I found out I was pregnant in August of 2016 and almost immediately after I found out I started getting sick. Not just nauseous, but violently ill. I was throwing up 20-30 times a day and was unable to keep anything in my system. But being a first time mom and also not wanting to tell anyone about my pregnancy so soon (which meant not asking anyone questions) I thought "well, I guess this is just what morning sickness is." I ended up in the ER at some point before my first Dr appointment where I was given IV hydration and a dose of the all magical Zofran. I made Dustin get me a hot dog when we left the ER and it was the most magical thing I had ever tasted. I felt amazing for the next 2 days, and then spiraled back down to the depths of puking hell. I had my first Dr appointment shortly thereafter and I was describing my symptoms to my Dr and he said "there is no way you are vomiting that much. You would be in the hospital if you were." Oh, my bad..guess I just miscounted how many hours a day I'm spending with my head in the toilet. I'll try to do better. *eye roll*
I was prescribed promethazine and told it would go away by 12 weeks. We announced our pregnancy, and I held out hope that the sickness would dissipate and things would go back to normal.
12 weeks came and went with 2 or 3 more ER visits in between. Honestly, this part of my pregnancy is a little hazy because I was too sick to remember specifics...but I was in and out of the ER, my Dr's office and outpatient infusion center multiple times a week. No matter how many times I went in for fluids and IV zofran, no matter how many medications I took at home, and no matter how many saltine crackers I ate, I just kept puking. The Dr's continued to tell me it would go away; if not at 12 weeks, then for sure 16 weeks. I finally saw a Dr who called this was it was - Hyperemesis Gravidarum - and didn't just keep telling me I had a bad case of morning sickness. She ordered a PICC line to be placed in my arm and by mid November I had a continuous pump of Zofran hooked up to me and was able to give myself bags of D5LR from the comfort of my living room.

Even with the continuous drip of Zofran, taking Reglan, Compazine, and Protonix orally, and giving myself regular fluids, I was still sick. Granted, not as sick; but keeping food down was still a daily struggle. Not to mention the problems the PICC line ended up causing. I developed an adhesive allergy, had to get the thing SEWN into my arm, had an infection scare, and was constantly getting tangled in the tubing at night. I had to take 4 months off of work because I was too sick/weak to leave the couch most days. I developed a very serious online shopping addiction during this period. (LOL) But life pretty much sucked. It sucked for me and it sucked for Dustin having to watch me be so sick. So the closer I got to my due date, the more anxious to get the baby out of me I became.

At 33 weeks we had a scare and I was told that Kenneth had stopped growing. The Dr said she was measuring 3 weeks behind and sent me to an MFM high risk Dr. So that just added one more stressor into an already very stressful situation. *spoiler alert - she came out fine* Fast forward to 36 weeks where I begged my Dr through a stream of snot and tears to induce me because I didn't think I could survive another moment of being pregnant. She was sympathetic, but alas, I had to keep the baby in me. At 37 weeks I ended up in L&D with upper abdominal pain and tried to bribe the general surgeon to get the baby out of me. Yet another failed attempt on my part. (FYI - while I did want the baby out, I knew she had to stay in as long as possible) I ended up being induced at 39 weeks for *supposed* IUGR...and here is where that story begins...

I arrived at the hospital on Thursday night around 11:00pm ready to be induced. I was given cervadil around 1am, a benadryl to help me sleep, and then I tossed and turned in an uncomfortable hospital bed most of the night. The Dr had told me that this could be a 2 day process, so I prepared myself for a long stay. Around 8am is I really started to feel my contractions; they weren't painful, but they were annoying and definitely happening. Kenneth's heart rate dipped in these early stages so I had to spend most of my time in bed hooked up to the machines that monitored her. As my contractions got stronger, I became less sure of not getting that epidural. I mean, that shit hurts! I was also puking through a lot of my contractions which was also very unpleasant. I tried laboring in the tub for a while, but then overheated myself and almost passed out Oops. But it made for a beautiful picture.

After getting out of the tub I told my nurse I wanted an epidural. She then suggested bouncing on a ball instead. I said hell no, numb me up. I ended up getting a different nurse who got me the epidural ASAP. I was 5 cm dilated at this point. And let me tell you, that was the most euphoric feeling I'd had in a while. I took a short nap and woke up to an intense pressure. So I called the nurse and informed me that I was 9.5cm dilated and things were about to get real. I feel like at this point fight or flight kicked in and although I wanted that baby out of me, I also wanted to run the hell away. But alas, my legs were numb so running wasn't really an option. Anyways, 20 minutes of pushing later and I was welcoming my baby girl into the world. It was the most amazing yet surreal experience of my life thus far. Kenneth Josephine came out absolutely perfect on 04/14/2017 at 6:34pm.

She weighed 6lb 2oz and was 19in long. Immediately after my nausea and vomiting stopped completely. I think one of the first things I said was "I don't feel sick anymore!" The relief I felt from that alone is indescribable. I drank for the first time without fear in 9 months and it was fantastic. We called the grandparents and they all came to meet their first grandchild, and after that I was wheeled up to recovery. I promptly placed a GrubHub order because I was so excited to eat. My first meal was mediocre, lukewarm fettuccine alfredo; but the way I ate it you would've thought I had ordered a French delicacy. I got my PICC line pulled out the next day and that officially ended my Hyperemesis journey. I cried out of sheer joy. Even though nothing in my pregnancy went as planned and I hated everyone who told me "but it will be worth it" while I was going through it, it really was worth it. I will have to think long and hard about if I ever want to risk going through it again, but thankfully that's not something I have to worry about if I don't want to. I am incredibly thankful I have such a supportive fiance, family and friends; I would not have made it if it weren't for them. DorrisWedding items to wear if the wedding ceremony hold in the beach