Dylan Marley Delilah Stephens
Born 3/22/09; 8:12AM; 35 weeks
4lbs, 11oz; 17inches
March 15-22 was spring break for me and Michael. Our plans included getting some plants potted, cleaning, and getting ready for Dylan to arrive. She still had 4 weeks until our scheduled c-section but I knew once school started, time would be precious, so I wanted to get as much done as possible. We got our pack and play set up, bassinet ready to go, and washed tons and tons of clothes and blankets. I also packed myself a hospital bag. On Friday the 20th, I got a haircut. I started having a few contractions that afternoon, but I thought they were braxton hicks since I’d been having those off and on for a few weeks. All afternoon and evening I felt them, but they were never regular and would go away for an hour or so at a time. I went to bed hoping they would go away overnight. I woke up two or three times during the night with one, but when I got up and went to the bathroom, they would stop.
Around 5AM Saturday morning, I woke up with a very painful contraction. I thought they would stop, but this time they didn’t. They got worse and closer together as I laid there. I started timing them, and they were 7-10 minutes apart. I woke Michael around 6 and told him. By 7 I called my doctor who told me to go to labor and delivery immediately. Scout was still sleeping and the contractions weren’t extremely painful, so I drove myself and left Michael at home with Scout.
When I got to L&D they were waiting for me. They put me on the monitor and found her heartbeat right away. I was there for a few hours and the contractions lessened. They were showing up on the monitor as “slight uterine irritations” but did not look like contractions. When the nurse checked me, my cervix was “basically closed, but possibly fingertip dilated.” My doctor came by and told me that I could go home, but I would be on bed rest. I asked him if I could go to work on Monday and he said that if the contractions went away it was possible, but if I had any while I was there, I was to come back. So, I went home.
I stayed on the couch most of the afternoon and Michael took care of Scout. The contractions came and went, but weren’t as painful and weren’t consistent. We put her to bed around 6:30. He and I sat down to watch some TV. While sitting there, the contractions started to get bad again. At 8 I decided to go take a bath to try to ease the pain. It helped minimally and when I got out I took some Tylenol and went to bed. I dosed off between contractions but they wouldn’t let me sleep. So I started timing them and they were 4-5 minutes apart. I went downstairs where Michael had fallen asleep on the couch. I woke him up and told him we needed to go to the hospital. We called my doctor first hoping he would say just to rest. He didn’t call back and the contractions were getting pretty bad. So, Michael woke Scout up, we packed her a bag, and left.
When we got to the hospital, once again, they were waiting for me. I guess my doctor had called them and told them to expect me. I went back to the triage room again where they put me on the monitor again. The heartbeat was clear and strong. They checked me and I was dilated to 2. The contractions were still showing up as irritations on the monitor. When they told me that I would probably be monitored overnight as a precaution, I told Michael to take Scout and go home. No sense in none of us sleeping. The nurse told me to press a button on the monitor whenever I felt a contraction. So, I started doing that. She came back a while later and looked at the sheet. Said she thought the placement of the monitor may be off and adjusted it. The next contractions were much more obvious on the sheet. She said that since I wasn’t even 35 weeks along, they were going to give me terbutaline to try and stop the contractions. I had to get 3 injections 15 minutes apart and then take the pills every 3 hours until delivery. I was not looking forward to remembering to take a pill so often for 4 more weeks. The terbutaline made me jittery – like I had drank a whole pot of coffee. They got me a bed in a room and left me on the monitor. My nurse asked me if I wanted to take an ambien to help me get some sleep and I agreed.
The next thing I remember is my doctor coming in and checking me. I was 4-5cm dilated and had apparently “broken through” the terbutaline and was still contracting. It was sometime around 7AM on Sunday the 22nd. My doctor said the baby was coming today… very soon, in fact. I was having a repeat c-section and he was concerned about me tearing since my previous delivery was less than 14 months prior. So, I called Michael and told him to get down to the hospital ASAP. I can’t remember if he called my sister or if I did, but we asked her to come keep an eye on Scout at the hospital for us. Then I remember Michael and Scout being there in the room with me. They came to my room soon after and said that the O.R. was ready and it was time. They wheeled me down the hall to the O.R. while Michael waited for Sarah to get there. I sat on the edge of the bed and got my spinal. I remember it hurting more this time than it did with Scout. Immediately they were laying me down and prepping me. I heard them saying that they were still waiting on Sarah so Michael could come in. My doctor said a nurse needed to watch Scout because it was going to happen soon. I was worried that Michael wouldn’t be there. After what seemed like forever, he was there and things got started.
At 8:12AM, Dylan entered the world. She cried immediately and I knew that was a good sign. They put her on my chest and I remember thinking that she had so much dark hair! Then she was gone again. I don’t remember the trip back to my room but by the time I got there my sister had Scout under control. I was told that Dylan was in the Special Care Unit (NICU) because she was having some breathing troubles and was so small. Later we found out that she also had a heart murmur. An echocardiogram revealed that a valve in her heart didn’t close properly and that’s what was causing the murmur. I didn’t get to hold her again for 2 days and it was so painful to go look at her but not be able to pick her up.
She has been steadily improving every day. Now, 2 weeks later, she is still in Special Care, but is gaining weight, no longer needs help breathing, and is eating more. We are hoping to take her home soon.
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