Hey, it’ me, Amanda. I am glad you’re here, thanks for reading:
My Story:
I have always loved photography. My mom was a wedding photographer, so my journey started as a child assisting her and learning the ropes. I went onto school to be a high school math teacher and worked in the school system for a few years while I obtained my Masters in Administration. I always kept pursuing photography part time and for friends until…
I got pregnant with my daughter. Everything seemed to be normal, I was happy, healthy and other than a little morning sickness the first trimester, I felt great! Fast forward. School let out for what would be my last year teaching before becoming a stay at home mom. That weekend I had my baby shower and I had a blast being celebrated by family and friends who loved this sweet princess already. That night I was 33 weeks and 5 days gestation. It was a long day. That night after the baby shower my Husband met me at my parents’ house and we played cards (we love cards). I started to feel pain in my belly and back. I couldn’t even sit it hurt so badly. I remember my mom saying go on all fours and gave me a massage to release the stress or pressure. It wasn’t really subsiding. She said go take a warm bath and try to relax, so I did. After the bath I felt fine. No pain and it all went away, but my heart was racing and I was sure something was wrong.
**warning: graphic story to follow: do not continue reading if you are sensitive to hard pregnancy stories***
The Nightmare begins:
I got home and tried to catch some sleep. At 2:00 am I woke up feeling wet. I thought, maybe my water broke… (first pregnancy, no clue..) Well, it was blood. Yup, my heart dropped. I screamed and probably woke up the entire neighborhood. My husband and I instantly in tears. (did we loose her?) We didn’t want to think the worst but couldn’t help but to conclude it from the amount of blood everywhere. We got up and our adrenaline was pumping so hard we were probably awake and out of the house in seconds. But where to? Our hospital tour was scheduled for that weekend. I got on the phone with my OBGYN office right away. The doctor on call kept me calm (if that is even possible in this situation) and told me to get to labor and delivery right away.
My husband dropped me off at the ER wing because we assumed they would take me right to labor and delivery because we didn’t know where to go. We were wrong. They told me because I came in the ER, they wanted me to be treated as a ER patient and wait.. My thoughts **UM WHATTT??!!! Hiii, do you remember me.. I’m the one who just ran in here screaming that I may have lost my baby and am BLEEDING*** I was hysterical.. probably like something you see in a movie. My husband was running in after he parked the car, the time he was gone felt like a lifetime for both of us. The ER was terrible and told me they couldn’t help me to labor and delivery but couldn’t stop me from walking out and going there… Um, okay.. THANKS… now to find L&D. I saw a security guard who I asked to walk me over and he did, thank GOD.
The second I got to Labor and Delivery they were amazing. Immediately hooked me up to the NST and found my baby girls heartbeat… you guys… I’m crying. She’s alive. The next 5 days were a whirl wind. I was given a couple rounds of steroid shots to develop her lungs to give her a better chance when she comes. I get transferred to the delivery room, I meet with the doctor, NICU doctor, and I’m sure a bunch of other nurses and wonderful people I can’t remember. I was given magnesium (I think that’s what it was) It was supposed to slow the labor and it made me feel sick and foggy headed.
The nurse told me I was in labor and would not leave there without having my baby. I was excited and panicked at the same time. They did an amazing job making me feel comfortable and monitoring me and the baby. A few days pass and the doctor came in every day to check and talk with me. One of those days he says that the labor has stopped, and the bleeding has stopped, and they are going to keep me for one or two more days and then I can go home. GO HOME? Still pregnant? My mind is spinning. I can’t go home. What if I lose her. What if next time I’m not so lucky. Please just take her out. He assures me, everything is looking good and she’ll be better off cooking in there then out in the NICU. Two days later I go home on strict bed rest. My parents and husband took shifts “watching me”. Guys we were all so scared. I am so thankful for them.
The Story Continues:
But this is not where the nightmare would end: I had to go in 3 times weekly for ultrasounds and 1 of those times weekly was also a NST. The first ultrasound she failed her practice breathing so they sent me to the hospital to get checked. She passed in the hospital. The second ultrasound that week she failed her practice breathing and her MOVEMENT.. You guys.. she’s not moving, I’m in tears. So scared to lose her. They send me to the hospital for a check. She fails her NST, they call the doctor to get me ready to deliver and then they give her a few more minutes and zap my belly with this vibration thing to “wake her up” and she passes so I get sent home. I am desperate. Please lord, let her be okay. At my next appointment I am BEGGING the doctor to induce me. I am so scared to lose her and trust that at almost 36.5 weeks she will survive on the outside. He declines. Rinse and repeat more failed ultra sounds and more hospital visits. Followed by a million more nightly hospital visits because my blood pressure is through the roof and I’m a head case.
The Best Day of my Life:
Eventually, 38 weeks Doctor agrees to induce me. High blood pressure and its time. I delivered a healthy baby girl and you bet I pushed her out as fast as I could. I cry enough tears to fill a cup. I am so happy. She is here, she is healthy, she is mine. I am in love. The next 4 months were filled with colicky tears, reflux and sleepless nights but she is here, and that is all that mattered.
This is why I love what I do. I get to hear stories of pregnancy, delivery, motherhood and be a support, all while capturing the most precious moments and documenting their journey and every detail along the way.
So, while I hope for a better story for each and every other mom on this planet. This is my story. And to say it made me view life different in every single way is an understatement. I am so blessed it has led me here to document life’s most precious gifts.
