Reverse to Monday, October 29th

On Monday evening I was not feeling well. I thought my uterus was growing and I simply was just being a whiny butt about it... but through the night I continued to feel poorly feeling tightness every 30 minutes or so. I tried to research on the internet, but everything I read told me that this was normal. Feeling bad in the morning, I called the OB Nurse at Kaiser and told her how I was feeling and she asked me to come in to see Dr. Probst.

My appointment was at 9:00 on Tuesday morning and I got there just a few minutes late. When I got in to see the doctor, I told him of my symptoms and he too said it was probably normal. Since once of my complaints was some discharge, she did a quick speculum exam... and he realized I was already dilated 2 1/2 cm. All I could think is that THIS IS NOT GOOD!

He called for an ambulance and I was transported to Dameron Hospital in Stockton where my husband and my mom met me. I was admitted in Labor and Delivery and given medication to stop contractions and a steroid to help the baby's lungs develop just in case I delivered early.

The next day was a cake walk. I felt better, no contractions. I was put on bed rest, a liquid diet and could not get up, not even to pee! I was getting ready to settle in for the winter because the word at the nurses station was that I was not going home until I delivered... and that takes us to Thursday morning.

I woke up with a bit of bleeding and called my husband. The doctor did not seemed to concerned unless it was accompanied by contractions... and not too long later, the contractions came. The next thing I know, I was completely dilated and was told that either my water was leaking or my placenta was pulling away from the uterine wall, which was the case. The contraction came with more intensity and closer together... and now, at only 24 weeks along I was finding myself pushing. My water broke and nearly flooded the doctor and her staff (sorry, Dr. Brady!) and once the pressure of the water bag was released, my dilation when down to a 6. They induced the contractions and just 20 minutes later, William David Hensley was born.

After the delivery, since the baby was so tiny, my husband and my mom went to the NICU with the baby as the nurses and doctors cleaned me up... BUT... I could not stop bleeding. At this point, my OB/GYN, Dr. Probst, had come on shift and was assisting Dr. Brady. They tried everything. To save you the gruesome details of the OR, the lack of my blood type being available at the blood bank, the kamikaze Anesthesiologist, I will just say I was rushed to surgery for an emergency D & C and blood transfusion. Waking up hours, and I mean hours later I was settled into ICU for the evening... Now mind you, I still have not seen or heard about my baby. It was not until the next morning on Thursday when I was able to see little Will.

He was tiny at 1 lb 8 oz and only 12 inches long, but he was hanging in there. His blood pressure was low, his temperature was low, his blood sugar high, but hanging in there. It was such an emotional roller coaster to see how tiny this little baby was - and how much he was fighting to live.

Later in the afternoon we were able to see him again and Suzie the NICU nurse said he was doing ok and stable. I was moved from ICU into a public room with a nice young girl and her new baby. As you can imagine, this was a terrible place for me, the mother that did not have her baby with her. Apparently the nurses agreed and moved me into a private room and this is where I am now typing from. Will is now a little over 55 hours old - and still fighting. The doctor was worried about his kidneys, but he is showing signs of improvement. He has proven that he does not enjoy having is diaper changed because this morning he coded or his heart stopped 3 different times all resulting in a successful resuscitation. This afternoon they were starting to decrease his blood pressure medication, which is great. And his kidneys are continuing to improve. We are trying to remain optimistic, because he deserves a good chance at life and we want to provide that to him. Well, I am off to the NICU for visit.