Hey-
Don't know if anyone noted my absence on the last couple of Monday check ins... Things have been crazy around here.
I am happy to announce the arrival of Kendrick Jack at 6:44am on July 4th. The arrival was nothing like I had imagined, and Kendrick nearly didn't make it.
At around 5:25am on the 4th I got up for my hourly pee, and on the way my water broke. Water was nice and clear, and I initially didn't have any contractions. I was rather dumbfounded since it was so unexpected- I had been just checked and all was clear and I hadn't been having any contractions prior to this. I knew I had to get set to go to the hospital, but wasn't in a rush. About 7 minutes later the contractions hit. They were hard and fast, only 1-2 minutes apart and rapidly becoming closer. We had to get our two year old up, and I called my mom who lives about 7 minutes from me. My husband was going to take Donovan (the 2 yr old) to my mom's. My mom called back offering to come pick up Donovan which would save us 20-30 minutes, and save me 20-30 minutes of hellacious contractions at home.
By the time we got to the hospital (about 6:10am) contractions were about 30 seconds apart and discharge had become bloody. I also was quite faint in between contractions which I found odd.
The L&D triage group tried to get vitals. I then had oxygen pushed onto my face by mask. I was in the midst of another contraction and it hurt so bad (remember I still had cerclage in, so each contraction was very uncomfortable in the cervix) and I was trying to breathe through it. The mask was in the way and I tried to pull it off, only to have a nurse reprimand me that I needed it because baby's heart rate was too low. Baby only had a heart rate in the low 90's and they couldn't bring it up. The doctor came in and popped an ultrasound probe on. I had no idea anything was wrong until I heard her say to prep an ER, that the baby had to come out immediately.
Before I could understand what was going on, I had an anesthetist on my right arm trying to get an IV in because the nurses couldn't get a vein due to my dropping blood pressure. Another nurse was on my left arm trying to get an IV too. A third nurse was placing a foley catheter, a fourth pushing another mask over my face, and a fifth was prepping my abdomen. All of this took place while I was having constant contraction- there was no longer any break between contraction activity, it was just one long constant agonizing pain. And no one would get the dang cerclage out!!
I was put under general anesthesia because of lack of time for anything else, and had an emergency C-section. Kendrick was born at 6:44am, within 35-40 minutes of our arrival at the hospital. I was 32+3 weeks.
My doctor and the neonatologist that met me in recovery gravely told me that had I arrived at the hospital 10 minutes later they would not have been able to save Kendrick. I had suffered a major placental abruption, likely precipitated by the subchorionic bleed I had had early on. When they opened me, my uterus had filled with about 800ml of blood and clot material. I had lost significant blood, and Kendrick was flaccid and non-responsive. He barely had a heart beat. They bagged him with oxygen and before they had to intubate, he recovered and began breathing and his heart rate recovered. He bounced back within 3-5 minutes of delivery.
For those in medicine or who know stuff about blood gas numbers, the initial chord blood venous pH was 6.8, and his intial lactate was 8.0. These are very scary numbers. A pH of 6.8 is 'not compatible with life' as some try to say with tact. I was SO close to losing my baby. The whole situation was terrifying. If my mother hadn't come to pick Donovan up, we would have lost Kendrick.
Kendrick is still in the NICU now, but is doing well. He has come back up to birth weight and is so close to maintaining his body temperature which is quite a feat for his little 3lb10oz body. We are working on getting him to take feedings through a nipple. He couldn't be doing better, especially knowing how close to death he was.
We are all doing well now, just finding it a challenge to juggle a potty training two year old and a baby in NICU while keeping a house liveable and trying to prep for bringing baby home. Since I was on bed rest since February, my muscle is gone and my cardiovascular reserves are gone. Nothing was out for baby so we are starting from scratch, still needing to get a big boy bed for Donovan so Kendrick can have the crib.
I think it will all work out. Eventually. Overall, I am pretty darned lucky.
