Mackenzie's Birth Story

First of all, Aaron and I would like to say thank you for all of your amazing support, well wishes and prayers. It meant more to us than you could know and we are blessed to have so many wonderful people in our lives. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you. ❤️

After weighing the options of being induced or going home, we decided that the pros far outweighed any cons to just be induced and have our baby as soon as possible. Our thinking was that we knew her platelets were up in a normal range for the moment, and that if we went home... I could still go into labor at any time and we would have no idea what the platelet count was at that point. I was already at the hospital, already contracting and the NICU doctor who came to talk to us gave us a really good outlook for babies born at 34 weeks. So we stayed the night to be monitored and then around 4pm on Friday, I was induced. 

I was given pitocin to elicit contractions and started at a really low rate because of all of the contractions I was already having. We kept running into problems because Baby Girl's heart rate was fluctuating a lot especially if I sat up. A team of doctors and nurses would rush into the room, move me all around, put oxygen on me and try to get the baby's heart rate to stabilize. Eventually they asked me to get an epidural just in case anything emergent were to happen so I did. It wasn't pleasant, but I needed to get it in place with all the heart rate stuff going on.  I was mildly concerned that my epidural was not working correctly because only one side of me was getting numb. An epidural is gravity based so when I was laying on my left side, my left leg should have been numb, but instead my right leg was numb. The nurses and the resident assured me that when it came time they would be able to get both sides numb before I would have to push. 

My cervix wasn't really dilating even with the pitocin, so they upped it and also decided to give me a balloon catheter to expand my cervix artificially. Well... That didn't work. It hurt terribly and actually made me start bleeding. The resident who performed the procedure said she did get me to 2 cm and softened my cervix, so it wasn't a total bust! My nurse watched the bleeding and it was minimal so they weren't worried. 

After that, things were really quiet. We watched tv, hung out with my nurse-- who was such a cool girl-- and just waited. Around midnight, my mom, Aaron and I got ready for bed. My nurse said she hoped I'd deliver around 6 or 7am before she got off so she could meet my daughter. I joked that I would have her at 2am instead, so be prepared. I went to sleep and at 1:58 the team of doctors and nurse came rushing in, woke me up and said that Baby Girl's heart rate was way too low. They put oxygen on me and tried to reposition me, which was hard because my legs were numb from the epidural and eventually I was asked to get on all fours and they started ripping my leg massagers off, storing my catheter and throwing blankets over me and they started wheeling me into the hallway. They told Aaron I had to get an emergency C-section and I watched his face drop as another doctor was telling me the same thing and tears were rolling down my face. As I was being rolled away from my mom and Aaron, they told him to follow and quickly get into his scrubs. 

Once I was in the OR, the doctors and nurses were moving so quickly that I began to freak out. They were saying things like "She needs to get out now! Numb her NOW!" The anesthesiologist was doing prick tests on me to see what I could feel, and I could feel everything. The doctors were ready to cut so they said there was no time and I'd have to be knocked out. So I was put under and I was intubated. Baby Girl was born at 2:06am, limp and needing assistance. They very quickly got her to breathe and cry and rushed her to the NICU. Because of the emergent nature of my delivery, after she was born, they had to x-ray my body cavity to make sure nothing had been left inside of me and I had to get antibiotics because of the lack of scrub time.

Aaron was not allowed in the OR because they had to put me under general anesthesia... But no one had told him anything.  He was really upset and had been outside in the OR hallway, pacing because they hadn't updated him. Finally they told him, they were sorry, that he hadn't been allowed back because of the emergency conditions of my C-section, citing the general anesthesia needed for me, but that the baby was delivered and she was crying which was a good thing because it meant she was breathing!

I don't remember anything until I got to the recovery room and saw Aaron and my nurse and I was still really out of it. My nurse explained how the C-section went and the anesthesiologist came to explain why they had to put me under and he took my epidural out. I was given pain medicine via IV and waited for the doctor to come in to tell me why the emergency C-section was necessary. Apparently I had a placental abruption that caused the baby's heart rate to drop drastically. My placenta was prematurely detaching (and in my case shredding) from my uterus. Essentially I was bleeding heavily from the inside of my stomach and making it extremely difficult for Baby Girl to get any oxygen which left her very unstable. It happened very suddenly and without warning but the team of doctors and nurses were amazing and saved my life and our baby girl's life. The doctor told me that because it was such a large and sudden abruption,  if I had been at home, I could have bled out and baby girl and I would most likely have died. 

That statement and the craziness of my delivery was hard on us all. My mom had to go back to our room because she was so upset that she became ill. Aaron and I just sat there and cried. We were so grateful to God, that with everything that went wrong, the outcome was still a good one. I was alive. Baby Girl was alive. We were struggling a little bit, but we were alive. 

It was extremely bizarre to look down and realize my pregnant belly wasn't there anymore and I was very overwhelmed with many different emotions. I felt happiness that they said our baby was doing well, pain and sadness about the way it happened, guilt for being the reason we had to have the emergency c-section and excitement to finally meet her.  It had been 5 hours since our little girl was born and I hadn't been able to see her yet... So that emotion was taking over the others! 

I was still pretty out of it, my legs were still numb but the nurses wheeled my whole bed over to the NICU so we could see her. She was in an isolette with tubes, IVs, monitors and a facemask on to assist her with her breathing. The only part of her I could touch was her tiny, little hand. It almost didn't feel real, as if she wasn't really mine. I cried and told her how much I loved her already.  Aaron's huge hands made her look even tinier and seeing them together filled my heart up to the top.  We held her hand together and just sat in the moment; a quiet, happy moment that was just ours.  

My mom came back too and was able to see her beautiful grand baby and she was so happy.  I wanted so badly to hold her and it really upset me that I couldn't. They reassured me that I would be able to soon and that had to be enough for now.  We officially named her, Mackenzie Michelle Wright, blew her kisses and repeated how much we loved her and went back to our room. 

The very next time we went back to the NICU, they allowed us to hold her and honestly that's when it felt real for me. She was real, she was alive and she was ours. I began talking to her and Mackenzie recognized my voice, looked up at me and gave me a little half smile. Tears fell, my heart just about exploded and I knew that it had all been worth it. 

As of now, Mackenzie still has a tube down her throat to drain any excess swallowed blood from my placenta abruption, and she is receiving IV nutrition.  Her breathing is still shallow, but she isn't gasping for air anymore so her breathing mask has been removed. She's doing well overall and her platelet counts have been amazing. Isabelle has come to visit Momma and Daddy but hasn't been able to visit her baby sister yet. We've showed her videos and pictures and she really liked them. We need her immunizations record faxed over and couldn't get them until Monday, so by Wednesday she should be able to meet her and we cannot wait!!! I'm doing well also, obviously tired and sore-- I'm waiting to hear about a blood transfusion because my blood counts have all been low. But considering everything, my doctors are pleased with my progress. 

Thank you all once again for your amazing support, we love you all and are so very happy to be a family of 4 now. 💙💜💗💗