My water broke at 21 weeks, but I
didn't know it had happened. I had a
small gush of what looked like just
bleeding that I noticed in the toiled
so I called the doc's office. The
nurse advised me it was probably from
intercourse and not to worry. I had
another gush, clearer that the first,
so I went to the emergency room.
After waiting 2 hours to see the
doctor, he did some test and told me I
was ok and to follow up with my doc. I
had an OB appt three days later and I
told the nurse practicioner about the
incident. She also told me that I was
ok.
A week later my husband and I were at a
friend's house out of town. I woke up
at 430am and my underwear and pants
were completely soaked with blood. We
went to the emergency room and they
sent me to the maternity section.
They did an ultrasound there that
revealed that my baby was a boy, but
also that my AFI was around 3. This
was very bittersweet. I loved my boy
already but they said the outlook was
dim.
I was transported by ambulance to the
Army hospital and they monitored me and
my baby overnight. Since I wasn't in
labor and my baby was so young, they
sent me home on bedrest with several
follow-ups scheduled weekly.
For the next few weeks we watched the
AFI fluxuate between 3 and 5. At 24
weeks I was advised to be admitted into
the hospital and I agreed. One of
the "big" doctors told me that boys
fair more poorly that girls. That he
had high chances of cerebral palsy,
physical malforations, among other
things. And that was "if" he
survived. I was again devastated.
We all prayed, us, our family, our
church, our siblings' churches, our
friends and their churches as well. I
went into the hospital waiting for a
miracle.
I was hooked up to the NST machine for
several days but my baby seemed to be
ok (as far as stress goes) so then
I "graduated" to only twice a day. At
28 weeks I began getting ultrasounds
every morning to see the AFI and check
for breathing movements, body
movements, and fine motor
movements.
My baby was only surrounded by an AFI
of 3-6 at any given time, but he still
made breathing, body, and fine motor
(fingers, usually) movements. We
eventually decided on a name that means
Strength and Boldness
At 28 weeks, at night, I began having
labor pains. Terrible ones. But I
wasn't dialating. They gave me demurol
and that helped until it wore off, but
they wouldn't give me more. By day the
contractions were not as strong or
frequent. That night again they were
terrible, but I was still not
dialating. They wouldn't give me any
medication that time. I didn't sleep.
The next day again the contractions
weren't as bad. I had a few naps.
That night, like clockwork, the
contractions were again killing me. My
back felt like it was in a vice. But
in the morning they didn't let up. I
was still not dialating, but they put
me in a room in the Labor & Delivery
section.
Times, I am not sure of, but the
anestheisologist came to talk to me
about my pain control options. I
decided I wanted an epidural when the
time came. THe doc came in and checked
me some time later and I was already
4cm dialated. They began the epidural
and in the 20 min or so that it took, I
had dialated to 9.5 cm. They wheeled
me into the delivery room and 10
minutes later, at 3:44, my baby was
born.
I heard him cry, which I had been told
probably wouldn't happen because of his
severely immature lungs. But I didn't
hold my 2lb 12oz bundle of joy. After
going to the recovery room and back to
my regular room, I told my nurse I
wanted to see him as soon as I could.
I fell asleep and at 11pm a doctor came
and told me I better come see him now
because he will probably not make
it.
He had a hole in his already poor lung,
a hole in his heart called an atrial
septal defect, and they were "bagging"
(ventilating) him by hand. For hours.
They had triend to put him on the
respirator but he wouldn't stay
oxygenated on it. By 6 that morning
they had a chest tube in him and he was
hooked up to a ventilator with
additional nitric oxide.
To make this 3 month story short (as
short as I can), he made it off the
ventilator in just over a month. He
was placed on a nasal cannula and was
weaned off that in another month and a
half.
He takes more energy to breathe, so
he's in the 5th percentile for weight,
but he's finally home with us, 3 months
later, and with the problems he's got
left. But nothing could be as bad as a
doctor telling you your baby won't make
it.
|
|