baby peyton

mommy posted this on facebook.  i thought i would share it here also.  it's the story of the day i arrived.

the day peyton was born

pre-eclampsia is a medical condition where hypertension arises in pregnancy in association with significant amount of protein in the urine. delivery is the only known cure for pre-eclampsia.

around the 28th week of my pregnancy my hypertension and proteinuria had elevated to a concerning level. i was asked to see the midwives two times a week. i also had to stay overnight in the hospital for observation around the 30th week. it was not fun at all. i was stuck in a room with 6 pregnant ladies with only curtains separating us. i am a very light sleeper. needless to say i did not sleep all night.

during the 32nd week, the doctor requested that i stay in the hospital again. my blood pressure was elevated as it had been since week 28, but my proteinuria was higher. jeremiah was out of the country so i had to go home and get my clothes. i was pretty upset that i had to stay in the hospital again. i just knew that it was going to be another sleepless night. when i arrived back at the hospital, my bp went through the roof. it usually comes down within 30 mins, but this time it did not. with the exception of my hypertension and proteinuria, i felt wonderful. as a matter of fact, i felt better that week than previous weeks. for the next hour they poked, prodded, and took my bp some more. the doctors did not say much to me at this time. after the hour my bp did not come down so they moved me to the maternity ward. looking back, i should have realized they were planning on delivery when they moved me, but i was still convinced that i was feeling fine.

jeremiah was in sweden. i had been texting him on my iphone and keeping him updated. good thing i had the iphone. the midwives didn't know it was a phone or else they would have asked me not to use it. i didn't want jeremiah to rush home for nothing. i was in complete disbelief that i would be having my baby that day. luckily, he had already started to wrap things up and making plans to come back early.

in the maternity ward people came in and out. there were more poking and prodding including 3 attempts to tap into my arterial vein. two hours later at 4 pm, a doctor that i had never seen before, told me that they had booked the surgery for 6 pm for delivery by cesarean. i texted jeremiah to tell him to come home immediately. jeremiah happened to be on a conference call with a coworker who was sitting by a friend name gordon. he and his wife are a type of couple who offers help even before being asked. he overheard that i was having an emergency c-section. so of course, gordon picked up his wife kirsty and came straight to the hospital. i am so grateful they did, because i began to panic when they told me that i was having the baby and without jeremiah. i am happy that i didn't have to go through this alone.

i went in for the c-section around 6:45 pm, and peyton was born at 7:08 pm. i was so relieved to hear her let out a big cry. i felt like everything was going to be ok after that. they let me see her for a few seconds before taking her away.

gordon met jeremiah at the airport while kirsty kept me company. jeremiah arrived at the hospital around 9:45 pm. he was able to catch the last direct flight out. he kept me company for a while and saw his brand new daughter before he had to go home. just as i fell asleep, a midwife brought in peyton for me to hold for the very first time. it was a wonderful end to a crazy, exhausting day.