Wow!! What a week, the best way I can describe it is an emotional roller coaster. I am going to fill in for my wife Jessie this time because I got a first hand front row look at a very scary, but happy, and also very emotional moment in our lives. If you have read the blogs before this you know that Jessie had what has seemed to be a perfect pregnancy. We were so excited to finally get to see our little Paisley Grace, and it seemed like the day would never arrive.
Well the day came in a flash, I was at work on July 15 sitting waiting for the text that we needed to go to the hospital. So after a full day of work and a whole lot of false alarms I finally got the text that her contractions were lite; but regular and the nurse said to go in and at least get checked out. We were off our bags were packed and we were ready the two of us with huge smiles on our faces.
When we arrived at the hospital we both mentioned that it didn't seem real yet because we were probably just going to get sent home. Which was very close to happening until they took Jessie's blood pressure and it was a little high. They then said well we are going to take a blood test to see if we find anything odd. When the blood test came back that Jessie had low platelets the nurse said well that sounds like preeclampsia and we should probably induce.
So here we go at that moment it all got real we were going to have a baby before we knew it so they got us a room and hooked up the IV to induce labor. It was a long night of contractions and labor. Jessie did have an epidural that worked well, but only for half the night about midway through the night the epidural started to wear off and the machine started to beep because there was no medicine left in the bag. We got tired of the beeping and called the nurse the nurse changed the bag but took so long doing it that Jessie had all the feeling back in her body. The epidural had to start from scratch but it was too late the baby was ready to crown and Jessie was in some good pain, so much for the idea of a nice easy labor. It all started to happen and I had some huge butterflies in my stomach which I am sure is normal.
When the DR. came in he was a tall man with a serious look on his face I could tell he meant business he then asked the nurse if her blood pressure was still high and if the platelets were still low. Both answers seemed to be the ones he didn't want to here the nurse said yes to both. He took a deep breath and then said ok I will be right back. So we waited while Jessie pushed and was in tons of pain. They gave about 5 boluses' or (shots of pain killer directly in to the IV) and non of them took away the pain. After what seemed like forever the DR came back he had his scrubs on and got in position. This is when the roller coaster was at its peek for me at least. You know when you are at the very top ready for the big drop but you cant see where your going so you have this uneasy filling in your stomach. It felt like maybe two good pushes by Jessie and boom baby was out the DR had me cut the umbilical chord and clipped it and had the baby put on Jessie SKIN to SKIN. The first thing I noticed after that was that the DR was covered in blood and he looked at me then the nurse and said there is some placenta missing so we need to do a DNC. After that even more blood came out of Jessie and she had a hemorrhage in her uterus he looked at us again and at the baby and called for a "code White" and told them to get the baby out of the room. So there went our baby girl she was pretty blue and had some fluid left in her body. I sent Grandma Kristy with the baby and I stayed with Jessie. She looked so pale and white but she was doing great her heart rate never dropped and her blood pressure dropped to a normal rate for the first time all day. The room filled with twenty nurses and another DR in no time. They all had a job to do it looked like bee hive in there. At this point Jessie and I both looked at each other and said the same words we should pray so I started and man what a feeling knowing that your wife the lady that you love with all your heart is bleeding and the DR is trying everything to stop it and nothing is working but at the same time giving it all away to God because he is bigger than any problem we have. Oh man what a difference those prayers made for me just the comfort of my mind knowing that it was all ok. Then the DR got out a device called the Bakri balloon they insert it into the uterus and pumped it with saline to make it expand against the walls to stop the hemorrhaging. Man and it finally worked the DR said that if it didn't the next step was a hysterectomy and thank God it worked so now that Jessie was ok for the moment it was time for me to go outside to let all the emotion that I was hiding from Jessie out. I cried and ate a Rosa Marias burrito. I was stable so I was off to see the baby who was hooked to oxygen and IVs to make sure that she was plenty strong. Man was it love at first touch. I couldn't believe that she was so pretty and precious and that she was OUR daughter. T
his wasn't the end but it was a break. After two days of staying in the hospital and going down to see and feed paisley we got the news. Even though Jessie is now anemic and doesn't have all the blood she needs we did get to go home, but not with our baby so even though it was nice to have my wife back without needing a blood transfusion. We still didn't have that precious little girl home. Finally after two extra days of jumping through hoops we finally got to take her home it was finally the end of that crazy rollercoaster ride where we could get off that uncomfortable seat and be a little more in control of what was happening. It was and is a great blessing to have friends and family that were so concerned for us and willing to do anything for Jess and I. Thank you everyone who prayed for us, who brought us food, and the people who stayed up late just to listen and talk to us.
But most of all thank you to the great DR's and nurses who stayed calm, cool, and collected in a very scary situation.