Tuesday, October 1, 2013

Katelyn's Story- Part 2

As I was waiting in the observation room for the nurses to prepare a delivery room for me, Cory started making phone calls.  My blood pressure was still rising (they were checking it every 10 minutes) so the nurses made me lie on my side and stay very still.  I think the only thing that would describe how I was feeling is numb.  And scared.  We were both in complete shock from everything that had just taken place over the past few hours and I had just been told that I was going to have to deliver my baby with a doctor I had just met. 

My first nurse was Skipper (Is it weird that I can still remember that after 8 years?!?!).  She was young and sweet and did everything she could to put me at ease.  Her first job was to start me on a magnesium sulfate IV drip that would prevent seizures.  Unfortunately, you can not have anything to eat or drink while you are on this medicine and it also makes you feel very hot.  She turned the air conditioner down as low as she could and told Cory to grab a blanket! 

Dr. Thigpen was not on call that night so he transferred my care to his partner, Dr. Howard.  Dr. Howard started the induction process about 5pm and explained that since my body was nowhere close to being ready to deliver a baby (I was only 17 weeks along), the process could take up to 24 hours before I delivered. 

My mom and sister had arrived by that point and they sat with me while I waited.  I was still having to lay on my left side and the nurses encouraged me to be as quiet as possible since my blood pressure was still so high. 

The nurses changed shifts that evening and my next nurse was named Babette (I know... it's really weird that I still remember both of my nurse's names!)  She was older and so kind.  She knew how miserable and thirsty I was on the magnesium sulfate and snuck in some ice chips for me to suck on even though she knew it was against the doctor's orders.  These two nurses were truly my angels that day.  I can not say enough good things about them and the compassionate care that they gave me. 

Things were still progressing very slowly around bedtime so my family decided to go home so Cory and I could try and get some sleep.  We all assumed that it would be well into the next day before I finally delivered.  Boy were we wrong!  About midnight, I started having some minor contractions.  My nurse told me to start thinking about whether or not I was going to want an epidural once the contractions started getting stronger.  Around 1am, I started having some very strong. painful contractions.  I told Cory that I thought I needed the nurse to come and check on me.  As soon as we finished hitting the call button, I had one last contraction and then it was over.  Cory was the only one in the room when I delivered Katelyn.  He ran out into the hall and within seconds, Dr. Howard and several nurses were in my room. 

After the chaos had subsided, Babette encouraged me to take the pain pills that Dr. Howard had prescribed so that I could get some much needed rest.  I agreed and was asleep within minutes.  Several important things happened over the next few hours but I was in such a fog from the medicine that I don't remember a lot about them.  I remember talking to my mom and sister on the phone, but I have no idea what we talked about.  A few hours after delivery, the hospital chaplain came in to pray with us.  They laid Katelyn next to me in my bed and as she prayed, I just cried.  It was the only time I ever got to see Katelyn and it is something I will never forget.  All I could think about was how perfectly formed her 10 fingers and 10 toes were.  She had so many things wrong with her, but her fingers and toes were absolutely perfect.  Finally, about 6am (right before the next nurse shift change), Babette brought me a heart shaped plaque and gave it to me.  I was still so foggy from the meds that I didn't realize until much later that day that the plaque had Katelyn's handprints and fingerprints on it.  I still treasure that plaque so much.

Right after the shift change, they moved me up to a regular room in the maternity wing.  The nurses put a special sign on my door that let everyone who entered my room know that I had lost a baby.  Looking back, I thought this was one of the most thoughtful things they did.  They eliminated me having to retell my story to everyone who walked in the room looking for a newborn.  I was finally taken off of the magnesium sulfate drip and was allowed to eat lunch.  They continued to take my blood every few hours to check my levels.  I had several visitors in the hospital, including Dr. Deem, my regular OB, who came by to check in on me.  That night was one of the longest nights ever.  My head was finally clear enough from all of the meds that everything was starting to sink in. 

Early the next morning, Dr. Thigpen came in and talked with Cory and I for a long time.  He told us a little more about what triploidy was and explained that it was not genetic so any other children we had in the future had a little to no chance of having it too.  He also told us that my preeclampsia had turned into HELLP syndrome which is where the liver starts to be affected.  He told me that my blood pressure had reached seizure levels and that if I had not come in for the appointment on Thursday, I probably would have started having seizures at home.  Finally, he said that as long as my morning blood work came back normal, I would be able to go home that day.

Later that morning, I was cleared to be dismissed from the hospital.  Leaving the hospital was one of the hardest things I had to do.  Being wheeled out of the maternity ward without a baby in my arms was extremely difficult.  Little did I know that the next few days, weeks, and months were going to be just as difficult. 

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