The Stork Is Flying Way Too Fast!
On January 27, 1997 I left work early. I had asked my husband to take me for my last routine ultrasound at the hospital. I loved seeing the baby on the ultrasound, but I hated how they made you drink a lot before you got there, and then you had to keep your bladder from leaking all over until they were finished with the ultrasound.
We went to the appointment for the ultrasound. This is the one where they do measurements to make sure everything was going well. In just 2 months were were going to get to meet our son! After a long while and many different measurements, the technician told us to wait there. She had to go talk to someone. The next thing I knew they were taking me up to the hospital OB for observation. They said that something wasn't quite right and the baby wasn't as big as he should be at this point. They hooked me up to a monitor for the baby's heart. A nurse was assigned to me constantly. My husband was sitting in the chair asleep.
The nurse ran out of the room and back in to check the monitor several times, and then the doctor came in. He told the nurse to get me prepped for surgery STAT! We didn't have any time to lose. The baby's heart beat was skipping and he was getting weak. WHAT? What did they just say? No, this can't be happening! The baby wasn't due for 2 months! I didn't even have the nursery ready at home! This can't be happening! My husband was still sitting in the chair asleep. I was terrified for my safety, but I was especially worried about my baby's safety!
My husband finally woke up in all of the commotion as they were wheeling me out the door to the operating room. They put a mask on me and told me to count backwards from 10. I remember saying 5. The next thing I remember is seeing was the face of my dad looking down at me. What a great face to see! My daddy! Then they brought in an incubator on wheels. I got to see my teeny tiny "Little Man" for the first time! I was really groggy but I got to reach in and touch his little hand and his little nose. They were taking him to Children's Hospital where they had better facilities to care for him. Now I was being separated from my 2 lb. 10 oz. "Little Man"!
The doctor came in to talk to me. He said that they had to take him because his heart was beating irregularly. They saved my son's life. The doctor said they had to do a C-section that was not the normal way, that it was a straight up and down cut through the muscle. He said it was a lot more difficult to heal from because it was a major surgery, unlike a normal C-section. They even had me on a morphine pump for the pain.
My husband and my dad both decided to spend the night with me that night. There were only two beds in the long room with the foot of each bed toward the center of the room. I was in one of them! I remember at one point seeing my dad and and my husband both laying in that single hospital bed with their feet out on a chair. It struck me as funny to see my husband and my dad in the same bed. Every time I woke up after that, all I remember is seeing my daddy sitting in the chair beside my bed looking at me. With him there I felt loved and safe.
The next day, all I wanted was to see my "Little Man"! I couldn't stand the separation! Hadn't I been through enough? I wasn't allowed to leave the hospital until I was off of the morphine and up and walking. That was a tall order. I could barely move. I made up my mind though that I was getting out of there as soon as possible. For 3 days all I did was try to keep moving, then rest, move, then rest. My husband had gone to Children's Hospital to see our "Little Man" and he brought me this teeny tiny little knitted hat back. It was so small that it would fit a small orange. I clung to that little hat. I smelled that little hat, and I cried giant tears all over that little hat!
On the 4th day, one of the respiratory therapists brought me two tiny little snow babies. One was standing and one was sitting. She said that she made them, and thought I would like them for my "Little Man's" room. It was so sweet of her. When the doctor was there that day I got up and walked down the hall alone. Don't ask me how. I thought my insides where going to fall out on the floor. I made sure the doctor saw me too. That night, my doctor's partner was making the rounds. All I could do was cry when he asked how I was doing. I just wanted to see my baby! In fact, my husband got mad at me for crying earlier and said he was going home.
The doctor asked me if I thought I could manage if he released me. I told him I would manage one way or the other. I just wanted to see my son! My husband wasn't happy when I called and told him to come back and pick me up. Not only that, but that I wanted to go see our son tonight too! He came to get me and took me to Children's Hospital. The worst part was that he brought his son's Mustang. Every single bump made me cry. I thought I was going to pass out it hurt so bad. Then when we got there it was like he was trying to punish me. He parked in the parking lot and made me walk up the sidewalk to the door. A nurse saw me and grabbed a wheel chair. She told me I didn't look well and to please sit down. I didn't feel well by that time either.
I got to hold my "Little Man" for the first time that night. Tears were streaming down my cheeks, and my heart felt so incredibly happy. Not only did I get to hold him, but I got to feed him out out of a tiny little bottle too. The nurse told us that they were calling him the "Miracle Baby". She said he was tiny, but strong and able in every other way. There were babies there that were far bigger than him that were being fed through feeding tubes, but not our little guy. He was doing fine with sucking from that bottle. Our "Little Man the Miracle Baby!"
After that, no matter what it took, or how tired or sore I was, I didn't miss a day of seeing our little man. He spent a week at Children's Hospital, and was moved to the local hospital where I had given birth after that for 4 weeks. It was at least a lot closer drive to the local hospital. If my husband was too tired to go visit when he came home from work, I would find someone else to take me. I wasn't cleared to drive for a while yet.
Often, when we would go to the hospital and stop by the nursery. Our "Little Man" was gone! One of the nurses had him and was carrying him around. The first time that happened it was a bit scary and unnerving, but we got use to it after a while. Every time we had to leave I would get to elevator and start crying. I couldn't stand being separated from my "Little Man"! My husbad even asked if he was going to have to leave me there. I would have stayed if they would have let me.
One of the hardest things was when they had my baby shower. I had no baby bump and no baby to show them. Everything just felt like it was so out of order and backwards. But after 5 long weeks we finally got to bring our "Little Man" home!
Lesson Learned: My "Little Man" is a gift from God!
#StorkCameTooSoon, #TheCSection, #OurLittleMan, #SeparationAnxiety, #LiveWithDonna, #ThePhoenixRisingWoman
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