Rhett's Famous Entrance

On a dark night in October of 1998 I decided to take a pregnancy test since I was really sick and I wasn’t sure why I was sick. It came out positive and I was so excited! I laughed, cried, and threw up again. It was a very long 5 months since I was not able to have very much to eat. The doctor threatened to put me in the hospital if I didn’t start keeping food and water down. Finally at my 20 week (on my birthday) visit I was able to find out if I was going to have a boy or a girl. IT’S A BOY!!! Yeah we are so happy. There were some worries that they wanted to double check at 32 weeks since some of the bone lengths were off a little. A week later I was at the doctors because I ended up with the flu too. It was very hard to deal with all the vomiting but got through that and just waited until my 32 week appointment in April.

As the day approached to have another ultrasound to double check a few things I was feeling great. There was nothing to worry about. We went in ready to get great news and that everything is looking perfect. Well that wasn’t what we got. We did get a lot of ohs and hummms. GREAT, now what is going on?? Well after the tech was done taking the ultrasound he left and told us to wait. OK not a good thing. The doctor and the tech came back and double checked some things and then the doctor took us to a room and explained that we needed to go over to the high risk doctor across the street ASAP. Great trying to absorb all that info it was really hard. Finally I got it. All the long bones are short.

So we went over there and I have never had so many people being stumped and wondering what was going on. Great just not what I wanted! I finally understood why they kept bringing me in for more and more ultrasounds. They couldn’t get an exact chest circumference. They were able to get a great heart measurement and it was normal for how big the baby was. On top of which I had way too much fluid. Great this is not looking good! They took so many ultrasounds and stress tests. They also took a few amniocenteses to see if the lungs were developed. The doctor said that as soon as the lungs were developed he would induce me since I was having contractions for at least a month. Knowing that the baby would have problems he wanted me to make sure I didn’t deliver the baby at home.

The day came that was June 4 the doctor told me to come in and that they would induce me. I went in and stayed almost all day having contractions and there was nothing happening. The doctor came in and told me that they needed to send me home since the hospital was getting very full with women coming in to there in full labor. So he gave me a shot of morphine and sent me home and told me that they would call me tomorrow. The next day he called at 6:30pm and told me that they could take me then and promised that they would break my water. He asked how fast I could be there; I guessed and told him in an hour. He told me the sooner the better for me. Great! I had no transportation since my husband was at work with our only car and I was 20 minutes away from the hospital as it was. I called my wonderful friend and said that she could drive me. As soon as I was off the phone with her I called my husband and told him that the doctor called and I had to leave ASAP. I told him that my friend would be willing and able to take me and to meet me there. As soon as I got off the phone she was there to pick me up, she drove me to the hospital and stayed with me until he could get there. He got there just in time! In less than 2 minutes after he arrived the doctor broke my water that was at 7:45pm.

In no time the contractions were actually doing something and hurting more and more. They finally came and place an epidural in, after that the pain subsided which made it so much easier. Finally in the middle of this night the nurse came in and put me on oxygen since the baby needed it, because the heart rate would drop every contraction. On top of that the epidural had numbed my left lung. It felt like I couldn’t breathe. I struggled through the night and slowly progressed. By 7:45 in the morning he was almost here or so I thought… Little did I know that it was going to take more pain and strength than I thought I had. When 8am rolled around I got the best news every for a mom to be… you can start pushing! Yes it is going to be a piece of cake! YEAH RIGHT!! Started that process and by the time the doctor came back it was 10:30am and he told me that if I didn’t get that baby out myself he would be slicing me open at noon. CRAP! GET OUT OF ME!!!! By 10:50am he was called in by the wonderful nurse that I had and was told that the baby would be here very soon. Thank goodness. With almost no sleep and the epidural was just boosted so it hadn’t had time to really kick in for at least 5 minutes I was having such a hard time. The doctor came in and informed us that there was a NICU nurse right outside the door waiting. At 11:01am Rhett came into our life and world. That had to be 3 of the longest hours of my life. I was worn out. As soon as Rhett was born the nurse came in and the doctor handed him over to her. I was able to catch a glimpse of him as she whisked him out of the room to the NICU. He looked very blue and purple. There was nothing that I could do or my husband so we just waited. The doctor was helping me with the nurse and as soon as he was finished he left to check on Rhett. The nurse stayed with us and still cleaned up and got me something to drink since I hadn’t had anything for over 12 hours. Of course it came up and I was just drained.

The doctor came in from checking on Rhett and informed us that there were more things that were wrong with him then we first thought. He then explained all that he could to us and then let us just absorb everything that he said and he and the nurse left. We held each other and cried knowing that our little boy was going to have a very hard life and wondering how long he would live. After a little while they came to move me to a recovery room I was still unable to walk so they just wheeled my bed with me in it to a different room. My husband did go and check on Rhett as they were getting ready to transport me to the other room. After that the day just flew by since my husband and I just slept most of the day once in the new room. I did tell him before I fell asleep that I wanted to be the first to hold Rhett. As soon as we both woke up feeling like we had slept we called our parents and told them that they were grandparents. They both said that they were going to come up. We did tell them that only certain people were allowed in the NICU and that would be grandparents and parents and siblings. But seeing as Rhett was the first he didn’t have siblings to come and see him. So after we called them we found out that the shift was changing in the NICU so we had to wait until 8pm to see him. What a long day! I just really wanted my baby and hearing the baby in the other room cry would make me cry knowing that I couldn’t have my baby with me like that baby had their mommy. As soon as I could I got wheeled down to the NICU and washed and was able to hold my baby for the first time! I was overcome with joy to see him here and to be able to hold him and know that he was mine. Yes what the doctor said was right there were many more things that we didn’t know about with him before he was born.

After 8 days in the NICU we were able to bring home our sweet boy. Yes he had a feeding tube and oxygen but hey he was home I wasn’t going to whine about all those other things.

After year of therapy, education, doctor’s appointments, surgeries, and many other things I can’t recall he is still here with us. 11 years have passed and he is very aware of his body and what is going on with him. He asks me why all of this has happened to him and no one else, but now he has Dylan and the doctor tell us that Dylan has the same thing Rhett has. They now have each other to lean on. I am very grateful that the Lord has blessed me with such special spirits. We will see what their missions are on this earth.