Tracie’s Birth of Jayden

My little miracle Jayden was my third baby and his story goes like this.... After having two perfect pregnancies with the most fabulous home births to go with them, I found myself divorced later re-married and after only trying for a couple months happily pregnant with my third child.

 I was suddenly introduced to morning sickness and all the bad things that came with pregnancy that I never had before. After working till almost three months I could not do anymore, and decided that it would be best to stay at home till I gave birth and started to make my preparations for another home birth. Well unfortunately I just kept getting sicker, I went to my ob to run some tests and tell her something just wasn't right and they couldn't find anything, even my husband said that I was just being over-dramatic about not feeling well.

We found out that we were having a boy and that they thought that I was off in my calculations by three weeks or so and moved my due date from March 31st 2008 to April 21st 2008, because he was measuring smaller than he should. I got even sicker, went back to my ob and told her that I thought I was showing signs of pre-eclampsia. I was 23 weeks (in early december 2007) and she told me that it was too early in my pregnancy to have it. Crushed I went back home and didn't know where to turn. Christmas was horrid, I was dealing with being sick trying to put on a brave face and make it through for the kids and push through it, I began to question myself, was I being over dramatic? Was this in my head? December 27th 2007 I called my ob's office and crying told the staff "I know something is wrong" "I don't know what it is" "I feel like I am going to die" the on call nurse could tell how upset I was and said to just go in to the hospital and they would check me out.

I called my husband and told him that he needed to drive me and he came home and we drove there and waited for two hours (they were busy with lots of new babies) and I was only 26 weeks 5 days pregnant. I had this ominous feeling that they were going to just send me home.

I finally got into a room and they took my bp and it was 180/110. They did a urine test, I was spilling protein. They drew some blood and looked at my feet (they looked like Fred Flintstones) and said "you have pre-eclampsia" I didn't know whether to be relieved that I wasn't crazy or scared. My blood work came back bad. My liver enzymes were bad and I was at 35% kidney function.

I was admitted and the hell began, I was having contractions, put an a mag wash and drugs for my bp and they had me in the most uncomfortable delivery bed ever. I was projectile vomiting and having hallucinations, they drew blood every 45 minutes, my arms were black and blue from all the needles. They estimated that my little baby weighed only 1 lbs 15ozs. I had the NICU director come speak to me, I asked what the survival rate was for a baby this early was? He seemed so cavalier as he told me "about 70%".

About 30 hours after checking in, my kidneys completely stopped functioning and they told me to call my husband because they were taking me into my c-section in 20 minutes. I was so scared, I was trying to hold back the tears as they took me back in that awful bed back to surgery. My hubby got there just as they were opening me up and pulled my tiny baby with his fist clenched out of my womb, no cries and not breathing, and quickly they inserted a vent tube and rushed him down the hall to the NICU within 4 minutes I was left alone to be sewn up.

I was numb, felt like a failure. Jayden's birth weight was 1lbs 14 ozs. I would not see him for two more days. After he was born, my kidneys and liver decided to start working again, and when I saw him for the first time, I knew he was going to be alright.

I didn't hold him for 6 more weeks... I read "are you my mother?" Daily... They healed the holes in his heart and mine. After 84 days in the NICU, pumping the milk from my breasts to feed him through tubes, a hernia repair surgery we brought him home... 5lbs 3ozs of miracle... Not a day goes by that I don't thank God for saving him and the wonderful staff that walked me through every scary moment. It was not the birth I wanted for us, but I was just happy for us both to be alive. I gave birth to a beautiful baby girl at 36 weeks on march 31st 2010, no pre-eclampsia, just a 30 hour NICU stay for Jaundice. Today you can't tell at all from looking at him that he was a micro preemie, he still has the fighting spirit that he was born with and just as feisty.... And yep we totally used him as a tax deduction!

First hold at 6 weeks

almost big enough to go home

Happy and healthy little boy!

Tags: micro premie, micropremie, NICU, 26 weeks pregnant,  pre-eclampsia, birth, birth stories, premature birth, birth stories with pictures, cesarean section, eclampsia, pre-eclampsia stories, inspiring birth stories, positive birth stories, birth stories with pictures, childbirth stories, birthstories, baby stories