When Life Comes Early
Wednesday, March 2, 2016– (30 weeks pregnant)
If you are familiar with pregnancy than you know that back pain is a common symptom. I researched son websites that says if you are active in your pregnancy than your back pain can go down. I woke up Thursday morning with some back pain and decided I should go to the gym and walk. Just did my typical pregnancy walk on the treadmill at a speed of 2.7 for 20 min. Nothing too fancy and nothing too stressful. Then I went to work.
Around 11am my back was still hurting so I gave my mom a call. It was a dull pain, about a 4-5 on the pain scale. It felt like the same pain I get during that time of the month. My mom told me that I needed to go in and get checked. I didn’t think it was that big of a deal cause I have had such an easy pregnancy and I wasn’t spotting or anything.
Abound 3pm I thought I might be getting some cramps in the front but I wasn’t too sure. I decided to leave work early and go home. I told my co-worker Kyle that I was going to go home cause my back was hurting but don’t worry it’s not labor (little did I know!)
It takes me an hour to get home from work and I had an hour until my husband got home. I was still in that 4-5 range of pain but I really wanted some chocolate icing. I had to hurry and make some before my husband got home so he wouldn’t see me just eating icing, lol.
I laid down and called my mom again to tell her that I was still in pain. She told me that I need to go in. She said that if I didn’t go she was going to come pick me up herself and take me in. It was after 5pm when I called my OBGYN’s office. I left a message for the on-call doctor. She called me back 10 min later and I explained my pain to her and she said that was typical for my stage in pregnancy and to lay down and see if that would help and if I wanted to I could come in but she didn’t seem to worried about it. I laid on my side for about and hour and still had some pain.
The pain that I was experiencing was constant back pain with what felt like muscle spasms in the front.
I called the OB Emergency Room phone number and talked to the nurse who said that was typical and asked if I was spotting and I told her no. She said if it got worse to come in. I called my mom again to update her and she begged me to go in.
My husband was out talking to the neighbor and I waited until he was done and told him I think that we should go to the OB ER to get checked out. He said okay and we got in the car and left.
I checked in around 7pm. The nurse said that bladder infections could cause spasms so I peed in a cup to get that tested. They then hooked my belly up to a monitor. The OB ER doctor came in and explained that it could be a bladder infection, kidney infection or dehydrated that would cause the spasms. They gave me some IV fluids while the test for the bladder/kidney infection was sent off. All this time I was about a 5-6 on the pain scale. This time the “spasms” were coming and going. The monitor on my belly that shows contractions was going up and down according to my spasms. Luckily, my mom was in town for church and was able to come to the ER to be with my husband and I. The IV fluid went right through me really fast and they started another one. Well after 2 bags of IV fluid and well hydrated, my spasms were going down.
Around 10pm the doctor came back in and let me know that I was negative for a bladder infection (which I could have told him because it didn’t hurt when I peed, lol but whatever). He explained again that it could be cause I was dehydrated and/or braxton hicks(fake contractions). The ER Dr gave me an ambient to be able to sleep and discharged me a little after 10. My mom headed back home (she lived about 1.3 hrs away) and we headed back to our house.
My husband got on his playstation to play with his friend Chris while I took a bath. I know what you are thinking… he gave you an ambient at the hospital and you weren’t asleep by the time you got home.. YEP! So I took my first bath. While I was getting ready for the bath I got nauseous and threw up. I didn’t think much of it. I just thought I was hungry because I didn’t eat any dinner. I called out to Josh and asked him to make me a peanut butter sandwich cause I was hungry. He made me a sandwich and then took a melatonin to help him get to sleep. I called back to the ER nurse and let her know that I threw up and asked if I needed to come back in. She said that was probably just cause I didn’t eat any dinner.
I laid down in bed and was still in some pain. I decided to take another bath. This time I had a little light brown discharge but it didn’t look anything like blood. My pain was back to the 5-6 on the scale. I called back again to the ER nurse and told her that and she said if I wanted to come back in that I could but she didn’t seem to concerned.
So around 11pm I went into our room and woke Josh up and told him I think we need to go back in. He asked if I was sure and I said yep. He got up without complaining and we got in the car and headed back to the hospital. On the car ride to the hospital my pain went from a 5-6 to about an 8. I was crying and I told Josh that if this wasn’t labor I don’t think I could handle it.
