Mom's Puffing Away

Becky Ingles

"Good morning. My name is Erin Attaberry. I would like to thank WSCI for allowing me to come here today and tell you my story about smoking while I was pregnant. Doctors tell their patients not to smoke. It even warns you on the label of your cigarettes that smoking may cause birth defects. Possible problems or defects may include such things as low birth weight, heart problems, and underdeveloped lungs.

"Unfortunately, I did not pay attention to the labels. I did not believe anything would happen to my child. I was wrong! My beautiful child was born five weeks early. He only weighed four pounds. His lungs were not fully developed, and he could not yet breathe on his own without help. Instead of being able to have my baby with me, he was placed in an incubator in intensive care. In addition to helping him breathe, it helped to keep him warm as he could not yet regulate his own body temperature. He needed to gain weight, but instead he lost precious ounces. He was lactose intolerant and could not have milk. I learned that allergic reactions are also more common in children of smokers.

"It was the second day before the full effect of what was happening hit me. I will never forget being sent home that day without my baby. I was not allowed to hold my child, because of the chance for infection. I stood for hours looking through the window of the intensive care unit. I asked God why this had happened to my baby, but I could not fool myself. I knew why this happened, and who was to blame. I promised God if he would help my child to get well, I would be a good mother. I also promised to quit smoking and dedicate my life to trying to get the message across to others, before this happened to them.

"I remember seeing the doctor in the room with my baby. He was examining him again. He said something to the nurse, and he was not smiling. He came out to talk to me. My hope for some form of good news was quickly shattered. What was he saying? He said he wanted my baby to have more tests. He said something about my baby's heart. I signed the papers. I remember I kep think I would wake up from this bad dream and everything would be all right. This was not a dream. It was real. The tests lasted only a short time, but it seemed like an eternity. When the tests were finally over, I heard the doctor tell the nurse to send me to the waiting room while he examined the test results.

"I sat in the waiting room hoping for some good news. The doctor finally came out. I could tell from his expression that the news was not good. My child had a hole in his heart. The doctor said he would need open heart surgery, but was in no immediate danger. He had to first get stronger and then we would deal with that problem. From that day forward, things seemed to change. My baby has a fighting spirit.

"On the seventeenth day, I waslked out of the hospital with my son. He weighed five and one half pounds. He is now a year old, and doing great. At his one-year checkup, the doctor looked puzzled. The sounds which gave away his heart problem were now barely audible. More tests showed that the hole was closing. It was healing itself! The doctor told me that this is very rare, and that they are not sure why it hapens to a few and not to others, but it does happen. I know why it happened to my child. I thank God every day, and I have not forgotten my promise to Him."

(c) 1999 Sleepy Weasel