365 days ago.....

My little baby was born. We knew he had heart defects and I was getting the best medical care. But nothing can stop your water from breaking. That is what happened to me on September 5th, 2006. I was admitted so Tommy and I could have constant monitoring. We tried to make it five weeks but the night of the 24th, I had a hard time sleeping and my gut knew the big day would be here when I woke up. I had no pain. I had been losing a little amniotic fluid every day but not enough to hurt the pregnancy. I was in bed all day except for 5 feet to the bathroom and a shower every other day. The morning of September 25, I woke up soaked with bloody amniotic fluid. I called the nurse and she talked to my doctors. I was told I was on high alert and to let them know if anything else happened. I wrapped a towel around myself like a diaper and laid on my side and tried to relax.

My best friend and her husband brought Brandon to see me a few hours later. When they left, she whispered "see you soon" to my belly. Ugh! Why did she have to encourage him??? When they left, I got up to use the bathroom and found my towel soaked again. My doctors held a quick conference and told me there comes a point when the decision must be made if it is safer to continue a pregnancy or deliver the baby and take care of him in the NICU. She thought I was beginning to have a ruptured placenta so I was to be induced. Silly me, I thought I had a few minutes. I barely had time to get ahold of my husband at work! He called his mom in KY. She left work, fed her cats and jumped in her car.

I was induced at 1pm and my labor started to progress around 4 or so to the point I could feel contractions really well. When I got to 4 cm, I decided to have my very first epidural. OMG! It was horrendous. My contractions were on top of each other and I was shaking all over and sweating like crazy. Every time the tech stuck my back I thought I would die. After the 4th stick we thought it was in a good spot. They administered meds and checked to see if I was numb. Nope! They gave more meds. Still nothing! So there I was with a needle in my back doing nothing, complete back labor, and going through natural childbirth by no choice of my own!

At 7 cm we went to the OR to deliver in case the placenta ruptured and they had to do and emergency C-section. Luckily we did not and when I hit 8 my body went crazy and I couldn't stop my natural urge to push. I held off just a little and when I got to 9 the doctor said "oh well, he's little, just push". So I did. Once. My best friend said Tommy shot out so fast the doctor almost dropped him! And then I head it...CRYING! I thought for sure my sickly little baby would be too weak to cry! That glorious sound filled the nursery next door and wafted all through the OR. I never saw him because he was supposed to be critical. He apgar'd at 9 and 9!

I finally saw him an hour later on his way up to the NICU. He was so big for a preemie, and yet so small compared to a full term baby. He was healthy and vivacious. I found out that the doctors had found a blood clot on the placenta so we had done the right thing. My mother in law made it an hour or so after he was born and we walked up to the NICU together a couple hours later after the team got him settled in. He spent only 5 days in the NICU and was moved to the stepdown unit because he was just so darn healthy! What a little fighter! (Now his heart is another story...) It's been an awesome year loving my little miracle. I hope everyone likes the montage in the previous post.