Cristin's Story of Hope

As we celebrate Maternal Mental Health Awareness Week, we will be sharing some very special stories from our volunteers. Today, we have the honor of sharing Cristin's Story of Hope.

"As I went into my third pregnancy, I assumed I knew the routine by now. After my first baby arrived 6 weeks early, with no warning signs, we experienced a NICU stay and then figuring out life with a preemie. My second baby came into the world, not with less excitement, but with less complications, so I thought I had climbed that mountain and we were off to smooth sailing for our future pregnancies. I battled through postpartum anxiety, depression and anger throughout all of my previous pregnancies, so I was already alert to the signs from the start.

This pregnancy was off to a good start, outside of your normal nausea, morning sickness, aches and pains. Due to my previous preeclampsia and being 35, I had weekly non-stress tests & ultrasounds to make sure all was well. These didn't bother me, as I felt it was an extra excuse to get to see my sweet babe! At around 35 weeks, one of the ultrasounds showed I only had a 2-cord vessel, something I knew nothing about. I was told it wasn't extremely uncommon, around 1% of pregnancies had it. We went right along with no issues and just noted that umbilical abnormality for future ultrasounds. At my 36-week ultrasound, something didn't seem right. They were unable to get a good measurement on Theodore's head. After a few more tries and an additional tech coming in to help, I was told I was going to wait in another room for my OB to give me a call -- something NOT ordinary to my previous visits.

As I nervously waited, results popped up in MyChart. Even though I knew I should have just waited for the OB to call and talk about the results, I was reading so many things I had never heard of as issues before...a small cerebellum? Dandy Walker Syndrome? and so many measurements that I didn't understand. I called my husband crying while sitting in an empty labor and delivery room trying to explain everything I was reading while my OB called on the other line. She explained what I now understood was possible cerebellar hypoplasia which could be a leading factor in many different challenges for my baby's life.

We were sent up to University of Chicago for a level 3 ultrasound to double check everything that they had seen. During this ultrasound, my heart was racing the whole time. The doctor got the imaging that he needed and simply said, let's discuss this in my office. Something I assumed was not good. As we sat in his office, he explained the abnormality that he saw and the potential issues that came with it, developmental delays in all parts of his life were possible as well as Dandy Walker syndrome. The part he couldn't tell me was if it was for certain. We wouldn't know anything until the baby was born. We wouldn't know if he needed lifelong medical care from the day he was born. I sat there asking myself, what did I do wrong? Was this because I forgot my prenatal vitamins several times throughout my pregnancy? Was I too old? WHAT DID I DO WRONG? I asked him while trying not to cry. At 37 weeks, I sat there having no idea what the outcome would be for my baby, who I was about to meet at any time now.

The doctor requested I be induced to find out sooner than later what was going on, so at 39 weeks my husband Marc and I had a tearful goodbye to our 4 & 2-year-olds and headed to the hospital to meet our Teddy. After a non-adventurous or complicated birth, Teddy was whisked off to the NICU. The NICU itself didn't scare me as much as the first time we had been there but came with the same anxieties as before. We were waiting on CT scans, Ultrasounds, MRI's, bloodwork, you name it. All to see what the future was about to hold for him. After several days in the NICU and after repeated tests, they didn't see anything concerning in regard to the Dandy Walker syndrome or anything else that was an immediate concern. We were told symptoms could potentially arise as he grew up and that we would keep an eye on it.

As I'm writing this, I'm beyond happy to say there are no issues with his small cerebellum or signs of any other issues. He is a wonderful 3-year-old boy who loves dinosaurs, cars and keeping up with his brothers.

The anxieties that came with this pregnancy lingered on after birth as well. I found solace in medication and an amazing therapist who has helped with many issues like intrusive thoughts and anxiety not only with my postpartum mind & body, but with the challenges that arose within this pregnancy. What I'm so thankful for overall was the support system I had along this journey. From my husband, our boys and our parents to our friends both near and far. We overcame what could have been a really hard situation and we are so thankful for our spunky, healthy little Teddy bear."

We are so grateful to Cristin for sharing her story with our community. If you or someone you know is in need of support, please reach out today. At the NWI Center for Maternal Wellness, we offer education, peer support and resources to mothers and families struggling with Perinatal Mental Health Disorders. We would love to walk alongside you on your journey to wellness.

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