So here is the story so many of you have been waiting to hear.......Dean's birth story. This past Monday started off as any other Monday normally does. Nick got home from work that morning and was working on the jeep and I had just gotten out of the shower when all of a sudden I felt a little pop and small gush of blood. As I started to investigate what happened more and more blood started pouring out of me. I immediatley yelled for Nick and told him that we needed to go to the hospital now. My first thought when I saw all the blood was that I was having a placental abruption which is an emergency and if not dealt with quickly can be catastrophic to me and Dean. Nick and I rushed to the hospital and all the while I was continuing to bleed large amounts. When the nurses saw how much blood I was losing they worked quickly to get me on the monitors and start an IV. Hearing Dean's heartbeat made me feel so much better, but I also knew that something was definetley wrong, otherwise I wouldn't be bleeding like this. My doctor came into evaluate me and determined that while I was bleeding, my water had also broken and that I was starting to dilate and go into labor. At this point my contractions were tolerable and I wasn't in too much pain. When Nick and I realized that this was it and our little boy was going to be born it hit me hard and I started feeling so guilty that I couldn't get him to at least 37 weeks. I knew he was going to be ok and that 33 weekers generally do just fine especially since he had the steroid shot earlier in the pregnancy to help his lung development. His being only 33 weeks meant that he was going to be admitted to the NICU despite how well he was doing at birth. My whole pregnancy all I thought about was those first few moments after birth and how happy I would be to hold him on my chest and for Nick and I to bond with him. But this wasn't going to happen for us because they would have to take him straight to the NICU and we would be separated.
As the day progressed my contractions intensified and my bleeding continually increased and I was passing blood clots the size of golf balls. Unfortunatley, I wasn't able to get an epidural because of the blood thinning medication I had been taking during my pregnancy, so I did my best to breathe through the contractions. Nick was a really good coach and he helped me focus and keep me calm. Around 8:30 the pain was so severe and I was only dilated to 3 centimeters when the doctor checked me. She determined that she wasn't comfortable with the amount of bleeding that I was having and I told her that I was scared something bad was going to happen if I wasn't delivered soon. She decided that c-section was the best option and I completley agreed with her. Before they took me to the OR I had to get a blood transfusion due to all the blood I had lost so far. The anesthesiologist also informed me that I had to be put to sleep during the c-section because I couldn't get the spinal due to the blood thinning medication. This really upset me because Nick wouldn't be able to go with me into the OR while I was under general anesthesia and I wouldn't be awake to hear Dean's first cry. While they were prepping me for surgery I was in such excrutiating pain and was completely terrified for what was about to happen. Even though I have been a part of hundreds and hundreds of c-sections, nothing ever prepares you for going through one yourself, especially if it's an emergency situation and you're having to be put to sleep. I kept repeating to myself to breathe and stay calm. They rolled me back to the OR and Nick was able to stand outside the OR so he could go with Dean to the NICU after he was born. All the nurses and doctors did so well talking me through what they were doing and encouraging me to just breathe and focus. They all knew that I was a labor nurse and that the last thing I ever expected for my delivery was what was happening right at that moment.
Nick told me that he never was so anxious and scared in his whole life as he was during those 10 minutes that it took for Dean to be born. The NICU staff brought Nick into the OR to see Dean and he was able to trim up his umbilical cord and see how much he weighed. Nick said he was crying and waving his arms and legs and that he looked like a little fighter!
After surgery my recovery was painful, but went smoothly and I was able to go to the NICU to hold my little guy for the first time. He did so well after he was born and never had to be on oxygen. They did have to start an IV because his blood sugar dropped too low and they inserted a little tube down his nose and into his stomach so he could be fed. Dean weighed a whopping 4lbs and 5 oz when he was born, such a big boy! He has continued to impress everyone with how well he's doing and we've already determined that he is an overachiever :) He will be 72 hours old tonight at 9:30 and his IV is out and most of his monitors have been taken off. He does still have the tube in his nose because he doesn't quite have the energy to eat as much as he should to gain weight. He also had to be put under blue lights becuase his bilirubin reached a high level which is expected for preemies. Dean is more than we could have asked for and even though we weren't expecting to meet him for another couple weeks, we are so happy and feel so lucky to have him. He is such a mellow baby and loves to be cuddled skin to skin. Nothing prepared us for how much love we would feel for this little baby that we only just met. He has made us so happy even though he wasn't born in the most ideal way. He just wanted his grand entrance to be dramatic and memorable which it definitely was. The plan is for him to stay in the NICU for a minimum of 2 weeks and hopefully no more than 4. I'm being discharged from the hospital tomorrow, but Nick and I will practically be living here until we can take Dean home with us. I can't imagine how hard it's going to be to drive away from the hospital and leave him behind, but I know he will be in good hands. I can't say enough about how great the nurses and doctors have been in taking care of our little family.
I will be using this blog to keep everyone updated on Dean's progress and posting plenty of pictures. Thank you to everyone for your prayers and well-wishes. Please continue to think of Dean and pray that he continues to grow and develop as he should so he can come home to his mommy and daddy as soon as possible.
I am so glad to hear you guys are doing good.
ReplyDelete