My Bumpy Pregnancy Journey

In January of 2023, I received the news that I was pregnant. At that time, I was still pursuing my college education, and learning that I was pregnant brought about mixed feelings of fear and excitement. Though thrilled about becoming a mother, I was also anxious about the journey ahead. Every night, I would pray for the safety of both my unborn child and myself. Despite the excitement, I couldn’t shake off the feeling that something was amiss, which only added to my worries. However, I kept praying and being optimistic.

As I look back on the early stages of my pregnancy, I am reminded of how surprised I was to find out that I had no symptoms whatsoever. Although it may sound crazy, I had no idea that I was expecting until I took a positive pregnancy test. At that time, my now-husband Shelton had just started his police academy training a few weeks before, which made things even more challenging. We could only meet on weekends, but he made sure to make up for lost time by being there for me whenever I needed him. I was grateful for this because being pregnant at that age was a strange and confusing experience.

Meanwhile, I continued my routine of staying at the college dorm and attending classes regularly. It was a challenging time because I was trying to juggle the demands of college while also coming to terms with my pregnancy. However, Shelton’s constant support and encouragement made it easier for me to manage everything. Even though he was going through one of the most challenging experiences of his life, he never missed a single appointment and was always by my side.

We had our first appointment at nine weeks and were over the moon! We could not wait to hear our baby’s heartbeat for the first time and to see our little bean on the ultrasound machine. The moment I listened to her heartbeat for the first time, I knew my life would never be the same. It was the most beautiful sound I had ever heard, and I knew then that I loved her more than anything! After the ultrasound, we met with the ob-gyn. We had the prenatal blood work done to see her gender and if she had any genetic abnormalities. From that moment on, our lives were forever changed, and we were excited to start planning for our new arrival.

The results were back about three weeks after we had the testing done. We had a family friend look at the results because we did not want to spoil the gender. At the time, I was working at the local Boys and Girls Club after my classes. At work that day, our friend texted me out of the blue. I read the text message, and my heart dropped.

“Have you heard anything from the Doctors office?”

I immediately began to freak out. I then asked our friend to send me the test results. Those results shattered my world. I read the words across my phone screen. HIGH RISK for 22q11.2 deletion syndrome. I immediately began to break down. I also Googled what this syndrome was. DON’T do that!! It showed me the worst possible cases of the syndrome. I left work and anxiously awaited the phone call from my doctor. I remember my roommate and best friend coming back to the dorm from work, and she prayed with me and comforted me. I remember hitting my knees on the bathroom floor and just praying that she didn’t have it. I prayed that God would protect her and that HIS will be done, not mine.

Eventually, the doctor called me. She explained to me what the results meant. Also, she noted that she always opted out of this particular test because it was inaccurate. Side note! It’s fantastic to look and see why God allowed this to happen. If we hadn’t had this test done, we would have never seen a specialist and never known she was at risk for this syndrome. She would have gone home after birth and died. God is good even when we can’t see why things are happening now! Back to the story, she then asked me if I wanted to terminate the pregnancy. I was so shocked at that question. I could not imagine terminating the pregnancy. My baby, at the least, deserved a fighting chance to show us she could survive.

The hardest part came next, telling Shelton about the results. He was not allowed to have his phone during the day at the police academy, and we were only allowed a one-hour phone call at night. So, I had to break the news to him that night. Like me, he was distraught. Although we were upset, there was nothing we could do, so we moved forward.

Things settled down and became normal. The day of Shelton’s police academy graduation came, and I was ecstatic! I could literally feel the excitement in the air. I was so excited to watch him walk across that stage! He had worked so hard and finally accomplished his dream. I, of course, cried like a little baby when I got to pin his police badge on him. After his graduation, our families and friends would eat, celebrate, and then go to my house for our gender reveal. On the way to the restaurant, Shelton did not turn in the parking lot. He then turned into the park, where we went on our first date. We got out and started walking around the park. I could see our families standing in the distance at the restaurant. We then walked up to the Gazebo at the park, and I saw a sign that read, “Will you Marry Me?” I bawled like a baby again. That was the easiest yes I have ever said. We then went and ate with our families and celebrated.

After that, we headed back to my house for the gender reveal. I was so excited to see what our baby would be. I felt in my mama gut that they would be a boy. Boy, was I wrong (No pun intended!) As we pulled the confetti canons, I saw PINK. I was beyond excited to see my husband be a girl dad. He was literally made to be the best girl dad this world has ever seen. After everyone had left, Shelton and I talked, and her name randomly hit me, Paisley Lynn. I didn’t know then how much joy that sweet little name would bring me!

