I had been told 10 years earlier not to plan on conceiving a child, yet to our surprise, on March 7,1999 we found out we were expecting. When the shock wore off we were elated.
At 10 weeks, I began to bleed. The doctors said this was not uncommon and put me on bed rest for a few days. At 13 weeks I was still spotting so the doctor gave me an ultrasound and found a beating heart. It was one of the happiest moments of my life.
At four months I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes and high blood pressure. I was again on bed rest, little did I know I would spend most of my pregnancy in bed, but I was doing this for my child.
At 31 weeks I went into labor. How appropriate, on Labor Day 1999. I went straight to the hospital and when the nurses told me that they could not pick up any contractions, I was relieved. Then they checked me for dilation and that's when the chaos began. I was rushed by ambulance to the nearest NICU that would accept a 31 weeker, put on magnesium, given steroids and my labor slowed, but never stopped. On Wednesday the doctors finally decided to let me deliver, but I had to be put on pitocin for failure to progress.
Thursday I finally turned 32 weeks and also gave birth to a small but surprisingly healthy son, Charles, on September 9, 1999. He spent two weeks in the NICU. He weighed 4 lbs 4 oz and was the biggest baby in the nursery. He surprised the doctors then and still does. He is almost one now and weighs 22 lbs and is as healthy as any other child his age. He was only behind developmentally for a few months and is now walking and talking.
We have seen the hard roads some of these babies have to travel, and our hearts go out to parents who are not as fortunate as ourselves. Our son has had a few minor problems, but it was NICU that taught us we truly are blessed. Thank you for letting us share the story of the most wonderful miracle we have ever seen, our son.
