about a buntis....

Greetings! Just above is my continuity (my last one until long after Promise Grace is here!). Karrel became my patient after I pestered her one too many times to get a urine analysis and go the doctor for medication for her awful urinary tract infection. She was not originally my continuity, but she seemed to end up with me almost every Friday....much to her dismay perhaps as I was VERY tough on her. 

When I first started her prenatals, her anemia was so bad that Mercy Clinic would have had to transport her if she went into labor! Her UTI was so severe that no water therapy seemed to help. She struggled to drink more than 3 glasses of water a day and seldom ate breakfast before prenatal exams and some of these women wait for two hours or more to see a midwife!!! Her baby wasn't growing much, either. 

Needless to say, I was breathing down her neck to whip her into healthy shape before her punkin arrived...we argued about nutrition, what iron or multivitamin supplement to take, when to get her urine tested....it seemed like all our prenatals were a fight...a good-natured one, though. She was a good sport and would smile her beautiful smile as she told me for the 4th week in a row that, "no, she didn't get her urine tested....and no, she didn't take her iron supplement". 

That is until she got fed up with my bugging her....I gave her a bottle of my iron supplements because my iron levels have been testing high (Praise God!) so that she could no longer use money shortage as an excuse not to take them, I gave her an egg at every prenatal visit to make sure she'd eaten and a BIG glass of water, too. Her baby felt small....

But by early July, her hematocrit SHOT up passed the dangerous anemic stage (YEAH!) and her baby grew so much her belly actually looked pregnant at 37 weeks! Ha ha ha! The only thing left was the doctor visit.....and she went! Got meds! Took ALL the meds! And was no longer having anymore pain. YEAH! AND then....she passed her due date...we waited and waited....we were going to have to stimulate labor with evening primrose oil if she didn't deliver by today (Friday). BUT GOD!!

So I was getting ready to go to Primary Health Care class on Thursday when I got a text from the birth room saying, "continuity in labor". ACK! Fantastic, but I had no idea how far along she was. So I raced to the birth room in my street clothes to find Karrel ALREADY pushing! FANTASTIC! So I quickly changed into scrubs and 20 minutes later, Karrel's baby girl came without any problems!! YEAH, JESUS! Healthy and FAT, her little one was quite vocal with the situation at hand and immediately breastfed! Good baby.

Karrel, despite borderline anemia, did not hemorrhage too bad. She did get pretty dizzy in the bathroom and had to lay down in there while I inserted an IV, but other than that, she did wonderfully and was so healthy for the birth of her baby. When all vital signs were taken and both mom and baby were examined, Karrel ate healthy foods and rested without any issues! Thank you, Jesus! 

To me, Karrel's life and her baby are a success story of God's grace and the benefit of working hard and applying discipline when you really don't want to. She is an inspiration! To think that just a month ago, she would have to been transported to DMC to have her baby because she was severely anemic and had an infection.....but she worked hard to get healthy for her baby...and as a result, in such a short time, she didn't tear with the passage of the baby, she didn't have to be transported, and her baby girl is so healthy! YIPPEEE!

So that's the story...my last delivery for a long time....for now, I am strictly on prenatal exams, well-woman exams and inital prenatals....the birth room has caused me to have too many symptoms of pre-term labor! We've only got 3 1/2 more weeks until Promise is allowed to come! Tim is getting really nervous at THAT thought! :) But we don't want her coming any sooner than that, so birth room duty is out. But I am sure staying busy with classes, assignments, and clinic! Whooopeee! 

Tim and I are having some adventures here and there, too, in between the work and business...just the other day, we nearly had to suture an area of our bunny never seen before!! Having two male bunnies has led to some serious and dangerous bunny fights usually ending up with spattered blood and an angry bunny...BUT, they are both still alive. The story is morbid, so if you wanna know the "rest of the story", you'll have to e-mail us. :)

Feeling BIG and somewhat weak as we enter into the 34th week of pregnancy....nervous and feeling a little lonely...dehydration is constant battle as I sweat through most days....frustrated at times as I doubt my own abilities, but I am constantly reminded that His grace is sufficient and His strength is made perfect in my weakness. My midwife, Lois, is a really awesome support in reminding me of those things when contractions get really strong, when the constipation is just awful or when my herniated disc slips and causes me to keel over in pain....this too shall pass....

Thank you again for all your prayers and encouragements! Please keep commenting so we know you're reading! Otherwise we get lonely! Be blessed!