TibKat's Insight's
Friday, September 07, 2007
Xander, Xander, Xander!!!!
It’s been close to four weeks since our scare with Xander. The day I made it to 23 weeks was the day my pregnancy seemed to take a drastic turn. I hadn’t done anything unusual, actually I had been working on the computer most of the morning but I had thought the baby was moving “differently” and had said something to Jim about it a couple of times. A bit later that day I was going to go run some errands and found myself in the bathroom, pregnant and all you tend to find yourself their a lot, but then realized I was bleeding. I was a bit panicked and got Jim off of a call, he insisted I call my doctor’s office. After I explained what had happened they told me to drive to the hospital to get checked out. This had happened to me once before when I had bled a bit so I wasn’t too worried but they didn’t have me come right in like they were having me do this time.
The thing about it is that the hospital in our area is almost an hour away. We live in a more rural area north of Phoenix and south of Flagstaff and everything is a ways away, so off to the Prescott Regional Medical Center we drove. My doctor’s office had called ahead, we were to go straight to the prenatal floor and they so kindly greeted us when we arrived. I suppose I was a bit more nervous then I had realized because I started crying when they asked me to verify some of my information. We spent almost 3 hours, taking my blood, getting a few IV’s (the first one didn’t take!). Then the ultrasound tech came and did a full ultrasound measuring the baby and I suppose my cervix… They had placed me so that my head was lower then my feet and that should have been my first clue but with this being my first pregnancy, I was a bit clueless.
I have to say, our nurse was so great, her name was and still is Melinda, very reassuring and comforting to us both. It wasn’t until I had asked to go to the restroom that I started to worry a bit more. She told me I couldn’t get up and would need a bed pan. I thought she was joking. I had gone right when I had arrived and wasn’t bleeding so didn’t understand why I couldn’t get up and go now… Melinda said that our doctor would be in to see me and that she didn’t want me to get up. We had been at the hospital for 4 hours at this time when Melinda had told me that my doctor was on the phone for me. I spoke to Dr. Kim who told me that she needed to talk with me and let me know what was up before they came to get me???? She then began to tell me that my cervix was dilated and that she thought I probably had an incompetent cervix and that they were going to send me down to Phoenix by helicopter because they didn’t have the expertise to handle my condition there. I started to cry and Jim, sitting right next to me, didn’t know what was up and the nurse told him while I was listening to my doctor on the phone. He then began crying as well, we were both so scared.
Within about ten to fifteen minutes the Helicopter team was there and ready to transport me. It seemed to all be going so fast, I freaked a bit more. There was no room for Jim so he had to drive down the mountain to meet me at St. Joseph’s in Phoenix. I was pretty much out of it. They gave me something to calm my nerves so I wouldn’t be the hysterical Traci we all love on the flight down. When I arrived in the critical care unit, they thought I was worse of then I was so the nurses were a bit more relaxed with me. They had me sitting up instead of my feet elevated and this really irritated Jim when he got there and he took it upon himself to lower my head and raise my feet. They thought my cervix was dilated at 4 centimeters, when in fact that was the length of it, so when they read the report that I was only dilated at one I suppose they didn’t think it was that “critical”. Silly nurses.
I saw the intern doctor that night, then another doctor came in that was in charge of the floor who began to advise us that if it was an infection causing my contractions and cervix opening that the baby most likely wouldn’t make it. This didn’t really hit me till the following day after they, meaning the group of doctor’s, intern’s and such working under one of the neonatology critical care doctor, came to see me after my amniocentesis and matter of factly informed me that if it was an infection I would have to deliver the baby and he wouldn’t live. This is where the hysterical sob’s began. I was a mother, though I know I had never held my baby, this doctor was telling me that I was going to loose my baby and that there would be nothing anyone could do, seeing that he was just barely in his 23rd week. I had been some what detached from the whole motherhood until his little life was being threatened and taken from us before we could share in the joy of little Xander even being in our lives.
I don’t know if Jim and I had ever prayed as much as we did going through this whole ordeal. At that point it was a waiting game. We were suppose to have the results within about 3 hours, they came about 7 hours later and all was well. No infection and yes, I had and suppose have an incompetent cervix. I got into surgery about 2 hours later and the little bugger had his foot and the umbilical cord right in my cervix. All went well. I stayed in the hospital for just over a week on complete bed rest, well with bathroom privileges and was released only because we had someplace local to stay until the duration. We basically moved in with my mothers oldest friend and her husband until our baby comes. Our doctor told us that we lived to far away from any hospital that could handle our situation with the baby possibly coming so early. Carolyn and Mickey have been so wonderful, we truly have been blessed.
It is now close to the end of our 27th week and I have been given the OK to sit up more and even walk a bit more… oh and I can get in the swimming pool. Jim has been my light through it all. He waits on me, he takes care of me. He loves us both so much. Xander is doing really well also, we have weekly appointments to check my cervix and baby’s heart beat and are seeing the doctor every 2 weeks, instead of once a week now. 28 weeks is a big milestone and we are almost there. I look as if I’m caring a watermelon in my stomach but he is the cutest watermelon ever!
