Sunday, February 24, 2013
The Pain Takes Over
At 21 weeks and 4 days I had an appointment at the Thomasville OBGYN and it was just a regular appointment where they were going to check for the heartbeat and talk to me about the specialist had said and where we were going to go from there. I went in, waited and laid back on the table when the doctor came in with the doppler. All smiles in the room and not a single doubt in anyone's mind that this was just another appointment. Doctor checked and checked and then slightly panicked, brought me into the ultrasound room himself and looked for Bentleys heartbeat... and there is was a soft beat coming from my little baby. It was not as fast as it was normally and the doctor said not to be concerned and asked me when my next appointment was. I told him tomorrow and I was satisfied with that. I knew my little fighter was not giving up by no means. I never lost hope... hours later when Matt came home he immediately went in on me and we both blew up on each other. Crying and screaming I tried to calm myself down knowing I was harming the baby. After the day I had; had how dare he?! I went for a drive and cried, screamed and yelled to God what only a small portion of my family knows... "God please don't let me lose my baby... I am trying so hard to calm down! Help me! I don't understand why this is happening to me, please, please don't take him from me." I came home... went to my room & locked the door. Matt came back there sometime later got mad because I would not let him sleep in the bed, went to the couch and we both fell asleep. 5:30 came early and I got up to pee and went back to bed, Matt came in the room got on his knees whispered something to Bentley, told him he loved him and kissed my belly. I got up and feeling bad about the night before and not really wanting to fight asked him if he would come to my appointment. It was the same answer every time... no. We argued a little again about how he never did and his son should mean more to him than his job and I reminded him that we didn't know how long according to the doctors. This seemed to push him out the door as he left for work. I went back to sleep until around 9am and I got up, took a shower and my mom came and got me for my appointment at 10.
Sitting in the wait room my mom asked me if I had felt Bentley kicking any lately (it had really slowed down but to me was no cause for concern because the doctor could explain it all) I said you know not really... and began to think of the last time but then I felt a little reassuring kick in the side and I beamed as I told her that he always did that. We were called back to the room and the ultrasound tech was one I had never met before, all smiles like always as she introduced herself and went to work... one, two, three pictures. "I'll be right back.." My heart stopped... I watched the screen so closely, I had already been to a million appointment there were never just three... there were like 50 and it took at least half an hour sometimes over an hour. I looked at my mom and told her something is wrong. She tried to reassure me but my mind raced over the images, no heart beat... no movement... nothing. I cried inside and begged God to let this be a mistake, please let me be scared for nothing. She was new (at least to me) maybe she just needed help with something.
Another doctor came in one I had seen quite a few times and said the words that shattered my heart forever... "Samantha its like we thought, the baby doesn't have a heart beat; I am going to double check myself but I'm afraid (so & so) is probably correct." She checks... confirmed. Gives me a minute and I sit up button my pants and look at my mom and just start crying... how could God have done this to me, what had I done so bad? My baby... my son... my first baby! Crying or not I was in utter shock... I had felt him move! No this isn't happening, they are wrong.
Doctor comes back in and asks me if I would like to go home and digest this information or would I like to go ahead to the hospital, and as I look at her quizzically she says they did explain what would happen if you were to lose him this late right? No... amazingly not one doctor ever mentioned it. She gave me two choices, a complicated version of a D&C where they pull the baby out in parts and it could cause for infection and revisits to the hospital or I could give birth. My mom insisted I go ahead to the hospital and I knew the only choice for me was birth.
I am currently upsetting myself pretty bad writing this & being pregnant it is not healthy to get this upset so I will continue on when I can. Thank you for reading.
