This pregnancy was in some ways more difficult than the other 2. I started having contractions early in the pregnancy but, this wasn't totally abnormal for me. I started the braxton hicks at like 20 weeks with both the other boys. My blood pressure stayed normal for the entire thing and no sign of protein in the urine so toxemia didn't seem to be an issue this time thank goodness. I was seeing a Doctor in the beginning that I didn't like at all. I was referred to him by a friend. I just didn't like him. I started having heart problems. PVC's premature ventricular contractions. I was sent to a cardiologist early in my pregnancy so that they could monitor my heart throughout the duration of the pregnancy. It was hard to have such serious problems during what should be one of the happiest times of your life. When I first found out I was pregnant I have to admit I wasn't all that thrilled. In fact I just cried. Don't get me wrong I was excited to have a new little baby and to be a Mom for the 3rd time. It was just so close to having Christian and I really had a hard time after Christian was born. Christian was only 6 months old when we found out we were expecting #3. I knew right away that I was pregnant. It didn't take me long to get over my hesitations about having our 3rd so fast. There are certainly benefits. It became difficult towards the end to take care of the house and the boys and I was working as well. It became so painful just to walk, normal chores were just out of the question. I couldn't even do the laundry. Thank goodness to Nate's Mom Jill who came to help us out for a little bit at about 35 weeks. She did all my laundry and would just show up and tell me to take a nap while Christian was napping. It really meant the world to me. It was hard to admit that I needed help and that I couldn't do it on my own. In this case I had no choice. I really was in way over my head. It seemed no matter how much I really wanted to do, I was just physically unable to do it. It sure didn't stop me from trying though. During the 3rd week of June the contractions were coming so often and they just didn't seem to stop. I went into labor and delivery and they were at 5 minutes apart, we were however more than 5 weeks early. They gave me a shot to try to slow down the contractions. They basically knocked me out for 24 hrs. They wanted me to go into see the doc and be checked the next day to see if the contractions were making me dialate or not. When I was checked she said I was dialating but they wanted to see if I could make it until my next appointment which was scheduled on Friday the 26th. 5 days, I wasn't so sure I was going to make it that long. I told the nurse practitioner, that I wasn't sure I was going to make it till Friday. She said, the way things are going and this being your number 3 I'm not so sure you'll make it till tomorrow. Well it was a miracle that I made it till Friday. I assumed it would be a routine appointment. I was still 4 weeks early and I thought there is no way they are going to take me this early. But, I could feel and I knew that Ender was ready. If he hadn't been breach I would have gone into labor much, much sooner. After being checked by the doctor I was at a 3. Not too bad, but I thought oh they are going to send me home and say see you in a week. While I was there though I was having contractions still, Dr. Broberg (I switched doctors in the middle of my pregnancy, thank goodness) said he wanted me to go down to labor and delivery so that they could monitor my contractions. Then he said that we might be having this baby today. I wasn't so sure. You know you get your hopes up so many times only to be sent home or they knock you out to stop the contractions. Well I got into labor and delivery and was monitored for an hour or so. They noticed that the babies heart rate was just through the roof. They do the best they can not to alarm you but, you can tell when something is wrong. I would stay lying down for a while but when I would get up to use the bathroom which was only a few feet away, I would lie back down his heart rate would go nuts. This was enough confirmation for the doctor. It wasn't safe for Ender anymore. If me walking just a couple of feet to the bathroom was doing this to his heart rate he had to come out immediately. The baby was obviously in distress and my body had been telling me this for weeks. What are you supposed to do though when he is breach and you won't go into active labor until his head engages. (Not going to happen when he's upside down) Well by this point Nate was already at the hospital. I called him from work when the doctor sent me to labor and delivery. We weren't prepared. I didn't have my overnight bag or a camera or anything. We certainly were not prepared for what was about to happen. After trying to get people together to help watch our other two boys I was so discouraged. Jill had plans that day to meet with her brother who had a layover in SLC and she hadn't seen him in 4 yrs. She had told me prior to my dr's appointment that this was very important to her and she had been helping me out so much. I couldn't/wouldn't ask her to skip seeing her brother to watch the boys. So we started calling everyone we knew. My best friend Esther was out of town. She took Todd when Christian was born. Nobody seemed to really want to help. Everyone seemed "put out" by us even asking. After contacting everyone we knew I just cried, I was sure I was going to have to have this baby alone while Nate went home to watch the other 2 boys. It all worked out, Nate's brother Tyler was able to sit with the boys for a couple of hours and my friend from the ward called to see how I was doing. She said I was riding my bike past your house and was thinking about you, how are you? She didn't even know it but, tears were streaming down my face as I talked to her on the phone and explained the situation. She said I'd be happy to put the boys to bed and stay with them until Nate gets back. I was so relieved. In a time when I really thought I had nobody to help, Heavenly Father heard my plea and sent help to me. Well as soon as that was all settled they wheeled me into the OR and the anesthesiologist came in and put that long needle into my spine. (This causes so much anxiety for me it's the hardest part about having a baby.) But, it wasn't so terrible. I was numbed up in no time and the baby was out in less than 30 minutes. I didn't know what to expect. Todd and Christian had been so very different from one another I thought for sure that this one would look nothing like the other 2. He came out and started crying a big healthy cry. They showed him to me and he looked identical to Christian. I mean identical. The only difference I could see was he was a little smaller and he had the same stork bite on his forhead that Todd did. They had some help from a respiratory therapist and s few people from the neonatal unit there to assist since the baby was so early. They were cleaning him up and I was watching. He looked pink and healthy and perfect. And, then there was silence. Ender had stopped crying. I couldn't take my eyes off of him. I was still being worked on, I was completely numb and utterly helpless. He turned completely blue right in front of my eyes. They were frantically working on him trying to get him to breathe. It didn't seem to be working. Then the anesthesiologist stepped in front of me so that I couldn't see anymore. I was so scared. I was just praying so hard, please don't take him. I worked so hard to get him here, you just gave him to us. I'm not ready to let go yet. The room was so cold and silent, then they were able to resuscitate him and they whisked him off to the NICU. I'll follow up w/ the next blog about the rest of this. It is bringing back too many difficult memories and I need a break.
No comments:
Post a Comment