Born: 5/29/13
Weight: 2lbs 8oz
Height: 16 inches
I knew that this pregnancy took a turn for the worse two weeks before Calvin was born. I had a doctor's appointment that revealed I was measuring four weeks too small, my blood pressure was climbing, and Calvin's movement was slowing. The following day I had an ultrasound revealing that he was only eight days small and they did the preeclampsia labs and a non-stress test, which all came back fine. My doctor told me that we were headed into preeclampsia, told me sorry that we were back here again, and doubled my blood pressure medication. He also said that we were still winning the battle at that point.
On Sunday, the 26th, I woke up feeling under the weather. I sent Dave on a horse ride with his parents and spent a lazy day with the kids at home. I put the kids down for a nap and decided to take one myself. I woke up with a pounding headache. I took as much Tylenol as was safe and gave it about 45 minutes. After no change I figured I should check my blood pressure. I got 145/94, too high for a pregnant lady but not so out if control. I decided to go to my mom's house to have her check it manually before I got too excited.
I called Dave to tell him what was going on, but before I got around to it he told me that he got kicked by one of the horses square in the knee. He needed to be taken in to check for breaks. I told him I would take the kids to my parents and then meet him at home. I figured it wasn't a good time to tell him about my blood pressure, and decided to wait until my mom checked it.
I got to my mom's house and she got 145/95. She told me to relax and got a second one at 155/100. So I headed home to meet Dave and called my doctor to see what I needed to do. The doctor on call told me I needed to check into labor and delivery right away.
I called Dave to let him know what was going on. He told me just to head to the hospital and I would meet him there. I told him that he needed to get his leg checked out and make sure there was no breaks before he tried to walk on it.
So Dave checked into the ER just as I checked into Labor and Delivery. They hooked me up to the monitors and started an IV for magnesium sulfate (nasty stuff). They told me to plan on staying the night and told me my doctor would be there soon. I got a text from Dave saying he had no breaks. He was getting wrapped up and then heading my way. Hooray!
My blood pressure came right down and headache became manageable on the mag sulfate. I received steroid shots to help Calvin's lungs develop faster. My parents came, and Dave and my Dad gave me a blessing. My doctor came in and told us that as long as all my labs came back good, I could go home on bed rest the next night. I also requested an ultrasound because I didn't feel like Calvin had grown at all.
This was taken about four days before I went into the hospital, the day I hit 29 weeks.
My labs came back great, but the ultrasound confirmed my worries. Calvin was no longer growing. So perinatalogist came in and told me she wanted to schedule a c-section for Wednesday morning. That would give the steroid shots enough time to kick in. Luckily, Dr. Leavitt came in right after and told us that he wanted to try inducing labor first. Calvin was head down, and a normal delivery would be so much better.
I was so terrified for our little baby. I knew that there was a huge range if struggles/problems he could or could not have. I had to be kept in the hospital and on the mag until after delivery. On Tuesday night, after everyone went home, I told Dave about all my fears. He asked me if I wanted another priesthood blessing, I did. It was a really wonderful blessing, and a very special moment between just the two of us. I felt a lot of peace afterward and I was actually able to get quite a bit of sleep that night.
The next morning I was induced at 7:30 am. Things progressed pretty slowly at first. We decided to go ahead with the induction with the understanding that if Calvin showed any signs of distress we would immediately do a c-section. Dr. Leavitt broke my water at 11:00 and I elected to get the epidural at that time. I did not need it for pain quite yet, but I wanted it in place in case I needed a c-section. By 7 pm I was only dilated to a 5. I also started to get way too much magnesium in my system, which is a sign that my kidneys had stopped tolerating it as well. They turned it off from my IV, and things started to progress much faster.
I was ready to go at 9:25. They gave Dave a jumpsuit at cap to put on and wheeled me into the OR. I had to deliver there so that Calvin could be passed right to the NICU team waiting for him. While they were wheeling me in I could feel Calvin's head coming with every push, and I was worried Dave wasn't going to make it. We got into the OR and Dave appeared at my side. The nurses were racing to set up. On nurse, Amy, kept the monitor right on Calvin the whole time so that we could hear his heart beat.
Dr. Leavitt arrived just in time. I barely pushed and Calvin came right out at 9:34 pm. As soon as they suctioned out his mouth he started screaming. It was music to our ears! It brought many tears to my eyes. The epidural had worn off enough I was able to sit up and look at my baby for a second before he was whisked away.
Calvin was given surfactant for his lungs. Babies produce surfactant on their own to inflate their lungs, but Calvin was too early for that. He was taken to the NICU where he was given an IV for nutrients, oxygen, and put under photo therapy for jaundice. I got to hold him 24 hours after he was born. He is so amazing and is doing so well for how early he was. He is up to full feeds and off the IV. he is off the photo therapy. He is now requiring a little oxygen to help his body with all we are asking it to do. We get to hold him once a day, sometimes twice if he is doing really great. I will try to update the blog each week with his progress.
Posted by Brianna
