To My Four Boys Turning 6 {Your Birth Story Part 4}

January 31st, 2013

• {Part 1}
• {Part 2}   
• {Part 3}

Let’s see where am I in this epic tale of your birth… Oh yes, it’s late January, I’m as big as the Mega Bus, and you are about to make your grand entry into our world.

I’m not going to sugar coat it, the last few days before your delivery were extremely tough – the hardest days I have known. It was increasingly difficult for me to breath, we were weary with the decision of when you should be delivered, and I was just plain miserable. 

On Wednesday night, I noticed that my ankles were disappearing into my calves, and pointed it out to my night nurse, Bob.  He was almost glad to see possible signs of preeclampsia, just to see me relieved of my misery. They started checking my protein for the next 24 hours, to see if the onset of preeclampsia had begun and if so what stage I was in.

I was both disappointed that my body was starting to give out {as if I could somehow control it}, and overjoyed at the light at the end of the long tunnel.  We were so close to the incredible milestone of 32 weeks, and your daddy and I were ecstatic that we had all come this far. We wanted what was safest for you, and it was a toss up if you would be safer inside my womb {developing and getting stronger} or in the care of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit {without the risk of a late-term fatal cord accident}.

Through several lengthy discussions, the decision was made to do a test called an amniocentesis to check your lung maturity.  A good score could help predict if your lungs were capable of breathing without assistance.

After traveling over to the office to have the test performed {in which a LONG needle was inserted into my belly – shots couldn’t hold a candle to that needle, Boys!} we were left to wait for the results until the late afternoon.

At the end of the day, Dr. Sumners plopped himself down in the chair in my room and informed us that the next morning, February 2, 2007, would be D-Day!!!! Your lung maturity came back positive and my protein was shooting through the roof {meaning my kidneys were starting to shut down}.  With the seriousness of the preeclampsia diagnosis, it was no longer safe for my own health to continue carrying you. 

We called everyone with the news, cried with both joy and fear, requested your fervent prayers, and attempted to get one last sleep in before they started preparing me for surgery…

{Continue to Part 5…}