Saturday, October 18, 2008

7 Years Ago Today...

Seven years ago today was the scariest day of our lives! I was 23 weeks pregnant and had woken up to get ready for work. I had some spotting that morning and I hadn't had any spotting during my pregnancy. I called my sister Stacie (at 6 am) and asked her what to do. She had just had her 3rd child a few weeks prior. She said that it was not abnormal for some spotting during pregnancies but that I should call my doctor just to be sure.

Dr. Melendez asked us to head to the hospital just as a precaution. He wanted to take a quick look and do an ultrasound just to make sure that everything was okay. We did the ultrasound and Dr. Melendez seemed happy with what he saw. He said that the heartbeat was strong and that Stone didn't seem to be in distress. He just wanted to quickly check my cervix before letting us go. Rick and I were breathing a huge sigh of relief. I will never forget what happened next. Dr. Melendez was checking my cervix and all of a sudden his face dropped. We knew in that instant that something was wrong. He said that I was dialating and that I was in labor. Both Rick and I broke down. This could not be happening! We asked Dr. Melendez what this meant for Stone and what the chances were that he would survive if he was born this early. Dr. Melendez told us that if they were unable to stop my labor and Stone was born at 23 weeks that there was only a 15% chance of his survival. We were absolutely devestated.

Dr. Melendez left the room to make transfer arrangements. They needed to transfer me to a hospital with a NICU capable of caring for a such a premature baby. They gave me medication to help stop the labor and a hormone shot to help strengthen Stone's lungs and give him a greater chance for survival. They loaded me into the ambulance to take me to Utah Valley Regional Medical Center. I will never forget that drive. Rick was following the ambulance and I could see him crying and talking on the phone. He was calling his mom and my sister to let them know what was going on.

Once I was admitted to the hospital I was taken for an internal ultrasound which allowed them to better view the blood flow, etc. It was amazing to see Stone's heartbeat and the perinatologist said that he looked strong and that his heart was strong. So if we could stop the labor and get a few more weeks (preferrably more) that his chances for survival would go up. Luckily my body responded to the medication and my cervix stopped dialiting. I was at a "3" at the time. It was such a time of uncertainty. I don't think I've ever been so scared in my life. I spent two weeks on best rest in the hospital before Stone decided he couldn't wait a minute longer to arrive.

I have to admit that I still sometimes wonder what it would feel like to be full-term pregnant. I never felt Stone kick or move in the womb, I never got really big and pregnant...in fact I had just worn my first maternity outfit the day before this all happened. But honestly, looking back, I can't picture it being any different. So much of who we have become as a family is because of what we went through together. There isn't a day that goes by that we don't realize how lucky we are to have our funny little boy!

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

okay, okay.

but crying in a supportive, strong, macho, masculine, "john wayne" kind of way, right?

you forgot to put that part in.

Anthony and Christel said...

I can't imagine going through such a terrifying and stressful time. Thank goodness that Heavenly Father was watching over him, and you, and look how good he turned out!!! You guys have such a cute family!

Natalee said...

No matter how many times I hear that story, it STILL stresses me out, and I know the ending! :) I'm so glad that things worked out for the best.