We pretty much just waited around all day Saturday Nov. 13 for an opening in ultrasound so they could get a good look at me and see if they could figure out where the bleeding had come from. In the afternoon we still hadn't heard when I would be getting the ultrasound. Justin was really hungry so I encouraged him to just drive quickly to McDonalds to pick up some lunch for himself and come back. Unfortunately in the time he was gone, I was called for the ultrasound and he missed it even though he rushed back and was actually in the waiting room while I was having the ultrasound done.
Nothing conclusive came up from that test though everything looked good on the monitor to the experts. They wanted to keep me in for observation overnight again, so we knew for sure we would be there Saturday night. But since I hadn't had any more bleeding episodes and they had no idea where the problem might be and I was still almost three weeks before my due date, there was a good chance I would get to go home soon.
Then on Sunday, they were still debating to send me home or not. Actually I think they might have decided I should have 48 hours monitoring without any problems and so had told me I might get to go home Monday if everything was OK all day Sunday. I can't remember the details now but the point was: no problems = get to go home!
I had an IV in my hand the whole time so when I decided to have a shower, I needed Justin's help to keep it dry. When I stepped out of the shower, I noticed a blood clot on the bathroom floor. It wasn't very big but I decided I should probably tell a nurse.
Unfortunately, while it wasn't the same as my other episodes on Friday, it was enough that it meant I was not getting to go home now. Instead, our midwife opted to try and induce labour using Cervidil. The concern was that while baby was fine, the bleeding episodes couldn't continue, especially when they didn't know the reason why. So by inducing, it bettered my chance at having a vaginal delivery and protecting the baby inside me from harm by getting him out before I bled too much.
So we heard from a few people that this Cervidil kicks in fast. But for me? Nope. Nada. Not a contraction. Not a twinge. Clearly, my body was not ready for labour and neither was baby!
And Sunday was a long, boring day waiting for this induction method to work. We just hung around the maternity ward all day, not able to go anywhere and really not able to do anything.
Monday, Cheryl opted to try another dose of Cervidil with me, see if we could kick things up a notch. I remember my parents came to visit again, bringing Subway for Justin (I was fed at the hospital but not him). We decided to wrap up the visit because I should rest in case labour came on later.
We were back in the room for awhile just waiting. After dinner I felt a few tiny twinges and started to get excited that maybe something was finally happening after all that waiting and those two doses of Cervidil.
I went to the bathroom, then came out and just rocked back and forth on the birthing ball. Justin was in the bathroom and all of a sudden, I felt a warm gush again. I freaked out. I remember just standing there crying and saying this wasn't supposed to happen. Justin rushes out of the bathroom and asks if he should hit the panic button. I'd accidentally hit it earlier in our stay and was a little gun shy (those maternity nurses REALLY move fast when you hit that button!!). I told him I didn't know. He hit the regular call button and was trying to tell me everything was OK but I wasn't hearing him. I was just scared and standing on the floor bleeding and really, really panicked.
Once the nurse came in and saw what was going on, she hit the panic button and the room felt like it was flooded with staff. I was directed onto the bed and I kept feeling more gushes of blood. Every time that happened I would tell someone and be panicked more.
But there was an absolute saviour in our room that evening. Nurse Laura took charge. She told me it was going to be OK. She told me baby was fine in there, and that if they were really concerned I would be in the OR already having a C-section.
I remember hearing discussions around me of what they would be doing, and I just kept saying they had to call my midwife and to not do anything to me without her there. I needed her by my side making sure that whatever was going to be done for me was best for the baby.
Thankfully Cheryl arrived very quickly. They told me I was having minor contractions and, with each contraction, more blood was coming out. The doctor on call, Dr. Shone, came and talked to me about my options. Basically the gyst was they could just do a C-section, or they could take me to the OR and examine me and if they could figure out where the bleeding was coming from, possibly try for vaginal delivery. But by doing an examination, there was a risk that they might touch something or something could go wrong and then I would be knocked out right away and when I woke up I would have a baby. I hated the thought of not being awake when my baby was cut out of me. We opted to at least try for the exam to see if there was a chance I could still deliver. I can't remember all the options given to me, but I think there was four or five options of what might be done and all but one ended up in C-section as the end result.
I had to wait for the operating room to be open. It was a blessing in that it meant I had time to calm down. All this happened between 6:30 pm and about 11:30 pm. In that time, I remember being told that this was a good sign that I was OK, because there were other women needing C sections before me. That meant I wasn't in as rough shape as I had feared.
And I very clearly remember Cheryl telling me, "Tonight, you get to meet your baby." That moment will stick with me the rest of my life. It was exciting to realize that, no matter what happened, soon my baby would be in my arms for the very first time.
Finally I was rolled down the hall to the operating room. Justin had to stay outside while they did the exam. I was scared without him there, but so thankful that Cheryl got to stay with me.
Dr. Shone told me if anything went wrong, I would literally be put out within seconds. They said I wouldn't even know what hit me, I would just wake up later.
He did the exam and decided I needed a C section. Something to do with my blood levels had been low (maybe my platelets) and there was a good chance the anesthesiologist would opt to just put me out. But thankfully he made the call to keep me awake, which I am so grateful for.
The needle felt kind of like a bee sting but that was it. And then I didn't feel anything.
Justin was able to come in and be by my side. I am so thankful for that too; if I'd been knocked out he would've missed seeing our boy right away. God is so good.
The anesthesiologist was a very kind man with a big bushy white beard. I made him promise me that I wouldn't feel the cut. I remember telling him I know he does this all the time but just make sure I wouldn't feel it! He told me they were going to do three tests on me to make sure I wouldn't feel the pain. The first, he said, was they put ice down there. I was surprised, I hadn't felt anything and told him that. The second test, he said, was they pinched me very hard, enough that I would've reacted and I didn't. No, I said, didn't feel anything.
The third test, he said, is they've already cut me open! Imagine my shock, here I was with a hole in my abdomen big enough to pull out a baby and I felt nothing. Modern medicine really is amazing. And seconds later, I heard "it's a boy!"
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