Skip to main content

My little girl has arrived!

September 29, 2010 was the happiest day of my life. I went to the hospital at about 6am with an appointment to be induced. The labor and delivery floor was packed, I guess it was a popular day to have babies. I had to sit in the waiting room for about a half hour and anxiously wait for a room to be available. Once I was in a room they hooked me up to the monitors, gave me an IV, did some blood work and told me I was 4 1/2 cm dilated. I was having contractions but not strong enough so they started pitocin to get the labor going. By about noon time I was having pretty strong contractions that were getting more and more painful. My plan was to not get an epidural but by 7cm, I changed my mind. After I got it I was really happy I did and things seemed to go much quicker from then on.
Around 5:00 I was 10cm and ready to go. I started pushing and at 6:34 pm I heard the most wonderful sound I have ever heard, my little girl cry for the first time. They put her on my chest and the second I saw her I loved her more than words could ever explain. She was 8lbs 4oz of perfection. The most amazing moment of my life.
My parents were here just waiting to meet their newest grandchild and we were all very excited she was born before they had to leave.

During my pregnancy, my dystonia didn't seem to be that bad. I still had quite a few spasms but it didn't get worse until I was in labor. During labor, my right hand kept going numb and going into a spasm. I had no control over it and couldn't use it but it just came and went a few times. Once Hailey was born, it seemed to get better for the rest of the time I was in the hospital. I've been home for a week now and it seems to be happening again. Yesterday my wrist got stuck just like my left one and had to be pulled out of the spasm. I have also been getting several spasms a day in my foot and my jaw is very sore on the right side when I chew. I'm very scared about all of this because I never know when its going to happen and now I have a baby to take care of. I guess my next step is to decide whether I should take meds and get botox or breastfeed because I can't do both. I can't see a doctor until November so I'm just hoping things dont get too bad.
For now I am just going to enjoy my princess and I will update everyone soon on whats going on!

Comments

  1. I wonder what it is about being pregnant. I mean, that when I was in that state I felt a little calmer and I took care of my body, ie. ate small meals regularly. When time came to deliver, I used imagery, which I practiced for several weeks to help me through my delivery. I attribute this to my awesome experience (with the last one, that is).
    Being pregnant gives us a lot to focus on... that little life growing inside. I wonder if that somehow affected your dystonia. I am no expert, but just very interested in how this all plays out. I fully believe that our brains are the tool that makes our lives work out. I know for a fact that my brain is what makes me hear when my ears don't hear.
    I wish you luck as you do all you can to educate yourself about dystonia and find the right care. Keep writing and keep the faith!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Dystonia awareness

Some days its hard to find the words to explain what dystonia feels like. It's invisible to most people, yet it shapes every hour of my day quietly, persistently and often painfully. I don't share this because I want sympathy, I share it because awareness matters and too many people still don't know what dystonia is, let alone how much it can affect someones life. Dystonia affects my hands, feet, back and neck. My hands ache as though they've been gripping something for hours, even when they're resting. My neck strains as if theres a weight hanging from it and no amount of stretching helps. My feet cramp and curl making sonething as simple as standing still feel like a test of endurance. I've grown stronger in ways I never expected. Ive learned patience, determination and resilience. Ive learned to celebrate small victories, like waking up with a little less stiffness or being abke to open a jar of spaghetti sauce. Im sharing this because I want people to under...

update on Dystonia and Family

I have been doing as well as could be expected.  I am back in Florida so it's nice to be with Ryan.  Although I am still upset about the whole thing, I am trying hard to smile and not let it show.  The spasms have returned and have gotten worse since the DBS was removed.  When I suck on a piece of candy or ice, my throat tightens up.  It's very scary but Im hoping it won't get any worse.  My neck also twitches sometimes and my foot spasms have come back.  My hand is curled in but if I think about it, I can straighten my wrist (not my fingers).  The most upsetting part is that I was just looking at pictures of myself the day after DBS and I had a huge smile on my face because I had made it through and then a couple weeks later there was a picture of my hand open.  I had never been so excited as I was that day.  I had so much in my head that I wanted to do now that I could use my hand and most of it involved Hailey.  Hailey helped me ...

Why be normal?

For the last 17 years my hand has slowly been getting destroyed. Its been closed, open, dislocated fingers, and eventually everything about it was deformed. My first hand treatment was casting my fingers open but with dystonia this usually doesnt work. It was one of the worst pains I ever experienced and I had to go back and have the cast cut off that night. I had my first hand surgery in 2019 to "fix" some of the damage that was done from my dystonia. Little did I know that would turn into many more surgeries trying to relieve my discomfort and my anxiety of having a deformed hand. I wanted it to look normal so bad. I was so embarrased by how my fingers looked that I always had my hand in a sweatshirt pocket so I could hide it from the world. I never mind sharing my story to spread awareness but how embarrasing is it to drop groceries everytime you try to shop, or struggle to pick your toddler up. Over the last couple years I started seeing a new hand doctor that my mother...