First-Time-Mommy.Com Featured Birth Story: Dominic (Born at 34 Weeks)

 

 

 

 

Babies Name: Dominic

Babies Sex:   Male

Due Date: 4/24/2012

Babies Birth Date: 3/9/2012

# of weeks pregnant: 34 weeks & 3 days

Type of Birth:  Vaginal

Babies Stats: 4 lbs, 7 oz, 17 3/4 inches long

Parents: Dianna & Larry T.

 

 

“In 2007 I had met the most wonderful man I am happy to now call my husband. We had met on the internet, moved in together after just a few months of dating. I have had 3 miscarriages prior to meeting my husband so the thought of getting pregnant was not in the cards right away. We lived together for 3 1/2 years before we decided to get married. During that time we had never used protection but sadly we never were able to conceive a baby. My husband purposed in 2011 and we set the date for August 27, 2011.

 

I gave up all hope of having a baby and put all my energy into putting our wedding together. Soon I had forgot all about wanting a baby, at least that was until one week before the big day.

I remember I was tanning outside in my yard and my soon-to-be husband was sitting in a chair next to me talking. The next thing I knew I started to cramp and I instantly thought I had started my period so I took a peek in my bathing suit and seen one little pink spot. I got so upset that I was going to be on my period for our honey moon. Three days later I had realized that I had not bled anymore since that one time while tanning. I am not a big fan of taking a pregnancy test because I have been disappointed so many times before but this one time I made a point to go and get one as soon as I got up the next day.

 

When I woke up the next morning I dressed and rushed off to the store for that test. By the time I got back home my soon-to-be hubby was awake. He was not aware of what I was doing until he seen the test but like me he was not all that hopeful. I then went to the bath room as he went outside to finish his phone call. Well you know how it says to wait 2 minutes for a result? I didn’t even get the cap back on and I had my result 🙂

 


It only took a millisecond for me to register what I was looking at and I started screaming for my soon-to-be hubby. He came rushing into the house thinking I got hurt or something but soon realized I was just fine, in fact I was still sitting on the toilet. When he seen that I was still holding the test in my hand with the biggest grin ever he immediately phoned his parents to tell them the news and I made a few calls as well letting those closest to me know.

 

Weeks has passed and the wedding and honey moon were over and that left me with only the pregnancy to think about.  I wasn’t back to work for more then a few weeks before I started getting beyond paranoid about losing the baby. With my other pregnancies I only made it to 8-10 weeks before I miscarried them.I worked at a nursing home at the time with MR residents . Right at 8 weeks and still working, I went to go into work one day but as soon as I put my hand on the door nob to leave a panic attack hit me like a ton of bricks and I turned to my husband in tears and told him I could not bring myself to go back not even for one more day I was too scared that something would happen and I’d lose the baby. That day I quit my job to stay home and focus on the pregnancy and do my best to keep this baby. Even though that didn’t ease my paranoia by much, I continued to worry everyday and the only thing that helped was me reading the What To Expect When Your Expecting book.

 

I had a fairly easy pregnancy, the only issues were that I couldn’t gain weight, I was dehydrated a little, and I had a bad case of motion sickness. I couldn’t ride very often in a vehicle because the roads around here (Tennessee) are all curvy. I ate very healthy and did my Yoga. I thought I had done everything to keep my son safe and healthy…

 

On March 7th at about 10 pm I was talking to my sister in Michigan about weather she should come down before,during or after the baby was born. At about 10:30 pm we said our good nights and I grabbed my laundry basket,  put the clothes away and went back to sit down on my couch. The moment I sat down I felt a bubble of fluid down south. Quickly I waddled to the bathroom and as soon as I sat down more fluid rushed out. At first I thought I had peed myself, this being the first time I ever made it this far into a pregnancy I wasn’t sure so I had told my husband that I had peed my pants and he asked me why like I would know…

 

Anyways, I couldn’t get the leaking to stop and from what I had read I was aware that it could be my water and that if it was it would have a sweet smell to it, so I smelt some of it, it was in fact my water that had broke. So I text my husband who is at work alone and he freaks out and calls me. The sound of his voice made me laugh, naturally, so my husband asked me if I was messing with him (but not in such nice words) I told him no, why in the heck would I joke about this? And he was like “” because your laughing!”” I said, “” I’m laughing at you, you should hear yourself! You are more panicky then I am and I’m the one that has to push him out!.”” After I reassured him that it was in fact really happening we hung up and he called in his boss and I went on trying to put on some dry clothes. I went through three pairs of pants and underwear by the time my husband made the 30 minute drive home from work. When he walked in he had no expression on his face and looked as if he was going to be sick. Me, well I was still undressed holding a towel between my legs and working on finding yet another pair of pants and underwear ! Once I got dressed and grabbed two towels for the ride we set off toward the hospital. In the car I was doing great, no pain and the leaking had pretty much stopped or at least until I coughed then the whole front of my pants got soaked.

