Intro...Aiden Born at 30 weeks

I am Christie and my little man Aiden was due on May 4th. Well he had other plans. Aiden was born Friday, Feb 24th at 1:19pm exactly on my 30 weeks. 

It all started Tuesday, the 21st. We had our 30 week appointment (a few days early due to my work schedule). I had mentioned to my doctor that I was just having some lower abdomen discomfort, but it felt like stretching and I had an increase in my vaginal discharge but all clear and no odor, no bleeding or anything abnormal. She decided to do a cervical exam. Sure enough, I was dilated 2cm and 100% effaced. They sent me to the high risk doctor in the group after doing some swabs around my cervix for tests. We had an ultrasound with the high risk doctor and my water had not broken...what a relief.

I was then rushed across the parking lot to the hospital to labor and delivery where I was admitted. I received 6 grams of magnesium and then they started me on a drip of magnesium at 3 grams/hour to stop my labor. I was having contractions 5 minutes apart and I never felt them. They started me on steroids for the babies lungs as a precaution if I were to deliver. I ended up getting magnesium toxic by Wednesday morning. I was vomiting blood, blurred vision and could not move my legs. They weaned my mag drip to 2 grams an hour and I still was not therapeutic so I was placed on 1 gram an hour and I stayed on that til Thursday morning. Finally, my contractions had stopped. My doctor said because my cervix had nothing else to do but dilate, I was being admitted and placed on hospital bed rest for the next month. I knew I was going to be miserable. What was I going to do on bedrest. I was allowed to go to the bathroom and allowed to shower for 10 minutes a day. Thursday was a good day.

Come Friday morning, I was on antibiotics, my vaginal fluid tested strep B positive. I felt as if I had a yeast infection coming. I called my husband and told him to bring me yogurt in. When he got there, I was going to the bathroom every hour to pee, but no blood, I felt fine cause I was drinking a lot of fluids. I was laying in bed just feeling bad...having really bad discomfort in my abdomen, felt like gas pain...all I wanted to do was have a bowel movement. I got in the shower and that helped relieve some of the pain and then tried to have a bowel movement. No success but when I wiped, I had a little bit of bloody discharge. I saved it for my nurse cause I knew it was not good. She got me back in bed and hooked me up to the monitor to check on the baby and me. Sure enough, I was having contractions. I never felt them. My doctor came in to check me, my cervix was now dilated to 6cm...there was no stopping this. I was then surrounded by L&D nurses, a NICU nurse, staff nurses, the manager of antepartum and my doctor. They put in a new IV and asked me if I wanted an epidural, I said Yes...please. I was on the stretcher off to L&D, crying. I was greeted by anesthesia and they placed an epidural with no problems. It did not hurt, felt like a bee sting. Finally I felt at ease. My contractions were a minute and a half apart. My doctor did an ultrasound to make sure Aiden was head down....he was. She rechecked my cervix and I was now 9cm....she broke my water (I never felt it). I was numb from the waste down, I did have a lot of shivers which is normal from the epidural. I felt a lot of pressure on my rectum and thats when I knew to push. We did some practice pushes and then it was go time. I pushed for about 20 minutes, it was rough. I did 3 sets of 10 second pushes....by the time I got to the 3rd set, I was exhausted.

At 1:19pm, my son came out screaming and crying!! Thank goodness. He was taken by the neonatologist. His apgar scale was a 9. They were amazed at how great he was at 30 weeks. They said he was acting like a 32 weeker. Thank goodness for getting steroids on board. My son never had to be intubated or required real oxygen. He was only on 2 liters which is now off.

So now begins our road in the NICU. He is such a strong little guy. He was 3 lbs, 3 oz. He is not on a any oxygen and he is on 10.3 cc every 3 hours of breastmilk through a nasogastric tube. He is also on tpn and lipids...food through an IV.

I just wanted to share my story with you ladies. Please be prepared. These babies are stubborn and have no patience. Everything is out of your control.