Today is Mother's Day 2014 and Kyle just took the 3 older kids to church leaving Elijah and I to a few quiet moments by ourselves. He is now 10 days old and before I forget the events of the last 2 weeks I wanted to put them down on paper (or blog - it is 2014!).
Two weeks ago, the weekend of Grace's 4th birthday party I awoke in the middle of the night as most 9 months pregnant women do. I was almost 39 weeks so the baby was due any day. The entire pregnancy this little man had been very very active, always kicking, rolling, and mostly jabbing me in the right rib with his feet. I laid there waiting to feel his kick but after a few minutes I felt nothing. I jostled my belly, wiggled around to try to wake him up which usually resulted in a quick kick but this time, nothing. I figured the poor guy barely had any room or was resting up for labor, but also knew I wouldn't be able to sleep without making sure everything was ok. I quietly crept downstairs to grab a high sugar snack which usually made Eli jump, and again, nothing. Internally I wanted to panic but instead I grabbed my stethoscope and laid on the couch listening for his heartbeat. After about 5 minutes, I located the beautiful galloping sound and it sounded fast, strong and healthy. Rest assured I went back to bed.
The following Monday (April 28) I had mentioned these events to my OB at my normal apt to which she decided I needed a non stress test just to make sure everything was fine. They hooked me up to the monitor and after 20 minutes everything looked good, so I was instructed to do kick counts and call if I got less than 10 kicks in an hour. I honestly didn't get much of a chance with the craziness of the kids and school to do kick counts the rest of the day Monday or Tuesday, so Wednesday morning while Noah and Grace were at school, I laid down on the couch and put a movie on for Deacon so I could concentrate on the kicks. An hour later and I had only gotten 6. I called the OB and she told me to eat a large meal and a tall glass of ice water and to try again. Well, by then all of my kids were home from school so a concentrated kick count just wasn't going to happen. I attempted however and only got around 5, but again, wasn't able to really focus on the kicks. When Kyle got home that evening he made me call the doctor and they told me to do it one more time and since Kyle was now home from work I'd be able to really focus. Well, this time it took 30 minutes to get the first kick, and after the hour only had 4 or 5. The kicks were faint and for how active the baby had been prior I finally started to get concerned. Again I called the OB back and they said the office was still open (it was 6pm) and to come in and get another non stress test. I got in the car and despite the crazy pouring rain and flooded roads everywhere I made it to the office. They put me on the monitor and I heard his heart beat and breathed a sigh or relief. Twenty minutes later the OB walked in and I expected her to say again that he looked fine and send me home. Instead she said the baby was having some decels and I wasn't even contracting and that she didn't like the way he looked. "Do you want to have a baby tonight?" I was shocked and I said, um I'd love that! This is the doctor that delivered Noah and Grace so we are very familiar with each other. She told me she was on all night and to get to the hospital and she'd meet me there. I ran home, grabbed Kyle, said goodbye to the kids and off we went!
I was induced with Deacon and had absolutely no issues so I was expecting the same in this situation. We got to the hospital around 7:30 pm, (apparently I have a knack for getting to the hospital at change of shift!). We were put in our room, and we waited for the nurse. Our nurse Robin came in and hooked me up to the monitor. Then she sat down next to me and started working to put in an IV when all of a sudden the gallops of Eli's heart beat turned into a very very slow drum beat. I looked at the monitor and it said 60. The nurse casually got up and said in about a minute there will be a flood of people running in here and instructed me to change my position to try to get the heartbeat back. A flood of 4 or 5 nurses ran in and as they rearranged my position one had my arm in the air trying to put in an IV, the others were running around doing things, and Kyle just stood back in a peaceful silence. Fortunately they got Eli's heartbeat back within a few minutes but I was placed in an uncomfortable position on my right side that I now had to stay in because when I moved he dropped his heart rate.
