by Abby Howard, Jamie's mom
About one and a half years later, God blessed us with a second son. Eric was born at 35 weeks gestation, but was perfectly healthy, and normal size for his age. To read his story, click [here].
When Eric was about 16 months old, we conceived again. This time we were really hoping and praying to have a little girl.
My third pregnancy progressed rather normally at first. I had normal morning/all-day sickness, which was no fun, but my doctor kept saying that it was a sign of a healthy pregnancy! I had a few days of spotting around 9 weeks, and completely freak out, because I had bled in my first pregnancy, and that had a lot to do with why we lost Ezra. But an ultrasound showed a tiny baby with a beating heart and normal growth, so that was encouraging. I was immensely relieved though when the spotting stopped completely a couple days later.
At one point I had some dreams that something was wrong, and that made me very nervous. I knew we had had a healthy pregnancy with Eric, so odds were very good we’d have another healthy pregnancy. But I just couldn’t seem to completely shake the nagging worry.
At 18 weeks we had a level II ultrasound, and the technician said she was 80% sure we were having another boy. I was disappointed, as we had prayed very much for a little girl. We hoped that maybe the tech was wrong. At 20 weeks, my doctor did a routine check and discovered that my cervix was very soft. As I have risks for preterm labor, this was not a good sign. But my cervix was still closed, and not thinning, so she just kept a close eye on things with weekly checks. I also had more ultrasounds to monitor both the baby and the condition of my cervix.
At 28 weeks, I noticed one day that my Braxton Hicks contractions were feeling stronger. My doctor had told me to call if I had 6 contractions in one hour. I timed for 45 minutes, and had 6 contractions, so I called. I was immediately hospitalized and given Terbutaline to stop the contractions. My cervix was still about 3 cm thick, but was starting to funnel open. I stayed in the hospital three days, and I was put on bed rest/ restricted activity when I was finally released.
Truman (my husband) had to work, so my parents took Eric to their house where my mom cared for him, so I could stay quiet. Things remained calm for several weeks. Thankfully, I had emotional support from online friends, such as the Hopeful Pregnancy Yahoo-group. The doctor allowed me to sit in my rocking chair, and I sat and sewed new pj’s for Eric and the new baby for Christmas.
But at my 32-week check-up, I was found to be 1 cm dilated. The doctor put me in hospital again to monitor me overnight. I had a few contractions, but they did not seem to be doing anything, so I was released the next day. One week later, I had some very strong contractions, ones that I needed to breathe through. When they got close together, I called the doctor, and she put me in hospital again. This time they kept me for 4 days. I was treated with Terbutaline, Mag Sulfate, and steroid shots to help mature the baby’s lungs.
I was finally sent home again on very strict bed rest. A visiting nurse came to check me so I did not have to leave the house to go for prenatal check-ups. My parents came to spend Thanksgiving with us. My mom agreed to stay with us until after the new baby arrived. We were very happy to have Eric home with us again!
At 35 weeks, my doctor lifted all restrictions. She said they would no longer try to stop the baby from coming if I went into labor. I was so glad to get up and around again! I went a little crazy with the nesting thing---I was sweeping cobwebs off the curtain rods and so on! I also enjoyed getting out of the house again and doing a little Christmas shopping.
One day, I went to the post office to mail a package, and a man lost the brakes on his pickup truck and rear-ended my car! I was taken to the Emergency Room since I was pregnant and near term. On arrival at the ER, my contractions were about 3 minutes apart, and we thought maybe I was going to have the baby that day. But I was only 2 cm dilated, and the contractions slowed down after a while. An ultrasound was done to make sure the baby was ok----it was fine, and I was sent home again. Whiplash seemed to be the extent of my injury.
Three days later, I was having contractions 6 minutes apart for hours, but when I went to the hospital, they would not keep me because I was still only 3 cm. I was rather disappointed to be sent home yet again! I had spent so much time at the hospital this pregnancy, and I still hadn’t had my baby yet!
The next day, I was really achy. I did have pain from whiplash, but I also knew I was having contractions. However, I did not want to go to the hospital until I would actually give birth! So we went out shopping all Saturday morning. I was in a lot of pain, but walking seemed to help. In fact, I had to keep moving to be comfortable. I could not sit or stand or lie down, so I kept walking.
We came home for lunch, but I wasn’t able to eat much. I felt exhausted, so I tried to lie down for a nap, but I could not get comfortable at all. The pain got so bad, I couldn’t help crying, so Truman made me call the doctor. She said to go to the hospital and be checked to see if I was in true labor. I protested that I did not want to go in unless they promised to keep me to give birth! She said I would have to go be checked to decide that.
So we went to the hospital. My contractions were now 4 minutes apart, and very painful. Thankfully, I was found to be 4 cm dilated, so they admitted me! I spent most of my labor in the Jacuzzi, which was wonderful! About 4 hours after our arrival at the hospital, Jamie Welles made his entrance to the world---yes he was another boy! He weighed 4 pounds 15 ounces, and was 18.25 inches long. He was born at 36 weeks gestation.
After such a challenging pregnancy, especially the last 8 weeks, we were so glad to have Jamie finally here in person. My mom had brought Eric in, and they watched Jamie be born! That was really cool, especially since my mother had been unable to attend my previous two births.
To our surprise, Jamie had some trouble breathing at first, so he was transferred to a larger hospital with an NICU. He was given extra oxygen, but within a few days he improved and was able to breathe normally. We were able to take him home after 6 days. I pumped my milk as I had with Eric, and within a few weeks I had Jamie breastfeeding normally too.
To read a more detailed account of Jamie's birth, click the back button below to return to Jamie's home page. Then open the page for Jamie's Birth Story. WARNING: it is a quite graphic account.
