THANKFUL - DAY 19

Mary's Story: On May 8, 2012 I decided I would take a pregnancy test. It was one of those things that I decided to do without telling Jack. I had lots of problems leading up to trying for a second kid, that I wasn't sure anything was going to happen. That night we got some good news or so we thought. The next week I had a follow up doctors visit to have a sono done. My doctor was looking for other things that were causing me to have complications. When I went in for the sono, I told the guy I thought I was pregnant so he looked and couldn't find anything. I was devastated, and had to text Jack the sad news. However, my doctor had me take another test and did blood work. I got the call the next day that my blood was good and I was in fact pregnant. She also stated that at this time I needed to start taking pegestarone supplements. At this time we figured this would be the only complication that we would encounter. Man, was I wrong. After a few weeks of waiting we were able to finally get in to the doctor again to get a sono picture and see the heartbeat. Wow, what an amazing thing to see. After weeks of worry our prayers had been answered. So, we officially were able to announce to our family we were expecting. Right after this announcement my second complication started up. I began to experience morning sickness. When I was pregnant with Maggie I didn't have anything wrong, so this was all new to me. It was just another bump in the road, but each day gave me the satisfaction that I was still pregnant. So, our long journey was really beginning!Things had been going great, other than being so sick. I was learning to tolerate it and I had to start back to work. I got into my school year and things were going great. On Labor Day weekend things changed. We had a pretty good Labor Day weekend and had done a lot. That Monday we went to the mall and out to dinner with friends. As I was eating dinner I started to get sick. I went to the bathroom to discover that I had started to bleed. We called the doctor and got sent to Labor and Delivery immediately. Once at Labor and Delivery, they hooked us up to the monitor and discovered that baby girl was doing fine. We had no answers to our bleeding question and were sent home to follow up with the doctor. Later that week we still didn't have any real answers other than the fact it was just something that happened. The next weekend we ended up with the same issue again. Again, back to Labor and Delivery we went to discover we were still in the clear. At this time we were very frustrated not knowing what was wrong. The following weekend, we had been at a friends birthday party and things started looking bad again. This time we were admitted over night for observations. What in the world was happening? We had no clue. We meet with a Fetal Medicine Doctor who came in to explain that I had a blood pocket that was attached to the placenta and was bleeding out. This was the first time we had real answers. We knew at this time what the risk were, and I had to take it easy. I could still work, but had to sit and not do much while I was working. Once I got home, it was the same thing. For me, this was going to be hard. Later that week things had been going really good. I figured I was following the rules, and doing what I needed to do. Well, baby girl had other plans. I started to bleed while at work. I waited a few hours and then called the doctor. She and my team sent me home to rest and follow up in their office with a sono. From that point I was sent over to Labor and Delivery for an overnight stay. From there, I was put on bed rest. My world was done! That was the hardest thing I ever had to do. I am not the type of person to walk away from things, or sit around and watch others. However, this was my life for what I had planned for weeks. Over the next few weeks I saw my high risk doctor and my OB weekly. I was really enjoying my trips out of my house. The visits with my doctor were great. Jack really had to step up to the plate and take on a big roll. He was not only my rock, but he was the person who had to do everything. We had so many friends and family who did a lot as well. It was so nice to have so many people who help take care of us. This was our life for the past 6 weeks. To begin week 7 of bed rest things were going fine. I was in a routine, Maggie was doing good, and things seemed to be on track. Monday was a normal day for me and things seemed to be good. Early Tuesday morning Maggie woke us up around 1:30 complaining of a stomach ache. We got her out of bed, went to the bathroom, and she seemed fine. I on the other hand was wide awake. I had a hard time going to sleep and started watching TV. Around 3:15 Maggie woke up again and I took her to the bathroom. I went to the bathroom myself and made my way back into bed. At 3:40 I was laying in bed and coughed. I felt this weird sensation, and slowly made my way out of bed. It was at that moment I knew my water had broke. I yelled for Jack to wake up and we called the doctor. She sent us immediately to the hospital. From there our lives were forever changed. Once we got to the hospital they ran a test and hooked us up to the monitors. The test confirmed that my water had broke, so I was going to be admitted. Around 9 something that day, my doctor came by and did a check and a sono. Baby was looking great, so I received a steroid shot to help develop her lungs. At this time we were told she could come anywhere from today up until 3 weeks. So, we prayed for the later. Tuesday turned out to be a restful day. I just had to lay around and wait for what was to come. Wednesday morning I woke up very sick. I had been given some medicine through the night to help me sleep, and it didn't agree with me. However, I slept most of the day and was feeling good. I received my next round of shots which was very hopeful. This was what baby girl needed. On Thursday morning I woke up very emotional and feeling some pain. Jack was leaving for work and I knew he wasn't staying the night with me. We had decided it would be best for him to be home with Maggie. I had a very hard day and was very upset most of it. I tried really hard to relax, and just be patient. However the pain I was feeling was getting worse. I few times that day I was put on some monitors to watch for contractions. None were found and baby looked good. I just kept thinking something was up. That night Jack and Maggie came by for a visit and a few others as well. Everyone was home by 9 and I was still feeling those pains. Around 9:30 I received my first dose of pain meds. The pains kept getting worse, so they brought me in my Ambien to sleep and told me it was just round ligament pains. I knew it was something more. At 11:00 I got a dose of pain meds through my IV. What ever this was knocked me out. However, I kept waking up and the pain was worse. At 1:45 in the morning my nurse came in to check my cervix. I was at a 4. The next thing I knew I was getting oxygen, calling Jack and getting an epidural. Over the next few hours I had no clue what really went on. Jack came to the hospital immediately and began to work. Why he had to work I don't know. I slept and rested peacefully at this point. Finally, I was told to sit up and push. The next few hours were a blur. I remember only pushing twice and Mary was born. The took her and started to clean her up. I got to hold her for a few seconds before she was whisked off to the NICU. Jack went with her and got to see her get cleaned up and assessed. Maggie got to come up to the hospital and be part of me being moved to the post partum room. It was fun because she got to push the button that plays the music to tell everyone a baby is born. I was so excited she got to be part of it. After getting settled in we finally got to go down and meet our new angel. For some reason Mary has wanted to be part of this world for a while now. Our 3 pound 5 ounce baby girl has come bouncing into this world and has been doing great. We have a long journey ahead of us. Mary will have goals that she has to master in order to get to go home. As of now she is strong and very sassy as the nurses say. We get to go twice a day and hold her, change her diaper, and just spend some time with her. The hardest part is having Maggie at home who can't go with us for that time. We are going to have to work out a schedule to fit everyone's needs. We are a family of 4 now and can't be happier. Today I am so thankful for the safe arrival and the success of my sweet new baby! Mary is so strong and makes my heart so complete.