DETAILS....

So the 2 boys are tucked up in bed until our next feeding time (that's baby and daddy) so I have a little time to reminisce about the events which unfolded over 3 weeks ago which changed our lives (sooner than expected).
Tico and I celebrated our 1st wedding anniversary on 8 December. It was a quiet one because it is a few weeks away from payday and we had had a busy weekend and I had to work late. We decided to stay in and just have a nice dinner and chill. I was quite tired but nothing extraordinary about that. About 2:30am I woke up with the urge to go to the ladies room...but before I got there something escaped and was dribbling down my leg. I was so embarrassed at my inability to control myself!!! But was glad no one was around to witness it. I went to the loo and when I was leaving the bathroom, I felt another gush of water run down my leg. I started thinking this was not usual. I noticed the water was pinkish and suddenly I was worried. I thought there was blood in my urine or something weird. I went back to bed shaking and woke Tico up. He told me to call the hospital maternity ward. I was embarrassed in case it was nothing...but I was also scared and decided to call. The nurse told me to put a pad on and wait for 1 hour and call her back. During that hour, I decided to quickly pack my hospital bag. I was only 34 weeks pregnant so had not yet prepared for a hospital visit! I called the hospital after the specified hour and told them that my pad was soaked and water was still coming out of me. They said it could just be urine but I better come in. Tico called our friends, David and Erica, who had kindly offered to take us to hospital when the time came to give birth (as we don't have a car)...they didn't realise we were going to take them up on their offer so soon! When we arrived at hospital they did some exams and decided that it was my water that had broken and wanted to admit me due to the fact that I was quite early and would need to be observed. I got a bed around 7am as breakfast was being served. But I was so nervous that I just laid in bed and shook. The Dr. explained to me that we didn't want the baby to come yet cuz his lungs would not be completely developed and he could be born with breathing problems. I was also scared of giving birth without my birthing partner there (my sister Dea). I just fell asleep and slept like I was drugged for hours and hours. It was probably the best thing for me. The Dr said that I was likely to go into labour within 24 - 48 hours after my water broke so it was just a waiting game. They gave me an injection of steroids which were meant to speed up the development of Kaleb's lungs in case he did decide to come early. They also gave me antibiotics as my water had broken and I (and Kaleb)was vulnerable to infection. That night our cell group came to visit me. They prayed with me and I must say after all the sleep I had during the day and the prayers prayed for me...I felt much stronger (emotionally). I still had no sign of contractions, but continued to leak water. I was sent for an ultra sound to see exactly how much water I had lost. The report was that normally the water level around the baby is 15 something (don't know if that is centimeters or milliliters...?) but my level was now 2. So Kaleb wasn't protected at all. The next day I was told by a Dr that since I hadn't gone into labor, it was possible that I may not have this baby soon. They decided to discharge me and have me come back to hospital every other day to be assessed for infection, etc. Then in 2 more weeks, if baby wasn't here, they would induce me. I decided that sounded good...as labor was put off for another couple weeks! Our friend picked us up from hospital and took us home. We went to the supermarket first to get a few necessities. I felt fine apart from a little tired. My midwife had told me when I was discharged that I was not to return to work (I hadn't started my maternity leave yet) and I was to take it easy....'put your feet up and cross your legs' she said (with a knowing look at Tico...hmmm?). So I went straight to bed when I got home and when visitors came, I just had them chat to me by my bedside. I was obeying all the rules! That night, I started getting these really bad back aches. They were so painful that I had to get out of bed and walk around until they stopped. Nothing was going on in my tummy...although it had noticeably shrunk after my water broke. So all night, around every 30 min, I would have these terrible back pains. In the morning, I decided to take a hot bath to alleviate the pain. I thought possibly I was re-adjusting to my own bed after being in the cool 'adjustable' hospital bed for 2 nights. It didn't really click that these were contractions....I expected something much worse. I was again nervous and scared at this strange occurrence and lost my appetite. I decided poor Kaleb needed to eat so made myself some tea and toast....but as I sat down to eat, I was attacked with that back pain again. I was so tired now from a very bad night's sleep and just the stress of it all that I nearly started crying. Tico told me to call the hospital again. I am one of those people who hates to bother anyone...so I keep thinking, 'I will call if it gets really bad', whereas Tico says, 'you have these aids available to you (emergency telephone numbers) so you should use them'. I did call and explain my case. They saw that I had been in hospital just the day before and said it would be good for me to come back in and