Becca's Story Part 2: There is No Way I Am Having This Baby Today!

To say this second pregnancy was easy would be a big FAT lie. I started showing by 10 weeks(maternity clothes instantly), I had horrible nausea, major food versions, not sleeping, back pain that I wouldn't even be able to get out of bed or off the floor some days, to top it all off I ended up with gestational diabetes and high blood pressure! All while trying to care for a crazy 2yr old and working full time!!

Once November came around my midwife told me to have my bags packed and to bring them with me to every appointment because if my blood pressure was too high they were going to send me to labor and delivery. November 12, 2020, We had or 37week appointment.

The morning started out like normal, oatmeal for breakfast, JR doing karate in my belly, Joe went to the local Kwik Trip and got us coffee for the drive to children's. As we were leaving Joe said hey we need to grab your bag just in case! So grabbed that and JR's bag (of course hubby had nothing packed) I get called back and they do my weight (YIKES!!), temp, and blood pressure. I could tell by the look on Joe's face it was high. The nurse took us to the room where we waited for my midwife Libby to come in.......Insert Libby......

So Becca looks like you are having this baby today!!

(Instant Tears) No please just let me go home I promise my blood pressure will go down and ill come back in a couple of days. I hadn't said goodbye to Audrie (she stayed with my parents the night before), I haven't gotten to do all the things I want to do with her before JR comes! Well, that didn't happen within 15 minutes there was a wheelchair at the door for ready to go to labor and delivery.

Thankfully we did eat breakfast that morning I couldn't have my c-section for 4 hours so I was able to make the phone calls I needed to inform family and friends that JR was mAking his arrival TODAY!! Joe went home got his bag packed and grabbed a few miscellaneous things I needed. He then stopped at my parents so I could video chat Audrie and tell her how much I loved her!!

3:45 pm JR was brought into the world via Csection all I wanted was to be able to hear him cry when he came out and boy did he come out crying(I also cried)!! The Dr showed him to me immediately I blew him a kiss and off he went with Joe and the NICU team. I then got to see him in his incubator as they were leaving the OR to go and get him started on his prostaglandins. Joe was able to go with and was there for his first echo and then was able to come by me while I was in recovery.

Not having your fresh newborn baby in your arms while you are in recovery is probably one of the worst feelings I have ever felt. I was just sliced open hip to hip had my baby taken out of me and rushed off to NICU. I was numb literally and physically. I didn't know what to feel didn't know what to say. As soon as Joe came in I asked to see all the pictures he was able to get of JR and of course, asked for an update. Joe had told me they had to intubate JR as his stats were dropping quickly but overall he was doing fine.

He said someone was going to call him when they had the results of his echo. The call came in as soon as I had gotten to my hospital room. I could tell by the way Joe was talking something wasn't quite right with the echo. A Dr was going to meet with us whenever I was able to make it down to the NICU. 11:30 pm I finally felt well enough to be wheeled down to JR. On the way down I was trying to prepare myself for what I was going to see.

Nothing could have prepared me. My baby was filled with wires, stickers, IVs, and a breathing tube. I could barely see his beautiful face. I stood next to his bed for hours touching every inch of his body that I could. I couldn't hold, hug, kiss, squish smell my sweet boy. My heart was hurting my stomach was hurting (I ended up bleeding through all my gauze, doctors weren't too happy) A Dr. Had finally come in about 12:30 am to talk with us about JR's echo.

They could not see one of his coronary arteries on the echo which brought up some concern so in the next few days JR would be getting a Heart catheterization to see if he did only have one coronary artery or if the second was hiding. In the next 2 days, JR was transferred to the CICU so the cardiac team could get started with their game plan for him! First up is the Left side Heart Catheterization to check on those coronary arteries. I'll never forget the surgeon who came back and said now if he only has one then he would most likely need a heart transplant as opposed to having the 3 surgeries.

I had totally blanked on that from Dr. Saudek. After Joe and I signed the consent to treat we were sent to the waiting room to wait for him to be done. After about an hour it was confirmed that JR had only one coronary artery and that artery wasn't in very good shape. We were then told at some point in time we would meet with Dr. Kindel from the Transplant team.

That night a new Dr. Showed up standing in JR's doorway. He introduced himself as Dr. Kindel and asked if we knew who he was and why he was there. We both said yes you are from the Transplant team and to talk with us more about it. The next day we had a 2-hour meeting with him. He told us everything possible about Heart Transplants. Going into the meeting I did not want to be there I didn't want to talk to this Dr who says my son could die if he doesn't get a Heart.

By the end of the meeting I felt completely different. I felt this man was going to do everything possible to give our son the best chance at a normal life. The next week was filled with meetings with many people. From social work, infectious disease, pharmacy, palliative care and I'm sure I'm forgetting someone. They all were there to help us as we began this process of getting our newborn son on the Transplant list.

On Thanksgiving day 2020 we got a call from Alyssa one of the Nurses on the Transplant team she had told us that JR was officially listed as a 1a(most urgent due to needing medication to live) on the Heart Transplant list! We were so happy that he was listed but now all we could do is keep JR growing and healthy and WAIT for him to be blessed with his hero heart.