Our Loss of Hayden Rae Campbell
Posted: Wed Apr 19, 2023 7:59 am
My husband and I don't have a NICU experience but we do unfortunately have experience with losing a child. In May of 2019 we found out we were pregnant a little over 1 year after we were married. The pregnancy started out going very smoothly other than normal 1st trimester symptoms. At exactly 13 weeks I began bleeding pretty heavily, and I rushed to the doctor anticipating our worst fears. When I arrived at the doctor they were able to find a heartbeat and told me that bleeding can be "normal." Over the next couple of weeks I was going to the doctor multiple times a week because of my bleeding, receiving ultrasounds and placed on limited mobility. It wasn't complete bedrest but I wasn't allowed to walk for long periods of time, do any household chores and needed to avoid stairs. Despite the bleeding, our baby had a strong heartbeat and was looking healthy. At 16 weeks we found out that we were having a little girl who we decided to name Hayden. Despite all of the complications I was having, we had hope that I could at minimum reach a stage of viability and that Hayden would have a chance at survival. At 18 weeks and 6 days I woke up feeling that something was wrong. I had an at home doppler and attempted to find her heartbeat with no success. I gave it time, tried every trick I could think of to get her moving to help find her heartbeat but was not successful. After rushing to Kelsey Hambrick's house (she is apart of this group as well) to see if she could find the heartbeat, we decided to go to the hospital. Our worst fears were confirmed, Hayden no longer had a heartbeat and I was going to need to be admitted to the hospital to deliver her.
On September 1st, 2019 around 11:30 AM, after 19 hours of the induction and laboring process, I delivered Hayden Rae Campbell. It became clear in that moment that Hayden likely had some sort of genetic condition that we were unaware of and that I also had a blood clot taking up 70% of my placenta.
In February of 2020, we found out we were pregnant with our Rainbow baby. Pregnancy after loss brings about a whole new level of stress that I wasn't familiar with and after developing similar symptoms to my pregnancy with Hayden, I was placed on limited mobility again. Thankfully, this pregnancy would have a different ending. Holden James Campbell was born on September 29th, 2020, a little over 1 year after losing Hayden. This pregnancy was not easy, had complications throughout, and we were told we could have lost him as well due to my placenta dying had they not induced me at 37 weeks. Despite the complications, we were lucky enough to bring home our rainbow baby and watch him grow into the outgoing, fun, and sweet 2 year old that he is today.
We also started The Hayden & Crue Project with Kelsey and Wayne Hambrick who lost their son Crue in December of 2019. We are working to develop Angel Suites in area hospitals. We are currently developing a suite at Good Samaritan Hospital and are also in the early stages of developing a suite at Bethesda North Hospital as well. These suites will allow for families to deliver a baby born sleeping in a room away from the triggering sounds of the L&D unit, spend time with their baby in a comforting environment and make memories before having to leave the hospital without their baby.
Our loss has been extremely hard but through our grief we have been able to develop a project that we are extremely passionate about and has led us to an amazing community of people who have been instrumental in helping us with our grief.
On September 1st, 2019 around 11:30 AM, after 19 hours of the induction and laboring process, I delivered Hayden Rae Campbell. It became clear in that moment that Hayden likely had some sort of genetic condition that we were unaware of and that I also had a blood clot taking up 70% of my placenta.
In February of 2020, we found out we were pregnant with our Rainbow baby. Pregnancy after loss brings about a whole new level of stress that I wasn't familiar with and after developing similar symptoms to my pregnancy with Hayden, I was placed on limited mobility again. Thankfully, this pregnancy would have a different ending. Holden James Campbell was born on September 29th, 2020, a little over 1 year after losing Hayden. This pregnancy was not easy, had complications throughout, and we were told we could have lost him as well due to my placenta dying had they not induced me at 37 weeks. Despite the complications, we were lucky enough to bring home our rainbow baby and watch him grow into the outgoing, fun, and sweet 2 year old that he is today.
We also started The Hayden & Crue Project with Kelsey and Wayne Hambrick who lost their son Crue in December of 2019. We are working to develop Angel Suites in area hospitals. We are currently developing a suite at Good Samaritan Hospital and are also in the early stages of developing a suite at Bethesda North Hospital as well. These suites will allow for families to deliver a baby born sleeping in a room away from the triggering sounds of the L&D unit, spend time with their baby in a comforting environment and make memories before having to leave the hospital without their baby.
Our loss has been extremely hard but through our grief we have been able to develop a project that we are extremely passionate about and has led us to an amazing community of people who have been instrumental in helping us with our grief.