Meet Dean

• Baby Saves

• 11.09.20

“My son Dean was scheduled to be born on March 7, 2018, and his movement was excellent leading up to labor. It’s my favorite thing about being pregnant; to just sit and feel my baby move and play with them as they feel my hand move across my belly. 

At the start of 39 weeks, I noticed he moved less and less and it would take longer to get his movements. On March 2, 2018, as I was getting ready for work, I just had this feeling that I should stay home; so I called out of work to stay home and rest. I had lunch like usual and no movement felt. 

That night my husband and I bought ‘Coco’ and wanted a movie night in, but I was feeling uneasy that I hadn’t gotten movement logged yet. I tried orange juice, which I knew he always moved for, but it didn’t work. At this point, my husband suggested we go to the hospital, but I kept brushing it off because I didn’t want to go in and suddenly feel him move and waste everyone’s time. 

But that day I agreed to go and get a fetal heart monitor check after really looking at the app and seeing the time increase for tracking his movements. It was a constant 10-15 minute time to almost an hour to track movements as the week progressed. We got checked in and settled in a little room as I was given pints of water, hooked to the machine and left alone for a bit. 

After a short while, a half a dozen nurses came rushing into our room. One asking for my insurance again, one putting an oxygen mask on me, another telling me I can’t get up from the bed anymore and putting a bed pan under me if I needed to pee, one preparing an IV fluid line for me, and two at the machine telling me that every time I had a contraction, Dean’s and my heart rate would drop and not come back up to the same number. 

I told them I didn’t even feel contractions happening even as they’re showing me on the machine that I had one. They told me Dean had to come out right now because his heart rate was dropping and he was smaller than average at 39 weeks. It seems that my placenta slightly detached from him and he wasn’t growing anymore. 

Within the hour, I was scheduled and prepped for an emergency Cesarean. He was born on March 2, 2018 at 9:15 p.m. weighing 5.4 pounds with a bit of jaundice, but otherwise OK. The scary moment was over and his cry as he was being taken out was sweet music knowing he was OK. 

Instead of our Friday movie night, I unexpectedly but happily met my little boy and I am forever grateful for the app. If I had waited all weekend until my appointment, I truly don’t know if the outcome would have been the same or worse. 

I cannot express how incredible this app is and continues to be. I am now 27 weeks with my second baby and tracking her movements with the app once again. This will always be the app I use for my pregnancies.” -Mariana F., Dean’s mom