Welcome to My World: Pregnancy, Fear & Trepidation

Five weeks of bleeding and bed rest during the first trimester, followed by super-duty miscarriage-like bleeding at week nine (“things floating around” in the ultrasound showed that it may actually have been a twin naturally aborting – both Hubby and I have naturally occurring twins/triplets in our families) was only the beginning for us unsuspecting first-time parents.  Five months, a new home in a new town and nearly thirty-five pounds later, at thirty-two weeks pregnant with Princess we developed severe preeclampsia. 

Happily rolling in to my regular thirty-two week appointment I had no idea what was about to occur!  The nurse literally groaned as she took my blood-pressure and promptly took it again before making me recline and exiting to summon my oh-so-wonderful, bestest solo practice OB/GYN in the whole-wide-world.  It wasn’t long after his own “hello” and a protein positive urine test result that he was informing me that we’d be seeing the baby a little earlier than expected. “Great” I thought, “more bed rest.”  Imagine my surprise when he informed me that we would have to deliver within the next twenty-four hours and, after an ultrasound showing Princess frank breach, via C-Section.  Damn, I hadn’t even read the section on sections in all the mommy books! There was no way I was going to have one!  Or so I thought! 

Princess was born amidst severe preeclampsia and severe angst at 9:11 pm that same night. We prayed out loud the entire time I was on the table, and were encouraged to continue by our doctor. All of 2 pounds 13 ounces, she turned out to be a miracle baby: feisty as a jalapeno pepper, even if her head was just the size of a large lemon.  I was so much more frightened for her welfare than my own, but I will never forget thinking as they were giving me my spinal in the OR: “we’re both going to die.”  Since I was shipped off to recovery in maternity and “magged” to the max right after the surgery (they pump you full of magnesium sulfate to keep you from going into seizures) I was unable to hold my Princess until she was just over twelve hours old. I remember trembling as she disappeared into her tiny cap and diaper on my naked chest, so frightened that I would suffocate her. Thanks to God and the fabulous care of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit doctors and staff, we were able to bring her home after twenty-four days, a whopping 4 pounds in weight!  My poor little peanut! Here are some of her first photos….

This one taken by nurses in the NICU so that I could see her the first night…

This one at like a few days old (the picture title is a wrong)… 

At the first bath we were able to participate in…

Nine months later it was way more than difficult for me to believe that the second line was appearing on the pregnancy test stick! Aaaaaaaaah!  “No way” I thought from somewhere deep within my shock “I thought I had NFP down pat! (yeah, right!) That is just how our pregnancy with Drama Queen began.  Admittedly, Drama Queen’s development in-utero was less eventful.  Suffering only more than a fair share of pregnancy symptoms, I gained a mere twenty-seven pounds and made it much further towards term: for this I am grateful.  Living in the shadow of a probable second round with preeclampsia was certainly stressful, as I was fearful all the way despite the easy breezy sailing along.

We had scheduled a C-section for Drama Queen’s delivery at thirty eight weeks, four days before her due date, as an attempt at VBAC was not recommended (I had not gone through labor with Princess and I was already way over thirty-five).  A week and a half before our scheduled delivery date, the day before my doctor went on VACATION my blood pressure and urine samples were pointing towards the onset of the dreaded “p”.   Here we go again!   Five non-stress tests for the baby and a week later, my OB/GYN’s fill in admitted me in the hopes of holding me off another day or two.  No such luck. She ended up calling me at 8:30am the next morning to inform me that we we’re “getting that baby out NOW”.  Oh joy.  That day just so happened to be Hubby’s birthday, so there’s not a day in his life that he’ll be able to say that I didn’t give him the best birthday gift ever! Drama Queen was born at 11:15 am that Friday morning a whopping 8 pounds 11 ounces, healthy as ever and considered full term!  Here she is…

What a bloated little chub-a-lub!

Our doctor was so proud to have gotten her to this point (he is removed from photo to protect him from an onslaught of pregnant women desperately seeking the best OB/GYN ever!!!)

Drama Queen at exactly one week old… after three craps on the pink blanket and a camera disaster with her big sister…

A third pregnancy was not recommended for us.  Preeclampsia is pretty much a given, we just don’t know when. We’ve decided to put our faith in God and attempt it just the same, hoping that the illness won’t set in until after a viable age. Our family just did not feel complete, but this baby will have to be our last. Hopefully it will be our least complicated… please God.

So now you know from whence the fear and trepidation.