2 Weeks Ago Today

Two weeks ago today our journey of becoming parents began.  I know this one is a bit lengthy, but to be honest, I wrote this specific blog for myself.  It is our birth story.  I have been working on it throughout the week, and I was starting to get events and details scrambled.  Nick helped me recall many of the details.  I want to always remember our journey and the events that led to the happiest day of my life:  the day I became a mommy.  

Sunday, November 20^th:

                I woke up with low, dull back pain.  Actually, I had been having back pain for a couple of days.  My in-laws were coming to our house to help us with some home projects.  Randy fixed our front storm door.  Nick and Randy fixed our bathroom sink that had been leaking and installed a new door in the basement.  I was thrilled, but in a lot of pain.  At one point, my mother-in-law Mari asked if I was alright.  I started crying and said my back hurt really bad.  It was constant back pain…it never let up, except briefly when we were eating lunch.  Lunch that I had hoped to prepare for my in-laws in appreciation for helping us, but Mari graciously finished for me.  I did my best to ignore it.  EJ (Nick’s younger brother) had gone to a church retreat and was heading back to St. Joe so Mari and I went to go pick him up.  I felt bad that I was irritable and probably cranky towards my family who came and worked all Sunday afternoon.

                That evening I took a nap, hoping it would relieve the backache.  Nope, it still lingered.  Finally, around 7:00 PM, I called the Dr. on call at St. Lukes North on Barry Road in Kansas City.  I explained to her that I had had a low backache all day.  It was constant.  The doctor said it did not sound like it was contractions, but she did not feel comfortable assessing me over the phone.  She said I needed to come to the hospital and be checked out.  Nick and I left in a hurry, bringing nothing with us for the drive to Kansas City.  I even teared up and told Nick that I felt foolish, that I knew they were going to send us home and I was being over dramatic.  I thought they would say, “Well lady you are pregnant.  Of course you are going to have some back pain.”  Nick reassured me that we were doing the right thing by being checked.  We did not call family because we honestly thought I would be back home and I didn’t want to worry them.

                We got to St. Lukes North and were quickly checked in.  It was eerie; very quiet.  I went into the triage room and was greeted by two sweet nurses.  I gave them a urine sample.  They took all my vitals-all came back normal.  They commented how they thought I possibly had a UTI or kidney infection and would take my urine to be analyzed.  One nurse said, “Well before you go let’s check your cervix.”   She checked me, and said very calmly, “You are dialated to a 3/4, 90% effaced.  Things are going to move very quickly.  You are in labor, and we need to stop it.”  I couldn’t believe I was in labor at 30 weeks to the day.  I started crying and was inconsolable.  The nurse and Nick had to calm me down and get my breathing under control.  I remember the nurse saying, “You need to be calm for your baby.”  It was 9:45 PM.  All of the sudden everything was happening so fast.  It seemed like in one breath the nurses were putting  a catheter in me (two attempts to do that-OUCH!), hooking me up to an IV and running a Magnesium drip to stop labor(OUCH!), and giving me a steroid shot to help our baby’s lungs develop (OUCH!) if I ended up delivering that evening.  I thought I was in a dream and I would wake up soon, but it was just the beginning of a very scary reality. 

                I remember being so confused, almost as if I was having an out-of-body experience.  Then they hit me with some scary news.  They told me I would be transported to St. Lukes Downtown on the Plaza because regardless of where I gave birth, our baby would be have to be transported to St. Lukes Plaza’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.  Therefore, they wanted to keep mommy and baby together.  They said I would be taken by ambulance and Nick would have to follow by car.  More tears.  I did not understand.  Everything was happening too fast.  I think I was in shock.  Mari got to the hospital in time to greet Nick and follow him and the ambulance to St. Lukes Plaza. 

                There were two men escorting me to the ambulance.  One man, named Don, sat in the back of the ambulance while the other man drove.  Don calmly talked to me the entire drive to St. Lukes Plaza.  He told me how he had been a firefighter for 31 years, and told me several stories of delivering babies in people’s houses and cars.  He told me about his children and grandchildren.  He never stopped telling story after story.  I am so thankful for him. He did an amazing job keeping me calm all the way down there.  When we arrived at St. Lukes Plaza, I remember being wheeled in and we had to wait a bit to be escorted to my room.  I got placed in my bed and Nick and Mari were right behind me. 

                A resident, Dr. Morales, checked my cervix again.  This time I was dialated at a five, 90% effaced.  Yikes.  Dr. Lu came in and talked to Nick and me about what to expect, his plan to stop the labor and to keep our little boy safe.  He covered everything; explaining how things would work once I had the baby, possible risks, the importance of the second steroid shot, explaining how 30 weeks was a pivotal gestational period where babies can be beat the odds.  Dr. Lu was extremely helpful, knowledgeable and sincere.  I was so glad that I was under his care.  Both Dr. Lu and Dr. Morales thought I would deliver that night.

