Its been three months, but here's Karaline's birth story!

I had just returned to work after my Vacation to my parents house, and it was a Wednesday (June 10th) I noticed that early on in the morning, I was having more contractions, so I took one of my "anti-contraction" pills my doctor had given me a few weeks prior and went in to work. I noticed at work that my contractions had never stopped, and in fact they were getting into a pattern. They weren't painful so I didn't think much about them. I told my manager that I couldn't walk around much that day and he didn't care, and put me at the front door anyway without a chair. (It was not allowed to have a greeter sitting...even if she WAS 8 months pregnant.) I begged for a chair because my contractions kept getting closer together. He told me no and to just stand there for one more hour. So I did. I also wrote down each contraction. When I was 45 minutes into standing there, I had already recorded 12 contractions! I went on my break and called my mom asking her what to do. She told me to call my doctor, but I didn't want to bother anyone since this was probably no big deal. (I'd been having braxton hicks for over a month) My mom then proceeded to lecture me about the health of the baby and remind me of the money I was paying them to answer these type questions. So I called. They told me to leave work right away and go to Labor and Delivery to be hooked up to monitors. I called my manager and told him and he said "Good Luck". I told him that I'd be right back, because I wasn't having the baby any time soon. I was only 33 weeks!
I went to the emergency entrance as the nurse had told me on the phone, and they asked me if I was in labor. I told them that I didn't know. I see now how crazy I must have seemed! I told them what was going on and they sent me to admissions where I sat for 30 mins answering questions. The lady asked if I needed a wheelchair to get to L&D and I told her no...I would walk! I called and told James where I was going, but not to leave work because I wouldn't be long.
I got hooked up to my IV to stop my contractions (which didn't work) and an IV of fluids. I started feeling like I was going to pass out and the nurse realized I had a glucose fluid drip...with my gestational diabetes! My blood sugar was at 290. James came to see me and his parents asked if I needed my labor bags I had packed and I told them no, because I was going home soon, doggonit! Mom was getting worried because they were leaving for vacation on Friday and didn't know if they should go. I kept telling her to go because we were NOT having this baby any time soon.
On Friday I was told that I would be going home with a monitoring system to watch my contractions and Karaline's heart rate. In fact, I was in my wheelchair to head to be discharged when my doctor showed up and told them to put me back in bed, re-do my IV and hook up monitoring 24/7. Karaline's heart rate was decreasing. My doctor then ordered an ultrasound which showed Karaline was head-down and her cord was around her neck and it was getting cut off even without a contraction. He told me he wanted me to hold out until at least Monday so I would be 34 weeks. I had already had one shot of steroids, and received my second shot that day. I told my mom that they were going to induce Karaline on Monday so they should come down, but not to rush, since we still had a few days.
At 5:30am on Saturday morning the 13th, my doctor woke me up and told me that Karaline was not improving, but getting worse. He discussed it with his partners and they all agreed that I needed a C-section asap. I called my mom in hopes they had made it the night before to the campground as planned. However, they had stopped 2 hours away from mobile to rest during the night and were starting out on the road just then. I told them Kara was being delivered within the hour. I begged the doctor to wait another hour so my mom could be in the delivery room, but he said he couldn't wait.
I worried about the epidural more than being cut open. I was honestly shivering because I was so scared of that needle! However, I felt NOTHING! It was a breeze! My legs got warm then I couldn't feel anything.
About 15 people were present. 4 doctors and 11 nurses. I remember feeling sick to my stomach and telling the doctor and him giving me something in my IV and the nauseousness was gone. (I want some of that!) I then heard "There she is!" and a kitten cry. I couldn't see her because everyone was around her, but I could hear her. I felt a little relieved. At least she was breathing! She was 5lbs 7oz and 18" long. My diabetes helped her be a good size! About this time, 2 nurses took James out in a wheelchair because he got pale and nearly passed out. ;-)
My doctors were sewing me up when I started losing alot of blood. My doctor gave me a shot in the arm (ouch) to help me clot. I remember a nurse swaddling Karaline up and showing her to me for a split second as they rushed her our of the room to the NICU. I never even got to see her face. That's what hurt the most. I then got another drug in my IV which made me really sleepy and loopy. I went into recovery and saw James who showed me some pictures. The Neonatalogist came in to tell me about Kara, but I couldn't really speak because I constantly felt sick. I just nodded when he told me they were running alot of tests on her.
Two hours later I was being wheeled out to go to the postpartum unit, and the nurses told me they cleared out the whole nursery so I could be wheeled in my bed next to Kara in her incubator so I could finally see her. She was so beautiful. I wanted to stay by her forever.
I finally got to hold Karaline when she was 2 days old.
After oxygen therapy and fighting with her weight and temperature, Karaline got to come home 12 days after she was born. She was 5lbs. She was technically 35.5 weeks when she came home. She was such a fighter!

My pregnancy was rocky the entire 8 months, with points where we thought we were losing Karaline. I was on a couple medications to prevent miscarrying her, and went to the emergency room 3 times during the pregnancy. She was determined to have a dramatic entrance!!

She is my miracle baby, and I thank God daily for giving me a healthy, beautiful baby girl.

Even if NOTHING went according to plan, at least she was healthy.

Plans were made to be broken!

And I know that as I wake up tonight at 2am to her stirring in her crib, and I cuddle her to me to nurse her and she stops to stare up at me and smile, how very blessed I am.

No blessing could ever be as sweet as the one sleeping soundly in my husbands arms, lightly snoring, as I type.