My daughter's name is River Champion Kontour. She was born sleeping on the 25th of June, 2014 and this is her birth story.
It took years for us to decide to get pregnant, and even longer for it to happen. There were years where I felt it was impossible. It wasn't easy. Seeing a stick with a negative result, month after month, is defeating. However, on the 1st of November, 2013 I saw two lines. It was one of the happiest days of my life.
I am not one of those women who enjoyed being pregnant; it was hard for me. Everyday was a struggle. I had nausea and headaches early on. Later on, it was pain in my hips, my back, my lungs … I never felt good. I complained all the time. Toward the end, asthma became a constant battle. I would have coughing fits that would make all the ligaments from my neck down ache. I would get tired quickly which made work very hard because I was constantly exhausted or in pain, or sick. I stopped sleeping. I had acne, leg cramps, heartburn, loss of bladder control, rashes, and hemorrhoids. Basically, I hated being pregnant –most of the time.
Every night, however, I would indulge in an excessively long shower. I would stand in the water letting it soothe my aching back and hips. The hot steam would help me breathe. I would hold my belly and rock back and forth and I would sing to the baby. I would talk to the baby. I never thought of anything during this time but the baby. It was my special time with her. My only time with her. I also loved feeling her move, which she did all of the time. She was a feisty little baby.
Week 16 I agreed to the genetics testing. A week later I got a call, saying we tested positive for neural tube defects. Fear consumed me. It was the first time I realized just how much I wanted this baby. The fear and worry continued until we had an appointment a few weeks later. As I was riding the elevator up to that appointment, the appointment where they might tell me that my baby was not compatible with life, I felt her move for the first time. It was undeniably movement. A tiny little flutter. Like a small furry mouse rolling in my tummy. I thought that moment was a sign – a sign that she would be OK and that I didn't need to worry. Why else would that be the first time I felt her move?
The ultrasound revealed that our baby did not suffer from neural tube defects, but that the placenta had a problem. The baby's cord was attached to the side of the placenta instead of the middle. This condition is fairly common and rarely life-threatening for the baby if his or her growth was closely monitored. I was told to come back at 28 weeks to make sure she was big enough. If she was, I could carry to full term. If not, we would deliver her early so we could give her the nourishment my body could not.
At the 30-week appointment she measured in the 25th percentile. They only deliver early if she would have measured in the 15 percentile or less – we were in the clear. A 10 percent difference and she would have already been born. She would have lived. Of course, there was no way to know this. All we knew was that she was healthy, full of life and big enough. |