                Christy, a nurse practitioner from the NICU came in and told us what to expect if were were to deliver that evening.  She terrified us.  She was talking about different levels of brain bleeds and different apparatuses our baby potentially could have with oxygen support.  She also explained his lung development.  We were both so scared.

                After all the visits from the different doctors and nurses, things finally began to slow down a bit.  I was stabilized, but the magnesium drip really started to affect me.  It makes you really, really hot and icky.  Our room temperature was set at 65 degrees, and I was still soooo hot.  The mag drip also makes you extremely thirsty.  EXTREMELY thirsty!  I had to be restricted of water and food.   I don’t remember much of anything else that evening.  We all did our best to rest.

Monday, November 21^st:

                We had several visitors: Mom, Mari, Aunt Bren, Gabe and Lacey.

That morning I received an ultrasound to see how Jackson was doing.  He was in position, head down.  They determined that he weighed 3lbs. 4 oz.  I got very hot and uncomfortable during this.  I thought I was going to get sick.  I broke out in a sweat.  She had me lay on my side, and I began to feel much better.

That evening at 9:45, I received my second steroid shot. Thank the Lord!  They started to wean me off the Magnesium drip. I received sleeping medicine to help me sleep.  Wow, that’s a crazy drug.  I had extremely weird dreams.  I dreamt about these strange bed sheet characters.  These crazy characters were pressuring me to be dress up in a bed sheet and become a character.  They were dancing all around my room.  Very odd, but at least I slept.

Tuesday, November 22^nd:

                In the morning, I was taken completely off the Magnesium drip.  I got to get my catheter out (YEAH!) and used the bedside commode.  That afternoon, I even got to eat lunch.  The best thing-I could drink all the water I wanted!  That evening, I got to eat supper.  I felt great!  Katie, Ella and Mom came to visit.  Randy, Mari and EJ came to visit.  Nick ran to St. Joe to grab some clothes.  I was feeling so great.  Nick and I were beginning to think I would be in the hospital on bed rest for a few weeks.  However, our son had different plans!

Wednesday, November 23^rd:

At 1:00 AM, Jackson’s heart rate dropped.  I started to be in pain.  It just continued to get worse and more intense.  They put me on more fluids.  I started to shake and sweat.  It was awful.   Nick was amazing.  He tried to keep me calm and relaxed during the contractions.  He took a washrag and rubbed my back and leg with it over and over and over for several hours. Dr. Morales came and checked me.  I was still dialated to a 5, but he could tell I was going to have the baby soon.  He said there was nothing more they could do to stop the labor.  They ordered me an epidural.  The anesthesiologist came to our room and went over all of the risks and expectations.  I was having horrible contractions back-to-back, no breaks in between.  I was so scared.

They sat me up on the edge of the bed as I was contracting to give me an epidural.  Let me tell you, there is nothing worse than having a contraction and sitting up on the edge of the bed.  Thank goodness, Nick held me tight and so the epidural would go in safely.  Because our baby boy would be a preemie, we had to deliver in the OR.  After my epidural took affect, they wheeled me into the OR at about 5 am.  That room is just like you see on TV.  It is big, bright and white, with a lot of people in it.  The NICU people were at their stations ready to take our baby when he arrived and I had my team of Dr’s and nurses to get me through the delivery. 

I had a wonderful labor coach, Dr. Wickstrom.  I commented to the doctors on how Nick and I hadn’t taken a labor class yet, so I didn’t know what to do.  Dr. Wickstorm told us not to worry that she would give us a crash course.  I remember everything from the labor.  My head was clear and I was very focused and driven.  I can recall every detail.  Our birthing coach made several suggestions to me and I tried several different birthing techniques until we found one that worked.  My contractions were not picking up on the monitor, so I had one nurse push on my stomach and once she felt my uterus contract, she told me to push.  After a while, they gave me potosin so I could feel the contractions so I would know when to push.  I pushed for about 2 hours.  And our sweet little Jackson Lee was born sunnyside up at 7:18 am, just shy of 10 weeks early.  He weighed 3 lbs. 8 oz. and was 18 ½ inches long.  Right when he came out, he took some deep breaths and cried!  I was relieved; his lungs were working!  Nick and I were thrilled!!!  He was so precious!

I told Nick to stay with Jackson and the NICU team while the doctors finished with me.   After Jackson’s birth, I had to go back to the room.  A doctor came and took out the epidural.  They took some more vitals, etc.  Both my mom and Mari had arrived and were anxious to meet their first grandson.  Nick shared Jackson's name with them and took them back to the NICU to see him.  Oh, they were so excited!  Finally, I was wheeled down to the NICU to hold my sweet baby boy for the first time.  I remember him being so small, yet I thought he looked bigger than 3 lbs. 8 oz.  I am a mommy!  My heart is full and I am in so much love with my sweet, sweet Jackson. 

God completely took over during this time.  He reassured me, guided me, reminded me of His love not only for me, but for our son.  As hard as it is to believe it, he loves Jackson even more than I do.  I know Nick and I were meant to be a part of God's purpose and plan for Jackson.  I am so grateful of God's unconditional love during this time.