On Saturday, February 4th at 4:45 AM my water broke as I lay in bed. I was 34 weeks pregnant and in shock. I hadn't had any pain or contractions up to that point. I was anticipating making it to my scheduled c-section for Friday, March 9th at 39 weeks. Bob was up and packing while I was trying to contact the on-call doctor. Bob also called all of our family, as I tried to pack my bags in a complete haze. After a blessing, we were in the car (my parents drove Bob and I) and zooming off to Billings. We left Lovell at 5:40, and I was sitting in my hospital bed being admitted at 7:00. My labor progressed very quickly and my contractions were 2-3 minutes apart by the time I was at the hospital. I didn't experience any labor pain with my first pregnancy, so it was all new to me.
The situation quickly became hectic as the nursing staff was not aware I was coming (thanks to the earlier on-call doctor who I talked with on the phone at 5:00), there was a staff change at 7:00, and the hospital did not have my chart. Therefore, while getting the necessary labs completed, the nurses and on-call doctor were trying to assess my situation - 34 weeks, complete uterine septum, breech, and previous c-section. I was having to work hard to stay focused through the contractions. At about 8:30 the nurse finally checked my cervix and because of my septum, she had a hard time determining the dilation but all she could feel were feet.
Just before 9:00 I was taken into the operating room. After moving over to the table, I began to push (I couldn't help it). The nurses were trying to keep me from pushing while they were also trying to get the spinal tap inserted. After about 3 or 4 attempts, the doctor decided to put me under general anesthesia.
I woke up in recovery and learned that our new baby girl, Rubie Lu, was okay. She had an Apgar score of 1 (so scary!) but after 10 minuets she had a score of 10. Also, the doctor had to make an inverted T incision on my uterus, because Rubie's head was stuck (wedged between the septum and uterine wall). This type of incision will make having another pregnancy even more difficult for me with a risk of uterine rupture. Rubie was born at 9:17 AM, weighed 5 lb 2 oz, and was 17 1/4 inches long. I was taken into the NICU to see my baby for the first time.
We were so lucky because at 34 weeks Rubie did not have any respiratory issues. We were initially given the standard timeline of staying in the NICU until Rubie reached full term which would have been about 4 weeks or until she was able to maintain her temperature in an open crib, exclusively nurse and be gaining sufficient weight, and have her bilirubin levels normalized. I was officially discharged from the hospital on Wednesday the 8th, but was able to stay in the hospital with Rubie thanks to the generosity of the NICU. Rubie stayed in the NICU for 11 days. It was an emotional roller coaster, with one of the most difficult things being away from Addie. When I was told we could bring Rubie home, I was surprised and overwhelmed but also so thankful that our stay was so short.
At her two week check, Rubie was in the 3rd percentile for both height and weight. At 6 weeks, Rubie weighed 8 lb 6 oz and was 20 inches which was in the 25th percentile for wight and height. So she has done very well.
We blessed Rubie on Sunday, March 18th. She was 6 weeks old, and it was actually one day past her original due date. We are so glad that Rubie has joined our family and feel blessed that all went well with her birth. We love our little Rubie Lu!
