On March 2, 2020 we went for what we thought would be just another prenatal/ultrasound at my OBGYN office. Upon the technician doing my ultrasound she noticed that baby B (Bentlee) was only scoring a 6 out of 10. This indicates the fetus may not be receiving enough oxygen (anything less than 8 means theres a problem.) Next step, hospital time! I was only 35 weeks & 6 days so Dr. G wanted to give me 2 rounds of corticosteroids over a 48-hour period. This would improve babies’ lung function since we were still considered pre-term. She told us to get prepared to stay at least 2 days & then we would see where things were & go from there.
We drive straight to the hospital (with Alston in tow since we were unaware this was going to happen.) They get me all hooked up to monitors, give me the first round of steroids, & told us it would be a waiting game just to relax. Rickey needed to get some things from home & take Alston home since we would be there overnight. The nurse informed him it would be no problem. It would be at least 6 hours or so before she's checked again. Meanwhile, my cell phone was dying because once again we had no clue we would be going to the hospital from the doctor’s appointment. Rickey goes downstairs to the gift shop & buys me a phone charger so I would at least have a phone while he was gone or so he thought.
After he left, I noticed the charger wasn't working! The nurse came by just to look a monitors & I got her to check the plug-- NOTHING. So my phone DIES!
Shortly after, I began to feel super sick so I called the nurse in to unhook me. I got really sick like I hadn't done since early, early on in the pregnancy. After that, she hooked everything back up & was looking kind of awkwardly at the contractions I had been having on the paper. She asked "Are you hurting?" I replied, "Kind of, but nothing serious." Her reply after that sent me into PANIC mode.
I was in very ACTIVE labor! I’m talking like 2 minutes apart & didn't have a clue. Remember the part about Rickey leaving & being told I'd be there 48 hours & may or may not get sent home afterwards & it was okay for him to go home?! Yep, you guessed it! I'm in active labor in the hospital BY MYSELF with NO PHONE!
About that time another nurse comes in & says, " Your husband has been trying to reach you to check in. Let me get you the room phone."
I call him immediately much to his surprise to inform him he needs to get there ASAP because the babies were coming with or without him! ahhhh..... He was in BRIGHTON & I'm at Baptist Womens!! He said my car had never been driven the way he drove it that day. lol
I called my mom & who's numbers I could remember after that to let them know we were having babies TODAY---SURPRISE!
Rickey made it just in time! WHEW!
They had already been prepping me & getting things ready to go back for a C-section.
READY or NOT-- here we go!
Brystol Claire came out first weighing in at 5 lbs 13oz. Bentlee was next weighing in at 6lbs even, but like the ultrasound had shown he was struggling to breath. I literally got a glimpse of him & off he went to the NICU. He stayed there for the next 8 days! Brystol Claire got to go with us to a regular nursery/postpartum room.
Over the next several days we stayed busy. We were trying to soak in every minute with Brystol Claire but also check on Bentlee in the NICU at feedings (wake times) every 3-4 hours! They kept all of us for 5 days through March 7 when Brystol Claire got discharged. Rickey continued to visit Bentlee everyday upon us leaving while I stayed back with Alston (big brother) & Brystol Claire at home.
Bentlee finally got all of his tubes out the next day (March 9). This meant he could come home the following day with no setbacks! Every 6-12 hours nurses change so this meant change for him too. He would feed GREAT for one nurse while another not so much. They wanted to put a feeding tube back in because he messed up ONE feeding!
NO! ABSOLUTELY NOT! We were not happy about this because it meant it would set him back at least another 48 hours in the NICU if not more. Please, we begged & pleaded with them to just let us take him home & if he wouldn't eat for us then we would be back & we understood that. Plus, around this time (actually this day March 10) COVID-19 officially hit Shelby County with the first case! We wanted him OUT & home with us. They agreed he would be okay as long as we could get him to eat. PRAISE THE LORD! Bentlee got discharged on that day!
We were finally all home under one roof as a family of 5!
