Miles’ Birth Story Part 2

Everything happened so quickly the morning that Miles was born. It is difficult and emotional to try and process everything that happened that day… From the terror of the unknown to the love, positivity and strength of my husband to the compassion shown to us by the hospital staff… As difficult as it is, I want to continue to tell Miles’ story, I want the world to know of our babies, I want everyone to know of my husband’s unwavering faith, and I want to acknowledge how grateful we are to the staff who helped save me, who delivered Miles safely, who have been just as much a part of our story as anyone or anything else…

December 7, 2017. Shift change. My lab results came back that morning and my hematocrit (a measurement of the proportion of red blood cells in your blood) had dropped from 34% to 25%. A normal hematocrit for a woman typically ranges from 36% to 48%. It was low and I was terrified… I remember telling my nurse that I didn’t want my hematocrit to drop any lower… She looked at me and said “I don’t either”… Well, it would… And it would get as low as 15%…

I was still maxed out on Magnesium Sulfate — And if any woman has ever been on that medication, then you know what I experienced. Possible side effects – flushing (warmth), poor reflexes, weakness, breathing difficulties, feeling like you might pass out, blurred vision. We had wrestled back and forth throughout the previous day and night with balancing the medication, side effects, toxicity, holding it and then restarting it. That morning was no different. While the nurses were giving report at my bedside, I began to feel like I was going to pass out — I could barely move or speak, my knee-jerk reflex was no longer present and they stopped the Magnesium Sulfate. I could hear the nurses, doctor and anesthesia talking at my bedside while I laid absolutely helpless in that bed. Marcus sat by me and never took his eyes off of me as they discussed my plan of care… I was to get blood products infused and hopefully continue to remain pregnant. Anesthesia started another IV on me so I could get the blood products and drew more labs — a coagulation panel (coagulation tests measure your blood’s ability to clot).

And the results… Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation (DIC).

DIC is a rare, life-threatening condition. In the early stages of DIC, your blood clots excessively. The blood clots may reduce or block blood flow through blood vessels, which can damage the body’s organs. As the condition progresses, platelets and clotting factors, the substances in your blood responsible for forming clots, are used up. When this happens, excessive bleeding occurs. Causes include sepsis, surgery, severe trauma or serious complications of pregnancy and childbirth. Acute DIC develops quickly (over hours or days) and must be treated right away — If not, DIC can be fatal to the mother and baby. Treatment of the underlying cause is the main goal, which meant delivery…

Everyone rushed to my bedside and acted quickly. Anesthesia came in. She said that she was sorry to tell me, but they had to deliver Miles… Not tomorrow, not next week, but right now. She told me that she could not do a spinal because of the excessive bleeding and that I would have to be put to sleep under general anesthesia. An OBGYN (who had delivered Brooklyn) came to my bedside and explained to me that I was in DIC… I knew exactly what that meant, I had seen DIC first hand while working in the ICU and I was paralyzed with fear… The nurses hung Packed Red Blood Cells (PRBCs), Fresh Frozen Plasma (FFP) and Platelets on pressure bags… And as the blood products infused, one of the physicians got Marcus’ consent for surgery and went over the risks… I would have a classical c-section (classical c-section: a vertical incision on the uterus typically done depending on presentation of the baby or under emergency circumstances) and he would not be allowed in the delivery room due to the severity of the situation…

My OBGYN, who means the world to us, had made it his mission to be by our side. He had told the nurses that I was his patient and to call him with anything pertaining to me. And when he found out I was in DIC, he drove back to the hospital to be the physician to perform my c-section… We will forever be thankful to him for being a calm presence in the midst of the craziness and for always being there for us…

As they wheeled me off to surgery, Marcus held my hand and said “it’s going to be okay”… Something I wasn’t sure of, but something he was sure of… His faith never wavered… And it’s what ultimately gave me strength. The nurse who pushed my bed to the OR asked if she could pray over Miles and I… And I, of course, said yes… What she said was beautiful… We entered the OR crying and praying, together… The NICU team, anesthesia, two nurses, the charge nurse and three physicians, including my OBGYN, were all there… They moved me over, hooked me up to the monitor, and before I knew it, as the charge nurse was holding my hand and said “I’m here”, I was put to sleep… Not knowing if I would wake up, not knowing if I would ever see my husband or my family again, not knowing if our Miles, the son we love so deeply and prayed so hard for, would be okay…

Then I woke up… I woke up as I was being taken to the ICU… Feeling every inch of pain from my incision, feeling as if I had been cut in half… But desperately asking about my son, our baby boy… My nurse showed me pictures of the most beautiful baby boy I had ever seen, told me he was doing great and that he let out a little cry when he was born (oh, what I would have given to hear his little, tiny voice)…

He was in the NICU and as I arrived to the ICU (the ICU I used to work in), the nurses came into my room and were shocked to see me… I would spend the next few days in the ICU… Getting more blood products than I could count… And the next week would ultimately test our strength and our faith…