It has been almost two weeks since our first very alarming and scary ordeal that sent us labor and delivery at 24 weeks pregnant. It has taken me this time to be able to reflect on all that has happened as well as share the story with out feeling like I am going to burst into and emotional mess. At first I wasn't sure that I was going to blog about this because I wasn't sure this is something that I wanted to be reminded of or really wanted to share this with many people. Yet, the more that I thought about it this is something that I don't want to forget and talking about it is what has really helped.
Winding back the clock almost two weeks....Friday May 6th - 24 weeks pregnant
In the morning I got up to do my usual routine. QT with God, light cleaning around the house, packing lunches, and then off for a walk with my Mom. When we began the walk I felt a little dull ache under my belly button but shook it off. The dull ache persisted on and off during the walk but didn't get stronger until after the walk...again I shook it off and thought maybe I just need to go to the bathroom.
It wasn't until I got to work that I first thought that the pain was odd. Mainly because it was reoccurring off and on. Now it was about 10:30am and usually Isaac is very active in the morning pushing, kicking, and stretching. But, I wasn't feeling him move too much. My initial reaction was that maybe I should eat some food and give him some energy (11am). Well, that did not work...actually the pain came back even stronger. This is when I think I fully began to realize that I needed to speak to an advice nurse. I called in, and my hopes were that in explaining what was going they would reassure me that what I was feeling was normal for XYZ reasons and in being a first time mom not to freak out. WELL...that is not what happened at all.
The nurse quickly got on the phone and walked though my symptoms with me on the phone. There was a short pause and then she said, "what hospital are you delivering at? Because if this is preterm labor it is best that you are already at the hospital" This is when the first alarm bell went off. She then patched me over to the OBGYN at Kaiser Hayward, and they told me to come into the offices there. At this point I was starting to really 'freak out' knowing that I am only 24 weeks along all of these scenarios started running through my head. But, first things first I needed to call Eddie and have him come pick me up.
Before Calling Eddie, I tried giving myself a pep talk about remaining calm and not freaking him out. Can we say backfire...The instant I heard his voice my voice started to quiver and I could feel tears rolling down my face. Who was I trying to kid..Eddie is the strong calm one and I am the emotional one. I explained what was happening and he was on his way to get me. When Eddie got here, he has lots of questions of course and the only thing I could say was, "we just need to go get checked out".
I immediately contacted my family to ask for prayer: to stay calm, for strength, for Isaac's health as well as my own. I knew that what lied ahead was going to be difficult and that I was really out of control of the situation. On the way to the hospital one of the first cars that we pulled along side had a bumper sticker that read - "Before you were conceived I loved you" - GOD. I could feel my eyes beginning to sting with tears. At the next light, the car right in front of us had a casing around the license plate that read - "Life is fragile - Pray Hard". I did not take these as a sign of divine intervention but just as reminders that Isaac and I are both in God's hands and all we could do at this point was pray.
When we arrived at the hospital it was rather nerve racking. We had to wait for a while to be seen but once the Dr. came in and completed the exam we began to feel much relief. She let us know that Isaac was doing good, he wasn't under any serious stress, the fluids around him looks good, and his heart rate was normal. She did need to send some things off to the lab but other than that it looked good. Before she let us go she wanted to send us over to another station to get a stress test to make sure that the pains that I was feeling were not contractions. We headed across the hall and got all 'hooked up' to the monitors, and before the nurse left the room she mentioned that the number on the monitor should stay around 20, if it goes up to 30 or more I am having a contraction. We were in there for about 5 minutes relaxing thinking that we would be going home in about 20 minutes or so. Then...the monitor spikes to 30,31,33,55. Within 5 more minutes another spike in the monitor but this time it was over 40. After another 5 minutes or so, there was another one! The nurse comes in, tears off the sheet and says let me show this to the Dr. She quickly returns and says, "There is enough activity that the Dr. wants you to go over to labor and delivery for more monitoring". It was those words that really began to ring the alarms in my head.
We headed down the hall and into the elevator. Eddie who had been so calm this whole time it was the first time that I saw a little nervousness on his face. As we arrived at labor and delivery there is a sign above the door that says "Motherhood Begins Here". There was so many emotions running through my body at this point, but I think I was still in some shock because I just had this numbing feeling. As we rounded the corner to the nurses station I felt as if I was in a dream. Knowing that you are only 24 weeks, it was just crazy because I keep thinking, "I am not suppose to be here for another 3 months at least!!". I had never been admitted to the hospital so as they began the whole process it was just weird. I am getting all strapped up to the monitors, in a hospital gown, and Eddie is wearing the 'significant other visitor' badge. ayy! ayy! ayy! weirdness!!
As I tried to remain calm the RN and her assistant are getting me all situated, asking similar question to what I had been asked before. I leaned over to Eddie and said, "you know that I won't be able to vaginally deliver him tonight...if he comes it's going to be by c-section." Eddie just stroked my head and said "don't worry baby that isn't going to happen". Then we prayed together for God to watch over Isaac and me. The Dr. came in an explained the test that she wanted to complete as well as again reassuring me that if he was born tonight he is old enough to survive. She completed another ultrasound and all looked well, but sent out for some more labs. What seemed like an hours that passed she returned with great news. The contractions had stopped! At this point she didn't know what to say other than they were confident that it must be a bladder infection that was causing my uterus to contract. More waiting.....then the results are in. NO bladder infection, and the Dr's are officially stumped. She said that we were very luck and appeared to have "dodged a bullet". And like that we were free to go.
Although, they were all stumped I was not. I knew that the power of prayer was at work. This was not a fluke of just plain luck this was God's hand at work. God continually amazes me, I was speechless and in awe of how he stepped in we were headed home with Isaac still in the 'oven'. After all that had happened I just began to count my many blessing. I am so blessed to have Eddie as my husband. He was my rock through this entire ordeal: loving, strong, compassionate, supportive, understanding, calming, and still able to make me smile through it all. I am blessed to have family that would get on their knees and pray for Isaac through out this all. And I am blessed to be Isaac's Mommy. All of this was also so emotional on top of everything seeing that it was Mother's day weekend. We attended church on Sunday and Stacey our Pastor's wife delivered the message. What the main point boiled down to "Our children are not for our happiness our children are for our holiness". Her words just resonated within in me. This in a nutshell expressed all that I was feeling from the days before. This entire experience of being conceiving and being pregnant has drawn me closer to God. I know that this will not be Isaac's only close call in life, and my prayers are that I can be the best Mother to him that I can be.
