It hasnt even been 24 hours since this amazing little girl entered the world, but I wanted to write while everything is still fresh and new in my mind. The past few weeks have been a whirlwind for all of us. From thinking we would have a scheduled c-section in the middle of September, to waiting 2 weeks for another opinion from a specialist, having contractions stopped early due to pre-term labor, and then getting a diagnosis that could have changed this journey forever. Over 2 weeks ago, I started experiencing some weird symptoms. I had excessive itching on the palms of my hands and soles of my feet. I didnt think anything of it; I thought it was just one of those crazy things that happens during pregnancy. A couple days later while laying in bed and basically scratching my feet raw, my boyfriend mentioned that Ive been scratching way too much lately and didnt think it was normal. He wouldnt let me go to bed until I called the nurse advice line so he could have some peace of mind. So I called - no, it wasnt a normal pregnancy symptom and it was some cause for concern, but it was 2 am on a Saturday, baby was moving fine, I felt fine besides the itching so it wasnt an immediate problem. I was told to go to urgent care to get some blood work done first thing in the morning. After a long day of waiting, we got the results, liver function was elevated - it was official, I had Cholestasis. To find out how bad it was, another test needed to be run. Unfortunately, it was a test that was only ran at a lab in Virgina and it takes 72 hours to get results once they run it, but they only run it 3 days a week. No big deal right? We got a diagnosis, I got put on some medication that should help it and in a few days when we got the results, my OB could figure out the next step - until you do a little research on Cholestasis in pregnancy and see that the number one complication of it is fetal demise. For anyone that know Kevin and Adriens history, hearing this complication rocked their world. They never let on to me how worried or upset they were that nothing was being done immediately, but I knew. I knew they were holding their breath, hoping they never got a text that something was wrong. Constantly checking up on me to make sure everything was okay, waiting anxiously hour after hour, day after day that their dream of bringing home a baby would still happen. I cant even begin to imagine what pain and turmoil they went through in the last 2 weeks. The next 2 weeks included an appointment everyday for something - more blood work because the first test didnt get ran and my liver function kept getting worse, NSTs to make sure the baby was okay, OB visits which included 3 membrane strippings to try to jump start labor, and more torturous waiting. There was finally light at the end of the tunnel - my OB decided that he would go ahead and schedule an induction on my due date, October 7, because we should FINALLY have all the test results by that day. We all just hoped and prayed there wouldnt be any complications before then. Due to these events, the 3 of us got to spend a lot of quality time together. We ate lots of yummy food, saw a movie, went to market night, hung out in the pool, drank lots of Starbucks. Kevin and Adrien got to enjoy their last few days as a couple, but anxiously awaited the arrival of their baby girl. I texted Adrien at 2:30 yesterday morning and put her on stand-by. I had been having contractions that were steady, but I wasnt sure if this was it or not. I told her to get some sleep and I would text her in a few hours with an update. The contractions got stronger so I sent her an update. They were about 10-12 min apart still, so not close enough to go in yet, but it seemed like we were getting there. We finally decided to head into the hospital as the sun was rising with contractions 7-8 minutes apart. We get to L&D, I have to pee in a cup, get a gown on, hooked up to the monitors, get the cervix checked and see if this is real labor. More waiting. The nurse commented on how dark my urine was, so she brought in a giant cup of ice water and told me to drink. Contractions completely stopped. Apparently there is such a thing as dehydration contractions. Adrien and I looked at each other and knew I was getting sent home. Guess we werent having a baby after all. I could see the look of disappointment on her face and I felt so bad that we would be leaving the hospital empty handed. A little while later, the nurse walked in and gave us great news. The midwife that was working the floor decided that she wanted to keep me and induce due to the Cholestasis. Looks like it was baby time! Saying that everything that happened in the next few hours went by so quick would not be an understatement. I was moved into a labor and delivery room and checked in. Got all hooked up to the monitors, IV started, admission papers all signed, we were ready to rock and roll! They started the pitocin around 9 am and the contractions came right with it. Every 20-30 min they upped the pitocin and the contractions got worse. After 2 hours I begged for the epidural. Finally got it around 11:45 and life was good. They checked my cervix again and it had only dilated 0.5 cm since the time I came in, but it has softened immensely. We thought this was going to be a long process. Apparently baby didnt like me getting the epidural because her heart rate dipped a little. I had to lay on my side for about 30 minutes and her heart rate went up. She was good. Me on the other hand, is a different story. I started feeling every single contraction on that side I was laying on and they were only 1-2 minutes apart. They adjusted me to the other side and the same thing. I was soon feeling every single contraction with no pain relief. This was NOT what I signed up for! Im not going to lie, the pain was horrible. It was the worst pain I have ever experienced in my life. They paged the anesthesiologist to come back and see what happened with my epidural because I was absolutely miserable. I dont know how long it took him to show up, but I swear it felt like an eternity. If you asked me, I had at least 15 horrible contractions that I had to breathe through, but the reality is that it could have been 5 minutes and I wouldnt have known any different. I just know that I was in excruciating pain and I couldnt handle it. The anesthesiologist showed up, increased the medication and waited. Nope, no relief. He gave me half a bolus of meds and waited a few minutes. Nope, no relief. He gave me the other half. Still no relief. The pain was just getting worse and worse. I told the midwife I needed some sort of drug to take the pain away, at least take the edge off, knock me over the head, do whatever you have to do to make it stop. She said she could give me something in the IV but needed to check my cervix first because it could make the baby drowsy and could affect labor. She lifted the sheet off my legs, took one luck and started yelling. She told me not to push....the babys head was right there. I went from 4 cm - head popping out in 1.5 hours. In less than 2 minutes, my legs were up in the stirups, the nurses were all in the room, the midwife was gowned up and I had a contraction - the baby came right out. At 2:01 pm, Kevin and Adrien watched their baby girl take her first breath in this world. Kevin got to cut her cord and she was immediately placed in Adriens arms for some skin to skin time. I got to watch Kevin and Adriens dream finally come true. I cant even begin to tell you what it meant to me to be able to be a part of that moment and see them hold their baby in their arms. It is a moment I will treasure forever. To see the look on their faces and the excitement in their eyes, I knew in in my heart that I had made the right choice. Holding these moments in my heart, I will never doubt or regret my decision to give them this gift of life. From the day I met Kevin and Adrien, I knew this baby was theirs. She was their daughter. She was made just for them. I have no words to describe the love I have for Kevin and Adrien. They are the two most deserving people I know and I feel so blessed to be able to be the person that helped them fulfill a dream. I hope someday they see that they were the selfless ones in this whole process. They gave me a choice. They allowed me to take a situation that I never wanted to be in and turn it into the most amazing experience of my life. They allowed me to give them something so precious, something that not everyone can give.They taught me how to love unconditionally. They have made me a better person. They have changed my life forever and I am so glad they chose me to walk this journey with. All my love, Amanda
Posted on: Sun, 05 Oct 2014 21:57:24 +0000
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