It wasn’t how I planned to start my week. At 17 weeks pregnant, I’ve been feeling great. But, life doesn’t always go as planned and we knew that things could change in an instant. My early morning doctor’s appointment turned into a hospital stay. But as I’ve learned over the years, sometimes you smile through the pain.
Because I faced a difficult pregnancy with my triplets six years ago, I’m being closely monitored this time around. Not only did I face complications at 18 weeks with the triplets, we almost lost them several times. I delivered at 22 weeks gestation and two of my children eventually passed away.
It was an eerie feeling walking from my doctor’s office at the hospital to the triage desk, eventually being set up for surgery just hours later. As I settled into my room, it felt surreal. I have been back to the maternity floor over the years as a reporter and as a visitor, but the last time I was a patient was six years ago on that fateful day in June. It’s a familiar place, a place I called home for months. But this time, I had hoped to have an easy pregnancy, smooth sailing was our motto. I had no plans of a hospital stay or months of bedrest, and I still don’t!
While I won’t go into details of all that was done, I ended up in surgery on Monday. Doctors had noticed some changes in the past week with my body and we were all hoping that my past issues were due to carrying multiples. But, that wasn’t the case. In an eerie twist, I ended up needing the same surgery I had with the triplets, at almost the same gestation.
The good news—all went well. I was released from the hospital later that night and I’m resting and recovering at home this week. The baby looks great and we are all hopeful that this was the most eventful part of my pregnancy. I’ll be taking it easy from here on out and won’t see the familiar faces at the gym, but I’ll do all that I can to bring home a healthy baby at the end of this.
A few years ago, my husband and I seriously considered moving away from Illinois. We had been through so much and we contemplated getting a fresh start, moving away from the tragedy and heartbreak that we faced. But, there are certain things in life that are meant to be and I truly believe that we were meant to call Central Illinois home. As nurses prepped me for surgery, one of the nurse techs looked at me and said, “I helped take care of you the day you delivered your triplets.” While it’s hard to relive some of the memories of premature birth and child loss, it’s also comforting to know that the same staff who cared for me and who loved all three of my children are once again watching over my family. I’m in good hands and I’m happy to be on the mend!
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