Malachi's Birth Story

Here is Malachi's Birth Story for those of you who didn't get the extended version!

My pregnancy was going really well. I was working out 5 days a week and feeling great. It actually seemed like I was feeling better than most of my other pregnant friends which I was thankful for. I was even telling my good friend who was 6 weeks ahead of me how I felt pretty great earlier in the afternoon before our hospital trip. So, it was a Wednesday night. We were at the prayer meeting at our church. Towards the end of the meeting, around 8:30pm, I started feeling a little dizzy. I thought I was just hungry as a lot of times if I don't eat pregnant or not I feel a little off. While at the prayer meeting we were reading through Acts 4 where the believers pray for boldness ad-mist persecution. We saw their utter abandonment of their lives to the will of God. I don't remember much from that night now other than looking at some of their prayer and how they addressed God as Sovereign Lord and the faith and boldness they had in praying.Chris, I remember, did pray something about praying bold prayers and knowing when we do you work and answer them but sometimes through difficult circumstances...something along those longs.I don't want to be afraid to pray big prayers because of fear that my circumstances will be 'difficult' because it is then that God is working for my good which is ultimately making me more like Christ. That is my good not ease of life. Though I confess I fear to pray things things because He is faithful and loving to change us. 

Here are some clumps of the passage I was referring to in Acts 4.

 But in order that it may spread no further among the people, let us warn them to speak no more to anyone in this name.” So they called them and charged them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John answered them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge, for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.” And when they had further threatened them, they let them go, finding no way to punish them, because of the people, for all were praising God for what had happened. 

....they lifted their voices together to God and said, “Sovereign Lord, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything in them...

...for truly in this city there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place. And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness, while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus...

So after Chris prayed that prayer, God answered! He certainly increased our faith and dependence on Him through prayer in the early birth of our son Malachi Owen Johnson. After we closed in prayer that night, my husband and I made a quick trip to Target. One of my favorite places to walk around. He is a big coupon man and he had some deals to get while we were in town and I was happy to have the chance to 'window shop'. I was still feeling dizzy and told him I'd just crab a granola bar or something at Target and I'd be fine. I did just that and felt a bit better but still just sort of off. I was trying on some maternity clothes while there and noticed my face looked flush. We finished up our shopping and I told my husband Chris, "I don't feel great I guess I'm just tired." So we made our way home and I started having pain in my stomach just under my rib cage. It didn't feel like cramping or contractions or anything else that I had ever felt before. Being my first pregnancy I knew I was worried more than your average girl. That is part of my sinful personality too, worry. Chris took my BP and it was bout 140/90. We called a friend over who is a nurse and he took it and tried to calm us, mostly me down. I laid on the couch for about and hr from 10-11pm. He, our friend, suggested I call my midwife to get her opinion. At this point I was in pain but felt like I was being a 'baby' and probably just overreacting to indigestion or gas. We called the midwife and she said it sounded like indigestion and to take a couple of tums and head to bed- if I couldn't sleep and still had pain to go to the ER. I did not think that was in my future that night. I took the tums and once I felt comfortable enough to fall asleep I went to bed for about 2 hrs. I awoke around 1:15am with terrible pain. Same place but worse now and was radiating into my right should/arm. I went to nursing school for a year and Chris just got EMT certified and we were both thinking something serious, possibly heart related at this point with the pain going down my arm. Still, I didn't want to be overreacting and rush to the hospital so I waited for Chris to offer that option out. After 'secretly' google-ing my symptoms he said, " do you want to go to the hosptial?, I think we should." I quickly replied yes, let's go. I didn't think I was in labor but just wanted to make sure the baby was OK. So we drove to the hospital. The pain continued to get more intense. I urged Chris to DRIVE FASTER on our way.

