This is a really long detailed post, but I don’t want to forget anything from what happened.
Chris and I had actually just gone in for a regular appointment the day Tanner was born. I was 38 weeks and 1 day. At my 36 week appointment I was dilated to a 0 and 0% thinned and at 37 weeks dilated to a 0 and only 50% thinned :( so we were not expecting much. As mentioned in previous posts I had high blood pressure problems so we were hoping to at least ask if she would induce me by my due date and not make me go over. My doctor had taken me out of work and put me on bed rest at 36 weeks which helped lower my blood pressure but that day at my appointment it was up and I had a great deal of swelling along with all my water retention. She said that I was not preeclamptic yet, but that we had dealt with the PIH (pregnancy induced hypertension) long enough and if we were comfortable with induction she would highly suggest it. Of course we just wanted what was best for me and the baby and she felt that delivering that day was important...so we made the long walk down to labor and delivery. What an overwhelming walk. We were full of emotions and didn't know what to think. After a few phone calls and getting checked in they hooked me up and got me ready. Because I had not dilated they had to insert a pill call cytotec to get my body to go into labor. They told us it usually takes 2-3 pills to do the trick and they can only insert every 3 hours so not to expect much for awhile. Chris went home and picked up the house, cleaned out the truck, installed the car seat, and packed our bags. I was in heaven at the hospital. I was not in any pain and because they said it would be a long process I got to eat/drink clear liquids, who knew that jello squares and chicken broth would be so yummy! I think the got sick of me asking for popsicles too ;) After the first pill I really hadn't changed much so they did another. Then 3 hours later the doctor checked me and I was a 2, 70% thinned and -2, so she broke my water and told me I could have my epidural at any time. At this point I still had not felt one contraction. When the nurse checked me awhile later I was a 3+, 90% thinned, and a 0. This is when I started to feel contractions...I DID NOT LOVE THEM! So I got my epidural, which had to be done twice, but I did not think that it was as bad as I expected. When it was close to 10:00 the nurse tried to check me but couldn't tell what I was because the baby's head had dropped down so low, they told us it was good though because pushing him out would be easier. She went to get the doctor to check me...I was complete! You should have seen the look on Chris' face, we were told that he wouldn't be here tell the next day and didn't expect my body to labor so fast. We were not prepared. My mom and dad were still on their way and Chris' mom had gone to her office to finish an assignment. Chris asked, "So, the baby will be here in 2 minutes or an hour...?" The doctor's response: "More than 2 minutes but less than 30." Chris grabbed his mom (who has worked at the NICU there for 30 plus years) and they got me all ready to push. I pushed 4 or 5 times through 2 contractions and with in 20 minutes our beautiful boy was here! Tanner was born at 10:16 p.m. and was 6 lbs 9 oz and 20 in long. What an overwhelming experience, the love that you instantly feel for your child and a new love that you feel for your spouse!
At the very end of my labor I did end up getting preeclampsia/toxemia, they wanted to try and deliver the baby first to not pass the medications they had to give me for it on to the baby. As soon as everything settled down they gave me magnesium so my body wouldn't seize. I DO NOT LOVE magnesium. It makes your body feel extremely hot, like your on fire, and it also makes you really nauseous. At the time I didn't care because I was just enjoying my new little family. They took my epidural out and were getting me ready to go to my room. Because of my high blood pressure, which got up to 190/110 during delivery I couldn't have any pain medication so I was prepared for some serious pain but I was not prepared for what was about to happen. My husband, dad, and FIL had taken all our stuff to my room and my mom and MIL were still in the room with me with cute Tanner when I started to throw up from the magnesium. It was then that I started to complain about a big ball of pressure I was feeling. I started to freak out a little thinking that I was going to go to the bathroom right there in my bed. I was mortified...but the nurses looked at me weird and just said I shouldn't have to go and that it was normal to feel pressure down there. It rapidly got worse and started to feel excruciating. My L & D nurse, who by the way was amazing, went to grab my doctor because she was concerned. The doctor agreed it didn't sound normal and came back to check me all the while my mom had gone to grab my husband. When the doctor returned I knew there was trouble because when she checked me my husbands face lost all its color...because my MIL's face had lost all its color...because of the look my doctor got on her face. After this I really don't remember much, I was too delirious from the pain. I just remember laying there shaking uncontrollably from the pain and kept begging for them to knock me out while they figured out the problem. My doctor grabbed her husband, who works in the same clinic she does, to get a second opinion. Mind you they have both worked there for at least 30 plus years and have a great deal of experience. My doctor is amazing and the only reason I actually got into her was because of my MIL, she was no longer taking new patients and I'm sure will retire sooner than I would like :( Anyway, her husband checked me, very painful, and they exchanged looks and everyone in the room was silent. They knew my body bleeding internally and that I was clotting but did not know how much blood I was loosing or if it was contained; and better yet if I was going to make it out of this. They were immediately on the phone with doctors from the U and LDS hospital, along with getting the anesthesiologist in the room to see if I needed my epidural back. They also started getting blood ready and me hooked up for a possible blood transfusion or even surgery. I got hooked up to a pain medication called fendnyal, which I could control according to the pain. I was then rushed me down to radiology for a cat scan to see if they could get a better look at what was going on. They found that I had a cantaloupe size hematoma in the lining of my perineum. Apparently when someone clots it is normally outside and not in the lining, and they have only ever seen one the size of an egg. After an hour or so they took me back down for another cat scan to see if it was contained, this would determine if I needed surgery etc. Wonderful news, it was contained and my body had done an amazing job at clotting the way it was suppose to. This meant my body could just naturally reabsorb the clot and we could avoid surgery etc. They brought my stuff back to L & D and I was to camp out there until I was stable. For the next 24 hours I got another IV or two and had my vitals checked every couple hours. My blood pressure was still high, my heart rate was high, and my hematocrit, red blood count, was down to 23 (normal is 35-45 and if you get in the low 20's they start considering a transfusion). I finally was able to calm down and sleep, Chris tried to sleep and my parents stayed in the room with us and held/fed Tanner through that next day. My blood count finally stabilized the next day so they let me go to my room in postpartum. I was not aloud visitors and still hadn't seen much of my baby because of the situation :(
After 5 days in the hospital they finally let me go home, of course on blood pressure medication, ibuprofen and Percocet. My body did not handle the Percocet well. Because the blood pressure medication lowered my blood pressure, which my body was not use to, my loss of blood, and the Percocet I was so sick and almost passing out so I had to have a babysitter. Chris took a couple weeks off of work, my mom stayed with us that first week, and my MIL was over a lot helping too. After leaving the hospital I saw my doctor weekly for the first two weeks. My hematocrit was up to 29, I got to go off the blood pressure medication and after a few weeks stopped taking the Percocet. The hematoma had softened a great deal but not changed in size yet. This is normal because the clot liquefies from the inside out and collapses down on itself. An egg size clot takes 2 weeks to reabsorb so they were anticipating 6-8 weeks for mine. I just had my 6 week appointment and my hematocrit is 42, and the hematoma is around 4x4. I am doing so much better and my energy level is finally up. Tanner had to be formula fed the first week as I was not aloud to breastfeed because of the situation. So we are still trying to figure that out but at least they have pumps these days, I don't know what I would do with out it.
I have to thank my amazing husband for everything he has done for me these last 6 weeks and for the power of the priesthood. Chris has taken on so much to help me, along with working full time and going to school full time. Tanner was even released before me and I was ordered to rest so Chris had to play dad all by himself for a couple days. I could not have made it through this with out him and we are so grateful for the gospel in our lives!!!
