Easy Pregnancy
“I was pregnant with baby 4. I was a single mom as of this time, dad left in January. My little man was doing great, he was due May 9th.
At the beginning of my pregnancy he gave us a little scare when the heartbeat couldn’t be found, but an emergency sono showed he was just fine.
Pregnancy continued perfectly. No signs of pre-eclampsia that I suffered with on baby 3. But due to that, and my ‘advanced’ age of 36, I was considered high risk. The doctor was not going to allow me to go too far past my due date, so on May 12 I was scheduled to go in an induction.
Going Through Labor
Baby boy decided that morning, he was ready to show on his own. He was not going to be evicted. I showed up at the hospital at 7 PM in active labor and was admitted. Everthing was progressing normally, my mom had my other kiddos. My photographer was on stand by to show up. Life was going well. I have very long labors, so I knew not to expect things to go to fast.
Nurses thought he would arrive around midnight, so people start arriving to wait with me. But no progress was being made. I had my epidural so wasn’t in too much pain, but at one point something felt ‘off.’ Nothing I could put my finger on so I just kept laboring through.
At some point, a doctor walked past the outside monitors and noticed a baby who had a heartbeat decelerating. She figured pushing had begun, and so continued on her way. When she came back through, she noticed that same thing and came to check on me. She was not my doc, but from the same office. As soon as she checked me she called for an emergency c-section. Things moved quickly then.
Emergency Operation
I was wheeled down the hall, into the operating room and within minutes I was open and he was being pulled out. I heard no sounds, he was not shown to me, and there were people everywhere.
A urologist was called in, my doctor arrived, and many others who I can’t even recall. At one point they wanted to put me under but I recall telling my doctor ‘if I am put under I will never wake up.’ I was very scared.
So much talk was going on, I hear things about uncontrollable bleeding. Type and cross four units. etc. I told my doc at one point he could do a hysterectomy if needed, just save me. He told me they would do everything they could NOT to go that route. Eventually he leaned over and told me he would have to with my consent, which I readily gave. Once I started feeling a little pain, I was knocked out. When I came to, I was in the recovery room with a tube down my nose.
I spent 2 days in the ICU, not fully aware of what had happened, but that I had a beautiful little boy. He was born at 7:55 AM and weighed 8 lbs, 2 oz. I could not see him as he was care-flighted to a bigger hospital right after birth. It would be 9 DAYS before I saw him; beyond a photo my preacher took for me.
I slowly started getting information and found that when I was taken back, they cut in and was all blood. The comments in the report from doctors said, ‘I saw what looked like an appendage, grabbed and pulled.’ Had he been a small baby, he would have died. Thankfully my boys are big boys at birth.
Recovery
My uterus had ruptured, my placenta fully separated and my bladder was RIPPED IN HALF. My sweet boy was in my bladder when he was found. He was not breathing. My anesthesiologist left me and intubated him. HE SAVED HIS LIFE. The pediatrician was called and there in MINUTES. Baby boy was put on a cooling hypothermic treatment to lower his body temperature and try to help his brain. He was then care-flighted to Cook Children’s Hospital in Ft. Worth, 30 miles from me. Over the next few days, every doctor told me ‘he will be brain damaged, it’s a matter of how much. we just have to wait and see.’ I REFUSED to accept this and spent lots and lots of time in prayer.
I spent 2 days in the ICU, 7 days in the hospital, then was sent home with a suprapubic catheter in my gut for 7 weeks. My doctors (OB and urologist) told me they did the best they could but the outcome, well, no-one knew. I could lose my bladder, I could have mild incontence or I could fully recover. They had never seen this happen, and could not find anyone else it had happened to. After research and calling other doctors, nothing.
My baby boy came home after 9 days in the hospital. I was so worried our breastfeeding would never happen. I had only been able to pump a few times in the hospital due to my issues. But he came home, and took to the breast right away. We supplemented for a week, then he cut himself off the bottle. Never took one again, and nursed for 3 years.
As for his ‘brain damage’ he is the healthiest, sweetest, smartest, most perfect 8-year-old ever. His pediatrician gets goose bumps every time he sees him. He always says he never thought Kygan would be doing any of the things he is doing. He thought the outcome would be very different. All his doctors and mine call his recovery, and mine, nothing short of a MIRACLE.
After 7 weeks I went to have my bladder checked. As I was in the office having the test the gentleman running the test said if it was not for me telling him, and my doctor standing there he would never know I had had surgery. My bladder was perfect. NO LEAKS.
While our birth story was not what I would have chosen, it’s ours and we love it. Changes were made at the hospital after Kygan’s birth, more NICU members ON STAFF not just on call. When they would not make all the changes Kygan’s doctor felt were necessary, in a few years that hospital was no longer delivering babies. So if our story saved any babies, it was 100% worth it.”
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