they could assess me from there. So we called another friend and back to the hospital we trotted (about a 40 min drive). The whole way there, I didn't have one episode of back pain. I was so embarrassed! But Tico said we are not leaving hospital until the examine you...you are not having another night like last night! So in we went to the maternity emergency room. I was seen quite quickly and when asked how frequent my contractions were I had to admit that the last one had been about 1 hour ago!! The Dr decided to do a quick exam to see if I had dilated. When she inserted her instrument, she said, 'OK, you are going to need a bed, I see a head...we are going to have a baby soon'. I was scared, but by now I was kind of glad that something was happening. She rang upstairs to book a bed for me even though I was only dilated to about 2...and there were no beds in neonatal. They decided to call around to some other local hospitals. They finally found a bed...in a hospital 2 hours from Edinburgh (by bus). Like the christmas story...there was no room in the inn and we were forced to go somewhere which wasn't our first choice. But God does all things well. I was transported by ambulance (and again had no contractions the whole way there) and Tico and our friend Deborah followed by car. Once there I was taken straight to the labor ward and was at once put at ease by the kindness and attention of the staff there. They offered to let me use the phone, gave me some tea and toast, showed me around and got me settled in. Around 10pm they decided that my labor was not 'active labor' and I would be sent to sleep in the ward cuz someone else may need the labor room. We (Tico, Debora and I) trotted along to the ward and luckily I was given a room on my own. Now the problem that faced us was this, we were far from home without transport (David had dropped Deb and Tico off and gone back home to Edinburgh) but the hospital doesn't allow visitors to stay overnight. So where were my 'visitors' to go? The hospital was in a small village which didn't have regular buses...and once again, the worry set in! But not for long. Around 10:30, my contractions started and were 2 minutes apart. So at 11pm we went back to the labor ward. I had monitors on my belly to keep track of Kaleb's heart rate and another to monitor my contractions. I don't remember when I was first introduced to 'gas and air' but it became my best friend for the remainder of my labor! (for those who don't know, it is the simplest form of pain control...the effect lasts as long as the contraction) As time wore on and I wasn't dilating, they decided to give me a shot of diamorphine. It knocked me out and I slept soundly for about 4 hours. It pretty much stopped the whole process. So when morning came, Deb had to go home and Tico was left as my only birthing partner. The Dr made the decision to induce me as Kaleb needed to come out. So I got induced and then the contractions started really doing something. In a few hours I started feeling the sensation to push but was told not to push cuz the cervix was not completely dilated and it could cause damage. Eventually the time came to push...the hardest part of the labor! And push I did! Just to encourage us the midwfe showed Tico the head then he got so excited he started saying, 'Go on, my love, push, his head is coming out!' They brought a mirror to show me, but I wasn't that interested as the job at hand was to PUSH! After about 16 hours of labor, I was rewarded with the most amazing sensation...that last push which swooshed the little guy right out into this world at 14:45. The pain stopped at once. One minute I was grunting and crying out with pain and the next minute I was amazed by the little baby which was laying whimpering on my chest. When he opened his little mouth and cried like a little lamb I thought it was the most wonderful sound ever. He didn't need respiratory aids of any kind. His lungs seemed fine. I was completely worn out and felt like I was still under the effect of the morphine from earlier as well as the fact that I hadn't eaten for 2 days. I couldn't walk so was wheeled to my room after my shower. I went to bed about 5pm and didn't go see Kaleb until the next morning. He stayed in the special care baby unit until he was 10 days old due to his being so small. He had to be tube fed until his suck was good enough to drink from a bottle. I wanted to breastfeed but due to the stress my milk supply was very small. (after arriving home we started breastfeeding again and it is working now...along with bottle top-ups) He finally established a good eating pattern and gained back his birth weight (4lbs 11oz) so was allowed to stay with me in the ward. We passed the test of feeding him regularly during the night and we got to go home on Christmas eve...12 days after his birth. We found it really difficult to be so far from home...Tico had to pay quite a bit to get the bus down to the hospital and it was hard not having many visitors cuz it was so unhandy for our friends. But God looked after us and Tico was offered a place to stay nearby more than once by people we didn't even know (friends of friends). We were blessed by the midwives who looked after both me and Kaleb. And basically as Tico says, 'The operation was a success'! Thank God for his help during my pregnancy and Kaleb's early birth and now the hard part begins! Being a mommy!!! (but that's another blog)
Sorry for making this so long...I warned you I like to give all the details! ha!
fotos to follow....