Our Baby Story

Here is our story... On Wednesday, Dec 10th, I woke up with "Cankles". I couldn’t believe it I had been having such an uneventful pregnancy until that day. It was literally like someone flipped a switch. I tried drinking tons of water and elevating my feet, but nothing was helping. April, a friend of mine, said swollen ankles could be a sign that something serious was wrong, so as a precautionary measure I called my doctor’s office the very next day. The nurse I spoke with told me I needed to come in immediately, so I was scheduled to see a nurse practioner Friday afternoon. I had just been to the office on Tue Dec 9th and my blood pressure was perfectly normal at 122/72, but when I went in on Friday Dec 12th it had spiked to 150/90. The NP was slightly alarmed and since my doctor, Dr. Miller, was out of town she had to consult with the on-call doctor, Dr. Fox.

Dr. Fox had me sent up to Labor and Delivery where they tried to get my bp under control, but nothing helped. So over the weekend I was hospitalized, put on bed rest, IV'd w/ Magnesium drip and given precautionary steroid shots (in case they had to deliver early). The whole weekend was a crazy blur. I felt like I was being taken advantage of and that Dr. Fox was being overly precautious. Even though Dr. Fox knew exactly what he was doing it was hard to believe that I was that ill. I felt fine, except for my swollen ankles and now everything that was being done to me was making me feel worse than horrible. I couldn’t see how any of this was good for me and Jaxon.

All weekend I prayed that I would make it to Monday morning when Dr Miller would be back. And let me tell you, it was like seeing an Angel when she came into my room that morning. However, she didn’t have any better news, but I was so relieved to see her. She told me I had early Pre-Eclampsia. It's a high blood pressure condition that has deadly effects for both mom and baby and the early you get it the worse the effects.

That morning she sent Eric and I to see a Perinatologist to have a 3D ultrasound to determine Jaxon's growth and umbilical blood flow. The perinatologist reviewed the ultrasound and shockingly recommended delivery. She said he wasn't getting the right blood flow and if we didn't deliver he would probably die in 3-4 days. Talk about a nightmare. After that everything moved so quickly. Eric and I were faced with making very serious decisions, but we knew we really had no options. I had the choice of trying a natural birth w/ a 95% chance of ending w/ an emergency C-section and putting severe stress on Jaxon or just opting for a C-section with little problems. Of course, I chose the C-section. It wasn't what I had wanted but obviously none of this was. I went in that night around 6:30pm for the C-section and was given an epidural. They tried to do a spinal block 7 times but were unsuccessful and those attempts were the most horrible thing I have ever gone through. I had an excessive amount of fluid on my spine due to lying flat all weekend and having fluids pumped through my body. Almost every time they tried the spinal it felt like my right leg was being electrocuted. Finally the epidural worked and Jaxon was delivered at 7:10pm on Dec 15.

I wish that the bittersweet nightmare ended there, but unfortunately it only got worse. When I woke up on the next morning they drew blood to check my blood counts and I ended up going from 12 to 7 (not sure what the numbers mean, but the drop was significant). Because of this drop I had to have a 2 unit blood transfusion and my blood count continued to be monitored. I lost count as to how many times I was pricked w/ a needle over my stay, but I think I had at least 5 IV lines. On Wednesday morning my blood count had dropped again from 10, after the blood, back to 7. So I was sent down for a CT scan to view my abdomen and check for internal bleeding. The scan experience was also horrible and the dye they shot through my veins made me feel like I was receiving acid through my body. Well, what do you know? I have a softball size blood clot in my stomach that has to be immediately removed. But before they can remove it I have to have 2 more units of blood! I was told that the side effects of the pre-eclampsia and magnesium drip had significantly slowed my blood clotting abilities, so when I received the C-section I continued to bleed; a normal person would have stopped after being stitched up. That night, Wednesday evening, I went in for my second surgery and thankfully I was put out w/ medication.

Finally, when I woke up on Thursday the clouds parted and I received good news. My blood count had stayed up and I was being put on antibiotics to fight any infection that might occur. Plus on Thurs, I got to go up and hold my son for the first time. It was the sweetest moment in a week filled with dreadful ones. On Friday, they took all the IV lines out and I was allowed a shower. Can't even begin to tell you how wonderful that was. It was a little awkward since I hadn't been on my feet in a week, but it was wonderful all the same. Then on Saturday, I was released and got to come home.

Now I'm sure you are wondering about Jaxon. He was born 12 weeks early at a gestational age of 28 weeks. He is really really small. He only weighs 2lbs 3.5oz and is 13.25 inches long. The whole week I was in the hospital he did better than I did! He keeps making huge steps forward and so far no steps back. He was initially put on a CPAP to help him breathe, given a jaundice lamp, and had warm humidity pumped into his incubator to keep him warm. But as of today all those things have been removed. We are so proud of his progress and thank God every minute of every day. Although, this experience was totally unexpected and was nightmarish in many ways, we have so much to be thankful for. God was with us every step of the way. It is totally amazing to look back now and see how he was and continues to work in our life. If it hadn't been for "cankles" and technology who knows where we would be today? God provided us with all the things necessary to determine Jaxon's distress and for that we praise His name. All glory be to God!!!