Nicholas' Birth Story

This story begins on June 9, 1995 when I was having a sonogram at 28 weeks gestation. I had a cerclage (a stitch in the cervix to keep it from dilating) performed when I was 13 weeks pregnant with Nicholas because I was diagnosed with an incompetent cervix. I was diagnosed with an incompetent cervix because I lost a baby boy when I was 21 weeks pregnant. This occurred only 2 months before conceiving Nicholas. Throughout my pregnancy with Nicholas, I had weekly office visits to the OB. Each visit required an internal exam to check my cervix. I had to limit my physical activity but still was permitted to work since I have a desk job.
During my sonogram, the doctor examining me noticed that my uterus was bulging which indicated that I was probably having contractions. I was immediately sent to the labor and delivery ward. I was hooked up to a monitor to check my uterus and sure enough labor had begun. I was given three different drugs to stop the labor. The last one given to me was magnesium sulfate which made me very nauseated and hot. I also received betamethazone (a steroid shot in the butt) which is used to develop the lungs of a fetus. I was in the labor and delivery ward for 2 days before being transferred to a hosptal room.

It was very emotional for me to be in labor and delivery ward because I could hear other women screaming while they were delivering their babies while I was trying to stop my premature labor. It just didn't seem fair. Why me, I thought. Finally, I was sent to a hospital room which actually a window! After 3 days of feeling somewhat "normal" my labor started again. I was given magnesium sulfate again to stop the contractions. The contractions settled down a lot quicker this time and therefore I only had to stay in labor and delivery overnight. When I returned to my hospital room I felt better but I could still feel mild contractions. Later that night the contractions started getting stronger. At 7:45 PM a doctor checked my cervix while I was in my hospital room. She said to the nurses, "I think I feel a foot, get her down to labor and delivery, stat". I was told that it was unlikely that my OB would deliver my baby. It was upsetting because I didn't know anyone that was with me in the delivery room while I was being prepped for surgery. Thankfully, my obstetrician made it for the delivery. She must have been driving 75 mph or more on the highway to get to the hospital! Nicholas was born by emergency c-section at 8:14PM. When my obstetrician was pulling Nicholas out of my tummy, I remember her saying to me, "He looks good, Rose!" This made me feel better, but after I heard Nicholas give a big cry when he was born I knew he just had to be ok. I only got to see him briefly before they rushed him to NICU. His apgar scores were an 8 for the 1 minute and a 9 for the 5 minute.
My husband, Roger, and my daughter, Elizabeth, weren't at the hospital when Nicholas was born. Elizabeth had a rehearsal that night for her dance recital. They didn't get to the hospital until 10:30PM. Elizabeth looked like a movie star when I finally got to see her. She still had on her makeup from the rehearsal!
After the c-section I developed a uterus infection and also had E-Coli. Not the e-coli you get from eating rotten meat but the kind everyone has in their intestines. This is what the resident doctors told me anyway. Because of my infection, Nicholas received antibiotics for a total of 7 days.
Nicholas only needed to be on the CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) for 2 days. This was probably due to the fact that I was fortunate enough to receive betamethazone. I'm forever grateful for this. Nicholas scored a 0 on the brain bleed test which meant he didn't have a brain bleed. Intraventricular hemorrhage is the medical term for a brain bleed. The brain bleed test scores from 1 to 4; 1=mild and 4=severe. Nicholas had the usual A's (apneas) and B's (bradcardias) that preemies get. He also was anemic and jaundice .
After 10 days in NICU, Nicholas was moved to convalescent care. This is were the feeders and growers are located. When he finally left the hospital he weighed 4 pounds 5 ounces. We had a little party to welcome him home. I finally was able to remove my wristband that identified me as Nicholas' mom! I kind of got used to that fashionable bracelet!!

After Nicholas was released from the hospital he joined a group called Alliance for Infants which is sponsored by the University of Pittsburgh. A child development specialist would visit him once a week to check his growth, weight gain, head circumference, and his overall development. Since Nicholas was developing so well, the child development specialist started monthly visits instead of weekly. This went on approximately 11 months. But then the specialist started to become concerned about his low muscle tone in his arms and legs. He was then referred to an early intervention program so a physical therapist could visit him once a week. By the time all the paperwork was completed before he saw the therapist for the first time, he made great progress on his own. He currently is doing so well developmentally that he may be kicked out of early intervention soon. The physical therapist will probably only see him a few more times. The child development specialist will again take over and monitor his development until he's 3 years old.
When my maternity leave and vacation time expired, I was fortunate to be able to work from home for my current employer for 6 weeks. When I returned to work, Nicholas' Nana lived at our house until January 1996 to watch him. This really helped Nicholas because it prevented him from catching colds, etc. while he was still very young. Later in January, Nicholas went to a nursery school and kindergarten since I have a full-time job. He has adjusted well. This past winter he did have frequent ear infections which required him to get tubes in his ears. He's had wheezing spells this past year which didn't require hospitalization.

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