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Dorothy Kraft's Birth

I would love to share Dorothy's story with you...

I guess background is a good place to start. My husband Glenn and I had decided to try and have children about 3 years ago. That was 1993 and we had just moved to Atlanta. I went off the pill and we used an alternate method of birth control for 3 months as suggested by my midwife Kathi.

Kathi is a wonderful midwife. She takes care of all my OB/GYN needs. Without her, I doubt if I would be able to share this story. There are some people who never bond with thier care giver and some that do... Glenn and I both bonded with Kathi, which saved us both.

After trying unsuccesfully for about 6 months to get pregnant, Kathi suggested that I start temperature tracking. After 2 months, we all concluded I was not ovulating. The MD she worked with suggested taking seraphine to induce ovulation. He started me on 50 mmg. and increased it until I was 1)ovulating and 2)producing enough progesterone to sustain a pregnancy. The final doseage was 200 mmg. YUCK! I was a beast!

But, it paid off because in September 1994. I was finally pregnant. I was not having any other symptoms besides being late. We were so happy. I was seeing Kathi every 4 weeks. I had my 16 week checkup and everything was great! We saw the baby thru our 2nd US and heard the heart beat, 158 bpm. It was a great feeling. Kathi was due to go skiing the next week and was going to have the other midwife do my 20 week visit. In the mean time, we had turned down the AFP test because we didn't trust the results.

The following week, Thursday the 12th of January, I was feeling ill while at work. My back hurt terribly and I left work at 8pm instead of 11pm when I was scheduled off. I am a restaurant manager and my co-managers were very flexible and understanding. Glenn came and picked me up as I didn't think I could drive. He put me to be and tried to have Kathi paged. He was told the Kay, the other midwife was on call. That seriously depressed me, since I didn't care for Kay. We pleaded to have Kathi called to no avail. So I drifted off to sleep. I felt much better laying down, so...

At about 4 am I thought I was peeing the bed, so I jumped up and ran to the bathroom. Glenn asked if I was OK and all I could do was cry and tell him I was sorry, but I had to change the sheets. He came to the bathroom and assured me that the sheets were bone dry. I couldn't believe it, but they were. I was petrified, but knew that what was going to be was going to be. We decided not to have Kay paged, and tried to sleep. At 7 am we got up and dressed. We were at the Dr's office at 8 when they opened. I was told that Kathi started her vacation, but the Dr. would see me NOW!!! He did a quick US and found the baby immediatly. HB was at 155. But, there was no fluid around her. Iwas gived the once over and we found that my cervix was still closed. That was the only good news we had that day.

After gaining control of my emotions (HA!) I went into talk to the Doc. He had called Kathi and told her to come to the office ASAP. I was so glad she was there, I started crying all over again. She changed her flight and wasn't leaving until she had me settled. So, off to the hospital we went. I had a very intence US and we were told the baby was a girl and that unless we could get fluid to develope, she would cease to develop. ie. she would die. That was put into the open very bluntly. I was told that the best thing I could do was be induced. I thought I was going to die with my daughter. Kathi had the sence to know I couldn't do that. She got me a room and hadfkuids started. I was on strict bed rest, and had to learn to use a bed pan. Now, I was not only terrified, but embarrased beyond belief. But I was determined to get to a point that our daughter would survive. I was given meds to get the lungs to develop and tons of IV fluid.

I was still there when Kathi came back from vacation 10 days later. I think she was just as relieved as I was. An US 4 days later, my 2nd US since my water broke, showed fluid accumulation around Dorothy. We had picked out the name in memory of my grandmother, who had died 6 years earlier. I was officially 19 weeks and 4 days. In all of our eyes, I was only 8 weeks away from being able to breath a little easier. We decided sat that point to have the AFP test to see if it revealed why this had happened.

I was discharged 3 days later, and assigned a home nurse. Now officially 20 weeks along, we started thinking of all the possibilities. The home nurse gave us all the cons for the list. But my blood preasure was down and we had fluid accumulation. Little did I know, or expect, that the worst was yet to come.

On January 30, 1995 I started having cramps about 1 hour after the home nurse left. I was petrified. I called Kathi and told her. She dropped everything and gave me my labor talk over the phone. It seemed inevitable that this was the end of Dorothys struggle. At 6 pm that night, I could feel the baby and I desperatly wanted to push. Kathi was already on her way to the hospital and off we went. Luckily we lived only 15 minuted away (in heavy traffic) Once at the hospital, the staff doctor was trying to get me to relax. She told me that it was time and I couldn't wait.

I crossed my legs and told her I was waiting for my midwife. Just then kathi came in and took control. At 7:10 pm Dorothy Anne Kraft was born. She was and in my eyes is still beautiful. I didn't have any medication until after the delivery and Dorothy had left us. We held her and cried for the hour she fought for life. It was the most precious moment in my whole life. I have Kathi to thank for that, as she talked me into holding her. After Dorothy had died, Kathi took her away from me and Glenn. She told me that I had to deliver the placenta. It was then that the Dr.form Kathi's practice came in. He had scrubbed and opened an operating room. He was going to do a D&C and get this over with. He sat on the edge of the bed and pushed on my uterus. He was greated with a firm kick to an area he most likely didn't think would get kicked. Kathi told me to keep pushing, so I did. I delivered the placenta on my own.

Kathi and I cried about Dorothy while Glenn went and held her again. It was hard to believe that you could get so attached to someone that you have never met, but we did.

1 week later we were informed that the AFP results showed huge abnormalities, as the autopsy also revealed. God made sure that she wouldn't suffer by taking her before she could.

We since followed Kathi to her new practice. I again went on fertility drugs and I am now pregnant. As of today, March 27, 1996 I am 13 weeks and 6 days. My nightmare is still running at full speed and will until this baby is born. I welcome any comments to Dorothys story. I would like to know that this story has helped someone. I hope that I never have to write a sequel that isn't happy.

Mom