A little gift I found

Dear Kelly and John,

I hope my experience will be somewhat encouraging, because I do know first hand what you are going through.  I had tried to call you tonight, but your number is unlisted!! I f you want to call me, my number is  xxx xxx xxxx.

Both of my pregnancies were different from the norm.  I delivered Lindsey 5 weeks early, c-section, as she was a double footling breech.  Rod was in Conn. on a business trip!  They had no idea why she came so early, that pregnancy was fairly unremarkable, I was healthy, active, and pretty fit for a pregnant lady.  The doctors told me it was a oddity, and not to worry about any other pregnancy.

When I was 27 weeks pregnant with Chelsey, I went into labor.  I was hospitalized  for 4 days and sent home with a Brethine pump and TOKOS monitor.  I could not believe what was happening to me.  I felt great, nothing hurt, and I was forced to lay on my left side for 23 hours a day.  I feel fortunate that Mom and Dad were here to take Lindsey and I have a terrific network of friends who helped, but I felt helpless.

We had not yet completed the babyís room,   Rod would come home from work and have to cook, clean, do laundry and take care of Lindsey.  He was truly wonderful and I felt useless.  Poor Lindsey was afraid to hug me, she was only 2, I felt I had really let her down.  I wondered what I did wrong, but after talking to a lot of women who have gone through this experience, I finally realized, it just happens to some people and recognizing the signs of premature labor is of utmost importance.

The medicine left me shaky and in an emotional turmoil most of the day.  If I wasnít crying I was sleeping.  If I wasnít sleeping I was having the worst heartburn on record (by the way, celery really helps get rid of heartburn).  I told my doctor that I ceased to exist, I was only a contracting uterus!!!  There were days that I spent 5-6 hours monitoring because I could not get my contractions to stop.

Horrible? Yes. Worth it? You bet.  Hereís the killer, when I finally went off the meds, I stopped having contractions.  They ended up inducing me (I did have a V-BAC) at 37 weeks because my bloodpressure started to climb. 

Chelsey was delivered at 37 weeks, 7 pounds 3 ounces, perfectly healthy all of her fingers and toes and absolutely beautiful.  I would have stood on my head if thatís what was necessary, thank God it wasnít.  I guess my point is that even though it seems like an eternity, it is not forever, and the reward at the end is wonderful.

The baby did not care that the room was not ready, her dresser arrived 3 weeks after she was born, the window treatments werenít done.  She came home to a loving family who was glad she was healthy and anxious to hold her.

We will keep all of you in our thoughts and anxiously await the birth announcement.  My hope is that this letter will help you see that there is a light at the end of the tunnel and the trip is worthy.

Good Luck and God Bless