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
Happiness(:
Days moved forward and so did we... there was no stopping life. Bentley would kick me and I would know everything was okay. Doctors still assured me we were no closer to better than worse and that death was still around the corner. I was told at every appointment to consider abortion and I told them at every appointment that was not a choice. I never gave up hope and it helped me get through every single day. No matter how long or how hard the days became. I began to swell... at this point around 18 weeks I had lost 17 pounds but you could not tell by looking at me. My stomach was so far out I had random people asking when I was due. My wrist and fingers swelled and my feet and ankles began to hurt. The doctors just said swelling was normal, I had been to the ER three times in the last two weeks and I think they were sick and tired of seeing me. The ER visits did not stop and I began to worry about the swelling. I was told rest, rest, rest and yet I was working two jobs. So I made the decision to quit on of them and then soon after was told to stay off my feet and had to quit my other job. Matt hated it.. as a matter a fact he threw it in my face often how "lazy" I was and I began to wish he wouldn't come home. We despised each other on a level that was unhealthy. I wish that I could say that it got better but it didn't it just got worse.
Around 20.5 weeks I had a doctors appointment and we found out that Bentley probably had "club" foot and that was why he was not moving a lot along with the swelling. He was too big and everything was just horrible but it was the same as the week before just new doctors with new eyes. The doctor than did the best thing in the world for me, he gave me hope. He did not offer abortion and he did not tell me really anything bad. He told me that in a few short weeks they would start giving me shots so that Bentley's lungs would rapidly develop and at 28 weeks they would offer induction. I can tell you I was beaming leaving that appointment and my happiness lingered with me.
Too... be....continued.
Thursday, January 24, 2013
week to week... day by day.
I never doubted my son, I never once made preparations or thought this could be it. I cried a lot because it was hard but I just knew that he was coming home. I did not care how long he had to be in the hospital I knew he was coming home. I was dead wrong... more wrong than I ever thought I could be.
The support that I received through the next few weeks was amazing. My mom was there everyday telling me it was going to be okay. The prayer chains that were started was astonishing. I received messages from people telling me their churches were praying for my unborn son and I truly felt nothing could go wrong. My family loved my baby and they never gave up on him either... it was amazing. No one believed it was possible to lose him... we were all in such denial.
The only thing wrong was Matt and I couldn't get a long; long enough to show each other why we were really upset. I couldn't understand him and he seemed to not even care to understand me. We were broken and so was our relationship. From friends to lovers to enemies as fast as we first said hello. It was the shortest and most stressful relationship I have ever been in. In those weeks that passed we grew further and further apart and yet our love for our son just grew.
to be continued...
Monday, December 3, 2012
Pain
it seems like everyone is expecting me to change how I feel, just because I am pregnant does not mean that I have for gotten about my son. he is in my every thought and all of my dreams... this pain is never going away and I realize that but please could you people honestly understand that you do not understand what I am going through. I know some of you do that is following this blog and.thank you so much for the support. I am tired of going through every day and all people mention is the new baby, if my son was here you all would still be asking how he is too. Why can't you just mention him, he was real... he was mine. It may make me cry and tear up but I will feel better in the end because some body mentioned him!
this was me venting sorry if I offended anybody...
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
Genetic Analysis
The next question I would ask broke me even farther than I could ever have imagined. I didn't feel like I could feel any worse but as I mouthed the words I realized the inevitable pain it would put me through. I asked; "Should I terminate?" Before I could continue she said that is only a question you can answer. I then said; "BUT is he in pain, I do not want to carry him if it is causing him pain..." I began to bawl, (this was just to hard). She looked at me when such compassion in her eyes and told me that it wasn't the baby that was in pain it was me. I couldn't hold anything back, I just let go and i cried all the way though the rest of the appointment. Yes I was in pain... a lot of pain. It felt physical and emotional and I felt like someone had ripped my soul apart and deceived me into taking it back. Little did I know that this was just the beginning... it would be worse, much worse.
As Matt and I proceeded out of the appointment his parents saw the pain in our faces, how could I explain this to them. As I tried, Matt had to take over and tell because the tears just would not stop. I tried to straighten myself up but the pain was so incredibly bad at this point that I just couldn't. I sat in the passenger seat on the way home and looked out the window at nothing, I was thinking of nothing... trying to bury myself under a pile of thoughts not related to the pain I was feeling. I never imagined this would happen who would..
Thursday, November 8, 2012
Wake Forest.
Note one: FETAL! This word bugged me the moment I walked through the door... I felt like hmm, maybe this is not the place for me. The BABY inside of me was just that; A BABY! Not a fetus... not something that means nothing.
