Big Wheel

A little more than eleven years ago, I found out my much wanted third baby would be coming.  I will have to admit it took a bit of convincing on my part to get Pierre on board for a third.  Creed's "Arms Wide Open" came out that summer.  That song always reminds me of that time in my life.  I was thrilled to be pregnant again.  Abigail was already three and out of her baby stage.  I was even looking forward to changing diapers again.

When I was 14 weeks pregnant, I hemmoraghed.  My house looked like a scene from CSI.  I ruined my beautiful white and blue plaid couch.  My obstetrician, Dr. J,  met me at the hospital.  He had the operating room prepped and ready for a D&C.  I asked for an ultrasound and he listened to me, even though he believed my baby could never have survived. You can imagine the look of disbelief on his face when he found that little flickering heartbeat.  My bleeding miraculously stopped, but still he was not convinced this was a viable pregnancy.  I was given 24 hours to prove it to him.  

I was sent off to the surgical floor to wait to see if the bleeding resumed.  I was not allowed any food or water since Dr. J was afraid I would need to be whisked away to the operating room at any minute.  By the next morning, I was sent home on strict bedrest.  I was on bedrest from October to mid December.  The blood clot that was tearing my placenta away from my uterus had started shrinking until  it was reabsorbed.  I was admitted to the hospital two more times for observation due to an irritable uterus and put back on modified bedrest.  I tried, unsuccessfully, to learn to knit, did a lot of crossword puzzles, and watched too much television.

At one of my last obstetrician visits in late winter 2001, I was told by Dr. J that he had never had a baby survive after a bleeding episode like the one I had.  I was not sure what I was to expect.  I knew I would love my baby, no matter what, but the uncertainty was frightening. 

Tomorrow, is Katie's eleventh birthday.  She was born on a sunny Saturday morning just before noon.  She looked just like a baby doll.  There were no ill effects from my tumultuous pregnancy.

Happy birthday to my eleven year old, miracle girl.