I can handle pain pretty well, but at this time I was doing my “Hmmmmmm high pitch grunts” trying to suppress the sound. The nurse came in to the room and began to hook me back up to the monitor. She kept moving the monitor around on my belly and I asked her if anything was wrong and she said that the baby’s heartrate was measuring over 200 but that it was probably just picking up mine and his. At the same time the DR. came back in and was like “oh you feeling worse”. At this same time I’m screaming “hmmmmm” as low as I could (without screaming loud). I was thinking, um DUH, don’t you hear me screaming?
He told me he was going to check to see if I was dilated. I can still picture his face as soon as he checked. He got up real quick and told the nurse that I was 8cm dilated and fully effaced. He told me that I was probably going to be having the baby tonight. I was crying/screaming that it was too early and made Josh call my mom and his parents. My mom had just gotten home and she got in her car and headed back.
The start of the chaos– another nurse came in the room and tried to start an IV. The DR came back in the room with the ultrasound machine and said he was going to see if the baby was in the right position to deliver. Well the Dr couldn’t figure out how to get it turned on. At the same time the nurse was having trouble getting the IV started. There was also another nurse in the room trying to get me admitted by asking a million questions really fast. The Dr. finally figured out how to turn the ultrasound machine on and put it on my belly. I swear he really didn’t see and anything because I looked at the screen and it was just black. He said the baby was in the right position.
We then moved to the labor and delivery room. They hooked tried to hook my baby back up to the monitor and found that the baby’s heartrate dropped to 70. The dr. said they were going to have to do an emergency C-section and since it was an emergency my husband couldn’t go with us. My husband later told me that all of a sudden the room flooded with people and they took me away.
I remember being rushed down the hall and my husband running out telling me he loved me.
I thought I heard the nurses talking and saying that the on call dr was 20 mins out and I was worried the baby wouldn’t live that long for the dr. to get there.
We got to the room and I had to move to the surgical or whatever you call it bed. All the time they were trying to get all the stuff set up and the anesthesiologist got the oxygen mask on me when I felt a rush of fluid. I thought that it was blood and that I was dying. Not to mention the fact that one of them screamed to go get the father. So, here I am 30 weeks pregnant, my baby’s heartrate is 70 and I am dying. I thought that my husband was going to have to make the decision to save me or the baby. We just had discussed this a week earlier and I made Josh promise me that he would choose the baby. Side note- it turned out to be my water that broke but at the time I didn’t know that.
My husband got in the room and he later told me that they were standing there saying “what do you think we should do, should we have her push? Yah lets give that a try”
They told me to push. My first “push” was more of a scream and not a push, I even realized this. They told me less screaming and more pushing. Two pushes later the baby was out and they took it away. I don’t remember seeing or hearing it. Josh later told me that the baby came out blue. We didn’t find out the sex of the baby so I was asking if the baby was okay. Finally they told me that it was and then I asked if it was a boy or a girl. It was a BOY!!! They were taking the baby out of the room but they did allow me to see him and give him a kiss before they took him.
Just so you understand how fast everything moved. My husband called his parents when we got to the labor and delivery room at 12pm and he told them that we might be having the baby. Harrison James Ackerman was born at 12:07am… in 7 min from the phone call with his parents.
Since it happen so fast they were unable to give me a shot that would have helped his lungs develop. I was unable to get any medicine for pain. I had him all natural. After he was delivered I remember the anesthesiologist coming over to me and said “I just put the oxygen mask on you, I’m not even going to charge you for that!” I thought that was pretty funny.
Side note- Poor josh was in shock while it was happening and the nurses had to tell him to pull his phone out to take some pictures. Some of which I had to delete from his phone for the inappropriate angles! lol
Meet Harrison James Ackerman, born 12:07am on March 3, 2016 weighing 3lbs 4.9oz and 16.25″ long.
It was a long struggle in the NICU but we had the best doctors and nurses around.
It was about 3 days before we were able to hold him. It was the best feeling in the world.
Our little guy was a fighter and strong! Little man blew out all his IV spots within 6 days so they decided to try and see if he could go without it. They gradually increased his feedings and was able to stay off the IV. That was basically our motto throughout our NICU stay… “Lets see if he can do without this…”
He grew and grew getting stronger every day. We did have some set backs but he always pulled through.
The nurses in the NICU were amazing and they were so kind and supportive and we felt like we were leaving him in good hands every time we had to leave at night.
He spent 70 days in the St. Mary’s NICU and finally got to go home May 12, 2016.
Harrison James, now almost 5 months, is about 15 lbs of pure chubbiness and cuteness! We couldn’t be more proud of him.
It has been a long journey but we just thank God that we were able to keep him on Earth with us when it could have easily turned out different. My prayer for Harrison ever day has been “Let every breath he breathes bring praise and worship to God”
