Hadley’s Story

Site created on March 12, 2018

We are a devoted Christian Family. Kristin is a daughter, sister, and mother. Daniel is a son - the youngest of 4 children, an avid wearer of shoes, and a very proud Papa. What follows below is but a mere glimpse into the life that we are happily creating together as the parents of two very special little people. This is our story.

On February 25th, 2018 our little girl made an unexpected early entrance to this world.

To truly understand her story you have to understand a bit about Kristin's (mama bear's) story as well.

Kristin has Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, Multiple Sclerosis, Hashimotos, and Epilepsy to name the most well known conditions she deals with. At age 17 she was told that bearing children would be dangerous, if not impossible.

Her first child, Garrett (Big Bro / Brother Bear) was an unexpected miracle 6 years ago. His pregnancy and birth were very difficult with many complications. He has had several issues since birth with medical conditions that were just diagnosed within the past year. (Difficult but praise God for answers) In addition to years of Ear, Nose, and Throat issues that are finally being addressed, he has been diagnosed with Eosinophilic Esophagitis (EoE), Asperger's, Sensory Processing Disorder, and Anxiety Disorders. Ever since we found out that our baby was going to be a girl, he has insisted that her name is Cupcake, or as he likes to say "Pup-Cake."

Kristin never expected a second child. A couple years ago after an MS relapse, blood clots in both lungs, several hospitalizations, being wheelchair bound for months, along with major gynecological issues Kristin was told to schedule a hysterectomy for health reasons. All other complications and risks aside, blood clot risk alone made pregnancy a very dangerous thing due to hormones increasing risk for repeat clots.

After ending blood thinners for the clots in summer of 2017 a surgery consult was scheduled. Kristin needed emergency surgery for a bowel obstruction and intestinal blockage prior to having a date set for the hysterectomy. After remaining sick for a few weeks post-op we learned that we were pregnant. We were terrified. But given that this child wasn't supposed to be possible we were also excited.

After meeting with maternal/fetal medicine - high risk doctors we began our path to try to maintain a healthy pregnancy. Other than severe anemia and being prescribed blood thinners, mom and baby both seemed to stay healthy and it was a very positive experience. We were followed very closely with multiple growth scans and seemingly never-ending blood-work. We were scheduled for delivery in mid-March 2018. There were 2 major reasons for the planned induction - first being that her blood thinners needed to be stopped at least 24 hours before delivery to avoid complications; Second being that Kristin had surgery as a teen on her brain stem and C-Spine for a hereditary condition (Chiari Malformation, a Craniotomy, Laminectomy, and Duraplasty) Laboring and pushing without assistance or possible intervention could build pressure of cerebro-spinal fluid in her skull causing major issues.

When we awoke on Sunday, February 25th. Kristin was experiencing severe pain in her lower back. Not wanting to ignore any potential issues she called the hospital and we were instructed to make our way to Mission Labor and Delivery in Asheville, NC. We arrived at the hospital around 10:45 AM. After meeting with the nurses we were admitted to the hospital. By 11:00 we were in a room, anesthesia came in to discuss an epidural but there was no time. At 11:24 Kristin's water broke, a mere 3 minutes later at 11:27 AM our beautiful baby girl, Hadley Elena Noelle Houck, entered the world weighing 6 pounds, and measuring 19 and 1/4 inches long.

The first 6 hours of her life were amazing. She seemed feisty, sassy and alert. After a feeding the evening of the 25th. Hadley went to sleep and started making some strange noises - grunting in her sleep and shivering. Her blood-sugar had dropped very low and her breathing was very labored/irregular. She was moved to NICU for observation and treatment. During our stay in the NICU we learned that because Kristin and Daniel (Papa Bear) had different blood types it had caused some mild complications. She was at a higher risk for jaundice but thankfully that was never an issue. She was however very anemic, and was having issues regulating her oxygen saturation and heart rate; but no one understood why. Her blood sugar levels stabilized within 24 hours and an iron supplement was ordered. We learned the tremors were unfortunately withdrawals from a medication Kristin had to be on, but they have since resolved. Her oxygen and heart rate continued to be an issue, she became more lethargic and started losing weight. The first day and a half in the NICU was a roller coaster of emotions and unknowns. Late in the evening on the 27th we finally had answers: ASD - Atrial Septal Defect; and PDA - Patent Ductus Arteriosus.

PDA is a small hole in the aorta - the main artery of the body - that normally closes within a few hours of birth. Being that Hadley is a preemie, her bodily systems had not completely developed when she was born. This should close on it's own, in due time. More information on PDA can be found here (http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/Conditions/CongenitalHeartDefects/AboutCongenitalHeartDefects/Patent-Ductus-Arteriosus-PDA_UCM_307032_Article.jsp#.Wqb9LminFD8).

