At just a bit before 3 am I woke up, feeling unexpectedly awake and noticing that I felt wet between my legs. I got up, thinking I had to pee, but when I did get up fluid came out from between my legs even faster - and I knew I had not drunk that much water the night before. I went to the bathroom and after what seemed like several minutes of fluid coming out I tried to stand up, thinking it had passed, but it had not. A bit after that I got up, fearing my water had broken, and awoke Craig. He got up to use the bathroom, but I ran in front of him as another wave of fluid came out. He did get up then, but laid back down after. I was shocked, explaining to him again that my water broke. He said, "we have 24 hours, you want me to get up?" I told him that yes, we are supposed to let the doctor know ASAP if the water breaks, and I was pretty sure by now that this is what was going on. He got up, took a shower, and shaved. I packed my hospital bag - which I hadn't finished yet because I thought we had a couple more weeks. Then I took a shower myself.
At about 4 am I called Columbia St. Mary's and reported my suspicion to them. Within 10 minutes the on call doctor for labor and delivery called me back, instructing me to go to the hospital and have them check to see if, in fact, my bags of water had broken. We arrived there at about 4:30 am and I was made to change into one of those horrible hospital gowns. A nurse came in and swabbed me to see if it was my water, and the test strip quickly turned a dark blue, indicating my fears were correct and we'd be parents within 24 hours. I was hooked up to the monitors and we confirmed a good heart beat for the baby and contractions for me, but I wasn't feeling them yet. Some medical person confirmed I was only 1 centimeter dilated - so not much was happening yet.
A couple of hours later my OB came in to check and found me to STILL be only the 1 centimeter. I was put on an IV drip to induce labor, and given portable monitors so I could walk around a bit. The hospital is small and the walk got old pretty quickly. Then a nurse found me, telling me that the monitor was no longer picking me up, so we had to go back to the bed. By this time they had nearly tripled the dose of drug they were giving me to induce, and I was starting to feel contractions.
Nurses asked me several times how close the contractions were, and I wasn't timing--they were monitoring me, so why did I need to. In bed Craig started to time them, and we noticed that the contractions were close, some within a minute of the one before.
Suddenly an alarm sounded and a nurse rushed in, asking me to roll onto my left side, then the right, then on all fours. She called and several other medical professionals came running in, quickly probing me as one read me the required disclosures for cesarean sections. I was given oxygen and my OB was alerted. Then as quickly as it had begun the emergency appeared to be over and most of the staff left, with a nurse and my OB remaining. I had no idea what happened, looked at my mom and Craig and saw panic in their eyes and suddenly began to cry. My OB then explained that the baby's heart rate had dropped but he was stable again. They put an internal monitor on us, kept me on oxygen, turned off the induction med, had me stay on my side, and left.
After a couple of hours it seemed that my contractions had slowed way down again and were not as intense. The doctor decided that we had to start up the induction IV drug again, but at a very low dose. We did that and a couple of hours later I was feeling the contractions and the doctor had confirmed that they were good and strong. However he was disappointed because my unripe cervix was only dilated to 3 centimeters. I told him I was getting fatigued from the contractions and was finally ready for an epidural. He said it could help or slow labor - no guarantee either way, but he'd let the staff know to get the anesthesiologist over ASAP. Shortly after she came and began to administer the epidural. It worked and we thought we'd settle in for the long haul. The nurse kicked up the induction IV a bit more and took the oxygen mask off.
Only minutes after that the baby's heart rate plummeted again and they had me move around, put the oxygen back on, and the medical staff came running in, again giving me the disclosures for the c-section. This time he continued to have slow heart rhythm and I was rushed to an operating room where they
began to prep me for an emergency c-section. Moments after we arrived the baby stabilized again and the medical staff called my OB to find out what he thought - do we do the c-section anyway or take me back to a labor and delivery room. Craig was nowhere to be seen, and someone in the room mentioned to another that "the father had an episode" and was given some juice and was taking a second to recuperate. I thought Craig had nearly fainted - turned out he panicked like I had the first time. But he did come in shortly after, sitting my my head and talking to me.My OB arrived and after a conversation we decided that it would be best to go ahead with the c-section while the baby was stable, rather than risking him going into disress again up in labor and delivery, especially since I was still not even 4 centimeters dialated after 14 hours. The epidural drug was kicked up and I began shaking uncontrolably - but was assured that this was quite normal. I didn't feel a thing as they told me the incision was being made. I didn't feel a thing as they announced my baby was out, and I saw him at the warming table. He was checked over and after a positive review he was given to his daddy, who showed him to me. After a bit daddy left as I was stiched up and given another drug to help the shaking stop. I even fell asleep for a short time, yet it felt like it took an eternity to be sewn back up. But eventually I did make it into a recovery room where my mom and sister were waiting. They brought in Craig and the baby so I could see him again, and then we were all taken up to the mom/baby ward for recovery and bonding.
Craig tried to sleep on the horrible sleeper couch they had in the room, but it was not made for tall men and he was horribly uncomfortable. We had Hudson in the room, but he seemed restless and winey. They also came in the room every couple of hours to check on me, making me stand at 3 am and walk by 6 am. About half way through the night we had them take Hudson to the nursery, as we couldn't sleep and he seemed uninterested in eating.
Saturday Craig went home to get in a nap and shower and I spent time bonding with Hudson, being checked out by medical staff, and trying to get the boy to eat. Family came to visit Saturday as well. Saturday evening Craig went home, since he could not sleep on the hospital sleeper, and I was alone with Hudson. I asked the nurse to take him and then wake me to feed him. She called at 2:45 am to tell me that he still wasn't eating, and that she was going to have someone check him out, as he seemed to be distressed. An hour later she called again, telling me he was having trouble breathing and was taken to the NICU. I panicked and cried again, calling Craig and my mom and having them come to the hospital. Once they arrived we went down to the NICU to see what was going on.
A doctor explained that he had pneumothorax, common among premie babies, and that he would have to spend a few days there while the condition resolved itself. My poor baby
was hooked up to IV's and oxygen and monitors and his father and I watched as the monitors beeped and we both had tears in our eyes again. The first day was bad and they had to increase his oxygen, but then he began to improve the next day, and eventually was taken off of the oxygen. Next he got to be off of the IV. We were told he'd be able to go home Friday, then it was upgraded to Thursday, and Craig changed his plans for the day so we could take our boy home. However that morning the doctor called to inform me that Hudson's Biliruben level was too high (jaundice) and they were going to treat that while he was there, and hopefully he'd be able to go home Friday. Again I cried, frustrated that we'd gotten our hopes up and that Craig changed his schedule, but we'd be spending another day waiting it out at the hospital and NICU. Friday came, and they did let us take our dear baby home.It was the longest and most stressful week of my life. I cried a lot, and smiled a lot, depending
upon the moment. Everyone at the hospital was very supportive, as was my family. My mom spent every night after the NICU admission sleeping on that horrible hospital sleeper so that I wouldn't be alone like I was the night they called me to tell me he wasn't breathing and had to be taken to the NICU. I healed quickly physically, never being taken anywhere in a wheel chair except when Craig took me outside on Sunday. My pain was tolerable and my mood improved when I went off of the narcotics and onto just Tylenol for pain management (I don't do well on narcotic pain killers).Today we have our baby with us. His pediatrician says he's perfect. He is eating well, although he has suddenly decided that he likes to stay up all night and sleep all day. It's hard to believe we're someone's parents!
No comments:
Post a Comment