Waves

July 23, 2010 was a Friday.  It was the day my doctor turned off the mag.  It was discussed that I had been on the mag longer than was the usual protocol after PROMing.  I was 27 weeks and 3 days and it was 11 days after I ruptured.  The doctors did not want the mag to mask any signs that I might be developing an infection.  He also explained that if I went into labor due to an infection that I would "break through the mag".  Basically, the mag only worked to a point and that point being an infection in my uterus.  So my nurse came into my room later that morning to disconnect me from the IV.  She kept the IV in my wrist "just in case".  She took down the two bags of fluids and all the IV lines were thrown away.  I took my first unattached shower in over 6 weeks.  It felt so strange.  One of my aunts came to visit me.  She was going to be in the QC for the weekend.  One of my cousins was pregnant and the next day was her baby shower.  The rest of the day was so uneventful that I don't remember any details.
The next day was Saturday and Justin was hoping to be at the hospital by Noon as he had to do a few things around the house.  Kathy was my nurse for the day and I liked her.  She had been my nurse several times during my stay.  That morning I felt a few cramps over about two hours.  I ate my breakfast and told Kathy about the cramps when she came in to hook me up to the monitor for my morning session.  She asked about pain and intensity and how many I had had.  I told her that it had only been a few and they didn't hurt and were only a few seconds, I told her that it was "no big deal".  My monitoring session was uneventful and I was unhooked around 9.  Shortly after I was unhooked I felt more cramps and noticed that they happened about every 30 minutes.  Around 1030 or 11 I began to feel a slight pressure with each cramp.  I stupidly thought this would pass and tried to relax by watching TV.  I went to the bathroom around 1130 and noticed a little bit of blood on my pad.  I told myself this was no big deal.  I told Kathy about the new developments when she came in to check for heart tones when I returned to bed.  She asked me again if there was any pain and I told her that there was not really any pain but that with each cramp I felt pressure.  She left my room and returned shortly carrying the Rubbermaid tote and that damn bedpan.  She told me that the doctor wanted to take a look to see if I was dilating.  He came in and visually checked me and said that I was not dilated and that I should just plan on staying pregnant a little longer.
Justin arrived right about Noon, shortly after the exam was done.  He noticed that I winced a few times and asked what was wrong.  I told him that "it was just a few cramps and no big deal".  I told him that the doctor had just been in to check me and said that there was no dilation.  He didn't really react to this news and since I had told him it was not a big deal he did not worry about it.  Shortly after this conversation things picked up speed.  I told Kathy that the cramps were getting stronger and that I could feel them coming.  She asked Justin to time them and I was once again hooked up to the monitor to see if it was true contractions.  As soon as she asked Justin to start timing them he understood what was happening and what I was too afraid to say.  I could not say the word "contraction" out loud because that would mean that I was in labor and thus I would have this baby way, way too soon and I was not going to have a preemie this early.  I had plans to make it to 34 weeks when I would have a c-section since Bean was breech.  Since I knew that I would be having a section I did no mental preparation for dealing with labor and the pain.  I also knew that today was my cousin's baby shower and I didn't want to mess it up for her. 
I told Justin each time a wave started and when it ended.  I had heard contractions described as waves and that is a very accurate description.  The monitor was not picking up the contractions and Kathy came in to readjust the sensor and she took a blood sample from me.  Justin informed her that I was contracting every 10 minutes for about 1 minute each time.  They were starting to hurt but I could manage with deep breathing.  Shortly after Kathy left the OB resident came into my room to see about the contractions.  Let me tell you it is NEVER a good thing when the resident pulls up a rocking chair and sits in your room for almost an hour. He palpated my lower abdomen each time I had a contraction since the monitor was not really picking them up.  He told me that I was being transferred to L&D.  I arrived on that unit at 300.  The contractions were now about 4 minutes apart and coming quicker and quicker.  They were getting very painful.  I asked for some pain medication and the nurse informed me that since the pain was that bad she called the doctor and he was on his way in.  Justin called my mom at some point.  She made it there in record time, and I was now contracting every 3-2 minutes.  My doctor came in and said since things had changed so much since he had seen me at Noon that it was time to have a baby.  I burst into tears and all I could think was that I was only 27 weeks, this baby was too early, I didn't want this to be happening.  He left to go and inform the NICU and to gather the surgical team.  The nurses tried to prep me for surgery.  Justin was given a set of scrubs to change into.  The doctor came back into the room and grabbed the foot of my bed and started rolling it out of the room saying that he was not going to deliver a breech 27 weeker in this room.  I was screaming and sobbing now with each wave of pain and fear.  I had absolutely no control over this situation and that was so very scary.   I was wheeled into the operating room and was transferred to the surgical bed.  My doctor explained what was about to happen.  All I could do was sob and repeat "okay" over and over, I screamed it with each contraction.  I was rolled onto my side and my doctor stayed right in front of me talking to me to try and calm me down while the spinal was administered.  He left then to go and scrub in.  I was hooked up to an IV and my body was draped.  The anesthesiologist was very nice and answered all my questions about what drugs he was injecting into my IV.  He also put a nasal canula on me to give me some extra oxygen.  Justin was finally allowed into the room and was given a seat beside my head.  The spinal took effect very quickly and the release from the pain helped to calm me down.  I looked around the very white and very bright room.  There were so many people in the room.  The NICU team was on one side of the room waiting for the arrival of Bean.  No one but the anesthesiologist talked to me as they were all running around getting things ready as quickly as they could.  Justin held my hand when the doctor told me that they were going to start, I felt nothing.  I was in such shock and panic about all of this happening.  At 519 I heard the doctor say "hello friend".  Bean had arrived and the NICU team was busy working.  I couldn't see anything but their backs.  I asked what we had, and my doctor told me he was sorry he hadn't looked.  Finally after asking a few more times what sex the baby was a nurse came over and told us that we had had a boy.  Justin and I cried.  We were told that he was breathing on his own and Justin was allowed to go over and see him while they got ready to leave for the NICU.  I felt a wave of relief wash over me that he was breathing, Justin told me that he was crying but I couldn't hear it.  From behind the drape my doctor told me that the baby was badly bruised from his shoulder blades to the back of his knees.  He said it was caused from not having any fluid for the past week and a half and that he had been sucked into the top of my cervix by the contractions.  As soon as he was delivered I began to shake and was informed that this was normal.  The isolette was pushed close to me so I could see my child before he left the room, I saw one of his eyes and his nose.  I told Justin to go with him.  I was glad that he left when he did, I started vomiting then.  My doctor told me that it was because he was "shifting things around and putting things back in their place."  After what seemed like forever I was finally sewn up and a binder was wrapped around my middle.  I was wheeled to a L&D room for recovery, my mom and dad were waiting for me.  No matter how old you are, sometimes you just need your parents.  I was groggy from pain meds and shaking badly.  I was hooked up to the IV pump once again and was informed that I was being given antibiotics, I had developed an infection and this had caused me to go into labor.  My mom and dad told me that they were able to see the baby as he was being wheeled down the hallway.  Justin asked them to stop so the grandparents could see him.  My mom told me that he had huge eyes and was very wrinkled.  Justin arrived back from the NICU after about an hour.  We discussed what we should name our son, he pulled out the lists we had put together.  We decided on "Oliver", it seemed to suit him.  We embarked on our next leg of this journey, preemie parenthood.  Neither of us were prepared for this and had no idea the course our lives would take.