The start of my motherhood started when I found out I was pregnant-- just three months shy of getting married (which is great- what we wanted!!). I found out I was pregnant just days after my birthday and went along my pregnancy without any morning sickness or nausea (thank you Mom and Grandma!!!). My pregnancy with Ava was pretty awesome... awesome up until my blood pressure starting to climb the charts at 28-29 weeks. That's when I was referred to the high risk special doctor, perinatologist, Dr. Maier, at Kaiser in Walnut Creek. (He was wonderful!) At almost 30 weeks, I had an awful migraine at work that would not go away. I went home to check my blood pressure with hopes of returning to work right away, but that wasn't the case. The high risk nurse who received my frantic call about my blood pressure told me to go to Labor and Delivery right away!
I was admitted. It was extremely high. I was so scared. I didn't know what was going on and I couldn't wrap my head around it. I spent the night in an actual delivery room on a very uncomfortable delivery chair/bed thinking at anytime they might induce me and take my baby out. The whole week my blood pressure was extremely high and the team in the Labor and Delivery couldn't find the right meds to keep it down. I stayed in the hospital for an entire week which was the week leading up to my baby shower.
I was determined to get out of the hospital and was not going to have a baby shower in the hospital. And I didn't! The staff found the right mix of medicine to keep my blood pressure relatively low (not normal low, but around 140/90-95 and I was put on bed rest and was not allowed to get up from my bed or couch unless it was to shower or use the restroom. But a baby shower.. my first baby shower-- I attended and had a great time with the Mayers who graciously hosted it.
After a week of being on best rest, I had two NST appointments which the first I was released from but the second- not so lucky. The second appointment was on a Friday and my blood pressure was high again (probably around 160/100) and I was admitted. Through that stay, I was required to pee in a 'hat' and keep it so they could test the protein in my urine (which I did throughout the pregnancy once I was labeled 'high risk').
Saturday came and went... and Sunday came. I had had two shots of steriods during this stay to help strengthen the baby's lungs, with the first one on Friday and the second on Saturday. Thank God for those. Sunday afternoon came....
And the words came out of the doctors' mouth. The protein in my urine was extremely high and they were going to have to get her out now. Now. NOW?! I'm not ready. I'm not ready for labor. I haven't even attended the lamaza class or the newborn care class!!!!!!!!! I wasn't ready and I was so scared. So scared. I didn't even realize what was happening. It was so surreal.
Well they induced me around noon I'm guessing since I was eating lunch at the time they told me about the induction. So a couple of naps and hours go by.... I watch the Next Food Network Star for a couple of hours... waiting to feel an awful contraction... and the doctor comes in. He informs me that my liver levels and blood palates numbers are going down because of the pitocin (induces labor) and they need to do an emergency C-section... RIGHT NOW!
What? Now I was scared. I was already scared that I was going to have a baby born at 32 weeks, but didn't completely wrap my mind around it. But now I'm going to have surgery. I've never had surgery let alone a tooth pulled.
Ava came out screaming! (Thank God again for those steroid shots!) She was rushed to the incubator where the doctors examined her and held her up for two seconds and put her in another incubator and took her away. I was sewed up and brought into recovery... recovered well. I was wheeled into my room for the night and wouldn't see Ava until the next afternoon.
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| Here is the first time I got to hold my baby girl, one day old. |
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