Bringing Up Bates - Carlin Bates Opens Up About Her 15-Week-Old Daughter's Health Problems

Source: Twitter

Bringing Up Bates star Carlin Bates and her husband, Evan Stewart, welcomed their daughter Layla Rae Stewart back in January, and this past week on Instagram she told her fans that her life has been filled with “many ups and downs” since their “precious Layla was born.”

The 21-year-old posted a picture of Layla holding her finger, and she also posted a lengthy statement describing how the hospital has become their second home over the past 15 weeks.

“Since Layla was born, she has had breathing problems and episodes of turning blue where she can’t catch her breath,” wrote Bates, adding that she and Stewart first thought that Layla’s health problems were due to her premature birth.

According to People magazine, Bates was due to give birth in mid-February, but doctors induced her a few weeks early after diagnosing her with two blood-clotting disorders, just like her big sister, Erin.

Bates explained that after giving birth she got sick with meningitis and ended up in the hospital, and Layla stayed with Erin. She says that during her hospital stay, she got a call telling her that Layla was having rapid breathing and turning blue. This caused her to panic “pretty hard.”

“She was rushed to Children’s Hospital, and I was overcome with fear of the unknown, along with feeling guilty that I couldn’t be there with her. Evan went back and forth from hospital to hospital, checking on us both. I felt so alone,” wrote Bates.

After doctors told Bates and Stewart that their daughter’s EKG levels “weren’t reading right,” they recommended that Layla see a heart specialist. Bates says that they found out Layla had a small hole in her heart, and that could be causing some of her breathing issues.

Bates says that the doctors encouraged her and Stewart not to worry because they would watch Layla closely, and their prayer is that the hole will close itself, as they often do. The new mom revealed that they ordered Layla a special sock that monitors her heart rate and O2 levels because Bates was so nervous she couldn’t sleep at night.

Bates also revealed that Layla gave her another health scare recently when she turned white and her O2 levels dropped to 80 percent. Bates said that her world felt once again like it was turned upside down, and she felt helpless as she watched her daughter struggle for oxygen.

Fortunately, after ten minutes, Layla’s color returned and her oxygen levels went back to normal. Now, Bates says that Layla is on medication and the doctor believes her recent episode might have been caused by acid reflux.

Carlin Bates says that she and her husband are still nervous about the outcomes of everything, but they know God is in control and he’s writing their story. She added that becoming a mom has made her grow in many ways, and she is beyond blessed that God gave her this little girl.