Parent Blog: Lindsay and Dustin Barber
In their words
Lindsay and Dustin Barber
Hometown: Alden, Iowa
We first became involved with University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital when Hunter was born at 31 weeks on August 9, 2018.
I was admitted for monitoring when I was 25 weeks pregnant because Hunter was considered to be intrauterine growth restricted (IUGR) and I had absent blood flow. On August 9, blood flow had reversed and he was born by cesarean section two hours later.
Hunter was born nine weeks early with a bowel and heart defect so he was put in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). He had his first surgery at 1 day old because of a bowel obstruction and had an ostomy placed, then had his second surgery two months later to have it removed.
He stayed in the NICU for about 78 days or so when he was moved to the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) for his third surgery for his heart once he was big enough. He was discharged from the hospital and returned by helicopter three weeks later for severe tracheomalacia – a condition in which the cartilage in his trachea is soft enough that the trachea collapses. He stayed for another 34 days spending most of that time in the PICU. Because of the tracheomalacia he ended up needing his fourth surgery during that time.
We had a great experience while he was at UI Stead Family Children’s Hospital. Everyone was really nice and caring. They explained everything in terms we could understand. They helped us get what we needed to bring him home. We are very grateful to the hospital for saving Hunter's life twice and for keeping him stable while waiting for him to grow big enough for his heart surgery. We weren't given much hope of him surviving the pregnancy at a different hospital but at that first ultrasound at UI Hospitals &Clinics, they gave us hope he would survive.
If you have any doubts about anything going on with your child go for a second opinion at UI Stead Family Children's Hospital. It's the best hospital with the best staff and doctors.