Our very own Christmas Miracle...

At 3:00am on the morning of December 23rd, I was awakened by the most intense muscle cramping in my stomach. Every few minutes I would get unbearable pains where my stomach muscles would tighten and feel as if I had a charlie horse. After a few seconds of this, the pain would release and go back to a dull aching in my abdomen. I waited a few hours to see if it would pass before we finally decided it was time to speak with the on-call Dr. to see if I could be in pre-term labor. Brian already had me out the door and into the car at this point! He was taking me to the ER and there was no talking him out of it. The on-call Dr. expressed her concerns and told us to get to the hospital just to be safe.

(Little did she know that we were already on our way!)

Once we arrived, they immediately took me to labor and delivery where they set me up to monitors to watch the baby and look for contractions. What a relief when my doctor came in and told me I was NOT having contractions and I was NOT in pre-term labor. However, my labs came back and weren't so great. My white blood cell count was elevated and I was still in a remarkable amount of pain. With these lab results they knew there was probably an infection somewhere inside of me, but we were uncertain as to what it could be. The top two guesses were appendicitis or a bladder infection. They did an ultrasound to observe my appendix and a urine test for the bladder infection.

The ultrasound was inconclusive. Because I was almost 25 weeks pregnant and all my organs had been shifted to make room for the baby growing in my ever expanding uterus, they were unable to see my appendix. The urine test came back negative for any type of infection. So, the next step was to do an MRI. This was another way to examine my appendix, ovaries, and any other organ that could be infected or causing my pain. (A CT scan would have been much more efficient, but because of the baby we couldn't risk the exposure of radiation.) Again, because of the positioning of my uterus, the results of the MRI came back inconclusive as well. Everything looked fine, but there was no guarantee and not enough to base a medical opinion on.

So, here we are eight hours later and still no answers at all. After the MRI, I was wheeled back to my room and hooked up to the baby monitors. The nurse came in to check my vitals and this time, I had a fever. They decided to order another blood test to check the white blood cell count again, which came back elevated as they were before. Shortly after getting the results of my elevated blood count, I started taking a turn for the worst. I was vomiting, having mild, irregular contractions, and presenting with a fever. The doctors knew that something was wrong and they all kept coming to the same conclusion; they felt that it was appendicitis. However, the only way to know for certain was to do emergency, experimental surgery. They would go in laparoscopically to view my appendix, ovaries and other organs and hoping that they would come across the issue. The doctors told me that this was my best option.

Brian's family came to be with us, along with my dad. It was comforting to have them there and to help us make a decision on what to do. Brian, his brother Blake, and his Stepdad Steve gave me a blessing and together as a family we said a prayer. After a couple hours of deliberating and meeting with the general surgeon, two maternal fetal medicine doctors, and my regular OB/GYN, we decided to take their advice and do the surgery. We felt that even with the risk of pre-term labor, it was the most reasonable choice. My surgeon felt very confident that he could do the surgery without causing any distress or harm to my uterus and Brody. I had faith in what he was saying and I had faith that everything would be okay. Whatever infection I had, was affecting our little boy and we needed to do something to help him and me. I felt good about this decision and knew that no matter what happened, Heavenly Father was watching over us.

I was wheeled to the main part of the hospital, prepped and in the OR within an hour after making our decision. Brian stayed by my side and held my hand until they would no longer let him. We said our goodbyes, then his family and my dad. Although I was very nervous laying alone on the operating table, I felt at peace. As they put the oxygen mask on my face and injected the anesthesia into my IV line, I closed my eyes and said one last personal prayer. I asked Heavenly Father to watch over Brian and our families, to comfort them while Brody and I were in surgery. I asked Him to guide the doctors in finding what was wrong. And, lastly, I let Him know that all my faith and will were in His hands and I wholeheartedly trusted Him, no matter what the outcome.

The surgery took 45 minutes. It wasn't too surprising when they found that my appendix was inflamed and the source of the infection. The surgeon was able to remove it safely without any complications. They made three tiny incisions on my stomach, around the uterus, and after an hour in recovery, I was back with my husband in my labor and delivery room. It took about 4 hours for me to become coherent and to realize that everything went well. During this time, I would repeatedly fall asleep, wake up, and ask what happened and if the baby was okay.

I am so grateful that we did the surgery and that they were able to catch the appendicitis early on, before it ruptured. I am even more grateful that Brody did so well through everything and that he's still healthy and on his way. What a strong little trooper he is already! Heavenly Father watched over my beautiful family throughout this awful situation. It was definitely a memorable way to start our first Christmas together, but I feel so blessed for this little Christmas miracle.

Enjoy this wonderful holiday season as we celebrate the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

I wish all of you a very merry Christmas!