Or, my birth story. Literally, the story of my birth, not the story of me giving birth.
So, 1 in 10,000- at least that's what they told my mom later. I've always thought with those kinds of odds, I should have met someone with the same birth defect as me. And, maybe I have. People can't tell I had this problem when they meet me. I usually end up telling friends fairly quickly, but it's not exactly something you announce to colleagues or mere acquaintances.
In 1984, they didn't see the huge mass on the sonogram. Who knows if it was poor technology or God shielding their view because, well, they didn't need to know yet. When my mom gave birth to me that afternoon, she was scared by the look on the substitute OB/GYN's face. He was obviously looking at something he had never seen before. When he finally got his wits about him, they shuffled me off to another room (or perhaps out to be transported to the children's hospital or something...idk, I've always been fuzzy about the time table...).
I had an omphalocele, which is where some of the body's internal organs are actually on the outside. In my case, it was my liver and small intestines. They were on top of my abdomen, enclosed by a stretchy membrane. My umbilical cord was attached to the top of the membrane, instead of to a bellybutton on my abdomen like most people.
In my first surgery, they placed the organs back inside my body. They didn't quite fit. Let's face it, when my abdominal wall and skin were forming, they didn't realize they had to accommodate all this other stuff! So, I was left open. For five days. That has always been a combination of amazing and scary to me. My body grew and my skin stretched and they were able to close the incision. This was considered to be my second surgery. I think I went home after 15 days in the NICU. My mom said I was the biggest baby in there because most of the kids were little preemies, not full-term babies who had had major surgery.
This is where I have to pause and thank my mom for choosing natural childbirth. Probably, somewhere deep down, my birth situation is a large part of the reason that I support it so strongly. The fact that she did not have any drugs in her body when she gave birth was extremely significant to me being able to have surgery immediately upon delivery. Sure, they still could have done it, but who knows if waiting 45 more minutes would have had a negative impact on my success. I'm thankful we didn't need to find out.
It's so obvious to see God's hand on the beginning of my life outside the womb. If my mom's sonogram had shown the defect, it's hard to know what would have happened. Maybe someone would have pressured her to have an abortion. Most likely, Mom and Dad would have been worrying and wondering what would happen to their first child for months leading up to the due date. The doctors would have definitely ordered a c-section (and, obviously, God's protection was on that regular, natural delivery).
Many children born with omphaloceles have other physical abnormalities that go along with the outside organs. One problem is related to the shape of the head and the formation of the ear. I am thankful that my only one is a slight malformation of my left ear. I have a small bump on my outer ear that makes it impossible to wear an ear bud. Random, huh?
So, I guess it goes without saying at this point, and most of my friends already know this, but I do not have a bellybutton. I didn't need one! The only use of a bellybutton is to attach the umbilical cord and, in my case, that was attached elsewhere. I have a very long, nearly invisible scar (it's had 26 years to heal!) that runs up my abdomen. It doesn't look ugly, but it doesn't exactly look normal either. Let's just say I don't plan on wearing a bikini, um, EVER (especially now that I've had a baby and lots of extra stretch marks branching from the sides of my scar...but that's another post...).
There is no telling if I've ever met someone with the same situation. Every time I tell someone about it, I am secretly hoping they will tell me the same thing happened to them or that they know someone who is also bellybutton-free. Hasn't happened yet... Let me know if you know anyone!
Because 1 in 10,000 is rare, but not really...
6 comments:
What a cool story you have. I didn't know you didn't have a belly button!
I've heard your story before, but I really appreciate you sharing it with us. I think it's important to remember when meeting people that we DON'T know what all they have been through.
I think you're a 1 in 10,000 person, and I don't mean just because of your birth story!
Ear buds are overrated and uncomfortable anyway :)
Here is my memory of this time, since reading about it right now I am crying, as I can remember so clearly myself also doing the day my first niece was born, not because of what she had, just because we were so scared she wouldn't be ok, Kenneth and I were at my mom's and I was standing by the stove listening to my mom talk on the phone with my brother Danny, I was so sad that moment, most of all for Carol who had to stay at one hospital while they took her baby away to another hospital so I need to comment something funny....about 3 days after Kristen was born, my brother the rule-follower he is not, snuck my aunt JoAnn in to see Kristen (I am sure because she had asked at least a zillion times to let her go in) they used the "we have another grandma" story I guess. Anyway I get the bright idea that I can be snuck in as well, so here we go, I get right up to the incubator, and bam, a nurse who of course was doing what she was supposed to whisked me put much too quick and I only got a glimpse of my already much loved niece and boy was I mad!! Danny tried his sweet talking jive to the nurse, to no avail...........but she is right when her dad was told she would be just fine but would not be able to wear a bikini, he told that story for months with the daddy sternness of "that's right my daughter won't be wearing a bikini, belly button or not!!!
Cylon.
Ha! I definitely meant to write a more meaningful comment after that last one, and then a child distracted me. On a more serious note, thanks for sharing this story! I love hearing about the bits and pieces that shaped my friends' early lives.
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