The nurse told me she had been an L&D nurse for 18 years and never saw a baby do what Eli had just done and go on to handle induction and a vaginal delivery. They also called and had an epidural placed so that in the case I had to be rushed to the OR I was already numb. Over the next few hours they slowly tried Pitocin, and Elijah didn't tolerate it. I think around 10:30ish (because I was trying to watch Nashville) he dropped his heart rate into the 40's, and again had to move me around and back to my right side. I had to have my legs straight and flat with my feet pointing up and my back twisted to the right side. Very uncomfortable, but it was the only way to keep his heart rate where it needed to be so I prepared myself for a long uncomfortable night. They turned the Pitocin off and then tried to turn it back on, etc etc. Finally around 1:30 am the doctor came in and said he's not tolerating the induction and that we could wait it out a little longer but that she had a patient in the ER who needed surgery and would be unavailable for 2 hours, or we could go ahead and do the C-section now. I painfully accepted the C-section now because I didn't want a stranger doctor to have to section me. I was so bummed and sad, and the doctor felt really bad too. She said its such a shame that on your 4th pregnancy I have to section you, and all the nurses were saying the same.
They pulled me into the OR at 2:02 am, and that blue sheet went up and I don't know what happened after that. By the grace of God the anesthesiologist who had put my epidural in was with me during the surgery and he was hilarious. He is probably the only reason I didn't freak out. I was cracking up the whole time they were working. After a few minutes I heard the squirting noises of the bulb suction, and I looked at Kyle and said it sounds like his head is out. Silence. Then I heard a nurse say the time 2:19 am, and that he had been born, and the doctor say "Wow look at this cord! I've never seen a cord that twisted!" After a few more moments I finally heard the sweet sound of a cry in a far corner of the room. Kyle and I looked at each other and I said "It's ok, go be with him". He felt so torn, but left me and went to be with the Elijah. I heard a nurse say 3100 grams, and I thought to myself wait, weren't my others around 3800, 3900? Then I heard the nurse say 6lbs 15oz. I was shocked. My other 3 were all above 8lbs and Deacon was 8lb 10oz. Why was he so small? I laid there staring at the sterile OR ceiling, and to my left at the OR doors, and to my right at the suction canister filled with..... ew. Not much to look at or to do except think. I heard Kyle and the nurses talking, and the snapping of pictures without me. After 3 vaginal births, this was a totally new experience, and I didn't like it at all. Then all of a sudden I felt like I was going to vomit. With my arms strapped to the table and Kyle not at my side I looked around to determine how and where I should let it spew. Fortunately my buddy the anesthesiologist realized and grabbed an emesis basin and out it came.
After about 10 minutes they brought Elijah to me so I could see him and give him a kiss on the cheek, and get a picture or two. Then they were ready to take the baby to my hospital room, and I told Kyle to go with him. So there I laid, alone, for the next probably 20 minutes (although it felt like an eternity). Finally they were finished and I was wheeled back to my hospital room where Kyle and Elijah were hanging out, getting to know each other. Despite my arms being slightly numb I demanded they give me the baby. They carefully propped him next to me and I tried to nurse him for the first time. It was after 3 am, but I think I got that first feed in within the hour! I atleast tried because I know how important that can be!
It was at that point that I knew deep in my heart we were lucky. I knew God had his hands on us the whole time. I knew we came way too close to losing our sweet precious baby and that May 1 could have been a day of mourning rather than celebration and life.
For the past 10 days I have constantly contemplated what if? What if I hadn't paid attention to his movement? What if the doctor had brushed it off more? What if I hadn't called when I did? What if I hadn't done any kick counts because life was just so busy? What if I hadn't opted for the C-section when I did?
Elijah struggled during our 3 day hospital stay and was very very close to being admitted to the NICU. He had trouble maintaining his temperature, he couldn't keep his sugars up, his bilirubin was getting high and his platelets were low. When we saw the pediatrician for Eli's first visit he told me he was shocked they didn't admit Eli to NICU. I told the doctor how I'd been praying Eli wouldn't have to go to the NICU and he undoubtedly agreed that was the only reason he wasn't there. A baby with a birth history like Eli's, with the twisted cord and meconium, jaundice, sugar issues, temperature issues, and low blood counts would almost always end up there. I am so incredibly grateful for God's faithfulness to us in keeping our sweet baby alive and healthy and that we were all able to go home together on Sunday.
2 comments:
Well He certainly recovered well and has a personality that is engaging, commanding and adorable. Thanks for sharing the story.
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