For weeks, twice a week we had been doing non-stress tests on the baby, mainly because my blood pressure started to spike at about 33-34 weeks. Nothing WAY serious but it had gone up higher than its been and because I have a history of high blood pressure during pregnancy they wanted to watch and make sure it didn’t get higher.
We got our last ultrasound at 34 weeks and they found a tiny blood clot in my placenta. My doctor didn’t seem to worried as it was supposedly ‘normal’. That was another reason they wanted to watch the baby on monitors to make sure he continued to get the blood flow he needed and the clot didn’t cause problems.
My doctor had me run blood work, and urine tests to make sure I wasn’t showing signs of preeclampsia. All my work came back normal and besides blood pressure everything was going great!
Monday, October 29th, 2018 I had my 36 week doctors appointment, blood pressure was still high, so we scheduled my c-section for Monday, November 19th, 2018. I would be just a day over 39 weeks and I kind of chuckled, “yeah good luck getting me to make it that far. This baby isn’t gonna stay in there for three more weeks. You’ll be lucky if he makes it to 38 weeks.” (I know my body and I know my babies. This kid was gonna be huge and I just KNEW he wasn’t about to stay put for another three weeks.) My doctor agreed, “Yeah, I don’t think you’ll make it to 38 weeks either.” But, hopeful we were.
After my appointment I headed to the hospital, where all the nurses expected me for my weekly stress test.
Baby always sounded good, blood pressure was ALWAYS different. One second I got a ‘decent’ reading, the next it was high. I had been put on strict bed rest that whole week to try and get my blood pressure down.
Oh, I seem to be leaving out a very important detail about this whole thing. MY NEVER ENDING EAR INFECTION, Oh my lord. You just have no idea.
Literally the day I got my ear infection was the day my blood pressure decided to spike. Whether that is related or not is undetermined. It literally got so bad, I was completely deaf. Every nurse, doctor or person that talked to me had to legit yell or just talk to Riley and he would come yell in my ear what they said. This lasted two weeks. The uncontrollable pain is just a whole other story.
After we were finally released from the hospital after the NST we headed home. I got home and headed straight for my bed, with all the heating pads for my ears.
An hour.. or two later Riley came in and told me that my doctor called. He wanted us in provo ASAP he didn’t like my blood pressure. He thought it was headed to a higher number and was worried preeclampsia would kick in and everything would go to shits.
I lost it. Literally lost it. I started bawling. Not necessarily because of baby coming at 36+1 weeks but because I had to leave Hayven for an unknown amount of time and it broke my heart. It wasn’t gonna be just her and I anymore. I quickly called my mom, who just barely got to work to tell her we gotta get up to the hospital, they are expecting us. She didn’t think twice to coming and grabbing Hayven. “Okay, I’m on my way! leaving right now.”
Luckily our bags had been packed for awhile so all we needed to do was load the car up and head on out.
After we arrived and got checked in, they quickly hooked me and baby up to monitors to see what was happening. I already knew my blood pressure had to be high. Like hello? look where I’m at! I swear we have lived at this hospital for two years. (LD RM 22)
They took two readings, told the surgeon on duty and boom, it was time for a baby! It all seems like such a blur, so many people coming in and out, all the nurses, doctors, anesthesiologist, all coming in while the cuff on my arm is making one hand numb and i’m being stabbed with a needle in the other hand at the same time.
9:45 pm rolled around and the nurses wheeled me to the OR. Holy flashbacks. I have truly come to hate the operating room. Its cold, quiet, white, clean, and just gives me anxiety every single time. I had told Riley earlier, “i dont know what’s gonna happen, (I never got the lung shot for baby), but no matter what, follow the baby if they take him back and make sure he’s okay.”
The whole time I’m thinking, “why is this happening? cant we wait? I don’t want another surgery. I’m tired, my ears hurt, just wait.”
Before to long my whole bodies numb, I cant feel anything. I’m shaking so bad, its so cold, my teeth are chattering, and making my mouth sore. They’re cutting me open and I get sick. The anesthesiologist tells me to turn my head to the left and puke is coming out every where. I’ve gotten nauseas during my surgeries before but have never puked. Try doing it laying stiff as a board and only being able to move your head. It was awful.
Time seems to go so fast for me in there. One minutes I’m barely numb and the next minute I hear a baby cry and the doctor yell “ITS A BOY!” 10:41 PM. The nurse grabs the baby and brings him up to my head and every doubt in my head simply vanishes and all I can think is, “that was so worth it!”
For the first day I had to live through pictures of my sweet boy. And though we hadn’t ‘officially’ met, I loved him so much. Even more than I loved myself. He was beautiful and I couldn’t wait to meet him, and hold him forever. Motherhood truly is the most beautiful gift that god has ever created and I am so blessed, after all we have been through in the past two years that I was able to have a healthy child and be able to take them home with me. I will never take the small things for granted again.
NOW…
The next S I X days are crazy, hectic, stressful but worth every single thing we had to endure.
Be sure to stick around to see what happens next.
xoxo
Tasia
(Did you notice all the 2’s? labor and deliver room number 22. cut me open at 22:29, baby was born at 22:41.. if you have followed me you know how significant the number 2 is to our family.. especially repetitive 2’s.)