The nightmare is over. But, before I repress it completely I'll fill you in on the last 2 months of it.
I did end up needing a blood transfusion about the middle of July. I spent several hours having a stranger's (whom I thank!) blood pumped into me. Crunching on soft pellet ice was the highlight of the experience. By the time I got home I had gotten a little color in my cheeks and within a couple days I started to think a little more clearly and have a little more energy. I did have to endure some pretty nasty headaches for a few days while my body readjusted to having the right volume of blood pumping through my body, but it was worth it!
Just before the transfusion begins.
A little more color afterwords.
My induction was scheduled for the 4th of August and airline tickets were booked. All we had to do was get through the next couple weeks and it would all be over. By my last appointment I had had managed to bring my total pregnancy weight gain to 4 lbs. (I've since made up for that by rediscovering chocolate...) Each day I thought to myself "I can do this for 9 more days." "I can do this for 8 more days." and so on.
My mom came in on 3rd of August and we all rested and prepared for the busy day to follow. At about 3 o'clock in the afternoon I noticed I had a message on my answering machine. It was the doctor's office informing me that I would not be induced the next day. Instead I would have to wait another week. I called the office, obviously I was upset. After several conversations with them I was told that the Dr. would be notified that I had called and was upset and wanted an explanation and she would be returning my call the next morning. First thing the next morning I received a phone call telling me that the hospital would not allow me to be induced because of liability. "But," said the nurse "if you had an amniocentesis done we could induce you on Thursday... if the lungs are developed." A large needle through my stomach or another week of being sick and hooked up to IV's. I didn't hesitate. My appointment was very promptly made and soon I was lying on a table with an ultrasound technician and the Dr. trying to find a pocket of fluid in a safe place to take a sample from. There wasn't one. The Dr. decided to check me to see if I had dilated further (I was a 1 at my previous appointment). I was a 3. She asked if I would like her to strip my membranes and I said "YES!" If she had asked if she could pull my toenails off I would have let her if it could end the pregnancy faster. She did it, asked us to come to the office first thing Thursday morning so she could strip it again, and sent us home with a little hope. Thursday morning my water started to leak and we went to the doctor who confirmed that it had broken and sent us to the hospital. While I was busy being poked and proded in labor and delivery Matt began the calls. He called my mom to let her know she'd get to see granddaughter this trip after all. Then he called his mom who jumped in the car and must have driven like a maniac. And, he called our darling neighbor-friend, Sherrie, (who'd been helping us for months) and arranged to have her keep the kids.
Noah, Abby, and Lucy were all delivered without the help of anesthesia but I didn't feel like I had another fight in me so I decided before I got to the hospital that I would be sucking it up and having a large needle shoved into my spine. When I was admitted the decided I needed a little help getting the contractions moving so they gave me pitocin and let me labor. It hurt! Again! I didn't like it! I kept saying "I want an epidural this time." "Can I have an epidural yet?" Apperently I was still smiling to much. My nurse told me when I stopped smiling and started hurting I could have the epidural. And so, I stopped smiling and got to work. By the time she thought I deserved the epidural there was no anesthesiologist available. An angel must have been watching out for me though because suddenly one became available and came to relieve me. He was my best friend for a whole hour! As soon as the epidural had kicked it completely my wonderful old bitty of a nurse kicked everyone out so I could sleep (except my mom... she wasn't going anywhere). The nurse sent Matt and Judy with a pager like the kind you get in resturants in case something happened. Not more then 5 minutes after he'd left me Matt called to check and see how things were. I laughed and said "like anything's going to happen in 5 minutes!!" About 5 minutes after I had laughed at him I felt something in my labor change and suddenly my old nurse was working very quickly to get all the right people in the right place. My doctor beat Matt to the room and said "Don't push yet!" Seconds later Matt came running into the room. He had just started to eat his salad in the cafeteria when his pager went off. He left his salad and ran. And, he got there just in time, too. (Judy was not far behind) 38 minutes after my epidural and after 2 pushes our darling little peanut was born. She was a tiny 5 lb. 13 oz. and 18" long. She had lots of dark hair and dark, piercing eyes. She hardly made a peep our whole stay in the hospital.
Not more then a half an hour after her birth I was drinking and feeling better. I had lost enough blood during the birth that they considered giving me another blood transfusion but we decided to see what it would do. It has improved, maybe a little slower then I'd like but it's a little more manageable now. Before I was wheeled to the maternity section they removed the PICC line that I'd become so attached to for 7 months. It was wonderful and liberating!
About 2 weeks after the birth I started hemorrhaging. I was very lucky to do it very early in the morning while the kids were sleeping and while my sister, Tacee, who's a nurse was here. I was put on 'bed rest' for a few days and had to slow down. My head and my body still aren't agreeing on what's too much. My brain just wants to get busy and my body just wants to relax. Someday I hope they meet in the middle.
Gretchen has proven to be as easy as a baby as she was difficult as a fetus. She's very quiet and when she does get upset she's very quick to calm down. She's had a bit of a hard time quitting the night time partying habit she got into but she's getting there. She's also managed to gain a whole 2 lbs. and is almost in normal newborn clothes.
All in all we're very happy and healthy and we're back to being busy, busy, busy!
