Jennifer Herring was a teenager in November 1996 when her first daughter was born. She and her high school sweetheart, Thomas Jr., both had supportive families and the young couple felt ready for the birth of their first daughter. However, a little more than halfway through her pregnancy, Rachel began bleeding. The doctor attributed it to Jennifer’s young age, but at 23 weeks Jennifer went into labor. Even though she would be born more than four months early, their daughter was on her way into the world.
The Feet Will Tell
The doctors did their best to prepare Jennifer and Thomas for what could happen.
“The doctors said they would go by the size of the baby’s feet,” Jennifer said. “The bigger the feet, the better chance the baby would be developed enough to survive.”
If the baby was born fighting, hospital staff promised to do all they could to save her. If her feet were too tiny and she didn’t move, they would clean her up and hand her to Jennifer and Thomas to say goodbye.
“We totally relied on our faith,” Jennifer said. “The doctors explained everything to us and we knew that what was meant to happen would happen.”
The baby was born breech and the doctors could tell that she was a little bigger than had been expected.
“She squeaked just like a mouse after she was born,” Jennifer recalled.
Jennifer saw her daughter for just a few minutes before nurses took the baby away to the NICU.
“We had lots of names picked out and we were leaning toward Ashley,” Jennifer said. “When I saw her the oddest thing popped into my mind. When I was two years old I had a small baby doll named Rachel, and my daughter looked exactly like that doll.”
Jennifer didn’t see Rachel again until a couple of hours later. Rachel was so tiny she couldn’t even be put into a NICU incubator. Instead the nurses fashioned a little tent out of plastic wrap. Her eyes had to be covered to shield them from the lights of the heat lamp trained on her to keep her warm.
“She looked different in the NICU,” Rachel said. “In the delivery room she looked normal, just micro-sized. When I saw her in the NICU I realized that her skin wasn’t completely developed and was almost see-through.”
Jennifer visits with Rachel in the NICU. (Photo courtesy of Jennifer Herring)
Jennifer knew that the first 48 hours of Rachel’s life would be critical, but she was still in shock from her daughter being born so early.
“We were too busy to be scared,” Jennifer said. “We weren’t sure how long we had with Rachel. We spent a lot of time praying.
Four Months in the NICU
Rachel only weighed 1 lb. and 8 oz. when she was born. Her tiny body went through a great deal during her first four months of life. When she was only about a week old the doctors administered medicine to close a hole in her heart. The medicine did not close the hole completely and Rachel had to undergo surgery for a PDA ligation, a procedure during which the doctor closed the hole in the heart with clamps.
At three months old Rachel had laser eye surgery for Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP), a condition common among premature babies that is characterized by abnormal blood vessel growth in the eyes. Shortly after her eye surgery she had surgery to repair a tiny pinhole in her intestines. While in the NICU she also had two blood transfusions.
Rachel in the NICU. (Photo courtesy of Jennifer Herring)
When Jennifer arrived at the NICU two days before Christmas the nurses instructed her to wash her hands and put on a gown. Jennifer was confused and wanted to know why. When she was told she would be able to hold her daughter, she was ecstatic.
“I was prepared to not be able to hold her for another two months,” Jennifer said. “I was in love with her anyway and when I held her she just melted my heart.”
Jennifer absorbed as much as she could from the amazing experience of holding her daughter for the first time. Up until then she had only been able to stroke Rachel’s hand through the hole in the incubator. Jennifer held Rachel for only a few minutes.
“She was so fragile,” Jennifer said. “I kept looking at all the monitors she was hooked up to and then back down at her in my arms.”
Coming Home
When Rachel came home from the NICU in March of 1997 she did not require any special monitoring equipment or medication. She reached all of her milestones – rolling over, sitting up, crawling – it just took her longer than other babies. Rachel began walking when she was two or three years old and her parents realized she didn’t have the balance she needed to step properly. When she was four she was diagnosed with cerebral palsy.
