Something just doesn’t feel right. I have been sick for weeks. Coughing, no taste, extreme congestion to the point I couldn’t smell or breath out of my nose, chest tightness, complete fatigue. I kept going to my doctor and they would test me for Strep Throat and the Flu and both came back negative. The doctor’s didn’t want to do an X-ray because I am pregnant. I kept getting told I have a very bad upper respiratory infection.
2/3/2020, I finally broke down and went to Sentara ED because I was miserable, uncomfortable and kept leaking fluid. I was checked out in the ED and they called my OB doctor since I am 28 weeks pregnant and normally I would be sent to the maternity floor to be checked by the doctor. But the doctor dismissed my complaints and I was sent home. Blake left work to come take care of me and he could tell how miserable I was and that I knew something was wrong and he insisted I call the OB office and insist they do something to put my mind at ease. I finally got a call back from the office and was told that if I really felt the need to go to the Family Maternity Center at the hospital and Blake immediately took me.
Upon arriving, nobody was there and we had to wait for someone to let us back and get us checked in. We finally got back in triage and got to see a nurse. They brushed off my concerns at first and basically told me nothing was wrong. They did put me on the fetal monitor which showed I was having small contractions but nothing they were too worried about. We were there for over an hour before a doctor finally came in and dismissed my complaints as well. The doctor did do a fetal fibronectin test on me. The fetal fibronectin test to see if a patient is leaking any amniotic fluid. Well the results came back positive for amniotic fluid. I was both relieved and terrified. I knew I wasn’t going crazy and this confirmed that I knew something was wrong. I was told I needed to be transferred to a hospital with a NICU. Blake and I chose to go to VCU in Richmond. I waited for about 2 hours before being transported by ambulance to VCU.
I arrived at VCU and Blake was there waiting on me. We went straight to Triage and had an ultrasound. The ultrasound did indicate that my amniotic fluid level was indeed very low. A few hours later I was admitted and put in a room. The room was very small and hard to move around, however only temporary as we were moved to another room the next day.
I was given IV antibiotics and steroids to help with the cold and also to prevent infection and help the baby’s lungs develop faster. I am in tears at this point, worried about having a baby 12 weeks early and all of the complications of a preemie.
We took a tour of the NICU and it was heartbreaking. The doctors, nurses and staff were all wonderful and answered any questions we had. We sat in on rounds with the staff and saw the exceptional care given to these NICU babies. We met with the attending doctor and he reassured us but I was still an emotional disaster.
I received daily Ultrasounds and had lab work taken each day. It was extremely hard to get any rest. It’s a hospital and hospitals are not known for resting but having nurses and doctors coming into the room every hour made it very hard. I did have one night nurse that put a sign on my door saying no entry between 11pm-7am. I was very thankful for this. That was the first time I got some rest and it was day 5.
VCU sent art students to the room and they provided craft items, paint, markers, etc. to help pass the time.
During my stay, I had trouble breathing and received multiple breathing treatments. I also had to keep having my IV changed do to my veins blowing.
Blake kept me company for most of my stay. He did go to work and I told him I would call him if something major came up.
8 days after being admitted to the hospital, my fluid levels were improving, and I was feeling a little better. After a long talk with the doctor, she agreed to let me going home on bed rest and I was to have weekly visits with ultrasounds and fetal monitoring. I was also told to come back with any issues, any sight of blood etc. It was such a good feeling to be able to go home.
Once home, I took it easy. It was nice to be home, and a couple of weeks after being released, the schools shut down due to COVID. Everything from this point got really crazy.
I made a few more trips to the hospital with contractions and bleeding. The doctors and nurses were able to make everything slow down. The goal was to keep me pregnant as long as possible.
April 2, 2020 – I started having a lot of pain and contractions every 2 minutes. Of course Blake was at work. I didn’t want to bother him, so I didn’t tell him I was going to the hospital. I was hoping like the other times I would have them medicine to help stop the contractions and they would stop. The contractions didn’t stop, they got stronger and closer together. I called Blake after they told me that I was being put in a delivery room. While waiting for Blake, I received an epidural. The first attempt didn’t go so well, it hit a nerve and I almost came off the bed. The second attempt worked. It was nice to be able to get a couple of hours of rest. Blake got to the hospital a little after midnight 4/3/2020. We both got some sleep and I woke up when my water broke. 9:27 am, after 1 push we welcomed a baby girl into the world 4 weeks early. Still a preemie, she was very healthy and 6lbs even. We stayed in the hospital for the night and released the next afternoon.
Unfortunately, the day Taylor was born was the day VCU limited visitors and implemented their mask mandate on the maternity floor. Nobody got to come see us and the baby after she was born. We had to FaceTime with grandparents to show her off. Having a COVID baby was an incredibly strange experience and it was awful, just awful. Never did we expect that we would have a baby born during a global pandemic.
Both sets of grandparents came by once we were home and it was the hardest thing not letting them hold her because of COVID.
All of the kids got to meet their new sister when they got home.
Nic of Time - Travel 