I posted this on my one and only post so far on the bump but here goes again...
My due date was November 2, 2008. As we became closer to that date my blood pressure soared to dangerous levels. I was told I had preeclampsia and was put on bedrest to attempt to bring my blood pressure down. At my next appointment on October 29, it was clear that just wasn't going to happen. Not wanting to wait any longer my doctor, a sweet older man that delivered me, scheduled me for induction the following morning. I checked into the hospital that night and received the medicines that would get me ready for induction the next morning. That night at around 9:00 pm while me and my husband were settling into the room for the night, I began to feel discomfort in my lower back. Asking the nurse about it, she told me the medicine could cause labor like symptoms. However, the pain began to intensify throughout the night. At 3:00 am still not able to sleep, I was sobbing (let me also say I have an extremly high tolerance for pain) and the nurse tried to give me some Ambien to help me sleep. However this did nothing to help me sleep. The nurse gave me Ambien a couple more times and all this did was make me loopy, and the pain was still horrible. After a string of nice nurses this particular nurse was horrible, rude, and very rough. At around 8:00 a.m. I finally got her to check me only to here what I knew all along "Congratulations your 7 centimeters dilated." Well this would have been good news at 3:00 a.m. when I could have gotten my epidural. At this time it was angering news and the nurse must have known and someone else came to take her spot. The rest passed in a blur, my doctor came in smiling telling me how "lucky" I was to go into labor on my own at a hospital. I didn't feel all that lucky. Someone came in and gave me my epidural and it didn't take, at this point it was too late. Against my will I was doing this withought any pain medication. A little while later I felt an intense need to push and after being told to hold off while they got everything ready, I was finally given the go ahead. After pushing for barely any time I felt the baby's head. Then everything went wrong. It was like things were moving in slow motion then all of a sudden everything sped up. The doctor yelled "c-section" and nurses started running. They didn't have time to explain what was happening all I knew was fear. I was wheeled down the hall past all my worried family, and my husband was left scared to death in the room. In the operating room there were too many people and my husband wasn't allowed in. The worst part was it was such an emergency they didn't have time to knock me out before they started cutting. However, I remember feeling the pain at the time but I don't remember what it felt like now. That is why childbirth continues to happen...we were blessed with being able to forget the pain. As much as I went through I feel worse for my husband having to deal with all of the emotional pain. I found out later I ruptured (which means the placenta came apart from the uterus walls) and the baby was stuck in a position he couldn't breathe. October 30, 2008 Lucas Michael came into the world at 6 pounds 2 ounces and 21 inches long. He was wheeled of the NICU which leads to his first horrible days of life..
My husband and I signed up the papers for Luke to be treated with a "cooling blanket" which induces hypothermia, this is a new and extremly risky treatment. They woke me up out of anesthia to have me sign the papers, and had I been more aware I might have not been so sure about signing them. But how do you say no when a doctor is telling you it might prevent brain damage? They made me stay 8 hours in a recovery room before I was able to see my little boy. My husband was able to take our family members up one by one to meet him. He came back and told me how beautiful he was and how he made eye contact with him right away. Finally, after a slow 8 hours which I refused to sleep because I childishly thought no one would wake me when it was time to see him, I was wheeled to meet him. It was the most beautiful and terrifying sight I had ever seen. My adorable baby boy was cold and shivering on a green "cooling" blanket. They explained to me that by cooling his body temperature down it gave his brain an other organs time to recuperate from the hard delivery. He was on the blanket for 72 hours, and they estimated him to be in the NICU for a minimum of three weeks, and every day and most nights I was by his side, his little fist clutching my finger. The day finally came where they slowly warmed him up, and as they did wonderful things happened. His little eyes opened and found me, he started moving around, and he cried! It was the best sound I had ever heard after he had been silent for three days. That night my husband and I got to give him his first bath, which he is just now beginning to warm up to, feed him, and change diapers which even that was amazing to us. Three days after he got off the cooling blanket he was given a clean bill of health to go home. His brain activity was normal, his hearing perfect, and he took to eating easier than most babies do. I had talked them into letting me stay in a room until he was ready to go home. I came in with a baby and I was going to go home with one. Six days after his birth we loaded up in the car and left for home. Those six days were an emotional roller coaster for us, and it made me and my husband so much stronger. Luke is now seven months old and advanced for his age. He figured out how to crawl, he pulls up on everything, he has the sweetest laugh, and he already has a little attitude.
My husband and I signed up the papers for Luke to be treated with a "cooling blanket" which induces hypothermia, this is a new and extremly risky treatment. They woke me up out of anesthia to have me sign the papers, and had I been more aware I might have not been so sure about signing them. But how do you say no when a doctor is telling you it might prevent brain damage? They made me stay 8 hours in a recovery room before I was able to see my little boy. My husband was able to take our family members up one by one to meet him. He came back and told me how beautiful he was and how he made eye contact with him right away. Finally, after a slow 8 hours which I refused to sleep because I childishly thought no one would wake me when it was time to see him, I was wheeled to meet him. It was the most beautiful and terrifying sight I had ever seen. My adorable baby boy was cold and shivering on a green "cooling" blanket. They explained to me that by cooling his body temperature down it gave his brain an other organs time to recuperate from the hard delivery. He was on the blanket for 72 hours, and they estimated him to be in the NICU for a minimum of three weeks, and every day and most nights I was by his side, his little fist clutching my finger. The day finally came where they slowly warmed him up, and as they did wonderful things happened. His little eyes opened and found me, he started moving around, and he cried! It was the best sound I had ever heard after he had been silent for three days. That night my husband and I got to give him his first bath, which he is just now beginning to warm up to, feed him, and change diapers which even that was amazing to us. Three days after he got off the cooling blanket he was given a clean bill of health to go home. His brain activity was normal, his hearing perfect, and he took to eating easier than most babies do. I had talked them into letting me stay in a room until he was ready to go home. I came in with a baby and I was going to go home with one. Six days after his birth we loaded up in the car and left for home. Those six days were an emotional roller coaster for us, and it made me and my husband so much stronger. Luke is now seven months old and advanced for his age. He figured out how to crawl, he pulls up on everything, he has the sweetest laugh, and he already has a little attitude.
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