Now, there are 2 hospitals in the same town about 20/25min from our home. I wanted to go to Valley Baptist as this is where I was plannign to have the baby and I had never been there. I had this thought but never said it out loud. However, Harlingen Medical was closer, right off the high way and being a smaller hospital it seemed like the better choice as I was in so much pain. Chris suggested we go there and I didn't argue. We got in, check in and I was double over in pain. I was lying on the floor with my head over a chair. They quickly brought me back and took my vitals. My BP was now up to 150/90ish. They took me up to labor and delivery to see if I was in labor and check the baby. I was not dilating and not having contractions. The baby was fine. Good heart rate and not in any kind of distress.Chris walked into my room to see me vomiting in the trash can. He later said this was the ONE symptom I did not have in his reading of  preeclampsia in his google search. With somewhat of a medical background this was  in the back of my head to as I watched my BP continue to climb. It was now in the 160s of 100. Pain continuing to get worse. I told Chris early that night 'if it is preeclampsia they are going to have to take the baby out." I didn't believe this was going to happen I just thought I was being my worrying self and jumping to the worst possible scenario right away. 

They started running test. No swelling and no protein in my urine both symptoms of preeclampsia. My midwife had come in and told me I probably just had gas like a patient of hers with similar pain last week. She gave me some gas pills and told me to sit in the rocking chair and rock. It actually seemed to help and the pain was beginning to subside. My BP however was still going up and up. They drew some blood and the results came back irregular. My liver enzymes were elevated. They ordered an ultrasound of all my organs to see if it was my gallbladder or kidneys causing the irregular results and pain. It was now 5am. The ultrasound girl came in and everything looked fine. I was more relieved knowing it wasn't anything major and the pain was going away. I was ready to go home and call it a night. The midwife came in and said she wanted me to stay and wait for the dr in her practice to come in and check me out. They still wanted to figure out why my liver enzymes were high. We waiting a couple of hrs and they did another round of blood work. My midwife had laid out the worst case scenario for me too and said that if it was preeclampsia, they thought my BP could be high because of the pain I was in, then they would have to take the baby out. She assured me she would transfer me to the other hospital BEFORE this happened so that I could be with the baby. The hospital I was currently in did not have a NICU. I listened to her but again did not believe this was going to happen. God's grace I guess in keeping me from worrying about it all morning. 

They ordered a sono of the baby to see how he was 'in case' he had to be delivered. They said he was measuring more like 35 weeks instead of 33 and was over 5lbs. I was happy with this news with the possibility of a C-section seeming more and more in my future. Malachi would be born at 4lbs 6oz and would be his actual 33 weeks. ( I would actually be 33 weeks the next day)

The doctor finally came in and had my latest blood results.  My liver enzymes had double in toxicity. My BP was 180/110. I was going to have an Emergency C-section. My body was shutting down. I started having contractions according to the monitor and baby was moving less. There was no time to transfer me.  And the whole time I felt FINE now. Everyone around me was beginning to show fear for me. I didn't understand. They started me on Magnesium to keep me from having seizures due to high BP and to try to get the BP down a bit before surgery. After this upsetting news, which I seemed to handle well by the grace of God, I was anxious to get it down and over with quick. This would not be the case as we had to wait a few hours for the doctor to complete another C-section and for me to be stable enough for the surgery. They cathiterized me to keep me in bed. My output was not good. Kidneys were starting to shut down.  I would have the C-section and be 'stuck' in the hospital for a couple of days while by newborn fragile baby boy would be transferred to the other hospital to be cared for in the NICU. I was not happy about this and was arguing with the doctor and nurses to let me sign myself out and have my husband drive me down the road to the other hospital. They advised me I was not stable enough or they would just take me in the ambulance. I was beginning to slur my speech unknowingly. We decided to just stay. 

We recited and prayed this before the surgery. 

For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence,

for my hope is from him.

He only is my rock and my salvation,

my fortress; I shall not be shaken.

On God rests my salvation and my glory;

my mighty rock, my refuge is God.

