Emilia Kate

I have some serious catching up to do. To start I am now a mom. Emilia Kate Griggs story started about 3 1/2 years ago when we decided to start trying for a baby.  After a year of trying and a miscarriage we started looking into the reasons why. We went to a fertility specialist and got news that it would be very difficult for us to conceive on our own, but we weren't giving up that easily. We decided to try a round if IUI (Intrauterine insemination) Even though the odds were against us... I mean really it would have been a miracle kind of odds, we did in fact get our miracle. I was very apprehensive to be excited for this baby because of my previous miscarriage... I bought a LOT of pregnancy tests... like a lot. Things stayed good for us though and I had a fairly easy pregnancy. I didn't have a lot a nausea I got maybe one migraine but I didn't need to take any tylenol for it. Towards the half way mark I kept getting horrible heartburn though. At 29 weeks my one foot swelled up like a balloon and my blood pressure had been slightly elevated, so my doctor ordered a blood test and urine test to check for preeclampsia, which I got diagnosed with and had to stop working. I had a lot more doctor visits to check up on my blood pressure which steadily went up. Baby girl was doing just fine in there which was great news but the way things were going they knew she was going to be early, and Dr. Anderson just wanted to avoid how early we had to take her out for my safety. 

I made it to 36 weeks and by then I was over the twice a week Non stress tests and weekly doctor visits and being on semi bed rest for almost 2 months. So I took myself off bedrest since my doctor was happy I got to 36 weeks. On April 11th I had a mild headache (A warning sign for hyper tension) but I usually had a headache til I ate some real food and drank lots of water so I did those things and went about my day, went out to lunch and to a bridal shower. At the end of the shower I still had that headache so I figured that it wouldn't be long now and I better get the last things we need for baby. I walked around walmart and got the last items. While I was there I took my blood pressure at the pharmacy and it was 160/110 which is incredibly high. I sat for a few minutes and took deep breaths and re checked and it was still as high as it was. I called Dave to get home so we could go to the hospital and get checked out. Baby had been moving around great that day so I wasn't too worried about her safety. (Side note I had been told at my first OBGYN appointment that the bones in my hips were very narrow and a possible c section might be in my future.) Anyways we got to L&D and they called my doctor with the news of my high blood pressure and they admitted me to get started on laboring. I was 36 weeks and 4 days. I was only dilated to a 1 and my cervix was not even ripened they said so they ordered some Cytotec I think... I dunno this was all around 1 in the morning and I still had a miserable headache so the night was a bit fuzzy to me. Dave and I didn't sleep with the uncomfortable beds and the nurses checking in on me every couple hours to test my blood and check in the blood pressure cuff that was permanently around my arm the whole night set off to check my BP every hour. My doctor got there around 7 fully prepared to break my water and all that mumbo jumbo and when he went to check my dilation he told me there is a VERY small space for a baby head to come through, like so small that even if I was fully dilated and ready to push that I may need an emergency c section anyway. So he offered me to labor even with the probably possibly of a c section so I opted to avoid the long and difficult labor part and move forward with a c section. 

It was pretty surreal at that point everyone and their mom came into the room to have me sign forms get the epidural and a round of other things.. The only thing about the epidural part I hated was the cold part on my back they sprayed and I felt like a fish getting flipped around but other then that it was a breeze. in just an hour or so they wheeled me into the c section room had my arms stretched out on the sides of me while Dave sat next to my head. I didn't feel anything like incision wise but when they started pulling her out I felt like a toilet getting plunged. The most weird experience of my life. Then I heard her screaming and I started to cry. I have never heard something so beautiful... it's lost it's appeal now though ;)

They took her right away to get cleaned up and checked out and then Dave got to bring her back to me and I got to see her for the first time. She was so tiny I remember thinking and thinking holy shit that just came out of me and is totally alive. I was then left to get stitched up and I was doped up but I am sure my doctor thought I was hilarious because I asked him to put my placenta in the garbage cause I don't want to eat it. (Seriously I am glad that only the people in the hospital were in that room I probably sounded like a looney toon) After I was done they wheeled me back in L&D to wait for my postpartum room, and Dave came back and told me that they took my girl up to NICU to get monitored. I remember being terrified and upset that my baby wasn't with me and wasn't okay enough to be with me, but I didn't say anything. They wheeled me up to the NICU to see my girl and I just wanted to snuggle her but she had her iv in and all hooked up to monitors. What happened was she just held her breath for a second and they wanted to make sure her lungs were fully developed and they did just fine so after 5 hours they brought her back and didn't even have to admit her to the NICU. 

She was born at 9:16 and weighed 5lbs 3oz and 17 inches long. She is the light of my life and I can't imagine that we went so long without her. I am so happy that I am her mom and she is my girl.