 

An hour later we arrive at the hospital and by 12 am on March 8th I was shown to my room. After I got dressed and the nurse came back in she checked me and I was not dilated but I lost my plug in the room and continued to lose more water. After my in laws got there, the nurses ordered for an ultrasound to see how much fluid I had left/lost and when the ultrasound tech was doing his thing he had the nerve to ask me if I was sure my water broke. The nurse  had to show him the first pad I soaked after arriving to the room. He then told me I had so much fluid left that the baby could stay in safely for several more weeks if I didn’t lose anymore of the amniotic fluid.

 

I couldn’t understand why if I had so much, too much, why had my doctor not seen it during the ultrasound two week prior to my water breaking?

 

Once the ultrasound was over the nurses hooked me up to 75 mg of magnesium to try and stop the process. If you have never been on it, it is like having the flu times 10! I could not lift my arms, legs, or hold up my head. My mouth was so dry that my teeth stuck to my lips and my vision was doubled so much so that I couldn’t look at anything like the TV because I’d see 2 of them. I couldn’t even so much as open my eyes I felt to weak. I had to talk to people with my eyes closed, it was truly messed up !

 

Within minutes of receiving the Magnesium my contractions started. I laid there so long my hips started hurting unbearably and every time I got my husband to help me turn the darn day nurse would come and turn me back to my side not to mention she kept taking my drinks and dumping them out even though I was cleared for a clear liquid diet. I really disliked her ! During the time I was having the contractions their machine was not picking them up. I was in so much pain and also had not slept since arriving there that I am sure the nurses had considered me a nuisance . Some time later that day the doctor came in for the first time (not my obgyn) to tell me that I was not in fact having contractions but that I was just cramping… WHAT!? I just looked at him like he grew two heads.. I knew I wasn’t having “”just cramps”” ! Every time one hit my sons heart beat went to almost nothing to the point it was hard to hear it !

 

When shift change came and my favorite nurse got there she couldn’t get me to sleep so she got a therapeutic bed and some Benadryl okay-ed by the ever so smart doctor and she even brought me some very tasty crackers and chicken broth. At that point I considered that the best meal ever !   Just as I finished my food and just started to fall asleep (thanks to the most awesome Benadryl) my new bed arrived. So as the nurse gets ready to move me I asked her if I could go poop.   She flips out and was all like “”are you kidding me?””  and I told her, “” no I really have to go”” At first I didn’t understand why she got so upset then it hit me that I didn’t need to poop. Then she said , “”I am not suppose to do this but I am going to check you one last time just to be sure.”” Okay… Well come to find out that during all those “”cramps”” I was dilating and was now 2 1/2 cm dilated. The first words out of my mouth after hearing her tell me I was dilated was “”cramps my ass!””  which only made every one else laugh but to me it was very upsetting that that doctor did nothing more then assume. This is my child and I needed a doctor that knows, not just assumes things. My nurse then goes to call the doctor to let him know and he has the gall to jump her for checking me and for calling him at home ! WHAT! Are you kidding me!?

 

Anyways, here it was she gave me the Benadryl and food and I was dilating. All this could have been avoided had the doctor just took my pain for real and checked me himself. My nurse then tells me that they plan to stop the magnesium tomorrow afternoon and let me have him since he obviously wont be staying in. Yay for me but boo for my baby.  Here it was he was only 34 weeks, too small ! It was getting all to real and I started to cry and get scared. I didn’t want him to be born that early. I started to blame myself. Maybe it was some thing I did or didn’t do right!

 

Still running on no sleep the day nurse came in around 10:30 – 11 am and stopped the magnesium and it only took a matter of seconds for spit to start forming in my mouth and I could lift my head and limbs, the vision took the longest to return to normal. A few minutes later I had my epidural and was no longer in any pain. BUT….my contractions stopped and it was already 4 pm. So the nurse (still the one I didn’t like but who also got a little better after realizing I was having contractions..) gave me Pitocin to push the process. Itchy stuff I might add. At about 4:50 pm she removes the catheter and starts the cleaning and stretching me process and in minutes I am pushing. I push a total of 4 times and the doctor comes in to take over,I push two more times before he stops me do to some tearing and so he makes his little cut and two – three more pushes and he was out . I had my husband and mother-in-law in the room with me. My husband cut the cord. Him and my mother-in-law both followed my son to the warmer where he managed to pee all over the nurses. As I listened to him cry the feeling of being empty hit my like a fully loaded train and then I couldn’t stop crying. As the doctor finished sewing me up I noticed that I could feel it  and when I told him he asked if it was the tugging I felt and I replied no it’s the poking . Not only did he have to sew where he cut but he also informed me that I had two tears next to my  urethra, why? I don’t know. Yay once again for me..

 

I didn’t get to hold my son Dominic but for a few minutes because he was only 4lbs and 7 oz they took him to the NICU where he stayed for 12 days. During that time and some times after that I could not shake the feeling of being empty and missed having my son in my belly. He is now a very happy and healthy 19 month old with a little 2 month old brother. They are my world and I would do it all again just for them.

 

I hope you enjoyed the read, this is my birth story. Thank you.”

 

 

 

 

 

 


A big Thank-you to Dianna for sharing her story with us!

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One Comment

  1. Beautiful story!!

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