So, here is the story...
It was a Sunday and Cameron and I were at home unpacking a few things because we had just moved to a new apartment. When I stood up, I started bleeding pretty heavily. I thought I had gone into early labor...and way to early, since I was only 31 weeks. We drove to the hospital and waited for my OB. When he got there after what seemed like forever, he did an exam and told me that my water had broken and that I would need an emergency C section. I was terrified. Since the hospital where we live is so small and it isn't equipped to deliver and take care of premature babies, I had to be transported to Roanoke Memorial, which is an hour away from us. When I got there, they brought me to a room and the doctor did another exam and told me that my water was not broken. Needless to say, I was relieved, but I was still worried about the bleeding. They kept me overnight so they could monitor me and the baby. THANKFULLY my mom drove up from NC because Cameron had class the next day, so he couldn't stay, and I did NOT want to be there alone.
The next day went well for the most part...except that I had more bleeding. They did an ultrasound and everything looked normal, my fluid level was good, the baby was moving and his heartbeat was good. The doctor did another exam and I wasn't dilated and I wasn't having contractions. He told me that my placenta may have abrupted and that there was the possibility of a C section, but that it wouldn't happen that day because the baby seemed to be doing well and I was doing well other than the bleeding. I think at this point, I was mildly preeclamptic because there was protein in my urine, but I didn't have any of the other symptoms. So, it became a waiting game, and I sat in the hospital for almost a week. On Friday, the doctor told me that since the baby's heartrate seemed ok, except for a dip at least once every hour, (ended up being a problem with the cord, it was only a 2 vessel cord) which I guess is normal for a baby at 32 weeks, that I would probably be able to go home if I did well over the weekend. I was so excited, I wanted to be home so badly, but I was scared at the same time because we live so far away from the hospital.
Saturday afternoon, the OB that was there on the weekends came in and told me that she was very concerned that I had such a high level of protein, and the fact that my blood pressure was slowly rising. She told me that if I wasn't at least mildly preeclamptic (which I'm pretty sure I was) then I would be later. She sent me down to radiology for an ultrasound and...it was not good. The tech said he wasn't responsive and he wasn't moving at all, and he had a biophysical profile of 0/8. My fluid level was also below a 5, which for anyone who's never been pregnant, that is dangerously low. After the ultrasound, I went back to my room and as they were hooking me back up to the monitor, the resident came in and said "don't freak out", which is SO NOT what anyone wants to hear when they're in the hospital, and then he told me I needed a C section because the baby was not doing well. Well, I freaked out. As they were prepping me, I was desperately trying to call Cameron, who didn't answer (go figure) because he was in the middle of a sale at work. The doctor who was going to perform the C section told me that he couldn't wait for Cameron to get there, and that I needed to go right then. As you can imagine, I started bawling. I was terrified of surgery, but even more terrified of having to go ALONE. And on top of that, I had to be completely knocked out because they didn't have time to give me an epidural. Luckily, I had an amazing nurse that day who stayed with me the whole time, and the team of doctors who were in the OR were all so great. The last thing I remember before going to sleep was the nurse asking me who I was and what was going on and then I was out.
When I woke up in recovery, Cameron was there and apparently, I had been asking the same questions over and over again. The anesthesiologist told me that everything was fine, the surgery went perfectly without any problems or complications and that the baby was fine. Ammon Michael Thomas was born Saturday, March 27, 2010 at 2:03 PM, weighing 2 lbs 8 oz and was 16 and 3/4 in long. He is such an amazing little boy, we are so blessed to have him in our family, he is truly a miracle.
