Life is a journey with problems to solve, lessons to learn, but most of all, experience to learn. My mom was in Chicago for vacation, and I had 38 weeks of pregnancy of my second girl. My mom also was in Chicago to take care of me for when I deliver my second baby. Since she was in Chicago I want to take her out, so she can know the city because she never had been in Chicago. For this reason, we decide to make a trip to the Navy Pier. Everything started one cold and sunny morning.
In a Friday November 1, 2013 my mom, my 6 years old daughter, and me decided to go out in my blue minivan before my baby born. We went to the Navy Pier to walk around; in the Navy Pier we took a lot of pictures. My mom was very excited looking the lake and boats. In the Navy Pier causality they have an art presentation, so we stay for a little while and saw the presentation. Later, we stop in one of the shop of the Navy Pier and my mom bought some souvenir for my dad and my sister (they live and NY).
After a short time, we decide to buy some hot chocolate and cookies because was a little chili. My daughter was running around and she wants to go to the store name Build-the-bear, so we decide to get into the store and build a bear. She chooses a yellow pony with long pink hair, inside the pony she put a heart with the song my little pony, also she got white shoes with sparkles and a long pink and white cape. After that, we still walking around the Navy Pier and taking more pictures, by the day goes by we decide to go eat something to a restaurant and the most close was Olive Garden.
We decide to go there because my mom and my daughter love that restaurant. Finally, after 15 minutes driving we got to the restaurant, right away they sit us. The waitress came and took or order, everybody order pasta and for desert we got chocolate cake, we pay the bill and we left. When I was driving back home. We were entering in an intersection I saw the light turn yellow and I step on, so I will have time to cross the intersection.
Suddenly, another minivan was coming from my left side, but I did not see it; however, when I saw it I tried to avoid it, but the minivan still hit my car in the driver side very hard making a strong noise, like you hit something; for this reason my daughter was screaming, my mom just said “are you ok, oh my God, are you ok, oh my God”. “I said yes I am ok and you? ” “She said yes” I ask my daughter if she is ok she said yes, I told her do not cry everything is going to be fine; but At the same time I was nervous and worry for my baby too.
I tried to open the door to get out of my car, but I could not the door was stock, so I jump to the back seat and open the back door and get out to see how bad it was the accident. The lady who was driving the minivan came to me and started screaming lady: “is your fault, you pass the light, look what you did, are you stupid or what”, then I told her “are you ok, lets come down” she said “no look what you did, are you blind or what” I told her “stop screaming I can hear you” “lets move to the side”, I am trying to move my car but my car does not start, so others persons came and help me to push my car to the side; then I call 911.
Operator: what is your emergency Me: well I had a car accident and I am pregnant and I have abdominal pain Operator: can you tell me where are you Me: no I do not where I am, the name of the street I cannot see it Operator: I will send an ambulance the soon as possible Me: ok thank you Like 5 minutes later the ambulance, police officer, and the fire truck came, I am sitting down in the passenger seat; the paramedic came and asks me: Paramedic: where it hurt Me: down in my abdomen Paramedic: how many weeks you have? Me: 38 weeks Paramedic: lets take you to the hospital, so they can check you to be sure everything is ok.
Me: but what will happen with my mom, she does not speak English. Paramedic: the officer speak Spanish do not worry. Then the officer came and asks for my ID, my insurance, and my car registration. I gave it to her. She told me do not worry I will take care of your mom and daughter. The paramedic took me to the ambulance. Inside of the ambulance they check my blood pressure and took me to the closer hospital, which one was Saint Louis. When I get to the hospital they put me in a room to check me, then the doctor came and check me he said everything looks ok, but we have to keep you in observation at least for 3 hours.
Later, a nurse came and I told her could you call my husband and let him know where I am, she said yes of course, so I gave her his phone number she called him and ½ hour later he was there, as soon he got there the officer from the accident brought my mom and daughter too; suddenly, the doctor and nurse came into the room running and check the monitor and he told me I cannot let you go because the baby heartbeat went to low, I want to keep you for the night I said ok than.
The next day it was Saturday another doctor came and check he, after a while he told me we are going to keep you here, so you will have to delivery your baby here I said fine. Sunday morning pass then in the afternoon I started with the contractions, after a while, I told the nurse I need an epidural, she call the anesthetic he came and put the epidural; as a result, of the epidural I could not feel any more the pain.
After a while, they have to take the epidural out, so I start feeling pain and I will push. As soon, I finish delivering my baby they transfer me to the recovery room; suddenly, in the middle of the night I started bleeding a lot and it was not only blood it was big clot too, so I called the nurse the nurse came with the doctor and check me. After a while, they have to do a scraping because they left a piece of placenta inside of me. They gave me an anesthesia and put me to sleep.
When I woke up everything was finish and I was in the recovery room. After two days of recovering, finally we got home. In conclusion, this experience changes my life in a good way. This experience show me, that in one second you life can change for good or bad; after all this, I changed my way of driving, now I stop when I see a yellow light. In addition, if us like drivers we are, put more attention to the road or lights least accident will happen.
