For those of you interested-- here you go! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- It all started on Monday September 16, 2002. I went in for my 36-week check up and found out that I had the beginning stages of Pre-Eclampsia. My blood pressure was elevated and I was swelling pretty badly, so my doctor admitted me for observation. I went down to labor and delivery and got hooked up on a fetal monitor. I had to stay overnight for observation and my doctor said that if my blood pressure didn’t go down with some bed rest overnight, she’d go ahead and induce labor the next day. The next day my blood pressure had gone down a little bit and I was released. I was on STRICT bed rest for the remainder of my pregnancy. That week inched by sooo slowly. I was cranky and uncomfortable and it just wasn’t a good week for me. LOL The next week on Monday morning (September 23, 2002, I had an ultrasound at 8:00, a non stress test at 8:30 and a doctors appt (my 37 week check up) at 9:30. The u/s went well. It confirmed that my daughter was still a girl. LOL But the non stress test was pretty bad. My blood pressure hit 145/102 (normally like 110/70) and Breanna wasn’t really reacting to the stimulants the way she was supposed to. When my doctor checked me out and saw what my blood pressure was she told me “Go straight to Labor and Delivery. Do not pass Go. Do not collect $200.” She told us that we could wait to deliver the baby, but she didn’t see any reason so wait. Because either I was going to get sick or the baby was going to get sick because if we waited. She didn’t like my blood pressures being so high. And was worried the pre Eclampsia was getting worse. Mom cried. She couldn’t believe that we’d be holding Breanna the next day. I actually wasn't scared at all. I was just ready for Breanna to be here. So mom and I went to L&D and I got into one of those nice little gowns. They put the IV in and hooked me up to a fetal monitor. That was at 10:30 in the morning. I had a nice l&d room. It was HUUUUGE and had a skylight. It was great. J So after I got settled, I made some phone calls. Mom went home and got my bag that I had packed the week before for the hospital. At 5, my doctor came in and inserted the cervadil to soften my cervix. My cervix had already begun to soften, but was making no progress. Around 11 that night, labor pains started, and they gave me something in my IV to ease the pain. At around 7:30 am my doc came and checked and I was dilated to 2 cm and 80% effaced. I was having full-blown contractions by then, so at 9 am they gave me the epidural. It was wonderful. :) By 1 pm I was dilated to 10 cm and 100% effaced and ready to push. So I pushed. For 3 hours. But Breanna just wasn't moving down at all. So my doc told me to rest, and said she'd come check me out in an hour. At 4 she came in and checked me out. Breanna was still at -1 station and not going anywhere. So my doc gave me two options. I could go ahead and schedule a c-section if I felt I was too tired to push anymore, or I could try pushing another hour and then if no progress by then, schedule a c/s. I opted to keep pushing. I wanted a vaginal delivery so badly. But after two or three pushes, I couldn’t do it anymore. I was just too tired to move anymore. So my doc went ahead and scheduled me for a 6:30 pm c/s. At 7:15 an emergency c/s had to be done, so I got bumped back. I was finally taken back at 7:45. My mom was the one who wanted to go to the OR with me. So they took me on back and let her stay in the room to put on her scrubs. The put me on the table and started poking on my belly with some sharp needle thing to see if I could feel anything. They had this guy standing at my head whose only job was to tell me what was going to happen next. He’d tell me when I’d feel pressure and when the baby was coming out. I had a hot spot in my epidural, and I told them, but the anesthesiologist didn't think I knew what I was talking about so they went on with the operation. I felt them cut me and I remember screaming, “I can FEEL THAT!!!” Then I remember my mom coming in and holding my hand. I was crying to her telling her I could feel it all. And on September 24, 2002 at 8:04 pm, I remember hearing my doctor saying, "It's a girl" and her holding Breanna up over the curtain for me to see. She looked like a little old man all scrunched up. Hehe And then I remember hearing her cry for the first time. And then I passed out. I woke up again when mom brought Bre over to me so I could see her better. Mom was crying and Bre was so alert. She was looking around with these WIDE eyes. J Bre had had some trouble breathing at first so they were going to take her to the NICU after mom showed her to me. I woke up an hour and a half later in the recovery room where I was told Breanna had been taken to NICU. They took me to the NICU to see her before taking me upstairs. They finally brought her to me at 3 am. Then on Wednesday morning September 25, 20002, they had to take Breanna to the nursery b/c she had jaundice and had to be under the billi lights. I only got to have her for 30 minutes every 3 hours to feed her. It was awful. I missed her soooo much. The first time I went to the nursery to see her, she was lying there naked under the lights screaming, and I started bawling. I got to hold her little hand and she quieted down. We stayed in the hospital for 4 days after she was born, and finally went home on Saturday September 28, 2002. Breanna was born on Tuesday September 24, 2002 at 8:04 pm. She was 7lbs, 5 ozs, and 20 1/4 inches long. She was born with a headful of strawberry blonde hair, which has now gotten a LOT darker red. She’s 19 months old now. And BOY is she a handful. J But I wouldn’t trade a minute of it. I’d do it all over again just to have her in my life.
