The Christmas Surprise

On December 23rd 2006, My mom and I went to have my last Ultrasound done. We were pretty nervous about what we would see and it seemed to take forever for the tech to talk to us as she was taking pictures and measurements. She told us she had to step out of the room to talk to the Doctor and then instructed me into a waiting area. There were no others around and my heart was beating so fast. I felt as if I couldn't breathe. The doctor finally came after what seemed to me like a lifetime and explained that neither he or the ultrasound tech could see the baby well. They had hoped to be able to tell more about her abnormalities but I had so little amniotic fluid that it was impossible to get pictures. It was also unhealthy for the baby to be so low on amniotic fluid. I was scheduled for an appointment with an OBGYN at UAB in Birmingham on December 26th. I tried to enjoy Christmas for my son. My mom an my sister decided to be the ones to drive me to my appointment. I was a bundle of nerves. I had no idea what to expect and neither did my family. He did an ultrasound and then sat all of us down and told us that because Piper was not growing as she should be at this term and because I was low on amniotic fluid. He was arranging surgery as we spoke. You are going to have a baby today. We just need to get her out and start to evaluate her needs since they were not sure how severe they were.
My mind was racing and I knew this was it. I said a silent prayer that God would protect my baby and give me the strength I needed. I was then taken to be prepped for surgery.