(Now I know that fetal... doesn't necessary in terms mean what I am portraying but I am just relaying how I felt in the moment.)
I was already scared and anxious and now I am being tormented by all the pregnant women sitting around me, I wonder aimlessly... "Is her baby sick too? Are all our babies sick? Can't be there are too many women in here." I remember feeling so anxious I was shaking. Matt had come with me to this appointment, didn't that mean that it had to be important. He would not put off work for anything... so it had to be something scary, something we didn't want to go through. His parents were here too... as much as they didn't like the idea of their son having a baby out of wedlock, they were here. They were here for support, and that made me feel some relief.
I filled out all the necessary paper work and sat down to wait. After about 30 minutes the nurse called us back to the ultrasound room... a room that throughout my pregnancy would come to be so familiar and so scary. I walked in and was asked to roll my shirt up and unbutton my pants, we waited for the tech to arrive and she went straight into her cordial greeting and down to business. She said.."Lets see what is going on with this baby.." I was 15 weeks pregnant and showing quite a bit, I felt proud as I looked at my belly and back up at the screen.
After several pictures and her showing us the "problem areas" we were scared to death. But so happy we got to see our baby boy just moving around and kicking. This ultrasound gave me my favorite picture of him, he put up his little tiny hand and it looked like he waved at the screen, my heart melted. I felt like my baby was telling me it was all going to be okay. Like "Mom... I am fine in here." Awhh... how I love that moment. A memory I will always treasure.
The tech got a little excited as she asked if we knew the sex of the baby and we both said not yet. She asked us if we wanted to and Matt and I looked at each other for a brief moment registering yes with just our eyes and I looked back and nodded yes to the tech. She said well your having a baby boy and I smiled so big it hurt... I would never have cared if it was a boy or girl. Initially I wanted a girl, but this was my baby and boy girl who cares. Matt was so happy... sitting beside me saying, "I told you so!" I laughed because he did... like all the other times since I had been pregnant he had said; "Maness boys have boys" and it proved true time and time again in his family.
After the excited part was over the tech said the doctors would have to get together and look over the findings. We waited forever... our fears binding within us. I know I began to feel sick and wondered if morning sickness was kicking in or was my nerves just becoming really bad. The doctor finally came in. Matt and I were sitting along the wall in a row of three chairs. Side by side we waited... The doctor said words that I will never forget and will hang in my heart and linger in my mind until the end of time. "Hi... (stated his name & checked the chart for ours) I am sorry to say this but ya'll will have other children but you just won't be having this one. The thunder rained down on me as my heart broke into a million pieces. NO... what do you mean I asked. Matt grabbed for my hand and began to try to console me as I fell immediately into tears. He said "Ya'll look like a lovely couple and so young, you will probably have very healthy pregnancies later on but this time that is not how it happened..." He continued "The fetus is just too sick,"
Note two: Now you know from previous thoughts the anger that irrupted inside of me as he talked about my "fetus!"
He said things like "termination" "no one would blame you" "he only has days, maybe two weeks" "heart will stop" "sorry" "nothing we can do" "not your fault" "chromosomal"
I am so terrified by this point and now just trying to hang onto his every word. He finished up and shakes our hands. I know now that he is pro science and not pro life, this is not the doctor for me. I will never see him again and I didn't.
................
We were then sent to the genetic councilor... I will talk on that more later. It would be too long to put that in this blog.
THANK YOU GUYS FOR READING.
I WOULD LIKE TO SAY THAT I KNOW THERE ARE MOTHERS AND FATHERS OUT THERE THAT HAVE WENT THROUGH THIS, I DON'T WANT YOU GUYS TO FEEL ALONE. WHEN I FOUND OUT, I SEARCHED THE WEB TO FEEL APART OF SOMETHING. YOUR NOT ALONE.
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Halloween :/ & Ultrasound Follow-up
Happy Halloween everyone, hope that your having a great day and have been having a wonderful Wednesday!
I want to say to all the victims of Hurrican Sandys wrath that you are in my thoughts and prayers. I am saddened by all the damage, loss and death. I hope that everyone watching will also keep them in your thoughts.
