Monday the 12th was a normal day. The kids went back to school after winter break I got some errands done, did laundry, and made dinner. We put the kids to bed, made their lunches for the next day and then I went to bed. Around 12:30 am I woke up and thought that I felt weird kind of nauseous but you feel weird all the time in pregnancy so I didn't think much of it and went back to sleep. I woke up at 2:30 and felt incredibly nauseous. My first thought was I have the stomach flu. I thought I was going to throw up but I didn't. I went and laid back in bed and felt really sick. I was hot and sweating but then it passed and I didn't feel nauseous anymore. But then I was having pain in my stomach like I was having contractions. I laid there for a bout 30 minutes trying to time them. I thought about every 10 minutes I was feeling more pain but it seemed like weird pain too. I wasn't sure what was going on. I have never gone into labor on my own though so I figured this must be what labor is like for me. I know the nurses will tell you when the contractions are painful that is when you should come in. They were definitely painful. I woke wade up around 3 and told him I think I am in labor I laid there for a while longer. Before I called to wake up my friend Julie I wanted to make sure it was labor. So finally around 4 I decided it was time to go to the hospital. I called Julie and Wade and I got up to go. Thankfully I had a hospital bag packed. I normally don't. We left for the hospital just before 5 not realizing what the next hour of our lives had in store for us. I called my parents on the way and told my dad I thought I was in labor and we were going to the hospital.
I am glad we left for the hospital when I did. Looking back I wish I would have gone earlier.
I am glad we left for the hospital when I did. Looking back I wish I would have gone earlier.
We got the hospital and they took their sweet time, I don't think the charge nurse that took us back to room thought I was in labor. It was the normal routine put the hospital gown on and give a urine sample. I went to the bathroom to give the urine sample and I was bleeding. I came out and told my nurse she was just like okay let's get you hooked up to the monitors. The first monitor she started to put on me was the baby's heart rate. She was moving the thing around trying to get the heart rate. I was worried for a second cause I hadn't been feeling the baby move a lot in the last hour. Finally she found it and it was a 60. Normal is around 150. This was at 5:25 am. At this point the nurse got on her phone went out in the hall and was yelling the heart rate is a 60. About 6 nurses came into the room. They immediately got me on my hands and knees and his heart rate went to 100. The on call dr came in and checked me. I was only dilated to a 2 or 3 he broke my water and it was all blood. He said vaginal delivery no way. They got me back on my hands and knees and wheeled me to the OR. I didn't really know what was going on. I remember asking if I was going to have to have a c section and the nurse said yes. I was very concerned about whether they had time to give me an epidural before the c section. I have heard of women just having to have the csection with no pain meds and I didn't want that to happen to me. The nurses said oh no you are being completely put out. Because of this Wade was not able to go in the OR. He had to wait in the hall and wait to hear if Michael and I would make it out of this alive. He wasn't really told anything either. I remained on my hands and knees until they were ready to put me out. When I laid on the table they put the mask on me and I felt them prepping me for the csection. I remember screaming in my head I am still awake don't start cutting. That is the last thing I remember until I was in the recovery room. Michael was born at 5:50 am. Twenty five minutes after he was first hooked up on the monitor. The nurse said once they cut me he was out in a minute. It was one of the fastest c sections she has ever seen. One of the nurses that was in there the morning he was born was my night nurse the next night. I was asking her different things about what went on and that is where most of these details come from. She told me as soon as I was stable and Michael was out she went out in the hall and found Wade. She brought him as close as she could to the OR and let him listen to Michael cry and told him that I was okay. Wade had been out there for about 30 to 40 minutes not knowing what was going on.
It turns out I had a placenta abruption Which is when the placenta starts tearing away from the uterus. So the pain I thought were contractions was really just the placenta tearing away. So as the day and night went on I got more details about what happened and how serious this really was and how lucky I was to be alive along with Michael. The dr told me that my blood almost was not clotting. A lot of times with placenta abruptions they have to take your uterus out. Also, the baby can bleed with these as well. Thankfully they didn't have to take my uterus,my blood did finally clot and Michael came out fine He came out crying and with good color. His breathing was a little off so he was taken to the nursery to be monitored. This is pretty common with c section babies. His oxygen level always stayed normal though. I didn't get to see him for 12 hours. That was hard. I have never waited that long to hold my baby.
I had lost a lot of blood though and they told me I would probably need a blood transfusion. Normal levels for pregnant women are between 10 and 12. My level after the delivery was a 6 and then the next morning it dropped to a 4.2. It wasn't optional anymore I needed to have one. I had one and the dr checked my levels and said I should have another one. I felt so much better after the transfusions. I am glad I had them. I think my recovery would have been worse if I didn't. My dr told me that my delivery is one that you read about in the textbooks and you hope you never see it in your career.
While I am grateful to be alive and grateful that Michael is okay this recovery has been hard. It has been hard having the recovery of a csection when I was planning on a vaginal delivery. It hasn't been terribly painful but it is a longer recovery. It is major surgery. It was hard coming home and not being able to lift Brooke and do the normal things I wanted to do and that my kids wanted me to do. I also felt robbed of the birth experience I was expecting to have. I wasn't even awake when he was born and wade couldn't be in there. I have always loved giving birth and I think it is one of the most spiritual experiences. With all these frustrations I have just had to pray a lot and rely on my Savior to get me through these tough times. I have had to focus on the positive and focus on the fact that I am alive and am still here to raise my kids. I think in today's world I didn't ever think I could die in child birth. I know there are complications but I didn't think anything like this would happen to me. I am so thankful for modern medicine though. I am thankful for quick acting drs and nurses who took care of me and my baby and kept us alive and safe. As time has gone on I have processed everything and am doing a lot better mentally. Those first few weeks were hard though.
Everyone tells me boys are less dramatic than girls but he sure made his dramatic entrance into this world.
Here are pictures from the day he was born and the day after.
Here are pictures from the day he was born and the day after.
