In March, 2005, Jo and I traveled to MD Anderson in Houston, TX to see the bone marrow specialists there. We met with Dr. Anderlini, who gave us some more good information on treatment options. Dr. Alvarez suggested that we visit MD Anderson because they do more Bone Marrow Transplants each year than any other hospital in the U.S. He also emphasized that a Bone Marrow Transplant is a 100-day marathon and to be in an area close to family could be very beneficial.
Overall, our trip was very informative and somewhat calming. It was also an opportunity to visit Jo's family in Lufkin and give them the pleasure of seeing Jo's ever expanding belly! (She did look quite radiant throughout her entire pregnancy.)
As we got closer and closer to Jo's due date, our planning became more and more intense. Jo's mom came to Denver a month before our baby was due to help Jo prepare. Dr. Alvarez and Jo's OB, Dr. Ross, made plans and contingency plans for the delivery. Jo was going to get blood transfusions on June 20th and then have labor induced. Dr. Alvarez didn't hold back when he told us how worried he was about the actual delivery.
Well, everybody was on board with the plan, except the baby! At 3am on the morning of June 17th, Jo woke me up and told me she was having some stomach cramps. Hoping they would go away so that I could go back to sleep, I told her to wait a few minutes and see if they got better. No such luck! By 5am, we had the car packed up (with a month's worth of supplies) and we were off to the hospital.
At the hospital, Jo immediately started getting blood and platelet transfusions. The contractions gradually got more intense as the day went on. Jo did not really have the option of an epidural because of the risk of excess bleeding.
Once again, I obtained a new level of respect for Jo. During each contraction, she would grab the bed rails and just shake. Fortunately, she was able to have a little morphine, which allowed her to sleep between contractions. We had taken classes for natural (unmedicated) childbirth and we had learned all kinds of cool relaxation techniques and breathing exercises with me as the coach. When it came right down to it, Jo slept between contractions and when she did have a contraction she (politely requested) that I don't touch her, breath on her, talk to her or eat anything anywhere close enough that she could smell it! So much for being a coach.
We were supposed to start "pushing" at 3pm. I was sent on one last errand to the car. On my way to the car, I ran into a mortgage client of mine in the hallway and that delayed me a few minutes. On my way back from the car, I ran into our friend Huong Hoang who is a PA at the hospital, again delaying my return. By the time I got back to the room, the nurse was chewing me out for taking so long.
At 4:17pm, Anna Claire Szymanski was born (6 lbs., 11 oz.) and things could not have gone better - Dr. Ross and Dr. Alvarez were both plenty relieved. Anna came out Viking Purple, but she quickly turned a beautiful shade of pink. It was an amazing experience; much more than I think either one of us ever expected!
Two days later, we brought Anna home on Father's Day and we immediately started wondering how we could survive without the nurses. My mom joined us in Denver that weekend and she stayed with us a month. With Jo having almost daily doctor appointments, we couldn't have made it through that first month without both of the grandmas around!
