My friend, Katya, picked me up at the hospital and drove me to the party. The guests were waiting for me at my sisters house. Her living room was beautifully decorated in lime and brown colors. The sign Its a Boy! hung on the wall and delicious food filled the table. The party was wonderful. My family and friends came to support me. They knew I was ill and they prayed for me. I thanked everyone for coming and told them I had only a two-hour-pass from the doctor. We ate, opened presents and took pictures. My ten-year-old daughter Kristina brought me food, opened the presents for me, and was just happy I was with her. The time flew by quickly.
Friends, I dont have time to read your cards, I said. But I will read them at the hospital. I promise.
Its okay, Olga. We wish you luck and we will pray for you, my friends and family answered. They prayed for me. It felt good to be surrounded by loved ones, who wanted our baby to live, and their gifts reflected it.
Happy that I could attend, I returned to the hospital. I was tired and went to bed. The nurse attached the monitor again to my belly. She turned it on every thirty minutes to check the babys heartbeat. I felt normal with no pain or headache and fell asleep. At about 11 p.m., a beeping noise woke me up. Frightened, I opened my eyes wide, looked at the monitor and saw that our babys heart beat had dropped dramatically from 150 to 56 beats per minute. In panic, I pressed the help button. The nurse ran into my room.
Olga, turn to your left side! she instructed.
I did. The babys heart beat went up. I calmed down and fell asleep again. In the morning the nurse told me that during the night, my babys heart beat had slowed down three more times.
.
5
Do not be afraid, for God is always with you,
even though you dont see Him.
The next morning, I called Oleg. This was the first day of school for the new year. Normally, we would drop our children at my Moms house. Then the children would ride the school bus to the school near her house and in the afternoon, return for day care. But this year, because of the pregnancy and my plans to stay at home, I had transferred our children to the school nearest our house.
Oleg had no idea what it took to get David, Kristina and Michael ready for school in the morning. I was worried and wanted to know if he had survived, so I called him. He said it was hectic without me at home. He had to get the children ready for school, prepare breakfast and lunch for them, figure out the bus routine and get to work on time. He thought he did okay, but wished I was home to do that. I also wished I had been there to help him, but secretly was glad he now would find out what I did every day.
After talking to Oleg, I sat on my hospital bed and started reading the cards from my baby shower. After reading a few, my eyes paused on the third card:
How aII the Angels must have smiled
When Jesus chose this newborn Child
For you to love and cuddle, too -
A miracle that's aII for you!
Tears filled my eyes as I thought, Why did Jesus choose an ill baby for me? I felt my baby move He probably felt my worries and wanted to let me know that everything would be okay.
The doctors came to my room and said, Olga, it would be better for us to transfer you to Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU) in Portland. They specialize in heart surgeries that your baby would need right after delivery. We worry that your baby might be born early.
I still have ten weeks to be pregnant, I said. I cant have my baby today. I just want everything to return to normal and go home.
Olga, you will be safer at OHSU. We need your permission to transfer you there.
Its okay, I said. You can transfer me there.
I knew it would be best for me and my baby. I called my husband again and told him the news. Then, I got ready for the transfer.
Riding in an ambulance is a new experience for me. I am scared because I always associated the ambulance with people who had serious medical problems or were dying, I told the doctor my concern.
You will be safe, the doctor assured me. Everything will be okay.
We need you to lay on the stretcher, the paramedic said.
I can walk to the ambulance myself, I answered.
Olga, it is for your and our safety. You need to lie on the stretcher.
I did. They wheeled me out through the halls of the hospital. I didnt look or feel like I was sick. Someone young like me shouldnt need to be in a stretcher. I was the center of attention and it embarrassed me.
The ride was smooth with no sirens and no flashing lights. Inside the ambulance, my blood pressure increased and the nurse worried. When we arrived at OHSU, the driver wheeled me out from the ambulance. On a stretcher, I met the faces of new doctors, nurses and patients. Again, I could not believe it was me on that stretcher. Embarrassed, I was ready to hide my face under the blanket.
The paramedics took me to the intensive care room of the delivery unit. Two nurses gave me medications, started IVs, measured my blood pressure, and took blood for several tests. Then, the cardiologist, neonatologist and medical students came to introduce themselves.
The cardiologist said, Olga, we will try to keep you pregnant as long as possible, because it is too early for your baby to be born.
I know. I still have ten weeks to be pregnant. I cant have my baby born today, I answered, not even thinking of all the things that can really go wrong
The nurses monitored the babys heartbeat. During the day, the monitor would often beep to show that the babys heart rate was dropping and then it would recover. I did not know a lot about Preeclampsia and did not ask many questions because the nurses were busy. They were completing doctors orders, trying to decide if I should eat or not. I was very hungry, but had to wait and didnt know why. Later, I understood that they did not want me to eat before the surgery. They were not sure how soon they might have to do the C-section. I was given a shot with steroids, which was supposed to help our babys lungs open, in case he was born early.
In the evening, Oleg and the children came to visit me. The children told me about their first day at school and then asked, How soon you are coming home, Mama?
I hope, very soon, I said.
Today after work it took me two hours to read all the papers that our children brought from school, Oleg said. I had to sign so many of them and wished you were home to do that.
I just smiled and said, It is good for you, honey, to see what mothers usually do, all the things which seem to be easy.
After about an hour, Oleg and the children left for home. Tired, I fell asleep.
.
Just before midnight, a worried nurse woke me up.
Olga, your babys heart is stopping about every five minutes, she said. The doctors are deciding whether to do the C-section or not.
Frightened and sleepy, I was trying to wake up and realize what was happening. Three doctors walked into my room.
Why is my babys heart stopping every five minutes? I asked, confused.
Your high blood pressure and the protein in your urine is causing your babys heart to stop, the first doctor explained. His heart defect is not the problem. It is you, Olga, who developed not only preeclampsia, but eclampsia, the final and most severe phase. Your placenta started to secrete substances that can cause dysfunction in your blood vessels. You may start having seizures or go into a coma. It also can damage your liver and kidneys. Both you and the baby can die. Basically, your body is killing your baby.
Olga, with his heart defect, your baby has less than 1% chance to survive, added the second doctor. You have two options. One is to let the nature take its course and let your baby die. We will induce you and remove the baby from your womb without surgery. The second option is to do an emergency C-section. We would not recommend the C-section because its a major surgery and your baby has such a small chance to live.