The story of Alexander Gabriel Olivier (tissues may be needed for those sensitive souls)

This time last year I fell pregnant after trying for two years. The doctors told us it would be difficult since I have PCOS and before I fell pregnant, I pretty much gave up hope that it would ever happen.

When we found out I was shaking and crying happy tears, we immediately made a doctors appointment and found out that I was approximately 6 weeks along. We were ecstatic but scared. I have diabetes and pregnancy is at higher risk due to that. However we took every precaution to take care of myself aswell as the little life growing inside of me.

It was difficult, the pregnancy was hard. I was sick all the time and could barely eat. We also decided to move across provinces to be closer to family. I wanted our baby to grow up with family.

During the pregnancy we almost lost him. At 18 weeks I started bleeding, a placental abruption. He was still okay but I had to be bed ridden for 2 week, that turned into more than a month. We went to all our appointments and were told he is growing perfectly if not a little too big.

He was finally born on 26 February 2020 at 38 weeks. Weighing 3.15kgs but something was wrong... He wasn't breathing and his leg we bending in a weird way.

He had a fracture in his femur and needed to be put in traction for 3 weeks. He wasn't allowed to be held and had to lie on his back the entire time. They also put him on a ventilator to breathe for him

After a bunch of blood tests, scans and xrays they concluded that there was nothing wrong with his lungs or heart but he had an enlarged liver and needed to get treated for jaundice.

The treatment seemed to do the trick and his liver became normal. All seemed well except for the fact that he still couldn't breathe. Test after test came back negative. Then came the news. "It looks like a congenital myopathy, it doesn't look good. If he can get off of the ventilator you are looking at 6 months". Those are words no parent deserves to hear. Especially one who has prayed and begged for a child. I cannot explain the pain that sentence caused me, I went home and just collapsed in my husbands arms. Crying uncontrollably.

Before we knew it he was off of his traction and already a month old, still in the Neonatal ICU and still on life support. No answers, only pessimistic guesses about his future.

One month turned into two. Because of the risk of infection the doctor advised we get a tracheostomy, peg tube and port. It would be a major surgery but would make him more comfortable. Needless to say we did.

So much more has happened. Currently he has been in the NICU for 103 days. Good news is that although he is still on a ventilator, he might be coming home next week. He looks like he is getting stronger.