The Day Everything Changed

Saturday, June 7th 

The day I woke up with an awful feeling. 

I couldn't remember the last time I felt my unborn son of 25 weeks, move. The night before the thought crossed my mind but of course, I assumed I was overreacting and thought I would feel him in the morning.  I messaged my sister about this hoping she would let me use her doppler to hear the baby’s heartbeat.  She no longer had it but told me some things to try to get the baby moving.  I tried laying still, eating something sweet, drinking fluids but I wasn’t feeling movement.  She then said I should call my doctor.  I remembered a friend owning a doppler and asked if I should borrow that before calling the doctor.  I will forever be grateful that my sister told me no, to just call my doctor.  If I would have heard the heartbeat I would have thought all was fine and went along with my day.  

By this point I wasn’t feeling like I was overreacting.  I honestly felt like something was wrong.  I could barely talk to the nurse on the phone.  I waited nervously for my doctor to call back.  She told us to go into the hospital to check things.

Joel and I grabbed Liam, our 19 month old, and left for the hospital.  We sent a text to family and friends just saying that we were going to the hospital to check on the baby because I hadn’t felt him move in a while and asked them for prayers. 

I’m a nervous wreck during the drive to the hospital but I was trying to tell myself that everything is probably just fine.  

We reach Alton Memorial and they get me in a room, changed into a gown, and hooked up to a machine.  At this point I hear the baby’s heartbeat.  I can’t tell you how relieved I am to hear that beat.  I’m thinking all is good and we will be going home soon.

They were concerned about his heart rate and how there were no spikes and it was showing little dips so they sent us downstairs for an ultrasound.  After the ultrasound my doctor came to see me and told us that they saw fluid in the baby’s belly and we were being transferred to Barnes Jewish Hospital.  They gave me a steroid shot to help his lungs develop.  We were sent by ambulance with lights on and sirens blaring. 

Once we arrived at Barnes we met a high risk pregnancy doctor who did another ultrasound.  After this is when we learned about what Jonah had, hydrops fetalis.  She starts talking a lot and telling us how he is anemic and because he is anemic that he has fluid in his belly, around his heart, lungs, and in his skin.  We then start hearing words like stillbirth or low survival rate.  

The cause of how he became anemic is unknown.  They said it could be that we have different antibodies, that I got an infection that was passed onto him, or it could be genetic.  They were thinking it sounded more like we had different antibodies.  Either way the only way to help the baby is to do multiple blood transfusions while in utero.

This will forever be the day that saved our son's life.