They stopped feeding her and she had to be intubated to give her rest from breathing. Because the doctors feared Anetka might be suffering from intestinal obstruction, she was transferred to Brno University Hospital on 3 June where she could undergo an operation if necessary. She was successfully operated on the very same day. The doctors removed 5 cm of a blocked intestine and created two stomas. They advised us that babies with a stoma tend to be discharged from hospital and that the openings are not closed until they weigh 6 to 8 kilos. However, the situation changed completely in the course of a few weeks. Her intestines did not work properly, so Anetka underwent another operation of 30 June. This time, the doctors removed 8 cm of her intestine. A week after the operation, Anetka was back on the full milk dose but unfortunately she did not digest any as all of it went out through the stoma. We were waiting for the doctors to decide what to do next. It was not until 6 July that I was allowed to cradle my little girl again. In another operation, her intestine was stitched on 15 July to keep food inside her stomach. This did not prove to be a lasting solution either because Anetka had faeces too often.
The last stoma was closed on 10 August. She began to be fed on the fifth day after the operation and her milk doses were gradually increased. After 105 days, I was allowed to start breastfeeding Anetka.
On 25 August, i.e. 116 days following her birth, we could finally take our baby, who then weighed 2,640 grams, home. Even though Anetka had to be born so early, I never doubted her ability to make it through. Her fighting spirit gave me a lot of strength and kept me lactating. Anetka has a two-year-old brother Lukášek, who adores her.
To conclude, I wish to thank everyone who supported us and thought of us in our difficult situation. It was worth the wait.
I would never have thought that we could ask anyone for anything these days. The Foundation for Premature Children made it possible for us to pay regular visits to, speak to and stroke our little daughter so that she knew she was not alone in the suffering.