(This can get kinda detailed and graphic so don't read if you have a good imagination and get queasy...at least at the end)
If you are a regular blog reader of mine, you may recall me mentioning back in December the possibility of myself having Placenta Previa, a condition where the placenta lays over the cervix opening, which blocks the exit for the baby inside the uterus when it comes time to join the world. Up until March 7, we all thought it was still just borderline and could have corrected itself by the time my pregnancy was due to end. We were hoping for this. But sometimes, my life can't be that easy.
So I was going about my daily routines, as much as possible while still being 8 1/2 months pregnant and feeling it. (I have a habit of growing inwards, not outwards, with my pregnancies. So as the baby grows, my internal organs and such have no where to go, causing quite a discomfort on my part) Friday, March 6, was just a long day for me and I was so sore by the time I went to bed, I was in tears. I had just done too much that day, so I was going to take it easy the next day.
Saturday (March 7) I slowly started waking up and felt a small gush while still laying in bed. Not quite sure what I had just felt, I laid there and thought, did I just wet myself? Then another one... and then I knew something was wrong. I got up and looked to discover that I was bleeding. My husband wasn't home because he was helping down at the Fountain Fire dept. the previous night and was to have training all day. I immediately called him, called my friends upstairs to take me to the hospital and was admitted by 8 a.m. After an ultrasound, we discovered I had a full blown previa, not borderline like we previously thought. This meant I had no choice... a cesaerean section was my only choice. But the baby and I were doing just fine on the monitors, so after laying in a hospital bed for 3 days, I got to go home on moderate bedrest... meaning only moving to go to the bathroom. Oh goody.
We had been told that any more bleeding, I was to go to the hospital again. After sitting on the couch for the rest of the week, I had some more bleeding, though nothing quite as bad as the week before, the following Saturday. Ed took me to the hospital once again, and we just planned on staying until the baby was born the next week, but it was decided that the best plan was to go to 37 weeks if we could make it that far. So once again, I was sent home on bedrest. Now, for some, the idea of sitting all day and letting everyone wait on you hand and foot may sound glamourous, but I had a hard time letting others do my job as a mother and homemaker. Sometimes it's just easier to do things instead of having to give step by step instructions. Lexi was so good during all this and although she missed playing with Mommy, she seemed to be understanding when I couldn't pick her up and do everything with her. So this was a harder week than the previous.
The final week of bedrest came. I had a C-Section scheduled for March 30 at 1:00. My OB was out of town, so this was to be the earliest she would be available and still have me reach my 37 week goal. (They are no longer considered a premie at that point) I was all for waiting, despite the constant fear of something happening like before and the continual discomfort growing each day, because the longer she was inside, the less chance of needing to go to the NICU when she was born. I was living on thin ice...
Then we come to last Saturday (March 28). I was laying in bed and woke up suddenly a couple minutes past 3 and thought, "Do I need to go to the bathroom? Why am I awake?" Then I felt a little feeling, like when you pass an air bubble. But it just didn't feel right. I rolled over and told Eddie, "I need to go to the bathroom, NOW!" And as soon as he moved and I started to move toward the edge of the bed, I felt everything just come rushing out. I looked at myself and I was drenched in blood...I ran as fast as I could to the bathroom and was absolutely mortified. I was just bleeding and bleeding and passing clots that were too big to be remotely real. I knew the bedroom was covered in blood as well as now the bathroom and I just was frozen in fear as to how to get anywhere but on the toilet where I was desperately trying to keep everything inside of me. We called our friends so they could get Lexi and quickly raced to the hospital. Being that it was 3 AM, no one was on the roads and a drive that takes 10-15 minutes on average was cut to 5 minutes by my expert, ambulance driver husband and we were in the triage withing 10 minutes of waking up.
A huge sigh of relief when the baby's heart rate was just fine, and apparently I was starting to have small contractions, (which is a no no with placenta previa). To end a long and scary month, I went in for surgery and had a beautiful baby girl a few minutes before 5 am that day. She's perfectly healthy and a joy to have in our family. I'm still slowly recovering. The first day was extra difficult because who knows how much blood was lost before the hospital, but I also had trouble with bleeding post-op and by the time I was in my room, I had lost so much blood, I was in a daze. The nurses still thought I looked pale yesterday before I was able to go home and I had been recovering for over 2 days at that point. Now, I'm just recovering from my surgery and taking it easy, but I finally get to sit at my computer for the first time in weeks.
This month has made me appreciate all the people who are willing to help in those difficult times we all face. Though this month was by no means a walk in the park, I do know that Heavenly Father was definitely watching over us the whole time. Things could have ended up much worse for not only myself, but for our little girl. She has and was continuously healthy through all the turmoil and was able to come home 2 days after being born! It was a huge answer to my prayers! Many friends and family sacrificed so much of their time to care for me and Lexi, and I can not thank them enough. My home is still running as if I were never out of commission and with a toddler, that's not always easy to do. So to all of you out there, I appreciate the words of comfort and all the prayers. They have helped more than anything! Thank you!
