I had a pretty uncomplicated pregnancy towards the beginning, other than the constant vomiting that comes with so many pregnancies for women. But when I hit the third trimester, it brought some complications. High blood pressure, swelling, and some hospital stays for monitoring and bed rest. But March 31, I had seriously high blood pressure that morning. My vision starting having some changes and I had a bad headache. After talking to my doctor on the phone, they admitted me to labor and delivery for monitoring again at Thomasville Medical Center. After only a few hours of being there, they decided my condition was serious enough to transfer me to Forsyth Medical Center for closer monitoring for me and the baby, especially in case I needed to deliver early. I was only 31 weeks pregnant at this point but had been given steroid shots to develop the baby's lungs in case they needed to deliver me. After two days of being on a drug from the pit of hell (magnesium sulfate- to keep me from having seizures that could hurt me and the baby), they decided that the baby wasn't growing properly and he was starting to get stressed from my preeclampsia. On Tuesday, April 2, they decided to induce me. At the beginning of my induction, they did some procedures to help me dilate and gave me some medicine to start contractions. I got my epidural and things starting moving along. I did have some serious complications from the magnesium during this period that scared all of us and my swelling in my face and the rest of my body got pretty horrible, but the baby was tolerating everything ok. My water broke on its own around 4am Wednesday morning and by 6am I was dilated to 6cm and 70% effaced. Unfortunately, that is when everything starting getting worse. I had put on enormous amounts of fluid and my blood pressure was sky high. The baby's heart rate kept dropping, and by lunch time, I was passing a decent amount of blood that concerned the doctor. They kept giving me more and more fluids through my IV to help the baby and this is what I looked like after swelling up like a balloon.
At this point, I was terrified. For myself. For the baby. Then, they lost the baby's heartbeat. The nurse couldn't find it and I just knew we had lost him. I had been in labor for 22 hours at this point and I thought it was over. I was devastated and trying to pray but I didn't even have the words to say. Then, just like that, the nurse found his heart beat again. Not long after that happened, I passed a large amount of blood and the baby's heart rate dipped again. The doctor came in and said that we weren't going to wait any longer. The baby couldn't tolerate the labor anymore so it was time for a c-section. Within 30 minutes of that conversation, we were in the middle of a c-section. At 2:37pm on April 3, 2013, my sweet Jonah Michael Dalton was born. He weighed 3 lbs and 6 oz and he cried immediately when they pulled him out. There are no words to describe what it feels like to love someone that you've never seen the first time you hear them. I hadn't even laid eyes on him and I knew I had never felt a love like that.
This is what he looked like right after he was born.
It is such a miracle that at 31 weeks and 5 days, he didn't require any oxygen at all. He has been breathing on his own since that first beautiful kitten-like cry that I heard. What a blessing!
The very first time I got to see him was after I had been in the recovery room for awhile. Unfortunately I was rather drugged up on morphine and other pain medications and that first meeting was pretty hazy but I remember thinking he was beautiful and what a gift he was. I didn't get to stay long with him because I was on a stretcher and I had to go back to my room.
After he was born, I really thought that my blood pressure would go back to normal and the swelling would be gone. Unfortunately, it took longer than that. My blood pressure was still dangerously high and I had to continue with the magnesium sulfate to prevent seizures. That meant no visiting my baby boy. However, there were some very special nurses in the NICU that decided they would bring him to me. So, the next day I got to hold my baby boy for the first time. There was no preparing me for that feeling.
Over the next two days, I peed off 10 liters of fluid.. yes that is 5 2-liter Coke bottles of fluid.
This is what I looked like after all the fluid was gone and I finally got to go to the NICU to hold my little one.
After several more days, I finally was stable enough to be released from the hospital and our NICU journey really began. As of today, Jonah is 3 weeks old and he is getting really close to coming home. This journey has been probably the hardest thing I've ever gone through. From being scared for your baby's life and your own to being separated from your child and not being able to bring them home with you. It has been a time where I have been at my weakest points ever and I have found myself relying on God for strength that I would never have found elsewhere. He has taught me about his protection and his provision throughout it all. Through this whole process, I have never been alone. He has held me in the palm of his hand and I have found a peace in knowing that the God who created my sweet Jonah is in control and has this all planned out.
I didn't write this just to tell the story of what happened to me. I wrote it because I want people to know that I owe everything to my God. I can look back and see his fingerprints all over my story. He was there walking beside me and Corey and my family through this whole thing and He deserves glory and praise for what He has done.
