Giving Birth at 7 Months: My Start to Being a Preemie Mom
Hey y’all! Welcome to my mommy blog. What better way to start off than to tell you guys how it all started.
I found out I was pregnant on September 12, 2020. Before I took the test I KNEW I was pregnant because I couldn’t finish my liquor and I always finish my drinks. I was pretty scared because I was 22, just starting my grad program, and broke in the middle of the pandemic. My boyfriend was also terrified, but he knew we were keeping this baby no matter what. Long story short months progressed and we started to get ourselves together for our baby girl. Things were definitely falling into place.
As I entered my third trimester, everything was coming together. My baby shower and maternity shoot were in place, I had found the perfect doula, and I was beginning to take my birthing classes at the birthing center (I was going full natural). I was working on my anxiety and everything! When I was 29 weeks and 3 days everything changed. I was at my mom’s house staying the night after visiting some friends and I woke up at 3 a.m. for my normal midnight pee. When I woke up, I felt like I was sweating real bad and the bottom of my nightgown was soaked. In my head, I’m thinking the hot flashes started because I knew they were coming, but when I stood up liquid started trickling down my leg. What the hell… Immediately I rushed to the bathroom to pee hoping that would help but it didn’t, water was everywhere! I woke my mom up and the first thing she said was “Your water broke”.
When I got to the hospital I was still leaking everywhere. Once they verified that my water broke they began monitoring the baby and she was doing just fine. I was informed that I was not in active labor and that I would have to stay in the hospital until I delivered my baby. Their goal was 34 weeks because studies show after 34 weeks it is no longer safe to carry a baby with your water being broke. To say I was terrified is an understatement. But something in me told me to be calm. I can honestly say it was the calmest I’ve ever been. After talking to the NICU specialists, 30 weeks was my goal. 34 weeks would have been bomb but most women give birth within a week of their water breaking and 30 is the next big milestone.
Monday night (29 weeks and 5 days) my “gas bubbles” started getting worse. I really thought I had eaten something bad but when I woke up on Tuesday I knew what it was. At 4 am I went to the bathroom to try and poop and saw snot in the toilet. My huge mucus plug…. it was game time now. I know that doesn’t mean you go into labor but I just knew it was time. And then the contractions started. Somebody call my doula! The residents at the hospital were starting to get on my nerve. They didn’t believe I was having contractions because the machine didn’t see them and I couldn’t move or eat during my labor because I had to take magnesium. Magnesium is something they give preterm moms to reduce the risk of cerebral palsy. Pissed was an understatement. I felt like the bs of giving birth in a hospital was already starting.
So boom, I’m in labor. I call my doula, start my magnesium and start pushing through contractions. I started off at 2 centimeters dilated and slowly climbed up to 4. Then I stopped. The contractions were getting worse but there was no progression with the baby. At this point, it’s like 10 at night and the residents were starting to worry. After they came to do a check, one brought in an ultrasound machine. Ummm hello…. is somebody gonna say something? I didn’t know they do ultrasounds during labor and I was trying my hardest not to worry. When I asked what they were doing they told me that they were just making sure she was facing the right way….. Right. After this, the doctor comes in and also does an ultrasound and tells me that my daughter’s shoulder is tryna come out before her head, on top of her being sunnyside up. That just means instead of her head facing my butt it was facing my stomach. She reassured me that we could still try for a natural birth if we tried a few things. She suggested Pitocin and trying certain labor positions to move the baby. Mind you, I had not taken anything for pain. I was straight thuggin it out. I agreed to all these things because it is true what they say, at the moment you will do anything to save the baby. And to be honest, I was over it. My main goal was to make it to 30 weeks and once that clock struck 12:00 am it was time to get this baby out of me. If you’ve taken Pitocin you know the pain I was in, with no medication!! Just dumb. We tried these painful positions for a couple of hours and she would move and then move back. So finally what I knew was coming happened. The doctor came in and told me that a c-section would be necessary. Me and my boyfriend’s heart dropped. Even though we did everything in our power to avoid the hospital’s scheme, they had caught us. Surprisingly I was very calm realizing that was about to be gutted like a fish. I was cool with it. Get this baby out. By this time I was in so much pain, I was willing to push my baby out of my behind.
People always ask me what the c-section felt like and I always say, “It feels like I’m a bouncy house at an eight-year-old’s birthday party.” First off that epidural was nothing. If you want an epidural but you’re nervous, do it. Also if you don’t want the epidural during labor, I’m alive. It was really quick for them to get her out and she came out with a bang crying super loud. Unfortunately with her being born in such a stressful state and with my placenta being infected (when they took it out, they smelled that it was infected), we were not able to do skin to skin. I got one good look at her and they sent her to the NICU. It took like 30 minutes for them to stitch me up and then me and my boyfriend went to our room and crashed. We had been awake for 26 hrs straight. Once I could walk again, technically, I went straight to the NICU to see my baby. Thankfully she was healthy. She was in her incubator all cozy and when I stuck my finger inside she immediately grabbed me. Yohanna was born at 7:24 am on March 10, 2021, at 2 lbs 13 oz, and 17 inches. All of my sufferings was worth it because I got to meet my blessing.
