…from a reader
My daughter was born six weeks prematurely. My due date was January 29th, but at 4:30 am on December 14th my water broke!
After being admitted into the hospital, our doctor and the N-ICU nurses came to talk with us. They told us anything and everything that could happen with a premature birth. As soon as they left the room, I just cried and cried. I was so worried for my daughter.
I was only 33 weeks pregnant, but they were hoping I would get to at least 34 weeks so Makenzie would have better odds of being healthy. I was on bed rest in the hospital for four days before i went into natural labor.
The stay was so long and dreadful. I was constantly being poked by needles for blood tests every 3 hours to make sure I wasn’t getting an infection that would put my daughter at risk. Because of having an I.V. in me 24/7 my body swelled up to the point where it couldn’t possibly swell anymore. So, with my swollen limbs, it took about 3+ pokes to find a vein EACH time I had to get blood taken. I had so many bruises on my arms and hands, it was ridiculous!
On the fourth day, just a day short of 34 weeks I went into labor. I had wanted to do a natural birth without any pain medication, but by this day my body was done! I had spent four miserable days in the hospital, and had gotten a total of about 5-6 hours of sleep the whole time. My body was exhausted, and I couldn’t handle it.
Getting the Epidural was such a relief! My beautiful daughter was born December 17th at 3:17 and was 5lbs 2oz and 17.5 inches long!!! She was as healthy as can be, and I was so in love!
She spent 11 days in the N-ICU because it was mandatory for her to gain the weight back that she lost the first week. But other than that, she didn’t have any issues.
It was so incredibly hard leaving the hospital without her. People who haven’t gone through it, don’t have the slightest clue of how painful it is. We had to visit our baby on Christmas at the hospital, we didn’t have her home with us.
When I think about how it all happened, I wish it wasn’t the way it was. I feel sad that I didn’t have a good birthing experience. However, I am so thankful that my daughter is healthy! I know everything happens for a reason, but I just hope that with our second child – the experience will be better!