Happy B-Day Justin Carl - Thursday, May 29, 2008

I don’t quite remember the time but I was awakened by an excruciating, sharp shooting pain across my lower back. The nursing staff and doctors were perplexed and thought that I was possibly having contractions, but no contractions were registering on the monitor. The pain continued and worsened, my blood pressure rose above 200 and the ultrasound showed that Peanut’s heart rate had dropped to 60. The time was 12:37 a.m. when I looked up at the doctor and she said “Sweetie, we have to take him” and I immediately started hyperventilating. They were trying to get me to calm down and breathe and I remember saying, “But I’m only 24 weeks, I haven’t taken a birthing class yet, I don’t know how to breathe”. I somehow managed to call Carl, although I’m not sure if he understood me when I told him to get his butt back to the hospital ASAP because they were taking Peanut. I was immediately rushed into the operating room for an emergency c-section. There was no time for an epidural; I was put under general anesthia. Justin Carl arrived Thursday, May 29, 2008 at 12:46 a.m., weighing in at a whopping 14 ½ oz. and 10 ¼ inches.

As it turns out my placenta abrupted and I had developed a severe case of pre-eclampsia and chronic hypertension. I knew that’s what they were keeping an eye out for and thus the constant blood draws and urine samples but I was not informed that I had indeed developed it until the morning after I delivered and spoke with my doctor. FYI, my doctor was not the one to actually deliver me and I had yet to be seen by her prior to delivering. I actually didn’t see her until the day I was discharged from the hospital. She works in a women’s health services group and I was told at my first prenatal visit that I would be delivered by the doctor on call at that time.

Looking back I realize how fortunate I am that my body gave up on me in a sense and I was in the hospital when my placenta abrupted. They were able to get Justin out within 10 minutes. I hate to think about the worst case scenario had I been at home. I might not have known that Justin was in distress and he possibly could’ve died in the womb. I am truly grateful that my son is here, alive, and has a fighting chance.