This past weekend we had quite a scare at the Hagemeyer house. It was our very first night in our new house that we now own! I had been having strange blood sugar all day, but nothing unusual of the stress of moving and a new routine. Before we went to bed it started to snow a lot and get really icy. Now I don’t know how I know these things sometimes, (I like to believe God warns me of scary things ahead of time) but before we went to bed I had been talking to my mom about how I needed to pack my hospital bag. My last thought before I went to sleep was “It’s going to be hard to get to the hospital in the ice.” Feeling foolish, I said a quick prayer for safety and fell asleep. When 1:30AM rolled around, I awoke to extremely low blood sugar (not unusual during my pregnancy) and some cramping in my abdomen. Again, I knew what was going to happen. I just heard this little voice inside me say “Eat your starburst and fix your blood sugar because as soon as you stand up we are going to the hospital.” Sure enough, 4 inhaled starbursts later and I was screaming from the bathroom to a poor unsuspecting husband about blood, pain and going to the hospital. Jordan flew into action like a mad man. It was slow motion and light speed all at once. Within minutes we were dressed, with shoes on and tramping through the snow to the car. Speeding through the streets of our tiny town on icy roads did nothing to calm my hysteria. So of course I called my mom and prayed silently that my little baby would live to call me someday when he/she was scared. We got to the hospital in 7 minutes or less and I was quickly taken to the OB wing. As soon as they hooked me up to the fetal monitor and I heard that quickened little heartbeat, I melted into a puddle of relief. The baby was okay, I was okay and we made it to the hospital. By that point, I was having contractions every 3-4 minutes and the doctor was worried we would go into labor at a mere 32 weeks. They gave me medicine to calm the contractions which unfortunately spiked my blood sugar. Awesome. Not. I stayed in the hospital for 2 days on this drug called magnesium that is the worst stuff on the planet, especially if you have diabetes.
After being released and resting at home the remainder of
the week, I saw my perinatologist (high risk obstetrician. He scared us to the
point of tears when he explained that what happened was called a placental
abruption, when the placenta bleeds because it tears a little bit from where it
is supposed to be attached. His words exactly were “You had a mild abruption. I
know that it is mild because we are having this conversation and your baby is
still alive.” Talk about terrifying. Because the bleeding and contractions stopped,
I am able to resume my normal activities within reason; he mentioned I am
actually safer at work than home alone in case it happens again. We might now
be induced as early as 37 weeks, depending on how the baby and I are doing. So
here we are, praying, pleading, waiting and watching for any signs that we need
to return to the hospital all while still excitedly preparing the nursery.
After our scare, for the first time in my life, diabetes seems so small. I
was so worried about the effect on the baby and who knew that diabetes would not
be the issue. Sure it adds another complicated element, but I was assured that
there is no way to tell if this problem has anything to do with diabetes and to not try and blame myself or my health. I am trusting
the Lord with this baby with a fervor like never before. I decided this morning
at 3AM (while treating yet more low blood sugar), that God is in the business
of protecting babies. He gave Hannah a son when she thought she was barren, she
trusted him and Samuel was born. He gave Abraham and Sarah a baby way past
their prime. He gave Elizabeth John the Baptist and gave Rebekah twins. Not
only that, but Moses as a baby was kept safe from all sorts of treacheries and
Jesus was born in a filthy place full of potential hazards. All of these women
trusted the Lord for the baby they were promised and that was growing inside
them, despite the odds being stacked against them. So we could freak out,
worry incessantly and search horror stories on the internet, or we can rest in
peace and understanding that God has this under control and this baby has never
been in better care. It is my absolute goal over the next 4-6 weeks to be Mary,
Hannah, Sarah, Elizabeth and Rebekah. I am claiming in the name of Jesus that
we will have a healthy child, we will remain calm in the Lord’s peace and in
4-6 weeks we will hold our little miracle in our arms because “I prayed for
this child and the Lord has granted me what I asked of him.” (1 Samuel 1:27) So
here’s to the next 4-6 weeks of celebration that our little one is coming soon!
