The Week Without a Beginning or an End
This has been the longest, shortest week of our life. It was a week ago yesterday that we went to have me checked out for a severe headache. The first trip to the hospital last Friday afternoon our health providers suspected a migraine (although I have had migraines in my life and this did not feel the same...I followed their lead). We had the baby monitored in labor and delivery and then we were sent to our primary care physicians office for a "migraine consult." You can probably imagine the horror on the doctor's face when he saw a pregnant woman being wheeled from the hospital to his office. He agreed to give me Imitrex to treat my headache but was very clear that if the headache returned it was NOT a migraine and we were to call our OB again. Within a couple of hours of returning home, my headache returned with a vengeance. For a moment, I thought about waiting until morning to call again but my symptoms were too pronounced to ignore (by this point I was having a great deal of difficulty seeing clearly out of my right eye). After calling our OB office, we headed to the hospital.
The Bulldog of Labor and Delivery
When we arrived at the hospital, we were met by Mo (short for Maureen), an RN with 40 years of nursing experience under her belt. She greeted us with the confidence of a bulldog saying "come on honey we're going to get this figured out." Things began moving quickly after MO's assessment. She was convinced I had pregnancy-induced hypertension (PIH) and that something needed to be done to save both me and the baby (apparently I had slits for eyes because of the swelling in my face and the lines on my hands, even knuckles had disappeared under the fluid). She called Dr. Sun (the OB on call from my med group) and within a short time, an IV was placed and I was started on magnesium (magnesium slows the central nervous system preventing stroke, life-threatening convulsions, etc.) During this time, they also gave me a steroid shot to develop our baby's lungs. Mo was right on...by morning my urine (which had been clear) was filled with protein. The acceptable levels range from 0-14...I was now at 23.
Living Between Worlds
Night flowed into day, we were trying to buy time. The magnesium put me in a state where I felt like I was living between this world and the next. I had cloths soaked in ice on my neck and over my eyes. There were times that it felt like my body was burning from the inside out. We called in Karen Wagner to pray as she brings a spirit of peace and had walked with us during Gabriel's birth experience. Her presence helped ease my anxious heart.
The Headache Returns
Dr. Sun came Saturday morning with my giant medical record binder and tried to discern next steps...still hoping we might make it to mid-week. Shortly after we consulted with her, my headache returned, now on the left-side of my head, piercing my left-vision. Time had run out, it was clear that the induction process needed to begin. My exam showed that my cervix was still completely closed requiring a cervical gel to begin dissolving those layers. They also gave me a narcotic to ease my head pain...I'm not sure how to describe what happened to me but I remember screaming for Jeremey and then losing control of my body. When I came down, Jeremey was apologizing to the doctor for the grip that I had placed on her hand. Note for the binder...Michelle and narcotics...not the best mix.
Balancing Fluids
My mom arrived Saturday night just in time for them to start the Potocin (a drug that helps with creating stronger contractions) Ironically, Magnesium and Poticin have nearly opposite purposes (Magnesium slows the system including contractions....while Poticin is trying to get labor under way). During labor, I was on a fluid restriction to attempt to prevent a fluid overload after delivery that might comprise my heart and lungs. The issue with restricting fluids during labor is that they are used to optimize the baby's stats. Neriyah's heart began showing less accelerations and variance in pattern which became a concern so they decided instead of fluids to try an oxygen mask on me for the duration of labor. The oxygen, along with the sound of Jeremey's voice, seemed to bring her heart rate back into a safe zone. We had been praying that there would still be enough time for a second steroid shot for her lungs...and as certainly as we prayed...it was able to be done.
Water Breaking Genius
I am admittedly pretty fuzzy about some of the details. I was convinced that I didn't sleep during this entire span, but come to find out I was in and out of coherency from the time they started me on Mag. Sunday, another doctor from my group was on-call, Dr. Sansone. They waited until the Potocin dilated me to 2 to break my water. Breaking my water was a bit of an art as I had so much fluid and Neriyah was still floating high. If they were to break it quickly, the gush could push the umbilical cord out before her head was in the canal. This would have led to an emergency C-section. Thankfully, Dr. Sansone has been practicing for 25 years and creatively decided to use a needle to slowly drain my fluid and allow the head to gently come into place. The nurses reflected that they had never seen something like this done...talk about the right doctor for the job.
