On Monday, January 11 I went to a non-baby related doctor, and as part of the normal process they took my blood pressure. It was 154/92!!! That is extremly high for me. I am usually down in the 100/55 range. So, this concerned me a lot, to say the least. For the rest of the night I continued to take my blood pressure (I had bought a cuff a few months earlier because I was worried about developing pre-eclampsia, based on prior work I had done with a patient who acquired hemispatial neglect as a result of a pre-eclampsia induced stroke), and read about the possible options on the internet. I knew I needed to call the doctor, and I knew that if I went to the doctor, that he would either put me on bed rest or send me to the hospital. So the next morning I went into work to wrap up a few things, hand over the status of my projects to others, etc. and then at 1:30 I went to the doctor. In the doctors office my BP was 160 something over 90 something - still very high, so they sent me to the hospital for more testing. My blood pressure continued to stay high, so they ordered a 12 hour urine test and a ultrasound by a specialist. They found protein in my urine (indicating pre-eclampsia) and the specialist found that the baby was measuring about 2 weeks behind in his growth, with his belly measuring 4 weeks behind. She concluded that the placenta was not functioning properly and that they needed to get him out so that they could feed and nourish him properly. This decision meant that we were going to have a baby 5 weeks early!
On the evening of Wednesday, January 13 I was transfered to labor and delivery to start the induction. I know now that the baby already knew it was time to come out, because he had already dropped, I was dilated, and contracting every 2-3 minutes. I slept through the night, and at 6:30 am I was given pitocin to start active labor. The combination of the baby being ready, already having contractions, and the pitocin, lead to a VERY fast labor. He was coming so quickly that we had to hold back and wait for the doctor to arrive (since I really wanted my doctor to deliver him).
Baby Aiden was born at 10:34 am, January 14, 2010. He was 4 lbs 6.5 oz, and 18.5 inches long.
We were allowed to hold him for a few minutes, and I was crying to hard that I could barely see him through the tears. Oh my gosh, we have a baby!
He was then taken to the NICU for testing. Here he is the first time we were able to go see him.
He stayed in the NICU for one day, and was released when they felt confident that he was able to breathe on his own, was digesting food, and could regulate his temperature. We were instructed that we had to keep him very warm and continue to monitor his temp frequently because he still was not fully able to do it himself.
Here he is when he was able to come stay with us in my recovery room. Notice the size of the pacifier and the size of his head:)
We were able to take him home from the hospital on Saturday, January 16. He looks SO tiny in the car seat...
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