December 29, my water broke at 8pm. I was only 33 1/2 weeks along so needless to say, I was slightly terrified!
We called my dr. and he wanted to see me at St. Bernards right away. By the time I got there I was already dilated to 2 cm.
o Because I was so early, my dr. thought it best that we either transfer to Little Rock or Memphis in case Molly Grace needed specialized care once she made her appearance into the world. That night, I rode in the back of an ambulance, strapped to a stretcher all the way to Memphis. I've not yet decided which was worse, labor or that ride! :-) I remember just holding my belly as tightly as I could and praying we would get before I had her!
My contractions intensified throughout the night and the next morning I was at 4-5 cm. Within an hour, I was already at 6. I finally got my epidural at that point. After several hours of pushing, taking my epidural away (I still have a hatred for that dr.! ha!), and finally using a vacuum, my sweet baby girl entered the world at 3:24 pm. She weighed 5lbs 4 oz and was 19 3/4 inches long. I've never in my life felt such a sense of love and pride and completeness all at once!
I only got to hold her for a minute before they swept her off to NICU. God was definitely watching over us because she came out screaming and never had to go on oxygen - which was a miracle for a baby so early!
Molly Grace advanced quickly from the critical side of NICU, to the less critical side, then to NCCU. Her biggest obstacle was eating enough and keeping her biliruben down. She was on a feeding tube for several days which broke my heart. My heart goes out to parents whose children are in NICU for longer periods of time with more severe issues because those 13 days were hell for us!
I don't know how people who don't have such an awesome support system make it through times like that. We are so fortunate to have parents who love us, support us and are there for us. I can't thank them enough - ever! And Jamey and I have such wonderful siblings who love us and love our little girl. My sister was such a support and encouragement the whole time - I can't thank her enough either! I can never say enough about my husband, either. We went through so much trying to get pregnant and he was a constant source of strength and love. Then when we went through this, he was right there taking care of things, taking care of me, and getting us through. I am such a blessed woman!
So anyway, after 13 days of living in a hotel, running back and forth to the hospital every 4 hours for feedings, we are home!! The nurses kept telling us that she would just 'wake up' one day and she most certainly did! She's eating like a champ, putting on weight, and her biliruben is normal - PRAISE GOD!
We've been home for a few hours now and I couldn't be happier. We are all in our pajamas, resting, and just enjoying life!
t
No comments:
Post a Comment