I had a great pregnancy. No morning sickness, no swelling, a little back pain, overall a healthy and happy pregnant lady who was due on March 2, 2009.
On January 10, 2009, I woke up with a little cramping. It was very minor and came and went pretty quickly that I just kept trying to ignore it. After a few hours, I called my sister (my expert in pregnancies and babies) and asked her if it was normal to have period cramping while you were 33 weeks pregnant... She, of course, said NO. She directed me to immediately call my doctor, who directed me to immediately go to Labor and Delivery. Even while driving to the hospital, it never crossed my mind I could have him early. I guess I just figured the doctors would "fix me". After arriving there, a nurse hooked me up to some monitors and found that I was having contractions. She said I wasn't dilated and gave me medicine to (hopefully) stop the contractions. After a few hours, they were worse and closer together. They sent me home with the medicine to keep taking and told me if I'm still having contractions the next day to come back...
January 11, 2009. Still had contractions, at the most 10 minutes apart, so I went back. Got hooked up to monitors again, more shots of medicine, still not dilated, and an ultrasound to see if the baby's lungs were developed enough "in case he's born today"... The ultrasound tech said he was roughly about 5 pounds and his lungs looked developed. My contractions were bad, really bad. Excruciating pain every few minutes was making me go crazy. Since I wasn't dilated any, they sent me home to go on bed rest.
January 12 and 13, 2009. Kind of a blur, lots of pain. Lots and lots of pain... The night of the 13th, I noticed some "leaking". Very slight, but I was concerned.
January 14, 2009. I called my doctor that morning and told her about the leaking. She told me to go to Labor and Delivery. I was really scared and worried about the baby. Dallas dropped me off at the door to the hospital, but the walk to the L&D desk was unbearable. It was like something in a movie, clutching my belly, saying I was in labor... the pain was so bad. They did everything like the past two times, but this time tested the leakage to see if it was amniotic fluid, and it was... I was told I was being sent to Baptist Hospital, because they had a NICU and I was having the baby today. Those words didn't even process in my mind. Part of me was glad I would finally stop having the horrible contractions, but I couldn't fathom having him that day. I was in shock.
About 5 hours and one (awesome) epidural later, I delivered a beautiful and tiny baby boy. 4 pounds, 5 ounces of pure miracle.
They let me hold him for a few seconds, then took him away to evaluate his status. They determined his lungs were good, but they wanted to quickly get him in an incubator for warmth. Dallas was able to carry our son, Arlen, from our room to the NICU.
They let me hold him and try to feed him every few hours for just a few minutes at a time. Feeding wore him out easy so at first he ate a lot through his feeding tube. I praise God that he didn't have any health concerns. Which is huge for premature babies. His only "problem" was that he was small. He lost almost a pound after birth, so their main concern was to get him to gain weight. But to leave the NICU he would have to know how to feed from a bottle and not rely on his tube.
Each day he was there felt like a year. Once I was discharged from the hospital, my day started by driving to the hospital (15 miles away) for his 9 am feeding. He ate every 3 hours, which is the only time I could get him out and hold him. So I stayed at the hospital til 3 pm, went home for a couple hours to eat, do laundry, etc., then back to the hospital by 6 pm. Most nights I got home at midnight.
It was exhausting, physically and mentally. I cried a lot, and prayed a lot more. I don't know how anybody could go through something like that, and not have God in their lives. He gave me peace and comfort and strength to get through it. He also gave me my sister, who drove 10 hours with her 2 kids to make it there the day I had him. She was my constant companion, came to the hospital almost every day to help me. I am so blessed to have a sister like her, I love her so much!
They first told us he could possibly be in the NICU for a month, but he only stayed ten days. He got back up to his birth weight and they told us we would be bringing home a 4 pound baby. I have never been so nervous or happy in my life! I was thrilled to be able to have him home, and actually start our life. Ten days in the NICU is so short compared to most of the babies there, and I am so thankful. His situation could have been a lot worse. Those ten days felt like years, and my heart goes out to the parents who have babies there for months and months.
I read a quote while he was in the NICU, "From small beginnings, come great things". He was so, so tiny. 21 months and 20 pounds later, it's actually hard to remember he was that small. I am so blessed to have him in my life. I love being his mother and can't wait to see what great things his life brings him. I love him so much!!
