Once Upon A Beast

Our life used to be normal.  Heck, our life used to be somewhat easy.   We had a little girl and a little boy.   According to my husband, we were done.  I had a nagging feeling inside that maybe I wasn't "done" and after having had Jackson in March of '07, I chickened out of getting something permanent done.   That single decision right there changed our lives forever.  

Fast forward to the summer of '09.  In May, I went to Las Vegas with some friends and went on a four day bender.  One weekend I went to a friend's house and when I got home, I threw up.   Now when I throw up, it usually only means one thing, that I was pregnant.   That just could not be possible since I was using the NuvaRing.   Yeah maybe I wanted one more but not right now, I was thinking more like when Jackson was 4, not 2.

I decided to go out and buy a test and take it.   I swear to you that before I even soaked liquid onto that stick, there was a flaming bright red line showing that I was pregnant.   Instantly I started screaming a naughty word and threw the pregnancy test across the bathroom hitting the wall with it.   I could not believe what I was about to have to go through.   Trevor came into the bathroom and just calmly said "I guess I don't have to ask what the result was right?".  

Yes a baby is a blessing and especially since I was diagnosed with stage 2/3 endometroisis before having Olivia.  I also suffered a horrible loss in 2003 when we lost our baby girl in the second triamester.   But, I have terrible pregnancies.  I get what is called hyperemisis.   That basically means that I get EXTREME morning sickness.   The kind of morning sickness that puts me in the hospital on IV fluids and I am unable to eat or drink for days.   On an average day for me I throw up about 10-20 times while pregnant.  It's not fun and I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy.  With Jackson, I was in the hospital on 2 bags of IV Fluids every two days for the entire 9 months.  I knew what was coming and I was in full panic mode because not only did I have two other children to care for but a very stressful job. 

The Beast turned out to be a major pain in the butt from inside the womb.  I had multiple subchoronic hemorrages as well as the hyperemis for the entire time of the pregnancy.  I was on bedrest a few times and that was horrible.   We made it 30 weeks and I was set to go on vacation for Christmas.  I tied up loose ends at work (I was a foreclosure counselor) and went into the dr that morning for an appt to be checked to make sure I was ok to travel the 10 hours home to Michigan.    The dr checked me and I was fine but since I delivered the first baby early and Olivia came 4 weeks early, he sent me with a copy of my records just in case.   We were set to leave at 5am the next morning, two days before Christmas.   At 1am I rolled over in bed and was instantly soaked with liquid.   I thought to myself "Did I really just pee my pants?"  I called the hospital and they told me to come in to get the fluid tested and as soon as I sat on the table my water broke completely.   I was 31 weeks along, this cannot be happening.   Plus, we lived in a tiny town in the middle of nowhere at the time that was not set up for premature labors or babies needing the NICU.  My dr came in and said "You know I have to send you away right?".  The closest hospital was in Grand Forks, North Dakota which was 2 hours away  but they couldn't take me.  The next closest hospital was Fargo, North Dakota and so I was bundled up like a mummy and sent on my way via plane. 

I was a little skeptical about where I was being taken because when we entered the hospital, the admissions people asked who the patient was.  Really?   You don't think the person on the gurney surrounded by nurses and wrapped up like a mummy attached to wires and monitors could possibly be the patient?   Then, she asked if my OB Nurse was my mother......I have to admit, I was a little afraid.  LOL  

I was checked in, examined, ultrasounded and we then found out that I was to stay there until the Beast decided to arrive.   Keep in mind, I still had 9 weeks to go and I was four hours away from my family....did I mention it was Christmas?   They weren't going to stop labor if it started but they were going to do their very best to prevent it.   I am not the type of person who likes to sit still, bedrest is pure torture for me but there I was in the hospital on bedrest.  We were having a terrible snowstorm so I sent Trevor home to be with the kids over Christmas.  

I spent almost three weeks in that hospital getting to get up to shower and go to the bathroom.  A few really kind nurses would take me for a wheelchair ride once a day if they had time.   I realized that if the baby came out, he would more than likely need a feeding tube and respirator but I didn't care, I wanted him out and I wanted out of that place.   I was so miserable, it was then I came up with Noah's first nickname "Lucifer".   I begged Lucifer to come out everyday and googled ways to induce labor.   I tried everything I could and even tried to order Castor Oil on my lunch tray.  (Let me tell you that did not go over well with the dietician...lol.  She had to come up and have a talk with me)   I finally had a breakdown one day and told the nurse on duty that I was going to cut this baby out with my butter knife from lunch.   The next day the on call dr came in and spoke to me.  Up until that point, no dr would examine me or do more than ask how I was feeling because of the risk of infection.   I had lost all of my amniotic fluid and everything that would remake would come right out.  That wonderful dr examined me and I was induced that day, almost 7 weeks early.  

I had been dead set on having a VBAC (Vaginal Birth After C-Section).  My C-Section with Jackson was less than enjoyable and I was terrified of having another.   But, even that didn't work out for me.  With every single contraction, the baby's heart rate would drop lower and lower.   They finally decided to take me in for a C-Section but we were waiting for Trevor to get there, he had to drive the 4 hours to get there.   He made it there just as they couldn't wait any longer and were wheeling me out of the room.  Noah Andrew LaJoye aka Lucifer aka The Beast was born on January 5, 2010 at 1:51pm weighing in at 5 pounds, 14 ounces and 18 inches long.   He came out screaming bloody murder and moving all around and hasn't stopped a day since.

I have provided this little back story for those of you who feel sorry for Noah and the fact that we refer to him as "The Beast".   As you will learn, he is well deserving of his nickname and has been from the very begining.   Plus, it could be worse, I started out calling him Lucifer.