Justin's Birth Story

Justin Robert Plewe....You can call him Justin or JR. We liked the name Justin and then Robert is after my Mom's Dad, Grandpa Bob, who I was very close to and just passed away a couple weeks ago. Justin was 8lbs, 20" and was born on 3/22 at 2:26 a.m. in an emergency c-section.

It was pretty much a miracle how the events all lined up for his delivery. I was 38 weeks, and we went to the hospital on Sunday around 4 p.m. because I wasn't feeling good and wasn't feeling him move as much as usual. They hooked me up to the monitors, etc. and everything looked pretty normal except that his heart rate was staying really steady rather than jumping up and down like it is supposed when they're in utero. So- they did an ultrasound, everything looked normal, but I still wasn't feeling strong movements from him which was VERY unusual. I was also have contractions every couple of minutes but not really feeling those either.

At any rate, my OB just didn't feel comfortable sending us home even though things looked fine. She even stayed on call to make the decisions with us because she was feeling unsettled about everything and didn't want to just turn it over to the Dr. that was supposed to be covering for her that night. Well, around 1:30 a.m. I woke up to what I thought was my water breaking, but it was actually SEVERE bleeding. They rushed me into the OR (which was luckily just down the hall) and it was honestly like an episode from ER complete with the Dr. asking me all the allergy questions, consent stuff, etc. as they rushed me down the hall.

It was obviously very scary, and to make it worse, Ryan wasn't allowed to come in because it was such an emergency that they stop the bleeding and get the baby out. Despite the amount of blood I was losing, my blood pressure stayed stable, as did the baby's, so they were able to do a regular epidural rather than putting me completely under. Ryan came in just before the baby was delivered, and we got to see Justin for about 10 seconds before they whisked him away to the NICU because he had swallowed a lot of blood. (turns out, in the ultrasound the "debris" the radiologist saw was blood) Ryan left to go to the NICU, and I then went into shock due to the blood loss. That was really scary for me, but they got that under control by putting tons of warm blankets on me and around my head, and then I headed to the recovery room. The Dr.'s and nurses were AMAZING! I have so much respect for them and what they do.

So what happened? I had what's called placental abruption where the placenta tears away from the uterus. I didn't have any of the normal signs of it such as severe abdominal cramping, slight bleeding, major contractions, fetal distress. So, somehow the placenta tore in many places except around the umbilical cord, which is why Justin was never in distress. Truly a miracle. His "distress" was his lessened movement, that only I could have been aware of. The Dr. told us that had I not really known my baby and had we not already been in the hospital and hooked up to an IV and the monitors, it could have be catastrophic for both me and Justin.

There were many more miracles involved in the whole story. We feel very fortunate and know that I had angels around me....including my Grandpa Bob, and my Dad had a strong impressions that Dora, his mother who passed away when I was 2, was also there. As they lifted me from my bed to the operating table, and I was looking up at those big round lights, and feeling so alone and so scared, I said a simple prayer to my Father in Heaven to please help me to stay calm and to watch over me and my little unborn baby. Following that prayer, I had one of the most spiritual experiences of my whole life. I honestly felt a physical change come over me as I said, "Amen." A peace and a calmness literally came over me as if someone had wrapped me up in warm, cozy comforter, and I knew that everything was going to be okay. Ryan had a similar experience as he knelt down in prayer right after they rushed me out of the room. We are so grateful for our faith. For the knowledge of a loving Father in Heaven who is always there for us and who can offer comfort and peace when nothing else can.

Around 6 a.m., they wheeling my whole bed into the NICU, and I was able to see my little baby and put my hands through the incubator to touch his perfect little feet and head. They were able to get all the blood out of his stomach, luckily none had gone into his lungs (another miracle), and they were monitoring him for the rest of the day. I then went back to labor and delivery to be monitored for a few more hours. Around 11:30, they put me in a wheel chair and on the way to postpardum, we stopped by the NICU and I got to hold him for the first time.


What a magical moment that was. I headed to my new room and Justin joined us around 5 p.m. that evening. We staying in the hospital until Friday afternoon, and honestly loved every minute. The nurses were great, the nursery was great, the food was really good, and the lactation specialists were very helpful. Santa Monica UCLA Hospital gets 10 stars from me!





So- we're home now, (I'll do a separate post about that later) and everyone is healthy and doing great. Ryan's Mom is here to help out for a little bit while I recover. My Mom was going to come, but then got sick with bronchitis. :-(

Justin is a great eater and sleeper and loves to just hang out if he has been fed and has a clean diaper. He rarely cries, and loves bath time. Ryan and I are still adjusting to the fact that we are parents but are loving every minute.

So...that's how the life of Justin Robert Plewe begins! LOTS more to come!