That night the doctors put me on massive magnesium. I remember finding out that I had to go back on the mag and just crying. My sister Jessica called me and I couldn't talk. David had to tell her what was going on. Next thing I know I get a text message from her saying "You can do this, Jacque!". During that time about 5 nurses came in with my doctor. They raised the bed, put me on this huge oxygen mask, put a cathader in and told me I was confined to the bed. It was the worst night of my life. Even though I told David to go home and get a good night sleep, he didn't leave my side!
The next day my blood pressure was still high but not where it was the night before. I spent the day watching the three Back to the Future movies...again. They were being played on a loop the whole week I was in the hospital. haha! Again there was talk about sending me home on moderate bed rest. Then the next morning I woke up with a dull pain in my right side, another symptom of preeclampsia. At about 9:00am on January 4th, the doctor came in and said that the pain in my side was the icing on the cake and they felt better getting Macy out. They would be inducing me within the next hour. WHAT!?!?!?
I was almost two months early. I wasn't ready at all. We had just moved out of our apartment and back into my parents house until our house we were buying would be ready in April. I had hardly any baby clothes for her. I had no diapers. I hadn't had my baby shower yet. No crib. Luckily we had a bassinet. At least I had another month to get all of that ready as I knew she would be in the NICU for about a month. I sat there in disbelief for a few minutes and then the happiness and excitement started to sink in. I was gonna be a mommy. I called David and without even saying hi said "Are you ready to be a daddy!" "YEAH!" was his reply. I filled him in on the induction plans but reassured him that he had plenty of time to finish his day of work. Not much would be going on until later that afternoon.
My midwife came and gave me my first induction gel treatment at 11:00am, again at 2:00pm and again at 4:00. I spent the day watching tv and sleeping. It wasn't until about 4:30 that my contractions really began to take my breath away and require me to dive into hypno birthing and focus on my counting throughout the contractions (thank you Toni Holland!) David got there about 5:00 and the contractions were picking up but still not unbearable. I had invited his mom, Valerie to be present at the birth but due to winter weather she was unable to make it. So, we invited his sister Sarah to come up and join the action! It was so nice having her there...especially to support David.
I had a few more visitors before about 7:00pm. My dad stopped by on the way to his church meetings. My sister Julie came up for a little bit. I was bummed my mom had to work, but knew I would see her as soon as she was done. My sister Jessica, who is a Doula, made the trip up from Tucson to help me through the birth. She got there about 7:30 and by then my contractions were...OUCH! Still pluggin through with my hypno birthing and no epidural. At about 8:45, David went down to the lobby to eat dinner. He didn't want to make me sick with the pizza smell. While he was gone my nurse... what a wench!... came in and told me that I still had a ways to go because my contractions weren't even that strong. Come to find out she didn't have my monitor positioned right but she did check me and I was 6 cm. I felt like I was going to throw up, my contractions were awful so at this point I asked for an epidural.
David came back about 9:15 and my epidural STILL had not shown up. My sister called the nurse to ask how much longer and the nurse said she was just calling the anestheseologist so he should be there in about 15 minutes. I may have been confined to my bed and in the middle of the worst pain of my life but I was ready to kick that nurses butt! She came in at 9:20 and said she needed to check me. I told her fine but I had to go to the bathroom first. "I feel like I need to poop". Sorry, maybe that was too much information!? haha! Anyway, she said "well let me check you before you go." I laid back down and things starting to spin. The nurse said "You're a 10!" I had David on my left, right next to my face and my sister was the same on my right. "You're a 10, Jacque!" Jessica said.
I have never felt so much fear in my life. I knew that I couldn't get an epidural. I knew how much pain I was in. "I can't do this! I can't do this! No! NO!" I remmeber saying, shaking my head back and forth from David to Jessica. In the background I hear my nurse screaming into the phone "We have a bulging sack"... and a bunch of other hurried medical talk. I felt Macy drop and my body automatically started pushing before the midwife was even in there. The nurse rose my bed, other nurses flooded in, one pushing a incubator type thing for Macy. I screamed a blood wrenching scream. I never knew my voice could go that loud!
The midwife broke my water. I pushed one more time and Macy's head was out. "Touch your baby! Look down and touch your baby Jacque" the midwife said. "NO!" was all I could barely breathe out. I barely pushed again and at 9:28pm Macy flew out. Immediately all of my pain was gone. I heard her little cry and the midwife say "ok daddy. Cut the cord!" They briefly brought my Macy girl up to my face so that I could see her but quickly took her to examine her and make sure everything was ok. Then I looked up and noticed that the window was wide open, no blinds, I was lifted up with a light shining on me and we were on the second floor facing the street. "Can someone shut the blinds" was the first thing I said. David laughed. "Sweetie, I think its a little late for that."
David kissed me, told me he loved me and then went with Macy down to the NICU. Jessica stayed with me and as they were wheeling Macy out my daddy showed up. Even though my pain was all gone I could not stop shaking. I was so shaky and so cold. That lasted about 15 minutes and went away as my mom came in. David then sent me a picture message of my baby girl all hooked up to monitors and said "3 lbs. 13 oz.! She is doing great!"
She was on room oxygen for a couple of days and had bili ruben (sorry if that is spelt wrong) lights for two days to help with her jaundice. She wore these little glasses to protect her eyes from the light and the way her bed opened and the noise it made was totally like a delorion... appropriately keeping with my Back to the Future week. haha!
As my WONDERFUL nurse (sense the sarcasm) was wheeling me to my post-delivery room, she totally ran my feet into the wall. We all couldn't help but laugh. I got nestled into my new room and everyone left. It was finally just me and David. I told him he could go home and get a good night rest. He didn't answer. I asked "do you want to stay here with me?" Again, no answer. I could tell he was in a different place. "Honey, where do you want to sleep tonight?" "I want to sleep down stairs!" (the NICU was on the first floor) "but there is no bed down by her crib!" he answered. I knew at that moment that there was another girl in his life. It was the cutest thing ever! He came over and gave me a hug and a kiss. Just like that we went from two to three! Life was never going to be the same again. and we couldn't wait!
You have a talent for writing. Even tho I knew how the story would go I couldn't help but get sucked in. You're amazing! Welcome to the blogging world. :)
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