Former Austin native Jennifer Schwertfeger wants to tell the world about her "little miracle."
Ten years ago, Schwertfeger found out she was pregnant with her second child. The pregnancy was short and full of twists and turns. Schwertfeger was placed on bed rest at 14 weeks. Doctors told her, at one point, to expect a miscarriage and, at 24 weeks, she was flown by medical helicopter from Mankato to Rochester as both her own life and her unborn baby's life were in danger.
"I was terrified," Schwertfeger said. "People always ask me, 'What was it like to be in a Mayo helicopter?' First of all, I was in labor, so you are laying on your side on a stretcher. Even though I knew I wasn't going to, I felt like I was going to fly out of the helicopter.
"I remember the pilot saying it was going to be a smooth ride, not for me, I was very scared. I did not know if I was going to deliver her right there or if that large blood clot was going to affect my life at that moment."
The helicopter ride is just one of many stories Schwertfeger shares in her new self-published book, "Life With Grace: A Reference Guide for Parents of Premature Babies."
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When Schwertfeger landed at Mayo, doctors tried to slow the contractions in order to keep the small fetus in the womb as long as possible, but after just two days, the contractions quickened and Schwertfeger developed an infection.
With waiting no longer an option, The baby girl, named Grace, was born on Oct. 7, 2004, via cesarean section at Mayo Clinic Hospital-Methodist in Rochester. Grace survived, but weighed only 1 pound, 6.2 ounces. Grace would need to spend the next nine months at Methodist and Mayo Clinic Hospital-Saint Marys.
Schwertfeger said she can't thank the doctors who worked with Grace at Mayo enough. After more than nine months in Rochester, Schwertfeger and her husband, Michael, brought Grace home to Mankato, but Jennifer said there were "many, many more" Mayo appointments in the subsequent months.
She mentioned Dr. Garth Asay, Dr. Christopher Colby, Dr. Douglas Derleth and Dr. Jonathan Johnson of Mayo's Neonatal Department as key people in Grace's survival. When Grace was nine months old, Schwertfeger said, Dr. Paul Pianosi, a pediatric pulmonology physician, saved Grace's life.
It happened in April 2005, when the Schwertfegers were ready to bring Grace home to Mankato. Before they left, Pianosi ran a couple tests. A cardiac catherization procedure helped diagnose pulmonary hypertension, a kind of blood pressure that affects the arteries in the lungs and the right side of the heart. That led Grace back into surgery, so that a tracheostomy, which creates a breathing hole in her windpipe, could be added. The tracheostomy was removed in 2006.
"If we would have brought Grace home, she could have gone into heart failure," Schwertfeger said. "That is why Dr. Pianosi is the one I would consider saved her life. If we would have been that many miles away in Mankato, who would have known if we could have brought her back safely."
Grace is the Schwertfegers' middle daughter, two years younger than Autumn, 11, and four years older than Faith, 5. Grace now weighs 39 pounds, just slightly bigger and taller than her 5-year-old sister.
"Grace is still pretty small for her age, but she's growing and getting taller," Schwertfeger said. "Most of her early life took place in medical settings. She had lots of respiratory issues, and she has been on inhalers her whole life. She has been growing and gaining. Even though Grace is in third grade, she's the size of a first-grader."
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Cognitively, Schwertfeger said Grace has made much progress, although she still worries about learning disabilities and memory loss.
"Grace is doing remarkably well," Schwertfeger said. "If you would have seen her physically and what we have went through, through the years, almost losing her several times, you would be shocked that she learned how to read and do basic math."
Copies of the book are available at lifewithgracebook.com.
