How Theo Came into the World

or A Pregnancy Story

Theo at 3 months

Today is Theo's birthday, and we're forever thankful that he came to join us oh, so many years ago. He is a hard-working, kind, and responsible individual who enriches our lives every day. But that does not mean that he didn't give us a run for our money more than once when he was growing up. Starting at the very beginning.

My pregnancy with Theo was not easy. Besides being nauseous for many months, there were several indications that things weren't going well. First, there was bleeding for the first three months, and the doctor thought I was going to miscarry, but I didn't. Then there were the blood tests that indicated that there might be severe developmental problems with the baby. There was a lot of angst until additional testing suggested there weren't. Then there was my preeclampsia, pregnancy-induced high blood pressure, that had me close to kidney failure. I should have guessed that problems would continue until delivery - because they did.

One afternoon, about a month and a half before my due date, I went for a regular check-up with my doctor, and my blood pressure was high - high enough that he decided to admit me to the hospital and try to bring it down. Unfortunately, as time went on, the blood pressure didn't go down with medicine. Also, my nervous system was being affected as indicated by a lack of normal reflexes--meaning tapping the hammer on my knee produced nothing. The worry was that I was going into eclampsia, a condition that could lead to death. So it was time to deliver Theo. However, because he was early, I had to be transferred from the small local hospital to a bigger one with a Neonatal Unit. So while I was taking my first ambulance ride, Ward was knocking on the neighbor's door in the middle of the night to ask if they could watch Wally while he went to be with me.

Besides a headache and very mild contractions, I didn't feel as bad as the flurry of hospital activity around me suggested that I might. I guess I didn't understand that this was as much of an emergency as the medical staff thought it was. As they were preparing me for a C-section, they explained how dangerous it was to be put to sleep in my situation. No problem. I didn't want to be put to sleep anyway. An epidural was fine. However, the epidural didn't work. The doctor would stick me with a needle to see if I was numb, and I would feel it. The anesthesiologist would give me a little more numbing medicine, but I would still feel the needle. Finally, the doctor said they would have to put me to sleep. I only got on one protest about how dangerous they told me that would be before I was out.

The next thing I remember is slowly coming awake to the doctor and Ward standing by my bed telling me that I had had a baby boy. That was all well and good, but I was more focused on the bubbling sound I could hear and wondered why they had a fish tank in a hospital room. Turns out they were hydrating the oxygen I was getting, not a fish tank as I had imagined. :)

The doctor said that Theo weighed in at 4 1/2 pounds - about a pound below what he should have been for his gestational age. Also, he was born just before the surfactant usually develops in the lungs to aid breathing. These things would not be of much concern with today's technology but were serious then. But here's the great thing. Because Theo had been under stress in the womb because of my high blood pressure, his adrenal gland kicked into gear and sped up his maturity. That meant no breathing problems and only a few feeding problems. Our bodies are so smart -especially when creating a new life. 

A week and a half later, we brought Theo home to begin a new adventure as a family of four. And what an interesting adventure it has been. 

Happy Birthday, Theo!