Apparently I shouldn’t have joked about being in the ER so much, because we ended up there yet again on Sunday, this time, however, the outcome was considerably worse.
April had been having some light bleeding and cramping for the last week or so, but everyone she talked to told her to just take it easy and that some bleeding was normal. Saturday night the bleeding picked up a bit. We were both a bit worried but she called her doctor who told her to take it easy some more. If she was losing the baby there wasn’t anything that could be done and she should just come in for her scheduled ultrasound on Wednesday unless it became life threatening for her before that. We knew something was wrong, probably more so her than me, but were still optimistic. That all changed Sunday morning.
I got up and went to church like normal. After the first service was over, about 10:00, April called me and said that she was bleeding really bad and wanted me to come home. I rushed out and headed home as fast as possible. On the way home she called me again and said that she was still bleeding really bad and starting to get shaky. I called Jen, the paramedic at Brewster, and she said she would head to my house to check on her. She agreed that we were probably losing the baby and that April needed to go to the hospital. We decided to have the Ambulance take her since she was bleeding so bad and so that she wouldn’t have to sit and wait in the waiting room in such pain. Carissa was already with Amy, and I ran Carleigh up to stay with her also. April had warned Carleigh that the siren was going to go off and that it was for mommy this time. I was walking out the door with her when it went off and she kept saying mommy, mommy, mommy. It’s amazing how much they understand even at that age.
I followed the ambulance up to Aultman and we got right in to see a doctor. The doctor took one look and said that he also thought we were losing the baby. They gave her some medicine for pain and we waited around to get an ultrasound to confirm what everyone was thinking. In the mean time they moved her to a different room so that they could hook her up to monitoring equipment due to the amount of blood she had lost. Eventually they came in and took her to ultrasound. The ultrasound showed that the baby was gone. We think based on something the doctor said while he was poking around that he got it, but we aren’t sure. There was still a considerable amount of tissue left, so they decided that she would need a DNC.
Unfortunately DNCs are performed in labor and delivery, so they had to take us up there. As we exited the elevator, the decor began changing from the dull, cold steel of the ER to the bright cheeryness that is Aultman’s labor and delivery. I was OK with everything up until this point. Seeing everything started bringing back all the good emotions of having Carleigh and it was basically a kick in the face that this time nothing good would be coming of our visit to labor and delivery. They put her in one of the rooms, 413, which again brought back many memories of having Carleigh and what we would no longer be experiencing in March.
About 3:30 they took her into the operating room. I had to laugh because they were explaining everything they would be doing, and that included giving her Propofol to knock her out during the procedure. The nurse said they would “be giving her the same thing Michael Jackson had, only legally.” They took her to the operating room to perform the procedure and left me in the room. That may have been the hardest part. I turned the TV off so that I could sit and think and all I could here was babies crying, that combined with where I was located was very depressing. The experience at Aultman was one of the most memorable parts of Carleigh’s birth, and here I was experiencing it again, but way earlier than expected and the result would be considerably worse.
April was done about 4:15 and they put her in recovery. Dr. Krew came in to tell me how everything went and what she could and could not do. They would need to keep her for at least four more hours, so that meant we wouldn’t be leaving until at least 8:00. Eventually the nurse called me down to recovery, which was another kick in the face because they had April in the exact same slot, #4, she was in after her c-section with Carleigh. I’m sure she doesn’t remember much of all that stuff, but it is all very vivid to me.
About 5:15 they took her back to her room and I decided that I would go get something to eat since I hadn’t eaten all day. She was supposed to be getting her food soon too, that was part of the deal, she had to eat their food before she was allowed to leave. I headed out to the cafeteria to grab something for myself real quick. Once I entered the LND hallway, I was surprised how quickly I remembered where everything was. As I headed down the elevator, I glanced at the door to the NICU. That phrase I said so many times while Carleigh was there came back to me. “Chris Belloni for Baby Casto, 61654”. I’m surprised I still remembered it. I made my way to the cafeteria and had sour kraut and pork with mashed potatoes and small container of Ben & Jerry’s cookie dough ice cream.
I ate quickly and headed back to April’s room. Once again, bringing back the memories, I checked in with the receptionist who let me into LND. I found that April hadn’t received her dinner yet, but it soon arrived. She had a swiss steak type product with carrots, red potatoes and some sort of lemon pie. She ate it all, so she must have been hungry.
After she ate, the nurse came in with some stuff that they give all the parents who lose babies as we had. Until that point I wasn’t really thinking that there was much support for losing a baby only 12 weeks old, but Aultman goes out of their way to provide counseling services and stuff like that. We got a little afghan to remind us of the baby that wasn’t, and the opportunity to attend a mass burial that Aultman does for all of its babies under 20 weeks. It’s kind of neat that although the state doesn’t recognize a baby under 20 weeks as a baby, Aultman does.
It wasn’t long and 8:00 came. That was something else I remembered from having Carleigh was how fast time goes at the hospital. April had met all of their criteria so she was free to go. We headed home and stopped at Sheetz because we were both still hungry and nothing really sounded good so we stopped there. After stopping to pick up Carleigh we got home around 9:00. Both of us were mentally and physically exhausted and ready for bed.
All in all, it definately isn’t an experience I would want to go through again, but a big Thank You goes out to Jen at the fire department, the ER doctor, and all of the other staff at Aultman for making a painfull process as easy as possible.
And to you Baby Belloni, even though we never got to meet you, we will never forget you!
I am sorry for the loss of baby Belloni. I had multiple miscarriages before my first son, after my first son and after my second son. It is hard, but babies become angels and will always be watching over you. I am just thankful to have two baby, healthy babies. I will pray for you and your family!!!
You have me in tears now Chris. I am sorry for loss but I am glad (as I am sure you are) April is ok. She really scared me when she said she was getting dizzy. Always remember I am here for any emergency’s.