That, is the official update. I’m sorry if I didn’t get to some of you earlier, it’s been a bit exhausting. Thanks so much for everyone’s prayers and phone calls and the flowers that brightened my days while in the hospital. My main concern now a days is fighting boredom, but my sisters & mom sent me a care package and that has helped and Carolyn got me some yarn to start on a baby afghan so I’m doing alright. You all are the best!
The thing about it is that the hospital in our area is almost an hour away. We live in a more rural area north of Phoenix and south of Flagstaff and everything is a ways away, so off to the Prescott Regional Medical Center we drove. My doctor’s office had called ahead, we were to go straight to the prenatal floor and they so kindly greeted us when we arrived. I suppose I was a bit more nervous then I had realized because I started crying when they asked me to verify some of my information. We spent almost 3 hours, taking my blood, getting a few IV’s (the first one didn’t take!). Then the ultrasound tech came and did a full ultrasound measuring the baby and I suppose my cervix… They had placed me so that my head was lower then my feet and that should have been my first clue but with this being my first pregnancy, I was a bit clueless.
I have to say, our nurse was so great, her name was and still is Melinda, very reassuring and comforting to us both. It wasn’t until I had asked to go to the restroom that I started to worry a bit more. She told me I couldn’t get up and would need a bed pan. I thought she was joking. I had gone right when I had arrived and wasn’t bleeding so didn’t understand why I couldn’t get up and go now… Melinda said that our doctor would be in to see me and that she didn’t want me to get up. We had been at the hospital for 4 hours at this time when Melinda had told me that my doctor was on the phone for me. I spoke to Dr. Kim who told me that she needed to talk with me and let me know what was up before they came to get me???? She then began to tell me that my cervix was dilated and that she thought I probably had an incompetent cervix and that they were going to send me down to Phoenix by helicopter because they didn’t have the expertise to handle my condition there. I started to cry and Jim, sitting right next to me, didn’t know what was up and the nurse told him while I was listening to my doctor on the phone. He then began crying as well, we were both so scared.
Within about ten to fifteen minutes the Helicopter team was there and ready to transport me. It seemed to all be going so fast, I freaked a bit more. There was no room for Jim so he had to drive down the mountain to meet me at St. Joseph’s in Phoenix. I was pretty much out of it. They gave me something to calm my nerves so I wouldn’t be the hysterical Traci we all love on the flight down. When I arrived in the critical care unit, they thought I was worse of then I was so the nurses were a bit more relaxed with me. They had me sitting up instead of my feet elevated and this really irritated Jim when he got there and he took it upon himself to lower my head and raise my feet. They thought my cervix was dilated at 4 centimeters, when in fact that was the length of it, so when they read the report that I was only dilated at one I suppose they didn’t think it was that “critical”. Silly nurses.
I saw the intern doctor that night, then another doctor came in that was in charge of the floor who began to advise us that if it was an infection causing my contractions and cervix opening that the baby most likely wouldn’t make it. This didn’t really hit me till the following day after they, meaning the group of doctor’s, intern’s and such working under one of the neonatology critical care doctor, came to see me after my amniocentesis and matter of factly informed me that if it was an infection I would have to deliver the baby and he wouldn’t live. This is where the hysterical sob’s began. I was a mother, though I know I had never held my baby, this doctor was telling me that I was going to loose my baby and that there would be nothing anyone could do, seeing that he was just barely in his 23rd week. I had been some what detached from the whole motherhood until his little life was being threatened and taken from us before we could share in the joy of little Xander even being in our lives.
I don’t know if Jim and I had ever prayed as much as we did going through this whole ordeal. At that point it was a waiting game. We were suppose to have the results within about 3 hours, they came about 7 hours later and all was well. No infection and yes, I had and suppose have an incompetent cervix. I got into surgery about 2 hours later and the little bugger had his foot and the umbilical cord right in my cervix. All went well. I stayed in the hospital for just over a week on complete bed rest, well with bathroom privileges and was released only because we had someplace local to stay until the duration. We basically moved in with my mothers oldest friend and her husband until our baby comes. Our doctor told us that we lived to far away from any hospital that could handle our situation with the baby possibly coming so early. Carolyn and Mickey have been so wonderful, we truly have been blessed.
It is now close to the end of our 27th week and I have been given the OK to sit up more and even walk a bit more… oh and I can get in the swimming pool. Jim has been my light through it all. He waits on me, he takes care of me. He loves us both so much. Xander is doing really well also, we have weekly appointments to check my cervix and baby’s heart beat and are seeing the doctor every 2 weeks, instead of once a week now. 28 weeks is a big milestone and we are almost there. I look as if I’m caring a watermelon in my stomach but he is the cutest watermelon ever!
That, is the official update. I’m sorry if I didn’t get to some of you earlier, it’s been a bit exhausting. Thanks so much for everyone’s prayers and phone calls and the flowers that brightened my days while in the hospital. My main concern now a days is fighting boredom, but my sisters & mom sent me a care package and that has helped and Carolyn got me some yarn to start on a baby afghan so I’m doing alright. You all are the best!
