I'll start at the beginning. It all started at around 31 weeks. I went in for my regular appointment and my doctor did the regular ultrasound. He noticed that my placenta was starting to calcify but it was not affecting the blood flow or Mason's growth, so he said he would just keep an eye on it. The next appointment at 32 weeks was about the same, it was still starting to calcify but it wasn't causing any problems. Then that Sunday, my blood pressure was a little higher then normal. I called the emergency number and the on call doctor told me to head to L&D.
I had Ryan grab my hospital bag and we head to the Woman's Hospital. When I got there my blood pressure was normal but the on call doctor wanted me to stay at the hospital and do a 24 hour urine test because of my history with Preeclampsia. I was told I was just under observation until my regular doctor could visit with me tomorrow morning.
That morning my doctor came to my room and told me that he wanted me to remain at the hospital for awhile to monitor the baby and my blood pressure. My 24 hour test came back a little high, so it was determined that I would remain in the hospital. This was so comforting. They put Mason on the monitor three times a day and monitored my blood pressure every 4 hours. Mason did not like the monitor at first. He would kick and kick it and he seemed really agitated. I had to rub my stomach and talk to him to comfort him. Towards the end he did not mind the monitor any more. A few times he even had hiccups and you could hear them over the monitor. So cute!!
Then when I got to 33 and a half weeks I started having contractions. They were coming 15 minutes apart and they were showing up on the monitor. They ended up giving me a sleeping aid that relaxed my uterus and kept me from contracting. The next morning my doctor did another ultrasound at the hospital and he decided to schedule my c-section for Thursday at 6 in the morning. Then to my surprise the next morning he came in and said no lets do it today at 5 :). I was super excited and super worried.
See when you lose a child, your innocence is lost. You know what can go wrong and you understand that not all positive pregnancy tests end in a living baby. I called all my family and the waiting began.
The L&D nurse came into my room around three o'clock and started getting me ready. She knew I was nervous, so she put Mason on the monitor to show me that he was doing just fine.
When they moved me to the delivery room my mind was just full of worry but at the same time it just felt right. It did not feel like Tyler's birthday at all. They started getting me ready and I got my epidural, the worst part in my mind. Then my doctor got there and my mind was at ease.
The mood in the delivery room from Tyler's birthday to Mason's birthday was completely opposite. When Tyler came it was so silent and somber and when Mason came the doctor and nurses were very excited and they had music playing. The main difference was that when Mason arrived I heard his cry. I just squeezed Ryan's hand. That is the sound that I have been waiting to hear for over a year. It was beautiful :).
Mason was doing great, he had some fluid in his lungs but they assured me that was quite normal. They took him to the NICU to assess him and I was taken to recovery.
Later we found out that Mason was breathing on his own but since he was born at 33 weeks and 4 days they would be keeping him for 2 weeks to make sure everything was all right. Let me tell you that Mason came home at exactly 2 weeks :).
He is perfect. He loves being held on your chest and he loves when you sing to him. I even rap to him and he smiles, so I must be a silly mama. He hates hates being cold, so we had to get the diaper wipe warmer. He loves that :). He even loves baths. Let me just say that he is a good baby, we are so blessed.
Mason has brought joy back into my life. I can't get enough of him. It does make me realize all that we missed with Tyler. We never got to change a dirty diaper, feed him, or give him his first bath. We didn't get to hear his cry or see him open his eyes. He never grabbed a hold of my finger. I wish that he was here to see his handsome little brother.
So, somewhere over the rainbow Ryan and I have found our joy again. Mason is our world but we still miss his older brother. We always will. I am just so thankful that we have his little brother to love on here on earth. We are so so blessed.
OH STEPH! MASON IS PERFECT! I am so thrilled for you and Ryan ~ I can only imagine the emotional roller coaster that you all have been on and how hard being without Mason was for two weeks.
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