Welcome to Life Songs.  I am thrilled to be a part of a life stories project with eleven other talented photographers!  In this series, we will be documenting our lives with a different theme song each month.  The images in the posts will be taken from a less traditional approach, showcasing “real life” in our own ways.  This month’s inspiration is “ABC” by The Jackson 5.  It might be worth finding it and having a listen as you browse our blog circle.  See the link to the next photographer in the circle at the end of this post.

—

ABC.  Appendicitis.  Braxton Hicks.  Contagious “diseases.”  Not as easy as 1,2,3.

Pregnancy.  Seems like such a natural and easy concept.  The reality, often times, is quite a bit more complicated.  Such was the case bringing my third child into the world.  The story of my pregnancy with Remy is one that I’ve wanted to share for quite some time.

The earth literally shook the day I found out I was pregnant.  Not that I wasn’t expecting it – there had been quite a few strong signs of pregnancy from VERY early on… most notably, my wild and crazy dreams – but, moments before the verdict was in, there was a rather large (for this area) earthquake.  Aside from the early shake-up, my first trimester was rather typical.  I was exhausted, nauseated, and had a very strong aversion to cooking.  Okay, that might not have been an actual symptom of pregnancy .

A is for Appendicitis.  As I entered my second trimester, I was feeling pretty good.  Energy and appetite were back on track.  On the evening of October 30th, I wasn’t feeling well.  I went to bed thinking perhaps I’d come down with a stomach bug.  I woke in the middle of the night with rather strong stomach pains.  Time to call Telehealth.  Of course, being pregnant with stomach pains, I was advised by the nurse to head to the ER.  Honestly, I was still thinking it was a bug and that, at worst, I’d be hooked up to an IV to rehydrate.  Well, an IV was administered and within about 30 minutes most of my stomach ache had subsided… all but the pain on my right side.  The minute the doctor asked if I still had my appendix, I knew what we were facing.

At 14 weeks pregnant, I’d come down with appendicitis.  There was only one treatment option: surgery.

There is not a lot of readily available information on appendicitis during pregnancy… even in the age of “Dr. Google.”  As my surgeon kept saying, not to my comfort, both pregnancy and appendicitis are common conditions that are not commonly seen together.  In fact, appendicitis is seen in about 1 in 1500 pregnancies.  I won’t pretend that I wasn’t more than a little angry that I had to be the one.  But, more than that, I was utterly terrified.  I spent Halloween night in the operating room unsure of what outcome we’d see.  I knew the odds were in our favour.  I also knew the worst case scenario.  If my appendix had ruptured, there was a 30% chance the baby wouldn’t survive… and a 10% chance that I wouldn’t.  Fortunately, the surgeon was able to remove my appendix without issue.  There was a small leak of fluids that he was able to take care of.  In the recovery room, the nurses were able to detect the baby’s heart beat via doppler.  At the 24 hour post-surgery mark, the baby’s heart rate was detected.  As it was again at the 48 hour mark.  At the one week mark, the ultrasound results were stellar.  The baby was growing right on target and everything looked to be healing well.  We made it.  This baby was a strong little fighter.

I’ve shared plenty of pictures from my pregnancy.  I haven’t shared this.  15 weeks pregnant.  One week after my appendectomy.  The bandages were removed minutes after this image was taken.

B is for Braxton Hicks.  Annoying, yes, but not nearly as dramatic.  (Honestly, I just needed something to fill the “B” slot!)

C is for Contagious diseases.  At 35 weeks pregnant, I contracted Fifth’s disease (ah, the glory of having school aged children).  I’d never heard of it.  Dr. Google and my GP assured me it really wasn’t anything to be concerned with.  Fifth’s can be dangerous in the first 20 weeks of pregnancy due to the risk of anemia in the fetus.  I was far enough along that it presented virtually no risk to the baby, or so the odds told.  That said, to err on the side of caution, my OB ordered some extra ultrasounds just to be sure.  On Friday the 13th (what’s with these ominous dates?), the ultrasound screened positive for low blood volume in the baby.  A sign of anemia.  Perhaps, the Fifth’s was a factor after all.  There were two ways to confirm the diagnosis:  1. A big, scary needle through my stomach and into the baby to draw for blood… um, SO not happening (for the record, the OB wasn’t advocating for this option, just stating that it was ONE way to be sure).  Or 2. As I was now full-term at 37 weeks & 5 days pregnant, delivery of the baby.  Remember those near constant Braxton Hicks… well, I was ALL for this option  Perhaps because it was Friday the 13th, the labour and delivery unit was a busy, busy place.  My obstetrician delivered two sets of twins, two sets of triplets, and a set of quadruplets as I waited for her to become available for my c-section.  We spent the night waiting… happy to be low on the priority list of the high risk obstetrician.

On April 14th at 6:21am, my sweet little girl, Remy Claire, was born.  Despite the bumps along the road, she was/is perfectly healthy and the picture of calm.  She is such a good baby.  We are truly blessed.

From the hospital:

And at home:

And, with her adoring brothers:

A little love letter from them:

I wanted to share this story in the hopes that perhaps it can serve as comfort to someone, someday, going through what I did… to know that you can face a surgery during pregnancy and have a happy ending.  We are so in love with Remy.  She has truly completed our family.

—

Thank you for viewing my Life Songs post, please visit the brilliant Beth http://photosbyejrussell.blogspot.ca/2012/04/life-stories-abc.html to see her interpretation of this months song.