Kim & Justin

How our parenting journey started

Justin and I always wanted to be parents.  We had baby names picked out years before we got married.  We got pregnant immediately after getting married and were so excited for our future baby.

Everything was going perfectly until the weekend of Thanksgiving, when I just hit 25 weeks.  The baby hadn’t been moving as much, and I thought it was just because of all the food I ate over the long weekend.  By Sunday I was feeling really sick.  I started vomiting that day and throughout the night.  By 10pm, I ask Justin to take me to the hospital.

In the car, I asked Justin to take me to the hospital I planned to birth at, instead of the closer local hospital, because I knew I was past viability.  I called my midwife on the way there and she got me a room in labor and delivery to get some fluids.  I was hopeful that all I needed was some anti-nausea medication and fluids.

Immediately the nurses knew something was wrong.  They put in me in room and hooked me up to lots of monitors.  After a few panicked minutes, they showed me my baby on the monitor and told me it was fine.  My blood pressure was through the roof, I had a massive headache, and my kidneys were shutting down. 

After some monitoring and medication I was sent to the ICU.  I was tired and hazy and just wanted rest.  I had no idea what was happening, and then a doctor pulled Justin into the hallway to talk.  I knew it was bad. 

They both came in and told me that my baby had to come out or neither of us would make it through the night.  The next hour was a blur as I was taken back to labor and delivery.  My midwife showed up with an OB I had never met.  Tons of students started flooding in asking permission to view my birth, as it would be the earliest birth the hospital had in 6 months.

I was wheeled to the OR for a c-section at 5am, just 6 hours after I arrived at the hospital.  My baby was born as I vomited over the side of the OR bed.  I remember them telling me it was a girl and then passing out.

After the c-section my blood pressure remained high and I was not allowed out of my bed.  I was given photos of my baby, but not allowed to go to the NICU to see her. 

After 3 days I was finally allowed to stand and got to see my baby girl, Valerie.  She was so tiny (just 1lb 6oz at birth).  I knew then that I would fight for her no matter what.

The story of her 110 day NICU stay is for another time. 

Last month Valerie turned 13.  She is a strong girl that knows what she wants.  She still has her struggles from her traumatic birth, but she has overcome so much. 

Justin and I fight for all of our children.  From birth, medical decisions, school, social anxieties, and everything else life throws at us.  We will continue to fight to give our children the best chance they can in this world.

(Pictured:  Valerie at age 6 with the teddy bear that was just a bit larger than her at birth.)