Amazing Journeys

It is really with a full heart that I post this first post in the family blog. On Friday January 9, baby Olivia in a very traumatic and eventful way was greeted into this world.

The day had been very normal, I had started my day normally and then picked the kids up at 1pm for their half day out. Emily had a friend over and I was decorating a birthday cake for a two years old's party the next day. It was going to be a great cake by the way...pink and purple polka dots with ribbon and roses...anyway I had just been laying down feeling Olivia kick and move...the highlight of most days...she was very active and happy. I went back to the kitchen table to finish making some ribbon roses for the cake I was sitting uneventful for quite some time when suddenly I felt a huge gush...I thought for a mere second that my water had broken...however when I looked down I was gushing blood. It was not stopping and more blood than I have ever seen. I continued to gush as I ran frantically to get some towels. I started yelling to Mackenzie, "help, help, MacKenzie 911...you have to help mommy...were is my cell phone, please Mackenzie help me...I have to go I have to go to the hospital...it's an emergency, you will have to take care of things...make phone calls do something I have to go now!" In my head I thought the only reason for such a sudden gushing of blood meant that the placenta had separated and that my Olivia was now going with out oxygen and maybe drowning in her womb. I was terrified, and I am sure I left the kids that way also. I jumped in the van and headed to the hospital...I started making phone calls...anyone in my phone memory...my mom, my friends I knew that I had to find someone to help my kids. Meanwhile I am still gushing blood..all over. I called Brian whom I assumed was at work i another city. He said, "Where are you going..." I told him McKinney Hospital, and he said which way? I at the time thought this was a little annoying because in my head it didn't matter I just had to get there. When I told him he said OK. A min. later I looked in my rear view mirror...and Brian was directly behind me.

He had just happened to be in McKinney to go look at a crib. God is with us! At that moment I was suddenly aware that I was getting very dizzy and was going to faint.... I pulled over on the highway, and jumped in his car. Still bleeding every where. He drove like a father would...ran red lights, drove over cones and barriers...and we got to the ER. It is amazing that when we got there they were not in as big of a hurry as I was...I started screaming at them (I'm sure it was only about 30 seconds) They took my back and immediately put in IV lines in both arms...and rushed me up to labor and delivery. Upstairs they immediately put a monitor on Olivia...she was alive! And not only that she was not in distress...her heart rate was perfect and she even kicked the monitor. I took my first breath since I saw the blood....

My Doctor just happened, she said, to be still at her office..I learned later that she was tired and just didn't feel like going on to the next hospital yet..she wanted to sit down and eat a snack and rest for a min. That meant that she was only across the street, within walking distance. She was there in an instant. They decided that they needed to find out where the blood was coming from...(sparing you the gory details) the blood was too much and clotting and my dear Dr. said, "As long as you look good and Olivia looks good lets go get her out of there and do a C-section right now." I, of course whole heartily agreed. They took me right back and started prepping me for a normal C-section. I sat up and they started to numb my back for a spinal. I had had two needles and the catheter put in and my Dr. who was scrubbing her hands and talking to Brian said that in the background of the OR she heard Olivia's heart rate begin to fall...and fall. I also started to de-cell. That is when a real real emergency continued. She shouted that Olivia was down to 75 beats (from 145) and she immediately had me down on the table...Brian kicked out and down the hall...."Jamie take two deep breathes...that's right nice and deep...." "Please Dr. Allen just get her out alive!"

I woke up about two hours later. "Is she alive...Yes!" "How big is she.....4 lbs"...I took my second breathe since it all began.

Olivia apparently came out fighting...she was kicking and screaming. However she could not breathe on her own and had to be ventilated. I was trying to recover and about 12 hours later I tried to go see her. I sat up and tried my best but was too dizzy and sick...it broke my heart. I tried again about 6 hours later...They wheeled me in. My first time to see Olivia, she was on a ventilator, she had been sedated, and the nurse had her tiny foot bent and was scraping out blood to do test. I cried and cried...and then I said "Brian I am going to pass out..no really Brian I am going" I remember feeling like I didn't want anyone to bother me any more...I saw the births of my other children flash before me and I was feeling very peaceful....I heard them telling me to take a big breath and they had that smelling stuff...my thoughts were please just let me rest. I didn't and I took a breathe...they grab my wheel chair and ran down the hospital...full run. They picked me up and put in bed and started to work on me. I ended up losing a lot of blood and they told me that I had to have transfusion...(I will spare you my thought about that...) But the one thing I demanded is that I have a priesthood blessing before the transfusion. I know that God lives....I know that he answers our prayers...I know that God is loving and hears our deepest needs.

I got the transfusion, with no apparent reactions. I am thankful for that. In another 24 hours I was able to go back and see my sweet, tiny most precious Olivia who was beginning her own fight.