ASD is another type of heart defect. The heart can be divided into four basic areas; left and right, the upper portion - atria, and the lower portion - ventricles. ASD is a large hole in the wall (septum) of the right and left atria. This allows oxygenated blood entering the left atrium from the lungs, to flow into the right atrium, where it is then moved to the right ventricle, back to the lungs, and from the lungs once again back to the left ventricle. This in turn causes a decrease in the amount of oxygen rich blood that is available to circulate to the rest of the bodies systems. This may potentially resolve on it's own as well, but there is also a possibility that she may need surgical intervention when she is much stronger and more stable. More information on ASD can be found here (http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/Conditions/CongenitalHeartDefects/AboutCongenitalHeartDefects/Atrial-Septal-Defect-ASD_UCM_307021_Article.jsp#.WqcCqWinFD8).

ASD and PDA are both Congenital Heart Defects. CHD's are the most common form of birth defects, even though it only occurs in about 1% of all births. Most causes of CHD's are still unkown, but only 15 - 25% are caused by known genetic conditions. Nearly 40,000 infants are born with CHD's each year, making CHD babies truly 1 in 100. We happen to have close contact with 2 other CHD families, without whom we would not be able to survive this insane roller coaster ride. Our Christian faith has also proven to be a tremendous help when dealing with the stress that comes with not only having 2 special needs children in our home, but also dealing with our own medical issues, and everything else that life keeps throwing at us. Without God, there is absolutely no way we could survive. We hope that in addition to keeping our family and friends informed of Cupcake's progress on this journey this will also serve as our testimony and hopefully provide some semblance of peace and comfort to another family who may be dealing with anything similar to what we are living with.

Newest Update

Journal entry by Daniel Houck

Since our last update, things have seemed to slow down slightly. Not much though. We still maintain a very busy schedule between doctors, work, and school for both Garrett and myself. Yet somehow, at the end of the day, we are always able to make some time just to relax and enjoy a few moments together as a family.

As Kristin had mentioned in our last post, we have been wanting to write about some of the many little whispers, or God Winks that we have experienced in the past few months. It seems that every time we think we have a good grasp on anything and have an idea of where we are going on this journey. Something inevitably comes up to derail that train. It's a major pain, but somehow, through all the frustration and tears we manage to come out even better off than we had initially thought in the end. 

I'm sure Kristin will be able to come through and add more details on our God Winks later. I just really wanted to get on here and share a quick update while I'm enjoying one of these brief moments where I can take a few moments to breathe, and not have to focus on anything in particular. 

I have a friend in Maryland that serves as the pastor at a rather large church there. In a recent email, he spoke of their church being able to "Surbless" or surprise people with blessings, over the Easter weekend. This spoke to me in a unique way, as I found that not only are we continuing to receive these little winks or nudges that we feel are coming straight from God, but there have been several occasions where we have been "surblessed." 

A family who lost a child with a similar heart defect has blessed us with the gift of time to help us clean our house when we were unable to do it on our own. Their church made a generous donation to our GoFundMe campaign. They were able to find a plumber who not only fixed the issues with the plumbing in our home but did so at no charge! 

Nativity Pre-K, where Garrett went to pre-school started a fundraiser of their own, and blessed us with a donation of over $1,000.00!!! 

We reached out to our local United Way and were put into contact with several other wonderful resources. Including The Arc of Buncombe County. They said they would be able to provide assistance to us with catching up on any bills that had become past due during our time in and out of the hospital. We had asked them about if they could help us get a car since mine is well... Dead... We were told that they couldn't do much there except possibly helping with a car payment. I believe it was the very next day we were contacted by them and told that there is a family that has a car that they would like to donate to a family in need that has special needs children. Fast forward through many calls back and forth, The Arc office being broken into and vandalized 0_0 !!! and the car needing to be towed to a shop for some repairs, we went yesterday to transfer the title and get a temporary tag. Now we just need to get the vehicle from the shop. Which in itself is another small blessing - the shop fees and repairs are being handled for us. We are not paying out of pocket for anything except tax, tag, and the title transfer.

All in all, while this has been a very unique and at times frustrating experience - we take comfort in knowing who is really in control. Ironically as I write this, I am listening to Pandora on my laptop, and the song currently playing is Praise You In This Storm by Casting Crowns. Which is exactly what we have been doing, and will continue to keep doing so.

I know Kristin would like me to write about our Easter, which was awesome! but unfortunately I seem to be losing my train of thought, and the phone at work is actually ringing for the first time in what seems like days. As you can see by the photo, this is such hard work though... I know everyone wishes they had Dr. Bunsen Honeydew and Beaker socks, haha!
Patients and caregivers love hearing from you; add a comment to show your support.
Help Hadley Stay Connected to Family and Friends

A $25 donation to CaringBridge powers a site like Hadley's for two weeks. Will you make a gift to help ensure that this site stays online for them and for you?

Comments Hide comments

Show Your Support

See the Ways to Help page to get even more involved.

SVG_Icons_Back_To_Top
Top