I woke up not feeling well. I knew something was wrong, but I couldn't pin point if it was the medication or my body. I knew the anxiety I was feeling didn't help. N knew something was bothering me and he was visibly worried.
At eight o'clock sharp that morning I called my doctor. It was Friday and I wanted them to see me before the weekend. I discovered that my doctor took Fridays off. I spoke to another nurse who said it sounded like I had the flu. That I just needed some rest.
Around ten o'clock I started to develop a discomfort in my right side, by the bottom of my rib cage. It wasn't terribly painful, but a constant discomfort. The same nurse told me I had the flu and I needed to stick to the BRAT (bananas, rice, applesauce and toast) diet. She assured me I would feel better.
I ate some toast and tried to lay down. The discomfort was becoming more prominent. A nap sounded good, but didn't feel good. Around noon I decided to take a shower and see if that helped me relax. By this time N was up and growing more concerned about me.
By one o'clock I was relaxed enough to feel the full pain of my right side. I knew it wasn't the flu. I knew the BRAT diet wasn't going to fix this. N called the nurse and told her we were coming in. He told me to get my shoes. For the first time in our marriage we were a team.
The 45 minute drive to the hospital was horrible. I felt like I could get sick at any moment. N was trying to determine what to do should something terrible happen.
We made it to the hospital, but I had no idea which way Labor and Delivery was. Our hospital tour was supposed to be arranged around week 35 and I hit 30 weeks that morning. A nice volunteer wheeled me to Labor and Delivery while N parked the car.
It was around 2:15 when we arrived at the hospital and the nurse had called the hospital to let them know we were coming. Apparently they also felt I had the flu because they didn't seem concerned. I could barely walk, could barely get myself on the bed and they got the monitors hooked up. They watched. No contractions and a solid heartbeat. Both were answers to prayers. The question still remained about this intense pain. The inclined bed seemed to help dull the pain as long as I didn't move.
Around three o'clock a nurse came in with a cup. She walked me down the hall to the bathroom. With each moment I was out of the bed, the pain intensified. What should've been a 3 minute walk back to the room took 15 minutes. I held onto the wall for support wondering if I'd even make it back.
N helped me get back on the bed and at 3:15 I felt it. I was going to be sick again. Bless his heart, N found a small spitoon for me. I told him that I started the BRAT diet earlier and he needed to get a nurse with something bigger.
That's when we met Becky. She was the nurse that N found. She brought a bin and an IV. She prepped my hand while I was getting sick, but was gracious enough to wait until I felt the vomiting subside. She informed me that I needed an IV so I wouldn't dehydrate. As soon as she stuck the needle in my hand I felt sweaty and foggy. I slumped back and felt light-headed. Nurse Becky quickly grabbed the monitor to find Zoe's heartbeat. Not able to get a good read, she asked me to rollover. When I tried the pain was so intense I told her she was out of her mind. She looked at me, put a hand on my shoulder and a hand on my hip and said, "I don't think you understand, you have to." With that she rolled me over. The pain was so intense I think I blacked out momentarily. The next thought was "she was right, I did just need to lay on my side." The pain was gone.
So was Zoe's heartbeats per minute. She went from 160 beats per minute to 43. Nurse Becky sprang to action. Within 15 seconds I had 6 nurses around me and Nurse Becky telling me and N, very calmly, that our baby was in danger and we had to do an emergency c-section. I had enough time to give N my glasses and get a kiss.
Before I blinked I was in an operating room, having my arms strapped down and another IV being inserted. A very nice doctor came over and introduced herself to me as Dr. Park. She would be delivering my baby. Because we hadn't signed any forms, she asked, "do you know what's happening? Do you understand what we're doing?" The last thing I remember about Zoe's birth was saying, "I understand. You do whatever it takes to save her."
That was the first moment I felt like a mom.
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