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Greg and I had wanted to begin our family almost immediately after getting married. And much to our amazement and delight we conceived with our first try. I was followed from the beginning by an obstetrician who works with high risk pregnancies due to a genetic heart condition that I have and a cardiac defibrillator that now resides in my abdomen. We knew the heart condition could potentially get passed on to our child, but my life has been full and wonderful despite the defect and I knew we could offer the same life to our child. Although I was watched very closely my pregnancy was completely healthy and normal until around the 24th week. After having what I thought were contractions I was sent to the hospital to be checked. The pains subsided quickly, but during an ultra sound it was determined that our baby's growth had slowed down dramatically. An ultra sound had been done 3 weeks prior to that and “Sprout” was in the 68th percentile, but now in the 24th week he had dropped to only the 23rd percentile. Although the doctors weren't overly concerned at the time I was told I'd begin to have ultrasounds routinely to keep track of the growth and would possibly be deliver early if the baby's growth continued to drop. During the next 8 weeks I was put on a fetal heart monitor every 3 days and on most of those days I ended up needing an ultrasound as Sprouts heart rate didn't show as much activity as the doctors wanted to see. Once a week during the ultrasound, measurements were also taken to calculate growth and calculate percentile. During this time I was put on modified bed rest, or as my doctor put it “spend more time on your fanny than your feet.” My baby's growth continued a downward spiral and by the 36th week Sprout had dropped to the 8th percentile. I was told that on that day I wouldn't be going home but rather would be prepped for delivery. The battery for my defibrillator was turned off in case of an emergency c-section and gel was applied to soften my cervix. Early the next morning they begin giving me pitocin intravenously. Approximately 4 hours later my epidural line was set and I was put in bed for the duration of my labor. I already knew that I would have to have a fully assisted delivery with an epidural, no pushing and the use of forceps, due to my heart condition. My contractions became very regular but my cervix was not dilating and the baby wasn't moving down. Also, by around 8:00 p.m. they noticed that with every contraction the baby's heart rate would drop dramatically, so after nearly 12 hours of labor, my pitocin was stopped and everything came to a halt. Now I wasn't having contractions, my cervix was not cooperating and Sprout was still determined not to budge. They put an internal heart monitor on Sprouts scalp and took blood from his tiny head to determine the oxygen level. Both things showed no signs of stress, but still my delivery was causing the doctors concern. I had a nurse in the room with me around the clock and the doctors checked for dilation and the position of the baby every hour. Needless to say it was a very long night. Early the next morning the doctors came in for one more oxygen check of the baby's blood, to see if anything had progressed and to discuss c-section if things were the same. Much to everyone's delight Sprout was finally in position and was ready to be born. NOW! In a rush of scrubs and movement and what appeared like chaos, my baby was finally born in about 4 minutes flat. As soon as the baby's head was out we found out the cause of the drop in heart rate. My baby's umbilical cord was wrapped around his neck twice. The cord was cut and the baby was rushed to the warm bassinet where the pediatric nurse massaged his tiny body to get the first breath. It seemed like an eternity passed before I heard the first little cry, but it had been less than a minute. My son was born weighing only 4 lbs 11 oz. and was only 18 inches long but otherwise he appeared healthy. Because he was having trouble maintaining his body temperature and needed to stay wrapped on the warming table it was nearly an hour before I could hold him. It was the longest hour of my life. But, finally there he was in my arms. I immediately put him to breast and he knew just what to do. For the first 2 days of Connors life he stayed in the neonatal ICU. His body temperature was still a problem and his blood sugar was also lower than the doctors wanted. Finally after nearly 48 hours he joined his father and I in our room and was given a clean bill of health. We were going home the next day. Well, that all happened over 14 months ago and now Connor is a healthy and active little boy. He does carry the gene that causes the heart condition and because of this, he is monitored twice yearly to see if he has the condition himself. I am happy to report that so far no signs of cardio myopathy have shown up. If our prayers are answered, they never will.
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