Our son was set to arrive via c-section the following Monday, when I arrived mid morning to the doctor for my Wednesday maternity check up. Despite having elevated blood pressure, a tummy ache and feeling a bit under the weather, the nurse ended my appointment by saying “see you Monday”.

That evening we attended the 7pm Hosanna worship service. Feeling esp pregnant that evening I hesitated to go, but made it into the church lobby with my husband and my daughter. As Luke prepared to play guitar for service, I concluded I didn’t feel well enough to stay and packed up Lela to head home. (Luke would find a ride home after service)

The pain in my stomach was gaining intensity as I struggled to carry Lela in her carrier to the vehicle. When she was secure in the van, life got fuzzy fast. I got sick in the church parking lot, and my head exploded in pain. Knowing I was suddenly in no state to drive, I called Luke and mumbled something emergency like & then hung up on him.

Seconds later Luke was speeding through red lights on Victory, confirming we were going to the ER only a few blocks away. For the only time in my life….I thought I was dying. I couldn’t open my eyes because my brain was pushing on them, I held my head out the window into the February chill in attempt to ease the  pain. Migraine x 500% pain.

The pounding was endless, the hospital lobby so invasively bright, “My head hurts so bad” I remember saying over and over again. “No its not a migraine, can I have an ice pack, can I have another or drugs, make it stop!” Luke was doing his best to keep me calm, but I could see color fading from his face.

Once on the maternity floor I was swarmed. We would deliver baby Schultze before the Pre Eclampsia got worse. I kept my eyes closed majority of the time, unless signing a document, I held the ice packs to my eyes, and asked for something, anything, to make it stop.

Organized chaos was in our room. No one was smiling, everyone was moving, moving quickly. Two hours after we arrived, our 5.13oz boy was born. I don’t remember much from the surgery except my mounting anticipation to hear him cry, “dear God, please let him cry.” When he did, the staff reassured me it was certainly meant to be his birthday and his umbilical chord was very weak.

Recovering from pre-eclampsia was miserable. For the first hour I shivered uncontrollably, while Luke introduced our son to the world. For the next 24 hours I was bed ridden while entertaining a constant flow of magnesium in my IV. I concluded it was much like being very drunk and having a hangover to boot. No food, no visitors & not functional enough to hold my new baby, made for a long day. To end the day I became faint while walking again and had to be caught from falling by two nurses. Recovering from pre-eclampsia was miserable.

But, I am alive.

I am alive to be a better mother then before, a better wife and a better advocate for mothers to be.

Today I look at my one year old son and know I would do it again, to know he would be at the end of all the suffering. Many miracles happened that day. It was completely God’s will we were only blocks from the hospital that evening and that Luke was able to be by my side. I am forever grateful and indebted to the staff at ISJ Mankato who delivered my precious little Siah-man and saved. my. life.