If you are new to my blog, please read these two posts before this one!
One Day at a Time Takes on a Whole New Meaning Part One
A week ago, September 12, I was told Delaney Grace would be born.
Let me go back a day or two and start from the beginning. On Wednesday, September 9, my blood pressure readings were up higher than I liked so I called the doctor’s office. They had me come in to get checked out. While I was there, my BP was up to 180/100. The doctor told me to go home, rest, and if it didn’t come down by that night to the 140’s over 80’s, I needed to go to the hospital. I was so thankful that I got to go home and sure enough, by that night, the readings were better.
On Thursday, I had a much better day with my blood pressure readings, relaxed at home and waited to go to the doctor on Friday for my regular visit. That night, I was a bit uncomfortable but mostly just felt like I had a bowling ball sitting on my belly. Sleep wasn’t the greatest and on Friday morning, September 11, I woke up feeling not so great. I woke up too fast, didn’t eat breakfast right away, jumped in the shower because I was late and just felt kind of crummy for a while. I basically laid in the bed until my mom came to get me. I finished getting ready at her house to go to the doctor and by then I felt much better. I went to the doctor and had the best appointment. My blood pressure read 132/82 on the first take! I was down three pounds from two days before (I had gained like 5 in a week and a half before) and it was a great visit.
Then, later Friday evening, I started to have some pain in my upper belly. It was very uncomfortable and I googled most of the night “Stomach pain while pregnant!” I didn’t get much help from Google but did feel a bit better by Saturday morning. I spent most of Saturday snuggled up on the couch with three dogs (my parents were out of town and I had their two along with Maggie at my house). It was around lunch time when I started to feel pain again in my upper abdomen. As the afternoon went by, the pain got worse. I asked Jason what I should do and he told me to call the on call doctor and just ask what we should do. Of course, the on call doctor told me to come to the hospital and just get checked out.
By the time I got to the hospital, the pain was pretty severe. I was admitted and ended up in the same room as before when I went and I got hooked up to all the monitors. The nurse told me the reason for my pain was because I was having constant contractions. I didn’t think they were contractions because I always heard contractions were short and didn’t last long. Well, my contractions were less than a minute a part so that is why it was constant pain. They were starting the 24 hour urine test again and doing some blood tests. My blood pressure was pretty high.
My blood work came back and so did the doctor. He was wanting to give me steroid shots and deliver the baby in the next week. I was like, “Whoa…hold on!” This was not supposed to be happening! A few days! I was supposed to have at least four more weeks! I was only right at 32 weeks…she was too small! I was in full on panic mode! Little did I know it was about to get worse.
I told him I had already had the steroid shots at 27 weeks and he was very excited about that. He knew my baby girl was going to be better off having had the shots. He didn’t need to wait.
She was coming tonight.
WHAT?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?! I had a breakdown. I was seriously beside myself. This was not in “my plan!” This was not supposed to happen. How could she come tonight? I had two more months to go…
The urine sample, blood work, and blood pressure sealed the deal for me. The blood work all came back bad. The urine sample showed high levels of protein and my blood pressure was way out of control. He looked at me and said, “Your baby is better off outside your body than in your body!” How could I argue with that? I had to protect my baby. I had to do what was best for her. They wheeled in an ultrasound machine to see if she was breech or not (if she was not breech, they would try to let me have her vaginally). She was breech so a c-section it was going to be.
Jason got on the phone and called all of our family and close friends to tell them Delaney would be coming tonight. I was getting prepped for surgery and trying not to continue to cry hysterically.
I called my mom…my rock. She prayed on the phone with me while I cried. Then, she asked to speak to Delaney. I put the phone by my belly and my mom talked to her (I can only imagine what she said to her because I didn’t have the privilege of hearing – I am sure she reassured it was going to be ok and she was coming to see us!)
Like it or not, Delaney was going to be born! It really became reality when everyone starting showing up at the hospital. My mom was rushing back from her high school reunion two hours away, my sister was on her way, my sister and brother in law got in the car to rush over. My friends Allison and Kristen came. I got to see Katherine and Shelley before they wheeled me back for my c-section and just as they were finishing up, my parents got there and I got to see them.
It was time. Dad got ready to be a dad…
I got wheeled back to the room and waited for my amazing little girl to be born.
To Be Continued…
About Jennifer Swafford