“The doctor performed a CP test of her reflexes, walking, and motor skills,” Jennifer explained. “After the shock wore off I had a lot of questions about her diagnosis. I had only seen severe cases of cerebral palsy and I wondered if there were different versions.”
Rachel’s doctor offered a metaphor to explain Rachel’s diagnosis, instructing the Herrings to think of CP as an umbrella. Those affected more severely are holding the handle. In Rachel’s case, it was like she was more toward the edge of the umbrella.
Rachel wears glasses as a result of ROP. She often uses a walker to get around. Rachel struggles with anxiety and also has autistic tendencies. When she was four or five years old she had a seizure and was diagnosed with epilepsy. After the seizure she dealt with learning issues.
“We don’t treat Rachel differently from our other children,” Jennifer said. “There are certain things that she can’t do, but she knows she can always do something else instead.”
In a Family Way
Four years after Rachel was born, Jennifer became pregnant with the couple’s second child. After Rachel’s preterm birth Jennifer had been diagnosed with an incompetent cervix, meaning that the tissue in her cervix was not strong enough to carry a baby to term. Jennifer worried that she would lose her second child. She worked with a high-risk pregnancy doctor, called a perinatologist, and also had a stitch placed in her cervix, otherwise known as a cerclage.
“I was scared of repeating all we had gone through with Rachel,” Jennifer said. “What if the cerclage or the medicines didn’t work the second time around? I was so scared that I didn’t buy anything for the baby until I was about six or seven months along.”
When Jennifer confided to her doctor that she had bought a onesie outfit for a little boy, the doctor told her that she could keep the receipt if it would ease her mind. When Jennifer looked surprised the doctor smiled and told her that, most likely, the outfit would be too small and she would need to exchange it for a larger size.
Jennifer and Thomas’ second child, a boy they named Tommy, was born healthy at 8 lbs. and 4 oz. Their youngest daughter, Hailey, born a year later, weighed 7 ½ lbs.
With a laugh Jennifer admitted that the only time she struggled with all three kids when they were youngsters was when they made a trip to the grocery store.
“We rolled with it,” she said. “Through all of Rachel’s doctor appointments and therapy visits, we took comfort in our faith and rolled with it. Someone looking in at all of the things we had to deal with might question how we managed, but for us it was just reality.”
Ready for the Future
When Tommy and Hailey were toddlers they realized that their big sister Rachel was different from the other kids.
“When they noticed there was something different about Rachel they wanted to help her,” Jennifer said.
Make no mistake, though. Rachel takes her role as eldest daughter very seriously.
“She is a true big sister,” Jennifer said. “She will pick up after her brother and sister and tell them what they need to do. She has the typical teenager attitude, but Tommy and Hailey also look out for her, too.”
This spring Rachel graduated from Pasquotank High School.
“She was a typical senior,” Jennifer said. “She knew that being a senior meant graduating from school.”
For now Jennifer will continue to homeschool Rachel. In the future she may enroll her in some classes for special-needs adults at the College of the Albemarle.
“I want to get her involved with the community,” Jennifer said. “Social interaction is very important.”
To that end, Rachel is active in Special Olympics and takes part in the assisted walk competition using her walker. When Rachel competes with Special Olympics the family takes the day off to cheer her on. Every athlete competing has a designated “hugger” who will help them get to their events, cheers them on and, of course, gives them plenty of hugs. Rachel’s designated huggers are her brother and sister, Tommy and Hailey.
Rachel is also active with the March of Dimes. For the third year in a row she took part in the Elizabeth City March for Babies to raise funds for life-saving treatment of babies born premature or with birth defects. This year she served as the Young Adult Ambassador at the walk.
“The March for Babies events really spread awareness that not all babies are born healthy,” Jennifer said. “Rachel knows that by participating in the fundraisers and raising money for the March of Dimes she is helping babies who might not make it otherwise. She knows she was a preemie and that she is helping to give other babies the opportunity to grow up like she did.”
Rachel all grown up. (Photo courtesy of Jennifer Herring)
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