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The Gamble |
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During one of the many times that I got frustrated and moved out and began filing for a divorce, something unexpected happened. In a last ditch effort to try to save our marriage, my parents sent us on a gambling trip to Northern Mississippi. Upon return, I finished packing my things and moved out. However, fate had yet another twist in store for me. As luck would have it, the day I was to sign the divorce papers two lines appeared on my home pregnancy test. (And, in the state of Mississippi, you cannot get a divorce if you're pregnant).
I was distraught. I had debated ignoring the test and signing the papers anyway...not telling my husband or anyone else, changing my name, and raising my son myself. Then, things took a tragic turn. After nearly collapsing after a clinical session at the hospital, I went to doctor only to find that my pregnancy was not normal.
To make a long story a little less long, I went under the knife that day to remove an 8 cm cyst from my right ovary. The doctor made the judgement call that the baby was going to be abnormal, so without my consent he preformed an abortion.
But, my miracle baby managed to survive the surgery, the anesthesia, and the abortion. With the trauma that resulted from the surgery, he also managed to survive three threatened miscarriages, a car wreck, leaking amniotic fluid, and maternal toxemia.
Try not to laugh too much. I was huge during my last month, and I was not a very happy camper. I was not "glowing" and I was far from "sexy". During my last few months, my belly was rubbed more often than Buddha's. I couldn't get comfortable, I couldn't sleep, and the baby wouldn't sit still. I was induced on July 2, 2002 at 12:01 a.m. |
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This is another picture of us before heading out to the Casino. |
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Here we are heading out on the Casino Trip...I knew I shouldn't have had those last few drinks and fallen for that "One more time just to see if we still have feelings for one another" line. |
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Even being eight months pregnant didn't stop me from showing "my babies" affection. Here I am holding Oliver (my ball python). |
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Here is another picture of me pregnant. I was induced two weeks early, so this was taken only days before my baby was born. |
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Here I am getting my temperature taken as the basic assessment before the Pitocin to help augment my labor was started. (I was in labor for a week before I was induced to help things progress...I was stuck at 2). |
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Note the smile. This was early in the laboring process. I was just happy that my pregnancy was almost over. I didn't get scared like most. I was ready to see and hold my baby for the first time. |
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When this photo was taken, I was nearing the home stretch and was seriously debating my "no pain medication" approach to labor and birth. I'll leave what I was saying in this photo up to your imagination. |
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You can tell in this picture the smile has faded. At this point, it was getting harder and harder to just relax and let the contractions do their work. |
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