ventricle. Her first surgery, the Norwood, was performed on 10-15-2003 when she was 6 days old. Abby was quite the little fighter, but it was too much to take, and she passed away on November 7, 2003-aged 29 days.

Journal

Wednesday, October 15, 2008 8:18 PM CDT

Hi all! Thanks to those who still check this website...it means so much to watch the hits continue to climb, even after 5 years.
We celebrated Abby's birthday in the same way again this year....we take balloons to the cemetery and release them so she can get them in heaven. Emma's this year was red and said "I love you." Emma is not typically what you would describe as sensitive or overly loving, so this really meant a lot to me! Lu picked a purple one and was so excited to release it, hers went off a little early!
I think I am nearing the final decision of ordering a grave stone/marker...for some reason, I have never been able to do it. I've actually never even been to a monument store. I know they are expensive and I want so much to be on there and it must be perfect, just like she was. I guess I'm just afraid because it is all I have left to give her. A good family friend wrote me an email years ago and let me know I could wait and I'm ever so thankful for that advice...I haven't felt any pressure as a result. It will not be done until it is perfect!
I'd especially like to thank my friend Kari for posting Happy Birthday to Abby. This means more than you will ever know! It makes me so happy to know she is not forgotten, even after 5 long years without her here with me!

Hospital Information:

Patient Room: Heaven

University of Iowa, Children's Hospital of Iowa
200 Hawkins Dr
Iowa City, IA 52242

Links:

E-mail Author: claire_grandgeorge@yahoo.com