Introduction
In October of 1994, I found out that I was
pregnant. I was not married, though my partner of three years
was still a big part of my life. Now, if you have ever
conceived out of wedlock, you can relate to what I am about
to tell you. It is not easy. Telling the families was hard.
People who knew that we were not married often questioned the
pregnancy and so on. In the end, we got a lot of support, but
let me tell you . . . be prepared for the heartache that can
come from a pregnancy like this. First of all, the pregnancy
was not planned. Secondly, we really needed the support and
encouragement being young parents.
The pregnancy was uneventful during the
first 20 weeks. I had a good deal of morning sickness, but
that was about it. In my 20th week or pregnancy, on a stormy,
cold Central New York day, I discovered that I was very puffy
and I did not feel up to my usual self. My Brad is a
paramedic so when he came home from work that day, I asked
him to take my blood pressure. I had read a lot during my
pregnancy, and I knew that puffiness and swelling could be
caused by a condition known as pre-eclampsia. Since I am
overweight, I am at risk for this. My fears began to come
true. My blood pressure was registering 220/180. I called my
obstetrician, and Brad and I went on our way to the hospital.
Once we were there, the pre-eclampsia was confirmed. I had
severe swelling all over my body, a lot of protein in my
urine, and a high blood pressure reading. Over the next week
or so, I got worse. I became so bad in fact, that I was
transferred to a higher level of care and a hospital with a
Level III Nursery to provide my unborn baby with top rate
care should she need it. Within the next four weeks, I
continued to deteriorate. I eventually lost my kidney
function and my obstetrician thought that it was nearing time
to deliver this baby. The question of its survival at 26 was unanswered. The c-section was planned for
the next day. We did not make it that far. During the night,
I began to cramp. When I called the nurse, the heartbeat was
slowing. Suddenly, I began to bleed heavily. I was rushed to
the OR. Before they had a chance to deliver my baby, an
ultrasound showed that she had died. My baby had died. I felt
like I would die as well. Rachel Danae was born into this world 15
hours later weighing 1 pound, 5 ounces . . . and perfect in
every way.
This is where the story of Ryan Christopher begins. On our honeymoon, the magic of Disney
really worked . . . Ryan was conceived. This pregnancy was a
lot more stressful to me because my thoughts always floated
to the thought of whether or not I was really going to be a
mother this time.
Again, up to 20 weeks of pregnancy
everything went fine. When 20 weeks hit, my blood pressure
shot back up again. I was in and out of the hospital for
this. Emotionally I was a wreck. My obstetrician was very
careful with me, and I was seen every two weeks for my whole
pregnancy. I had every test in the book and monthly
sonograms. Since it would be dangerous for me to go beyond my
due date, they tried to induce me at 39 weeks. That did not
work. I would not dilate. The OB suggested a C-Section, and I
gladly went with this option. On May 21, 1996, my son was
born weighing a sturdy 8 pounds, 7 ounces. What a joy it was
to finally hold him!! It was worth all the tears and worries
of his pregnancy.
Well, that is a little bit about me. During
this pregnancy (my third), I will have a lot of tests, a lot
of sonograms, and a lot of OB visits. I will take you with me
through all of that. So sit down, buckle your seat belts, and
let's start this ride of new life . . .
Copyright © 1997 Robin Marzolf. All rights reserved.
Site Design by StorkNet Please read our disclaimer and privacy policy. Your feedback is always welcome.
|
When Maribeth posted on Prodigy Classic that she was looking for moms-to-be to keep a weekly diary of their pregnancy, I thought this sounded like fun! After all, what better way to keep a diary as a keepsake for my unborn as well as to educate people and allow them to follow along on a roller-coaster ride of a pregnancy! Why do I say this? Well, here is my story . . .
