Monday, December 22, 2008

Long Time, No Blog

Talk about taking on a lot this holiday season! Thursday, December 18 was like any other besides the fact that I felt a little off, but I chalked it up to all the craziness happening around the house. Around 9 pm Sean arrived home to me sitting on the couch watching TV, feeling pretty useless, which is very uncharacteristic of me. By midnight we were getting ready for bed when I complained to him that I had a weird dull ache in my abdomin and chest area.

At 3 am I woke up to the same pain except it felt very persistant and much stronger. I took a 2 hour jacuzzi and tried some Tums as well as stretching with no relief. At this point Sean urged me to go to the ER, so off we went around 6am on Friday morning. We were expecting to be looked at, maybe given something for indigestion and sent on our merry way. We were WRONG!

Within moments of arriving I felt light headed and a quick check on my blood pressure showed elevated readings so they called my OB and set us up for observation. Over the course of the next 8 hours they ran a variety of tests, exams and regular checks on my blood pressure which would fluctuate from normal (110 over 80) to dangerously high (184 over 110). All signs were pointing to it being non-pregnancy related, but a quick check at about noon surprisingly showed that I was experiencing contractions and was 2cm dialated. After going the last 35 weeks and 4 days with no signs or symptoms of Pregnancy Induced Hypertension they discovered that I had severe Toxemia.

At 2 pm they told us that we would be having a baby, and probably before midnight! We were worried, excited, stressed and scared. We had no idea how big she would be or whether I would deteriorate any further. I was put on an IV with Citocin and the doctor broke my water around 5:30 pm. Over the next couple of hours things felt good, I had little to no pain during contractions and I was staying positive. Around 7pm things took a turn for the worse when my blood pressure started going dangerously high. A specialist was brought in and determined I had a very high risk of having a stroke or seizure at this point and that it was basically life or death to decide whether I would be put on various medications knowing that I would have a limited time to progress, or left to try and labor on my own. We obviously chose the medications! I was still determined to go natural and refused all pain meds offered which was a decision that I am glad I made, but we were later told by doctors that the anesthesiologist actually refused to do an epidural for me ahead of time due to concerns that my blood platlets were so low and would potentially not clot. If things didn't go well our only option was a general anesthetic C-Section.

Despite my strong claims that I was experiencing frequent and strong contractions they were not appearing on any monitors and the team began to worry that things were not progressing. To their amazement I had gone from 3 centimeters at 7pm to 8 centimeters by 9:15. At 9:30 I insisted that I needed to push and off we went. 31 minutes later Wren Berry B**** was born!

It was all very scary as they had a team of 5 from the NICU in the room waiting for her as well as various other specialists. Due to her size and age they had to whisk her away pretty much immediately. After delivering the placenta they determined that it had an additional lobe and they were unsure if it all passed. Over the next 40 minutes they worked hard to stop the bleeding, but nothing seemed to help so the decision was made to rush me off to surgery to do all they could to stop any further bleeding and remove any remaining placenta. After this everything was a blur to me. Sean stayed with Wren until I came out of surgery and woke up. He showed me pictures of her and told me how pretty she is, but that she was smaller and less developed than they had expected and that she was looking at a 2 week stay in the NICU. The next several hours were still a blur until I got to hold my baby for the first time at 6 am for 10 minutes which was the most amazing feeling. I was also told that due to the blood loss I would probably need transfusions later that day once I was stable, but that I would be spending my Birthday and Christmas in the hospital.

At 10 am I received the best birthday present ever. Wren had learned to regulate her temperature and breathing and would be allowed to go to the nursery and would leave when I was able to as well!!! Thankfully I also seemed to do really well, and they held off on the transfusion and continued to monitor me. I feel so much better and was released today (December 22), a full week ahead of schedule.

Overall, it was the scariest couple of days of our lives but we are so thankful that everything turned out well and we are all together and healthy! Sean was absolutely amazing through everything and I feel so lucky to have someone there to support me and the decisions we made. I could tell how hard it was for him to be so scared and yet stay so strong for me. Wren already has him wrapped around her finger.

Hopefully we will be feeling better in the next couple of days and will share a ton of pics ASAP!

36 comments:

Stephany said...

OMG! First off, Congrats and happy Birthday! I am so happy for you and your family. Even through your roller coaster ride, that was the way God intended her arrival into your world. God Bless. xo, Steph.

Jennifer said...

Congrats! Sounds like a wild ride. I can't wait to see pictures!

Jennifer said...

oh my gosh, so glad you and little wren (LOVE that name) are home & healthy. what a christmas surprise! can't wait to see pictures.

'dee said...

Holy shnikeys, Holly!!! I was petrified reading this! I cannot even imagine what S. was going through the whole time as well.

I am SO glad you are recovering and that little Wren will come home with you. I adore her name!

PLEASE take care, rest, and recover. I am so happy for you - congratulations!

Meredith said...

Oh my gosh Holly! That sounds like one crazy/terrifying/exciting week!
But ultimately, some major congrats are in order!

Take care1

Amber said...

First and foremost Holly I am wishing you and your family a happy congratulations. Oh my goodness what a birthing experience, how frightening, I cannot imagine and am so happy you are all safe, happy and healthy. I love her name and cannot wait to hear more and see pictures you are all in my thoughts. Have a wonderful holiday you deserve it.

