Birth Story

This may be a little graphic so read it only if you actually want to know the details...

On Sunday afternoon I was laying on the couch. Fred was watching football and I was just relaxing. I felt a little uncomfortable, sort of crampy but nothing painful. I thought I had to go pee so I went to the bathroom. When I sat down, I knew that something was wrong. I felt something come out and knew it wasn't pee. I was so afraid to look. And when I did, I was even more afraid. It was blood, and not just a little.

I tried to calmly yell for Fred but that didn't work so well. He came in the bathroom and all I could say is "We have to go to the hospital...NOW". I told him what happened and as I tried to gather myself, he got Makayla ready to go. By the time I walked out to the truck, the blood had soaked through the pad and my pants and was running down my legs. Fred ran in to get a towel for the seat and I stood there just trying to stay composed.

It had snowed during the day and the roads had not been de-iced so it was a long trip to the hospital. The baby was still kicking which gave me a little comfort. Once we got there, the nurses hooked me up to the monitors and the baby was doing great. There were no signs of distress. But I kept bleeding. The doctor came in to check my cervix which was not dilated. Then I got an ultrasound, bloodwork, IV. Everything looked fine with the baby and placenta. The doctor said he wanted to watch and see what happened and that I'd have to stay the night. So I told Fred to go home, put Makayla to bed and come back in the morning.

Shortly after they left I started having some contractions. The nurse talked to the doctor about it and he said he would do his scheduled c-section and then check on me afterward. The nurse checked my bleeding and went back to talk to the doctor. They both came in and said 'We have to do this now'. By 'now' I had no idea that meant like right that minute. I quickly called Fred to tell him what was happening. He was so scared and upset. I tried to calm him down but I could hear in his voice that he was so afraid.

My doctor happened to be the doctor on backup and he showed up at my bedside as they were wheeling me in to the OR. I was so happy to see him that I nearly cried. He's been through everything with us for the last two years and he has called me his 'scariest patient' ever since I got pregnant this time. Seeing his face really calmed me down.

Fred didn't make it back in time to be there for the birth. The anesthesiologist let me hold his hand during the whole thing and my doctor talked to me the whole time. The NICU nurses showed the baby to me for just a few seconds before they whisked him away. I was so happy to hear his tiny little cry and see him for even those few seconds.

The doctor said my placenta was healthy and intact. There was no placental abruption. He did say there was a small tear where my uterus and placenta meet which must have caused the bleeding. He said he expected to see something much worse for the amount of bleeding I had, but that they had made the right decision. He said if I had bled much longer that I would have likely had to have a transfusion.

Fred arrived at the hospital shortly after I got to my recovery room. As soon as he got there, the nurses brought him right into the NICU and explained everything to him. The NICU doctor was also there (and she happens to be Filipino) and she really helped him to calm down and understand what was going on. He seemed to feel much more relaxed after talking with her.

It was a pretty scary way to have a baby. We are all doing well now. There are so many things to do now...we weren't expecting a January baby!