| Warning Sign: | |
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On December 31, 1998 around 4:30 PM Ashley had a large mucus like discharge. Throughout the rest of the evening she noticed that she was leaking fluid more than usual. On the morning of January 1, 1999 we called the Midwives and were directed to go immediately to the hospital.
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| Pre-term Labor and Delivery: | |
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Around 11:00 AM on 1/1/99 Ashley was admitted into Northside Hospital. She was placed in the Pre-term Labor and Delivery area. They quickly hooked Ashley up to monitors and we were able to watch Struttbaby's heartbeat and see Ashley's contractions. We also noticed that there were some small contractions showing up on the monitor. Shortly there after Debbie (one of our Midwives) showed up to test Ashley's leaking fluid to see if it was Amniotic. Debbie also did a pelvic exam and discovered that Ashley's cervix was thinning, and she noticed that she didn't feel the head. Debbie used a simple ultra sound machine and noticed that Struttbaby was breach. If Ashley were to deliver anytime soon, it would have to be a C-Section. Later we got the results of the fluid test and it was negative, not Amniotic fluid. Debbie and Dr. Calhoun decided to discharge Ashley but they were concerned about the cervix thinning and the contractions. So Ashley was given a prescription to prevent her from going into early labor.
In order for Ashley to be discharge her hospital nurse had to get all the paperwork ready and give Ashley her discharge instructions. Since the nurse was tied up with another patient we didn't see her for over 30 minutes. During that time Ashley's contractions intensified, she also started to leak more fluid. When the nurse showed up, we informed her of the situation. The nurse immediately called Debbie back to our care. Debbie and Dr. Calhoun decide that further observation was required. They cancelled our discharge orders and Debbie informed us that we were going to be spending the night. Ashley received a shot of a labor-stopping drug, and Debbie also tested the latest fluid loss. Once again the fluid test was negative. Ashley's contractions were not showing signs of stopping, so she received another dose. She ended up having one more shot, for a total of 3 shots, before they could get the contractions to subside.
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| High Risk Prenetal Unit: | |
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Later that evening they moved Ashley to the High Risk Prenatal Unit. This area is designed to allow the patient to rest and still let the hospital monitor them. Ashley said the bed was much more comfortable than the delivery beds. Debbie and Dr. Calhoun had moved up our BPP (detailed ultra sound) to first thing in the morning. Before we went to sleep, Debbie tested Ashley's fluid one more time. Again it came back negative. Throughout the evening Ashley was going to bathroom every 10 minutes. Getting sleep that night was a very hard thing to do. Early the next morning Miriam (the other Mid-Wife) and Dr. Calhoun came in to talk to us about the BPP ultra sound. Basically they wanted to know 2 things, was there amniotic fluid, and how much did the Struttbaby weigh. Miriam said that if there was no fluid and Struttbaby was more than 4 to 4.5 pounds they would go ahead and do a C-Section. If there was no fluid and he weighed less, they might keep Ashley in the hospital and prevent infection and deliver him at the last minute. |
| BPP Ultra Sound: | |
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We were very nervous as we headed down the hall to get the BPP done. I even forgot the blank videotape and had to run back to the room and get it. After all this was the first opportunity for us to film Struttbaby. The first thing the technician said was there was no amniotic fluid. Ashley started to cry and I really wanted to as well, but I needed to comfort her. So now we were eagerly waiting for the technician to tell us how much Struttbaby weighed. To figure the weight they have to take measurements from different body parts and plug it into the computer. After what seemed like an eternity (actually about 10 minutes) the technician said Struttbaby weighed 5 pounds. She also said that Struttbaby was taking practice breaths and looked very healthy. We were both relieved knowing that Struttbaby was well developed for the outside world. Now we have something new to worry about, the C-Section. Miriam and Dr. Calhoun decided to immediately do the delivery. So within 30 minutes we were off to the Operating Room.
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| The C-Section: | |
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Ashley was taken to a prep room to put in her epidural. Fortunately the anesthesiologists got it right the first time and didn't have to stick her more than once. Ashley experienced extreme pain when the needle went into her back. She also got very sick to her stomach after the anesthesia went in. The epidural was supposed to numb her from the waist down, but it worked from her neck down. Even though she couldn't feel anything, she was very uncomfortable. I put on my scrubs, from head to toe, while they moved Ashley into the operating room. When I entered the room, I noticed how crowded it was. Around Ashley was Dr. Calhoun, Miriam and 3 other nurses. In the corner there were 2 specialists from the Neonatal Intensive Care unit. Behind Ashley was the anesthesiologists and me. During the surgery Ashley was vomiting and felt very constricted. In about 15 minutes Struttbaby came out butt first, and we heard he was a boy. They quickly passed him to the NICU team. They began clearing his nose and throat and placed a breathing apparatus on his face. After about 5 to 10 forced breaths he let out a loud scream and started crying. Ashley and I were so relieved to here that little squeal. As they washed him off I went over and held my son's little hand. He stopped crying immediately. Once he was cleaned up the NICU team brought him over to Ashley so she could take a peek before they took him up to Transition. Since he was 5 weeks early, he is required to enter Transition. This is an area where they monitor his blood sugar, breathing, and temperature for 4 hours. I asked Ashley if I should go with the baby or stay with her and she asked me to stay with her. She was feeling horrible. Her throat was dry and she couldn't swallow, and she continued to vomit throughout the remainder of the surgery. Dr. Calhoun asked me if I wanted an anatomy lesson and I got a quick tour of Ashley's lower abdomen. Shortly after Miriam and Dr. Calhoun were stapling Ashley back together and she was off to recovery. |
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