Rose's Birth and After

Here is the email I sent out to everyone...

Rose’s Birth Story (and Subsequent Events!)

I went into labor early Friday morning on the 15th, though it didn’t become regular until late that afternoon. Bobby and I camped out at home charting contractions until 10:30 PM, when we went into the hospital. We spent some time walking through the labor and delivery hallways until I got an epidural at about 3:00 AM. From 3:00 until 7:00 AM I was in labor and Rose’s heart rate was monitored. While always present, it wasn’t always strong. At 7:00 AM my body was fully ready to begin active labor, but Rose and her big (!) head hadn’t even begun descent. With that and her sketchy heart rate, the doctors decided to do a quick but non-emergency c-section. They believed her cord was around her neck.

Bobby and I were prepared for this to happen, based on her position and size, so it wasn’t a shock. I was prepped for surgery and we went in. The surgery began at 8:12 AM and she was out at 8:16 (9 lbs 13 oz, 22 inches)! They found out in that time that the cord wasn’t around her neck – my placenta had actually abrupted off the uterine wall sometime earlier (perhaps the day before labor began). Due to this, I had excessive blood in my uterus and Rosie wasn’t receiving the full amount of oxygen and blood flow that she should have from the placenta, hence her distress. She had ingested a lot of my blood and aspirated some of it into her lungs. She was whisked away to NICU within minutes to make sure she would be okay and that she would be able to breathe. There were many, many worst case scenarios present within these circumstances, but by the grace of God within a day she had stabilized and didn’t have any infections. She remained in the NICU for a full week for monitoring and to receive a seven-day course of antibiotics. She has been home now for a week and is doing wonderfully!

A few days after she was born I started developing abdominal pain. Everybody thought it was regular post C-section issues: gas build up from an open abdominal surgery, slow bowels because of blood loss and medicine, etc. However, the problems didn’t go away and instead got progressively worse and more painful. My doctor was awesome and got a whole bunch of specialists involved right away. They took plenty of x-rays and CT scans but couldn’t figure out the problem. Meanwhile I was put on a stomach pump to try and clear anything out of my intestinal track, and put on a “nothing by mouth” diet – which turned into eight days of only IV fluids and ice chips. For four days they kept me carefully monitored as they ran tests and deliberated together. On the 22nd they decided to take a sample of the fluid in my abdomen to see if a possible perforation of my bowels had occurred. The sample they got back indicated that it was likely, so that evening I went in for open abdominal surgery.

The doctors found a small scratch on my large intestine, caused either during the c-section or sometime afterward when everything was swollen. Luckily, my body self-corrected the scratch (so the doctors didn’t have to remove any portion of my intestine), but the scratch had caused peritonitis, or infection of my abdominal cavity. The doctors ‘power-washed’ my abdominal cavity with lots of water to clear the infection, with much success. I then stayed in the hospital for another week as I recovered from my second surgery.

It was a very difficult time – especially before the second surgery. I didn’t see Rose for a week and a half – first I was too sick to get to the NICU, then the floor I was recovering on post-surgery wasn’t safe for a newborn to visit (too many germs!). Not eating anything was hard, and I never really want to see ice chips again. It was my first time being hospital-worthy sick, and it came at an unexpected time (this wasn’t The Learning Channel’s ideal “Baby Story”). However, I have so many things to be grateful for. Every part of the experience could have had a much more difficult outcome. God sustained and protected us through all the very scary possibilities and then the realities of my condition. I have never felt the power of the word of God more strongly – certain verses came alive as I lay in bed unable to do anything –

“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases,
His mercies never come to an end;
They are new every morning;
Great is your faithfulness.”
Lamentations 3:22-23

“God is our refuge and strength,
a very present help in trouble
Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way,
though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea,
though its waters roar and foam,
though the mountains tremble at its swelling. Selah.” Psalm 46:1-3

“I wait for the Lord, my soul waits,
and in his word I hope;
my soul waits for the Lord
more than watchmen for the morning,
more than watchmen for the morning.” Psalm 130:5-6

It was also very comforting to think of Jesus, and to know that he “was a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief (Isaiah 53:3).” How comforting to know that the one who atoned for my sins allows me confidence to draw near to him, that I may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need (Hebrews 4:16). Writing these verses now makes me cry again…God’s word was such a comfort in the hospital, and continues to be at home.

I am thankful for my doctors and dear nurses, who made the whole experience bearable. Bobby slept, bathed and ate at the hospital for the entire first week of my stay. He was an absolute rock for me, and I am utterly grateful to the Lord for my dear husband. After Rose went home, Bobby and his mom took care of her while my mom came to stay with me at the hospital. We have been so loved by our families, our church, and our friends and are grateful for the support God has given us.

I was discharged from the hospital and am now home to slowly recover. It is great to eat good food, sleep in my own bed, and stare at my baby all I want (still can’t hold her all I want, but we’re getting there). Please keep praying that I will gain strength and start feeling relaxed, after all the stressful time at the hospital.

We praise the Lord for taking care of us and thank him for all of you! Please keep us in your prayers, and we will try to keep you updated as to how we’re doing. Feel free to email: khjamieson at gmail.com, bobbyjamieson at gmail.com. We may not get back to you right away, but we will appreciate your note.

With love and thankfulness,

Kristin, for the Jamiesons