Trust in him at all times, O people;

pour out your heart before him;

God is a refuge for us. Selah

(Psalm 62:5-8 ESV)

My worst fear was coming true. I was going to have a C-section. I never thought I'd have a premature baby so I didn't worry about that. I had switched to a midwife halfway through the pregnancy to ensure myself a natural birth. I was getting prepped for surgery. They took me in the OR. I was leaning over into a nurse's arms as they gave me the anesthesia. The thought of that huge needle going in my spine was so unsettling. I wish Chris were with me. They prepped me and then Chris was allowed in. I told him I was afraid I was going to feel the pain of them cutting me. The fact that I felt the medicine trickle down my left side more than might right and that I could still lift my right leg was not helping my irrational thinking. The anesthesiologist tested me a couple of times and I kept informing him I could still lift my right leg. I kept telling Chris, I'm going to feel this!!! I ask the nursing to test me to see if I could feel anything, they laughed and said they already had several times. I still didn't like the fact that I could lift my right leg. 

It was time to be cut. My worst fear coming true and even worse with a preterm baby whom I would not get to be with. I felt a lot of pressure and felt them inside of me pulling him out. My back came off the table. It didn't hurt but was uncomfortable and creepy. I was rejoicing as I heard my baby boy crying as he came out. From there I wouldn't remember much as I was given more meds and became pretty out of it. They gave the baby to Chris to hold for less than a minute and he brought him over to show me. Later I wouldn't be able to remember if that really happened or if I had imagined it. I was then sent to the recovery room for 1 hr by myself. Chris wasn't allowed in. After a while Chris came in and then the baby in an incubator ready to be transferred. It looked well for being so early. He was only on a nasal cannula to help him breathe. He would take a turn for the worse the next night.  I saw him for about 5 minutes and was only able to reach my hand inside and stroke his skin. They took him away and I wouldn't see him again for 2 days.

I spent the next 2 days in the hospital and he in the NICU in the other. Chris traveled back and forth between us spending the first night in his car in the parking lot. Friends took turns spending the days and nights with me.  We learned the day I was discharged that I had a severe form of preeclampsia called HELLP syndrome. 

HELLP syndrome is a life-threatening pregnancy complication usually considered to be a variant of preeclampsia.

H (hemolysis, which is the breaking down of red blood cells),

EL (elevated liver enzymes) and 
LP (low platelet count).

My friends had been telling me that I almost died. I couldn't believe them as I felt so good after the pain left and I just thought I had high BP. I learned later how serious this condition is after reading more about it online. 

I spent those two days in the hospital forcing myself to eat, walk and pee to get out ASAP to see my baby. He was born on Thursday afternoon and Friday night we got a call that he had to be intubated because he couldn't keep his oxygen levels up. I was in so much emotional distress and my BP was still high. It needed to come down before I could leave the hospital. I wanted to leave that night as I feared for my sons life and felt GUILTY for not being able to carry him full term. He was now fighting to stay alive because my body had 'rejected' him. I kept reliving my thought of going to the other hospital the night we were on our way in. If only I had said something we'd be in the same hospital and I could visit his floor. This was frustrating but I had to trust this too was all part of God's Sovereign plan for us. I could do NOTHING for my son. It felt like I was in jail those two days in that hospital room. God had to continue to grow him as he had been or the past 33 weeks inside of me. These verses were comforting to me as I was fearing for his life. Surely they were just as true even though he was no longer inside my womb but outside continuing to grown and develop.

Psalm 139

For you eformed my inward parts;

you fknitted me together in my mother's womb.

14 I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.1

gWonderful are your works;

my soul knows it very well.

15 hMy frame was not hidden from you,

when I was being made in secret,

intricately woven in ithe depths of the earth.

16 Your eyes saw my unformed substance;

in your jbook were written, every one of them,

the days that were formed for me,

when as yet there was none of them.

Malachi spent 12 days in the hospital int he NICU. Chris urged everyone to pray for him to come home for Christmas. This was not very realistic according to worldly wisdom. God answered our prayers. He came home on December 20th, 5 days sooner than we had hoped for. 

Their are previous blog posts filed under Malachi of day to day progress while he was in the NICU.