Eight years ago today I went into premature labor. I remember well how it was so hot in my bedroom that morning, as I tried to sleep in. I was off work for the summer as a teacher, and I was enjoying those last few weeks as I was trying to get my classroom moved to a different building and get lesson plans written out for the substitute who would take over at the end of August for the rest of the semester.
Stuart had already left for work when I woke up. I stayed in bed, lazily flipping channels and then called my good friend Kathryn who was a stay-at-home mom. By the time I actually got up out of bed to take a shower, it was almost 10:00 a.m. Ah, those were the days before kids!
I remember the fear and panic as I went to the bathroom and realized I was bleeding heavily. I hadn't had any pain or contractions that were out of the ordinary, so this was my first sign of problems at 35 weeks. I immediately called my doctor's office who said to come right away, without even showering. Luckily, I lived 5 minutes from Baptist Hospital in Little Rock, and I felt that I could drive myself since I didn't feel any pain.
I knew it looked serious when I walked into the doctor's office to check in. I was told to go back immediately with no wait, and one of my doctors was already waiting for me in an exam room. No nurse. No waiting. I began to get scared. I had tried to call Stuart on the way over, but I had only gotten his voice mail. I had left him a message that I was on the way to the doctor's office.
The doctor performed my first internal exam to check for dilation, and almost simultaneously Stuart burst into the room with a worried look on his face. The doctor informed us that we were going to have a baby today. I was dilated past a 3 and almost 90% effaced. What???
I went to the hospital with no bag packed, no shower, and no breakfast. I got the IV, and the doctors watched me and checked me to see if I progressed. They did some ultrasounds to rule out a placenta abruption, and the bleeding seemed to slow. I dilated pretty quickly for a first pregnancy, and I really didn't feel much pain . . . until my water broke. Before my epidural.
I went through transition while trying to hold still to get the epidural, and I was shivering uncontrollably and thought I would vomit or pass out from the pain. At that point, I was dilated between a 7-8. Note to self -- don't wait that long to get an epidural, even if you think you don't need it yet.
Owen came out quickly with just a couple minutes of pushing, and was born around 9 p.m. He weighed 5 lbs, 9 oz, which was impressive considering his prematurity. He then spent 9 days in NICU for breathing, feeding, and heart issues. He came home on heart medication and a heart monitor for four months due to a diagnosis of SVT.
Now, he is 8 years old. We have only had one other instance of a heart issue with his SVT when he was in kindergarten. He is smart, funny, sensitive, and silly. You'd never know he was a preemie now! He made me a mommy for the first time, and it was a day I will never forget. On July 23, 2001, my world was forever changed.
Happy birthday, Owen!
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