Our Birth Story...Part2

ok.....I drove myself to the hospital and the reality of what was happening didn't seem very urgent. I knew a lot of people who had some bleeding and it all worked out fine. I was more anxious about all the red lights I was hitting. I parked about as far as I could form the triage unit because it seemed like everyone was at the hospital that day. The unit was checking in 3 other people and as we stand there in the line I felt more and more uncomfortable. My tummy began to cramp every now and then and I told my hubby that I was a little worried and I had to go to the bathroom. He is and will always be my hero! He walked up to the counter and politely explained what was happening with me and explained how early I was in our pregnancy. They took us behind the curtain to a bed and said that they would get to us in a second. As we are waiting there my tummy is getting cramps a little more frequent which was so uncomfortable, but not painful. We joke that If I couldn't handle these cramps how would I handle contractions when he came in January... It was then that I looked at my hubby and told him " do not compare this situation to laboring that was scary" and about 20 minutes later the nurse said that they are still trying to put us into the system. She was really nice and asked if I felt anything and we explained about the cramps. She decided to put me on the monitor to be sure that the baby was okay. We could hear his heart beating strong and loud. A few minutes later she returned and looked at the print out. I remembered her saying, "well it looks like you are contacting a bit I'll go let the doctor know". I looked up at my husband and felt immediate comfort from his eyes. I asked him could a baby survive this early and he said he didn't think so. I felt a rush of uncertainty and started to pray.

Then doctor, Dr. A came in said that she wanted to check me and see what was going on and in the meantime she wanted an IV started..... Ummmm for those of you who know me you know that I do not do needles well and those words sent the fear right up to the surface. I mentioned to my hubby that I didn't want one, but he gave me this look which told me I didn't have a choice. Dr. A came back and started her pelvic exam........

I am sitting here writing this entry and am feeling very overwhelmed by the reality and severity of what our son has gone through. .... Okay back to the exam.......

Dr. A shot up from under the cover and told the nurse something so quick that I missed it, but I could see her fear stricken face very clearly. I heart began to race because I knew It wasn't the best situation. I will never forget the words when she said," You are 100% effaced and fully dilated. You need to be prepared because you will have this baby in the next couple of hours. I need to get an ultrasound to see what position the baby is in." I remembered laying there not fully comprehending what she just said. I look at my hubby an realize this was certainly not what we had planned and apparently those were contractions! Dr. A came back and did the ultrasound. She explained that the baby was measuring on schedule and he was in position ...head down and ready. She explained that there wasn't anything holding him back except my water had not broke. She also said that they needed to give me 2 does of steroids to help the baby's lungs. . They explained that it would help the baby's lungs develop and if they were lucky they asked all sorts of questions, did we do this? and did it do that? All I could think about was everything was going so well. The nurse gave me the 1st shot which I didn't even feel and then they took me through the hospital's secret passages down to an Labor and Delivery room. It was then that Ryan and I decided that we should probably call our parents and tell them what was going on.

The contractions were very close 1 to 2 minutes apart and came all of a sudden. The room filled with nurses and different doctors of different expertise. Dr. A started me on "MAG" to stop the contractions. I focused on the only thing that reminded me how much God loved me...the "plus" button for the TV. It was a cross and it spoke to me... it reminded me that not only did God love me, but that He created me to have this baby that He knit in my womb. My whole body was seized and I couldn't breathe...then it was over and that is where we met Dr. S. He would be that doctor would care for our son when he was born later that day he told us. He explained that our baby would have an 80% survival rate, a 50% that he would have some mental defect, and a 20% that it would be severe. He told us that when he came they would do all they needed to to help him live and then he would find a new home in the NICU. Both Dr. A and Dr. S said they would see me later and they would be near by when the time came. The contractions continued to come as we prayed that God would rapidly grow this child within me and keep him in as long as He had planned. The nurse came in tipped my bed backwards so my head was toward the ground and my feet were up and said that I needed to get comfortable and stay put. Under no circumstances was I allowed to leave the bed. All we did was pray and wait....