Knowing that there is a potential problem during the pregnancy is scary. Knowing that you are at a risk of early delivery is scarier. Finding out that your baby is coming a couple of months early and will need to spend a few weeks in the NICU is an absolute nightmare.
When I first got pregnant with my little one, my sister who has 2 kids told me…. TRUST YOUR GUT! I didn’t know how useful that advice would be in 7 months.
I had some bleeding along with back pain at 32 weeks. It was at 1 AM and pouring outside. The doctor on call told me there was nothing to worry about. I should just wait until the morning. But my husband and I knew something wasn’t right. So we headed to the hospital. At the hospital I was told I was in early labor and they were able to give me medication to stop labor. If I had waited , the doctors at the hospital may not have been able to stop my labor that day.
Similarly, at 32 weeks and 6 days I went into labor again despite getting medication to prevent it. I was told the baby was going to be born that day and that it would most certainly be a vaginal birth and it would be hours before my baby would be born. Though my doctor said I could wait for labor pains to start, I asked for the epidural line to be placed immediately but no epidural was administered. I just wanted it in case I had to go into an emergency C-section. I did not want general anesthesia. Half an hour after I got the epidural, my blood pressure dropped dangerously, resulting in my baby’s heart rate to drop, and I was rushed for an emergency C-section. My husband was able to sit with me during the operation and we were able to hear our son’s first cry. During my week long stay at the hospital before our baby was born, my husband and I relied on our gut instinct to make decisions. And in hindsight we would not change a thing.
So dear parents-to-be, TRUST YOUR GUT and do not forget to breathe.