Sidelines National Support Network  / Volunteer Spotlight  / November_Volunteer

Volunteer of the Month
November 2009
Piper Pluckhan

Sidelines volunteer Piper Pluckhan with her family—husband Brad and sons Ashton and Logan

Piper's sons, Logan and Ashton

Ashton

Name: Piper Pluckhan
Home: Gilroy, California
Spouses's Name: Brad
Children's Names and Ages:Logan, 6, and Ashton, 5

"I went through an extremely stressful and traumatic pregnancy, and I yearned for someone to talk to at the time who had gone through a similar circumstance.   I want to help in any way I can in encouraging and helping others through such a stressful time.

When Piper Pluckhan realized she was leaking fluid during her second pregnancy, she called her obstetrician just to get it checked out.   Thinking it was "just some weird pregnancy-related incontinence type of thing," she wasn't too concerned.  It was a shock when her doctor immediately admitted her to the hospital.

"I was to stay in the hospital for the duration of my pregnancy, and I was only at week 21," Piper recalled.   "The next two-and-a-half weeks in the hospital were extremely stressful for me as I dealt with many fears of losing my baby and all the 'what-ifs'."

Piper had to lie in a slightly inverted position so that her feet were higher than her head, and she was not allowed to get up at all.

"I will be grateful if I never have to see another bedpan in my life!" Piper said. "I had a hard time eating in that position, as you might imagine!"

An emergency cerclage was discussed, but since the baby's feet were already partially through the cervix, that was not a viable option, Piper explained.  She was put on a terbutaline pump and had constant fetal monitoring and daily ultrasounds.  At the 23-week mark, she was transferred by ambulance to another hospital with a more advanced neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) in case she delivered early.

Four days later, despite the precautions and medications, Piper delivered her son.  Ashton weighed 1 lb., 8 oz., and was 12 ½ inches long.  

"He spent the next five months in the NICU with many ups and downs," Piper said. "Today he is a healthy, happy five-year-old who started kindergarten this fall."

Piper, a physical therapist, said that she will always remember the anxious feelings and uncertainty of what was going to happen every day, hour, and minute of her bedrest.  

"I remember craving to talk to someone who could give me encouraging news and who understood my anxious thoughts," she said.  "My support network—husband, family, friends, pastor—was awesome, and in the two-and-a-half weeks I spent in the hospital, I don’t think I ever had more than an hour when I was by myself."

Piper's older son, Logan, was only 13 months old at the time, so it was difficult for her not to spend time with him.  He visited her during his naptime, so he would snuggle up with her on the hospital bed.

"I would just relish that time together and would often cry because I missed him so much," Piper remembered.

Piper's bedrest occurred during the Christmas holiday season, and friends came to her hospital room and put up an artificial Christmas tree.  Her pastor and his wife came often to visit and prayed for their family.  Brad washed Piper’s hair in a basin at the top of the bed—a special memory "because it was such a treat to get my hair washed and it felt so good!"  In addition, a friend gave her a pedicure so that her feet and toes would look pretty.

Piper said that each of her referrals has been wonderful to support, although she wishes that she could have actually been there with them, holding their hands or just giving them a shoulder to cry on.  She has had several referrals who have had other children at home while they are on bedrest, and her heart goes out to them because she knows the anguish they feel leaving their other children at home.

"You have to focus on the light at the end of the tunnel and always remember that your situation is only temporary, no matter how hard it is," Piper said.  "Keeping a calendar and checking off the days gives you a great sense of accomplishment and helps to keep your mind focused on the goal."

Piper urges her referrals to force themselves to think of the positive outcome. "The weeks you spend on bedrest will, in the long run, be a minor 'blip' in the spectrum of a lifetime of enjoying your child, she said.

In her spare time, Piper enjoys tennis, hiking, and spending time with friends and family.