The A-Team
After breaking my water, I dilated quickly to a 6. The entire team was aware that Gabriel came quickly and that not being ready may put our baby in danger....so they stayed. The doctor never left the hospital grounds and the Neonatalogist (special baby doctor) decided not to wait to be called but came to our room and prepared herself to wait no matter how long it took (the selection and hearts of these docs was certainly another answer to prayer).
Screaming
Within an hour, I was dilated to 10 and ready to push. All the docs, NICU nurses, and respiratory therapists were assembled. It took me two contractions and she was out....screaming! I cried when I heard her cry...overwhelmed that she was breathing. I think the delivery doc thought I was nuts because I just kept saying...she's breathing...she's crying....she's alive. Dr. Sansone said, "what did you expect?"...if only she knew. The screaming cry of our little girl was our greatest prayer answered. Just for the record, she was born on Sunday, December 6th at 6:21 PM weighing 3 lbs 15 oz. and 17 inches long.
One Kiss
I got to kiss my little girl before they rushed her to the NICU. This was the last time I would touch her until Monday night around 8 pm. Unfortunately, I was too sick to leave my bed and needed to remain on Mag for a full 24-hours after her birth. Seeing my little girl for the first time was both an amazing and overwhelming experience. At the sight of her tubes and wires, I struggled with guilt as I felt like my body had failed her and now felt quite helpless as there was little, other than pumping breast milk, that I could do to serve her.
Plastic
For the next couple of days, I remained in the hospital because my blood pressure was quite high. Coming off the Mag made me realize just how terrible it really is to sleep on a plastic mattress with flat pillows...oh and did I mention I may never again be able to have a suitable meal of meatloaf and turkey?...also potentially made of plastic. There are just some things that a hospital should take off their menu.
Going Home
I was released on Wednesday night and continued into Thursday to struggle with rising blood pressure numbers. This made traveling to the hospital difficult as I was seeing star bursts in front of my eyes. I knew I needed to rest but this is tough for a mama to do when she wants so desperately to be near her baby. I was more than grateful to be home as I had only had glimpses of Gabriel in all those days (I was wheeled to the lobby a couple of times to see him as he could not enter the hospital with the H1N1 precautions) and of course sleeping in my bed was incredible.
I'll close this post and write a couple more to give you the story of her name and the very latest updates on her health.
For those of you that have been praying...thank you seems insufficient.
All our love,
The Kings
This has been the longest, shortest week of our life. It was a week ago yesterday that we went to have me checked out for a severe headache. The first trip to the hospital last Friday afternoon our health providers suspected a migraine (although I have had migraines in my life and this did not feel the same...I followed their lead). We had the baby monitored in labor and delivery and then we were sent to our primary care physicians office for a "migraine consult." You can probably imagine the horror on the doctor's face when he saw a pregnant woman being wheeled from the hospital to his office. He agreed to give me Imitrex to treat my headache but was very clear that if the headache returned it was NOT a migraine and we were to call our OB again. Within a couple of hours of returning home, my headache returned with a vengeance. For a moment, I thought about waiting until morning to call again but my symptoms were too pronounced to ignore (by this point I was having a great deal of difficulty seeing clearly out of my right eye). After calling our OB office, we headed to the hospital.
The Bulldog of Labor and Delivery
When we arrived at the hospital, we were met by Mo (short for Maureen), an RN with 40 years of nursing experience under her belt. She greeted us with the confidence of a bulldog saying "come on honey we're going to get this figured out." Things began moving quickly after MO's assessment. She was convinced I had pregnancy-induced hypertension (PIH) and that something needed to be done to save both me and the baby (apparently I had slits for eyes because of the swelling in my face and the lines on my hands, even knuckles had disappeared under the fluid). She called Dr. Sun (the OB on call from my med group) and within a short time, an IV was placed and I was started on magnesium (magnesium slows the central nervous system preventing stroke, life-threatening convulsions, etc.) During this time, they also gave me a steroid shot to develop our baby's lungs. Mo was right on...by morning my urine (which had been clear) was filled with protein. The acceptable levels range from 0-14...I was now at 23.
Living Between Worlds
Night flowed into day, we were trying to buy time. The magnesium put me in a state where I felt like I was living between this world and the next. I had cloths soaked in ice on my neck and over my eyes. There were times that it felt like my body was burning from the inside out. We called in Karen Wagner to pray as she brings a spirit of peace and had walked with us during Gabriel's birth experience. Her presence helped ease my anxious heart.
