Chad's uncle is an OBGYN specialist in Los Angeles. When we first got pregnant, we decided it would be fun to fly out and see him for an ultrasound, since he has one of the most advanced 3D ultrasounds (there are only 4 in the world). We flew out on Sep. 22, 2015. Chad's aunt Dorothy picked us up at the airport and said we were going straight to his office for the ultrasound so we would have time to go to the Dodgers vs. Giants game that night. The ultrasound was remarkable! We were able to see the 4 chambers of baby DeVore's heart in 3D and the blood (in color) flowing through it.
When you are as far along as me (21 weeks) you can normally see the entire baby from an abdomen ultrasound. When Dr. DeVore was doing the ultrasound, the head was really low in my pelvis so he wasn't able to see it. He decided to do a vaginal ultrasound to check out what's going on. During the vaginal ultrasound, when he pushed on my stomach, there was a black hole that would get bigger... He said the black hole was my cervix. Pressure on my cervix was causing it to open which can lead to pre-term labor. A normal cervix is 4 cm and mine is 1.5 cm and once it reaches a 0, you start to dilate and go into labor. Dr. DeVore said my cervix probably would've lasted about 1-2 weeks before I went into labor, which would've resulted in losing the baby. The only way to keep the baby inside was to have surgery to stitch up my cervix.
Dr. DeVore immediately admitted me to the local hospital to prepare for surgery. Honestly, there was so much for me to take in in such short time, that it didn't hit me what was happening. Since the surgery was happening after hours, they had to call the on-call Dr. to come in.
As we were sitting in the waiting room waiting for Dr. Frields to arrive, I overheard the hospital staff talking behind the counter about my situation. They were whispering things like, "her cervix is 1.5 cm and she is only 21 weeks. Can you believe that?!" Apparently it was the talk of the town because every new nurse that walked in had to know. The way they were talking about it really started to make me nervous. Was this a common situation? Was my baby going to be ok? I held back tears and tried not to listen, I had to prove to Chad that I could handle this. A few minutes later a nurse handed me my hospital gown me and told me to go change. The moment I stepped into the bathroom by myself, I completely broke down. Feelings of stress and worry were taking over, but mainly a feeling of gratitude. What if we wouldn't have flown out here? Would we have lost our little baby that we have grown so attatched to? I went back to Chad and he held me while I sobbed in his arms.
The nurse attatched my IV, which would become my best friend for the next day, and wheeled me down to the operating room. I was shaking uncontrollably, I don't know if it was because the room was 60 degrees or because I have never been in a situation like this. Either way, I was anxious for it to be over. The staff moved me onto the table and gave me an epidural to numb the lower half of my body. The shot was very painful, but it was totally worth it because I couldn't feel a thing. I was completely awake and aware during the surgery. I was so grateful for the anesthesiologist that stood by my side and told me about her life story. I don't think I could've handled it without her. I spent the night at the hospital, so me and the baby could be monitored. It was such an amazing feeling to be able to hear the baby's heart beat so often.
In order to keep the stitches in place, I have to be on strict bed rest for the remainder of my pregnancy. I can spend 5 minutes an hour on my feet to go to the bathroom, etc. but I need to be laying down for the remainder of the hour. I am not allowed to cook, clean, laundry, shopping, etc. As the baby gets bigger, there is going to be more pressure on my cervix which can cause the stitches to tear. The surgery has a 95% success rate for full term pregnancies, so I just have to be diligent to the bed rest. So, if you have any movies, books, netflix series, etc that you would recommend, I am definitely open for suggestions. I'm going to have plenty of time over the next 19 weeks ;)
As I look back over the past few months, I realize how everything happens for a reason. I decided to quit my job in August, although at the time, I wasn't sure if it was the right decision, and I decided to go school full time at UVU instead. Literally at the last few minutes of registration, I decided to take all my classes online so I wouldn't have to go to UVU. I knew I could get bored very easily being at home all day, but it just felt like the right decision. Chad and I had been wanting to go on a baby moon sometime in September/October. We had been trying to plan a trip for 3 months, but nothing felt right. We couldn't decide what we wanted to do, and it was really frustrating because we knew we were running out of time. We decided we would go to California first and then decide last minute on a trip. Looking at my situation now, I realized how those decisions at the moment didn't seem too big, but they made all the difference for my situation now. There is no way I could go to work, go to school at UVU, or go on a vacation with being placed on bed rest. I am so grateful for the little inspiration that we had!
I am so grateful for Chad's uncle and aunt, Greg and Dorothy, for taking us into their home for the week. We were planning on flying home on Wednesday (yesterday) but we have to stay at least a week here in Cali so I can follow up after my surgery. We will know at that appointment if it's safe for me to fly (because of the air pressure) or if we need to rent a car and drive home. I couldn't be more grateful for the love and support we have received from our friends and families and the amazing Dr's that helped us through this process. I will be forever grateful!!!
In order to keep the stitches in place, I have to be on strict bed rest for the remainder of my pregnancy. I can spend 5 minutes an hour on my feet to go to the bathroom, etc. but I need to be laying down for the remainder of the hour. I am not allowed to cook, clean, laundry, shopping, etc. As the baby gets bigger, there is going to be more pressure on my cervix which can cause the stitches to tear. The surgery has a 95% success rate for full term pregnancies, so I just have to be diligent to the bed rest. So, if you have any movies, books, netflix series, etc that you would recommend, I am definitely open for suggestions. I'm going to have plenty of time over the next 19 weeks ;)
As I look back over the past few months, I realize how everything happens for a reason. I decided to quit my job in August, although at the time, I wasn't sure if it was the right decision, and I decided to go school full time at UVU instead. Literally at the last few minutes of registration, I decided to take all my classes online so I wouldn't have to go to UVU. I knew I could get bored very easily being at home all day, but it just felt like the right decision. Chad and I had been wanting to go on a baby moon sometime in September/October. We had been trying to plan a trip for 3 months, but nothing felt right. We couldn't decide what we wanted to do, and it was really frustrating because we knew we were running out of time. We decided we would go to California first and then decide last minute on a trip. Looking at my situation now, I realized how those decisions at the moment didn't seem too big, but they made all the difference for my situation now. There is no way I could go to work, go to school at UVU, or go on a vacation with being placed on bed rest. I am so grateful for the little inspiration that we had!
I am so grateful for Chad's uncle and aunt, Greg and Dorothy, for taking us into their home for the week. We were planning on flying home on Wednesday (yesterday) but we have to stay at least a week here in Cali so I can follow up after my surgery. We will know at that appointment if it's safe for me to fly (because of the air pressure) or if we need to rent a car and drive home. I couldn't be more grateful for the love and support we have received from our friends and families and the amazing Dr's that helped us through this process. I will be forever grateful!!!
Baby DeVore waving at us ;)
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