A fragile start to life

BARSTOW • Tiffany Chitwood wants to decorate her new baby daughter’s room with pink and brown flowers.

But Chitwood didn’t have time to pick patterns, get a crib or start arranging the room because she went into early labor — just a little over halfway into her pregnancy. With the help of a team of doctors and nurses, the Barstow resident gave birth to Abbygayle Quick — a tiny preemie weighing in at just 1 pound, 5 ounces — at 10:37 a.m. on Jan. 14.

“She’s the size of a Barbie doll,” said Leslie Baker, Chitwood’s uncle. Only 6 percent of premature babies are born before 28 weeks, according to the March of Dimes. A full-term pregnancy is between 39 to 40 weeks.

Abbygayle’s unexpectedly early birth, however, was just the start of many harrowing challenges. Right after delivery, doctors whisked the newborn into the operating room for heart surgery. Chitwood hadn’t even been able to see her baby face to face yet. At a little over 24 weeks, Abbygayle’s vital organs were extremely underdeveloped.

“I was preparing for the worst, but hoping for the best,” said Chitwood. The doctors reported back several hours later. Abbygayle came through beautifully, the doctors said.

It wasn’t until later that night that the 22-year-old mother got to see Abbygayle. And it wasn’t until about a week later that she actually got to hold her baby girl.

Chitwood and her boyfriend, Barstow resident Jason Quick, visit Abbygayle in the neonatal intensive-care unit, or NICU, at Loma Linda University Medical Center on the weekends, but Chitwood pays an extra visit by herself during the weekdays.

This isn’t the first time Chitwood has dealt with a challenging pregnancy. When she had her son, Michael Quick, three years ago, doctors thought he might have complications like cerebral palsy. It turned out that Michael suffered a stroke during birth.

“This one was more life or death than (Michael’s) was. He was just sick,” Chitwood said.

Doctors have yet to determine what challenges Abbygayle will face in the future. For now, she’s on a ventilator but is making small but visible progress.

“The baby’s eyes are open,” Baker said.

Since doctors are keeping an eye on Abbygayle until April, her original due date, Chitwood still has time to make preparations at home. She and Quick are moving into a bigger home to accommodate the newest member of their household. “She’s going to be a princess,” Chitwood said smiling. “She’s put us through way too much.”

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(760) 256-4122 or elee@desertdispatch.com