The Headache Returns
Dr. Sun came Saturday morning with my giant medical record binder and tried to discern next steps...still hoping we might make it to mid-week. Shortly after we consulted with her, my headache returned, now on the left-side of my head, piercing my left-vision. Time had run out, it was clear that the induction process needed to begin. My exam showed that my cervix was still completely closed requiring a cervical gel to begin dissolving those layers. They also gave me a narcotic to ease my head pain...I'm not sure how to describe what happened to me but I remember screaming for Jeremey and then losing control of my body. When I came down, Jeremey was apologizing to the doctor for the grip that I had placed on her hand. Note for the binder...Michelle and narcotics...not the best mix.
Balancing Fluids
My mom arrived Saturday night just in time for them to start the Potocin (a drug that helps with creating stronger contractions) Ironically, Magnesium and Poticin have nearly opposite purposes (Magnesium slows the system including contractions....while Poticin is trying to get labor under way). During labor, I was on a fluid restriction to attempt to prevent a fluid overload after delivery that might comprise my heart and lungs. The issue with restricting fluids during labor is that they are used to optimize the baby's stats. Neriyah's heart began showing less accelerations and variance in pattern which became a concern so they decided instead of fluids to try an oxygen mask on me for the duration of labor. The oxygen, along with the sound of Jeremey's voice, seemed to bring her heart rate back into a safe zone. We had been praying that there would still be enough time for a second steroid shot for her lungs...and as certainly as we prayed...it was able to be done.
Water Breaking Genius
I am admittedly pretty fuzzy about some of the details. I was convinced that I didn't sleep during this entire span, but come to find out I was in and out of coherency from the time they started me on Mag. Sunday, another doctor from my group was on-call, Dr. Sansone. They waited until the Potocin dilated me to 2 to break my water. Breaking my water was a bit of an art as I had so much fluid and Neriyah was still floating high. If they were to break it quickly, the gush could push the umbilical cord out before her head was in the canal. This would have led to an emergency C-section. Thankfully, Dr. Sansone has been practicing for 25 years and creatively decided to use a needle to slowly drain my fluid and allow the head to gently come into place. The nurses reflected that they had never seen something like this done...talk about the right doctor for the job.
The A-Team
After breaking my water, I dilated quickly to a 6. The entire team was aware that Gabriel came quickly and that not being ready may put our baby in danger....so they stayed. The doctor never left the hospital grounds and the Neonatalogist (special baby doctor) decided not to wait to be called but came to our room and prepared herself to wait no matter how long it took (the selection and hearts of these docs was certainly another answer to prayer).
Screaming
Within an hour, I was dilated to 10 and ready to push. All the docs, NICU nurses, and respiratory therapists were assembled. It took me two contractions and she was out....screaming! I cried when I heard her cry...overwhelmed that she was breathing. I think the delivery doc thought I was nuts because I just kept saying...she's breathing...she's crying....she's alive. Dr. Sansone said, "what did you expect?"...if only she knew. The screaming cry of our little girl was our greatest prayer answered. Just for the record, she was born on Sunday, December 6th at 6:21 PM weighing 3 lbs 15 oz. and 17 inches long.
One Kiss
I got to kiss my little girl before they rushed her to the NICU. This was the last time I would touch her until Monday night around 8 pm. Unfortunately, I was too sick to leave my bed and needed to remain on Mag for a full 24-hours after her birth. Seeing my little girl for the first time was both an amazing and overwhelming experience. At the sight of her tubes and wires, I struggled with guilt as I felt like my body had failed her and now felt quite helpless as there was little, other than pumping breast milk, that I could do to serve her.
Plastic
For the next couple of days, I remained in the hospital because my blood pressure was quite high. Coming off the Mag made me realize just how terrible it really is to sleep on a plastic mattress with flat pillows...oh and did I mention I may never again be able to have a suitable meal of meatloaf and turkey?...also potentially made of plastic. There are just some things that a hospital should take off their menu.
Going Home
I was released on Wednesday night and continued into Thursday to struggle with rising blood pressure numbers. This made traveling to the hospital difficult as I was seeing star bursts in front of my eyes. I knew I needed to rest but this is tough for a mama to do when she wants so desperately to be near her baby. I was more than grateful to be home as I had only had glimpses of Gabriel in all those days (I was wheeled to the lobby a couple of times to see him as he could not enter the hospital with the H1N1 precautions) and of course sleeping in my bed was incredible.
I'll close this post and write a couple more to give you the story of her name and the very latest updates on her health.
For those of you that have been praying...thank you seems insufficient.
All our love,
The Kings
1 comment:
I am so thrilled that your baby girl is here, and came out screaming! Praise God for the graces you were given in such a stressful time.
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