So in my last blog, I told you guys about how I went to the ER and in this one I want to talk to you about the follow up appointment with my home OBGYN. I want to say that Thomasville OBGYN is the absolute best! The doctors there made me feel more comfortable, more hope and more happiness and without them I may have not got to feel the joys of my pregnancy.
So I went to the OBGYN the next day and signed in and waited. Pregnant women all around and I think hmm... I wonder if anyone else in here is scared to death of today's appointment? I am shaking a little, my nerves have always been bad but now I am beating myself up about it. STOP Samantha, I say in my head. "You know its bad for the baby..." I continue this until my name is called and I finally feel like I am going to have some answers. If I could count the times that I had been dead wrong in my pregnancy it wouldn't be possible to use my fingers. I hated the shaky feeling I had but was enlightened when I went in and vitals and blood pressure checked out. Oddly enough I lost eight pounds and my nurse was warning me losing too much could cause problems; but that it was normal to lose some weight. I thought that the decrease may have something to do with the sickness I had only a few days earlier.
I was put into th ultrasound room and awaited my answers... the tech came in and asked me to explain to her why I was here. I told her everything the doctor had said to me and she just shook her head and with a light airy laugh she explained that ER doctors are rushed and usually don't have time to really assess any "problems" so that not to worry everything was probably okay. As she prepped me for the ultrasound we talked about how I had been eating and my weight loss. She was in the middle of cascading the reader across my belly when her face lost her smile. She became almost distant as if talking to me anymore would cause more problems. I now know this is in case she was wrong that she would have gotten into trouble. She looked at the screen back at me and said I am so sorry I said that before your ultrasound, there is something quite wrong, I need to go get the doctor.
She went and informed the doctor of the ultrasound and came back and proceeded to print me plenty of pictures of my beautiful son. She asked me if I wanted to know the sex of the baby and I said I better now, Matt isn't here and he might kill me. She said okay and I begin to ask a million and five questions. All she said to me was that it looked like Cystic Hygroma and the doctor would explain.
I waited for about 30 minutes and the doctor came in and immediately hugged me before going into his "update" He said he was sorry to inform me but the baby looked to have several problems and he was sorry they had not noticed anything at my 6 week ultrasound but it was more likely that the baby had developed them sometime within the last 7 weeks. I waited for him to get down to the real news and when he did I was shocked to hear things like "genetic chromosomal disorders" "cystic hygroma" "hydrops" "turners syndrome" and many other words I had not yet let digest. He wanted me to see a specialist and they would determine further what could be done if anything.
For those of you who don't know what cystic hygroma is, it is a mass of cysts that build up on the baby's neck and can continue down the spinal column. It is where the baby's lympthaic system is immature and instead of sending the fluids through the body the way it is supposed to happen it becomes small and larger collections of fluid.
I did a lot of research as I was told not to when I left the doctor informed me that the internet was a scary place to look at things like this and I should wait to hear it from a specialist who could inform me correctly. I did not have the patience for this however and looked up a few "key terms" to help my growing curiosity.
I will continue the story... next week. Hope you are enjoying my blog... I know it can be hard for some of you and this is why I share my story. I want everyone who is looking to understand and looking for some guidance to have that.
On top of my story I want to tell you how I have been lately. I have felt horrible, just down and out. I don't know what to do. It is like I am in a dark place and cannot get out of it. I just want to wake up and this all be a dream... I know that I won't and I have to keep pushing. But for those of you out there that have went through this you know what I mean... the pain, the spiraling up and down and the days you feel like youll never smile again. For those of you just starting to live this nightmare, know that the grieving process is normal. There will be bad times and good times and all the in between. We will make it through this, and we can do it together!
Today is no exception, I wanted so badly to dress Bentley up for Halloween, I was so excited he would only be a few months old for his first Halloween, he wouldn't remember it but I would... now I just feel empty. I want to hide away and not have to think about anything. Holidays seem like they will be like this for the rest of my life. Plans made, and then destroyed... the hurt will always be there and I wish for one second all of us going through this, mothers and fathers that it didn't have to be this way. We deserved our babies... that's my final thought. Sorry so long.