Long entry
So Tuesday was the growth check. Thursday, I went for my weekly check up at the baby doctor to go over the results and just a general making sure i was ok during these final laps. Now, my blood pressure had been running high throughout but not enough to worry, just high enough to watch. It was pretty high Thursday, as well as I'd had a weight spike. These are two signs for preeclampsia so they decided to send me to the hospital for monitoring. It was just me sitting in a bed, hooked up to fetal monitors and a blood pressure cuff for an hour or so. My blood pressure came down but there was trace protein in a sample they took. So I was told I was being kept over night for a more thorough test in case I had more protein than the random sample indicated.
The test was a 24 hour test and I was finished at 10:30 Friday morning. Around 2:00, the doctor comes to see me. They'd found more protein. I was at 298 and preeclampsia was official at 300. They therefore wanted to deliver the baby immediately. We went over my options, which were few. I asked about induction, but because of my Bishop score, it'd have to be a 3 day induction where I'd be put on a pitocin drip and since my body wasn't ready, I'd still likely have a c-section and then I'd have gone through the trauma for nothing. I asked if I could be discharged and come back Monday so I'd have the weekend to get ready since NOTHING was settled. I mean, I had lots of half finished projects but my house was so not ready to bring a Simi home. She said no, because I had preeclampsia, there's a danger of my having a seizure at any moment which could do serious harm to both me and the baby. If we waited to Monday for the section, I would need to stay in the hospital under observation. I called Andrew who came right over. We talked about it and decided that there wasn't any point in waiting.
I'd finished lunch at noon, so my surgery was scheduled for 8:00 since I needed to not have eaten or drunk for 8 hours. After the decision was made, it was amazing how fast it all went. I was put on a glucose/saline drip to hydrate me. It was also to help avoid an anesthesia headache in case I had a spinal instead of an epidural. The anesthesiologist came and talked to me about the three choices: spinal, epi and general. I also signed the consent forms.
The nurses wheeled me into pre-op. Andrew put on his funny surgery-watching clothes. When it was time, I was taken back. I was insanely nervous. I'd never had any surgery of any sort and here I was about to give birth. I got the spinal, which I'd heard hurt like hell but actually only felt like a mild bee-sting. Andrew joined me and a very short time later, they held up my little girl for me to see! The doctors freaked us out for a second because when she came out, one said "he" and the other said "she." Andrew blinked and said, "Well, which is it??" They assured us she was a she. They also all exclaimed about the serious head of hair she had.
She was taken, weighed and cleaned. The anesthesiologist was funny. She didn't have much to do except monitor my vitals, so she took Andrew's camera and got some shots of her on the other side as they got her cleaned up. While they patched me up and made sure they didn't leave anything in me, Andrew got to hold her and the doctor took several shots of them. So cute :-) They finally finished with me and put me on the bed to wheel out and so I got to hold my little girl for the first time. It was amazing and I can't say more than that.
My mom, dad and brothers were waiting as they wheeled me into post-op. They came in one at a time. My brother Mikie came with a dozen roses and wearing a tuxedo. He said that since he was meeting his niece for the first time, he wanted to be properly dressed. I thought it was adorable. Too soon, I had to give her to the nurse to do the admissions paperwork, get her bathed properly and all that. Andrew went with her and I got to hang out in post-op til 1:30 when they finally had a room for me.
The doctors pronounced her perfect. You'd never know she was just over 2 weeks early. I stayed in the full 4 days I was allowed. Apparently, most moms can't wait to go home and leave after 3 days. Sorry, major abdominal surgery + baby = as much time in the hospital as I can manage. Mom, Sarah and Alex invaded the house over the weekend and got as much as they could ready and cleaned everything so it wasn't a disaster when we came home.
So I'm home and recovering. I'm on baby time, which is unique. It's taken 3 days to write this entry. I've had it in notepad and added to it when I could. I've not really been on phone or email, so I'm sorry I've been out of it. If you've emailed me at work since Wednesday, please resend it to my personal account since I won't be checking the other one til mid-October. It's still not really sunk in what's happened. She's a week old yesterday. Next Monday is Labor Day and mom said we should do something to celebrate since it's Tess' due date. Every day is a new miracle and I'll just stop now because I could go on endlessly about the perfection that is my little one ;-)
Vitals:
Name: Theresa Jacquline
DOB and weight: August 15, 2008, 8:30 pm; 9 pounds, 11 ounces
Mom and dad: head over heels in love