Kristen said...

Congratulations!!!!!
I am so excited for you, and also glad that you are ok after such a big ordeal. I can't wait to see photos of Wren!

Unknown said...

Congrats!!! Happy birthday to both you and little Wren!

alyssa said...

Congratulations!What a whirlwind :)
Can't wait to "meet" her! Best wishes to you and your family this holiday season. -Alyssa

Peanut's Parents said...

What a crazy birth story! I am so happy that everything turned out so well. Welcome, Wren! And congrats Mommy and Daddy!

Jen (from the Nest)

bryn alexandra said...

Holly! I am so so happy for you. I am sitting here in the hospital as I type this waiting to see our bf's new baby, born today. I am so glad you and Wren are healthy. Can i just say I love love that name!! I am storing it away.. I love that its sort of like 'bryn' :) congrats to you and the hub!!!!!

Jenna said...

Congrats again to you Holly! I am so glad to hear you are both feeling better! I can't wait to see pics of your little girl! :)

leah @maritalbless said...

Wow. I'm so, so, so very glad to hear that all is well. I can't imagine the emotions you guys have gone through.

Congratulations!! What a beautiful name, I can't wait to see pictures!

Meg said...

What a scary birth story! I'm glad it has such a positive ending. I can't wait to see pictures!

Tammy said...

Congratulations! Welcome baby Wren & Happy Birthday to you both! I'm so happy that you're both okay & healthy!

erynn said...

Congrats Holly! That sounds like a scary birth but I am glad you and Wren are home safely.

LindseyLou said...

Congrats Holly! I'm so glad that you are both great! I love love her name! I had my DD at 34 weeks and know how scary it all is! I didn't get to hold her for about 12 hours and I couldn't sleep at all. I told the nurses I wouldn't til they took me to see her. She stayed in the hospital for 23 days though, you are extremely lucky for that alone! It sucks so bad to leave and not have the baby with you. How much did she weigh then?

Anyways, good luck with everything and congrats again oh, and Happy Birthday to you both!. See on D&R sometime. :)

ThoughtsON said...

Wow what a story!!! So glad it had an extra happy ending and that you are all doing well! Congrats! Can't wait to see pics :)

Hello said...

Congrats! What an amazing story that melts our hearts. Welcome to the world of parenthood...its' awesome. Wishing you all a very wonderful and special holiday this year. Oh and happy birthday to both of you!

Ellen said...

WOW!! Congrats on Baby Wren!! What an amazing story --- I was so nervous while reading it! But I am glad that you are okay and you have a beautiful baby. (btw, I'm an avid reader of your blog...I happened on it by one of your decorating posts! :P)

My own little bean in the belly kicks a strong welcome to Wren ---- what a great name btw!

ell

Jan said...

Congrats Holly! Glad you and the baby are okay. Can't wait to see pics!

Mrs.HVK said...

OMG Holly!! Congrats! What a crazy ride! I'm so happy things are much calmer now and Wren is here! Still OMG. And what a beautiful name! I hope you have a very Happy Birthday and a Merry Christmas.

Can't wait to see lots of pics!

Andreina said...

I am coming out of lurking to say...wow!!! how scary for you guys!. I am so glad to hear everything is ok and you're both doing well! congratulations!!!!!!! and God Bless the little one :)
Andreina (a lurking nestie! ;))

Anonymous said...

CONGRATS! I am so happy everything ended up okay for you and your little one. Enjoy the holidays with your new baby girl!

Molly said...

Oh my goodness, I just checked your blog and was definitely not expecting to see that you had given birth! What a scary situation. But I'm glad that everything turned out okay and both you and the baby are okay. Have a Happy Holiday with your new little one!

Tiffany said...

Something similar happened to me! I'm glad everyone is ok and I can't wait to see some pics!

Abby said...

Oh my goodness congrats momma!! I'm so thankful that you and little Wren are alright! Have a wonderful holiday with your sweet baby girl!

Lori Z said...

Congrats and Happy Holidays to your family! I love the name too!

Kelsey said...

Sounds like life in the FAST lane--I can't believe so much can happen so quickly! I am very glad to hear you're doing well and can't wait to see photos of Wren. What a beautiful name!

claire @ a peachtree city life said...

congrats! hope you both continue to do well! i love her name by the way!

Kristi said...

I just started reading your blog and here you go and have your baby. Congratualations. I am glad that it all turned out alright. I can't wait to see pictures.

Lisa said...

Congratulations!!

Mommy Moreno said...

OH MY! how scary!! Im glad mommy and baby are well after that fiasco! Cant wait to see pics of your beautiful new addition! CONGRATS :)

Anonymous said...

Delurking to say Congrats!! Can't wait to see pics.

Lettered Cottage said...

I am new to your blog, but was instantly captivated by your latest post. THANK YOU so much for sharing your story. I am 34 years old, and terrified of "health issues", so we haven't tried to get pregnant yet. :-(
Your story helped ease my mind a little, and gave me HOPE.

Congratulations, I'm so happy and proud for you!!!

Layla Palmer
theletteredcottage.blogspot.com

Anonymous said...

What a crazy day/night but I'm so glad to hear all is well and you and Wren are doing well. CONGRATUALTIONS HOLLY!!! :)

 
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