We eventually had appointments with high-risk doctors. I was so scared for our first High-Risk appointment. I had no idea what they were going to find that day. We walked into the hospital and went back to the ultrasound room. The doctor then came in and began to sonogram my belly. Everything on the list was checked off. No cleft lip. No kidney problems. Growth and head circumference were suitable. He then paused at the heart.

“hmm.”

That’s all I heard him say. I am a worry wart. So, as soon as I heard him say that and linger over Paisley’s heart, I began to panic internally. After his pause, he said that he could see a slight heart defect. I began to panic even more! Sliight? How could any heart defect be slight? He said that it looked to be a small VSD. He said there was nothing to worry about. Subsequently, he made an appointment with Fetal Echo for us. He also reassured us that our baby did not have DiGeorge Syndrome.

As we made it to the car, I began to break down. I automatically started praying. Why God? Why was this happening to me? I didn’t know why everything was happening at the time, but looking back now, I can start to see why. Everything God does has a purpose. He doesn’t allow us to go through hard times just for fun. Without that happening, I wouldn’t be writing this now.

Months passed, and we saw all the specialists. Every doctor that we had reassured me that the test was inaccurate and that she did not have DiGeorge Syndrome. So, my worries were alleviated. After a family cookout at 32 weeks, I lay in bed that night cramping. I thought that was odd but shrugged it off as pregnancy pains and took some Tylenol. That did not work. The pain began to get much worse, so we went to the women’s hospital. There, they checked my cervix and told me that I was three centimeters dilated. My doctor then came in and told me I was going to be admitted to try and stop the contractions. Upon admission, I was immediately started on the magnesium drip. If you have had experience with this medicine, you know it makes you feel dreadful. Eventually, my contractions stopped, and we were headed back home.

When we made it home, I was on strict bed rest. This was literally awful. We moved into our house, and I still had much to unpack, clean, and decorate. We also still had the nursery to set up. I made the best of it and camped out on the couch, watching movies and doing homework. However, this did not last long. At 34 weeks, we were headed straight back to the women’s hospital. It was the same spill again, except this time, I was five centimeters dialed. They again got my contractions to subside, and we went back home. I also had a great baby shower bed rest addition!

Finally, after 36 weeks, it was time for the grand finale! The entire day before, I had wanted to sleep extra. Which was very odd for me because I’m not a napper. That night, I could not go to sleep! I tossed and turned for the longest time. Then it hit me. At 1 a.m. that morning, I felt a huge gush. My water had broken. I called my husband, who was working then, and he rushed home, and we were on the road.

We arrived at the hospital at 2 a.m. My contractions were in full swing, and I had amniotic fluid leaking EVERYWHERE. RIP my poor care seats. We made it back to the emergency part, and I was in so much pain I could not stay still. They got my IV started and brought me back to labor and delivery. I had a strong feeling of doom as I went back. I looked down at my phone and saw the verse of the day, Isaiah 41:13. After looking at that verse, I knew God was with me and would be okay.

By the time I had gotten back to the LD room, my nurse had checked me, and I was fully effaced, and ten centimeters dialed. It was time to push! But wait, I had no epidural. They must have been crazy if they thought I could endure that much pain! Thankfully, anesthesia started my epidural, and I laid down to push. The entire lower half of my body was numb, so when I began to push, I was using the wrong muscles. I was actually moving my legs out and kicking the poor nurse and my husband. I eventually got the swing of things, and she was closer to coming out. Then, I started throwing up my chicken pot pie from the previous night! Thankfully, my mom could dodge the carrot chunks, but my husband was not lucky. After an hour of pushing, the moment finally came.

“She is bald!” I heard my husband shout.

Her head had finally come into view, and my sweet girl was as bald as Mr. Clean! The moment came, and she was out of me. Looking back, it was the most surreal experience of my life. But at the time, I had no idea what to feel. I only had peace. I saw my little purple baby for the first time and held her in my arms. My world was complete!

My pregnancy journey definitely had its ups and downs. But I know God was holding my hand and guiding me through it. Looking back now, I am thankful for everything God brought me through because, without it, I would not be able to share my experience with you all! When I am having a difficult time, I sometimes look back and realize how hard my pregnancy was, but the most beautiful thing came from it. The thing I love most. My entire world! My beautiful Paisley Lynn!