My husband probably saved our family from tragedy. I'm 28 weeks pregnant and I got up last Monday with some back pain and needing to use the restroom a lot which I just attributed to third trimester symptoms. By lunch time I had a fever so I went straight to my OB clinic, where they just gave me vitamin B and anti nausea meds, and told me to drink more water (even though I told them I drink 70-90 ounces a day). That night my husband woke up and I was shaking in bed and hyper ventilating. He checked my temperature which was now 103. I was in so much pain I couldn't stand without help. He rushed me to the hospital at 3 am.

After an admission, I had a fever, contractions, high white blood cell count, and intense pain to even gentle touch to my stomach. They gave me a complete work up with blood labs, CT, MRI, amniocentesis, ultrasound, and more physical exams than I have ever had. The signs of infection were there, but what and where unknown. At that point, the doctors warned us they may have to do surgery on me, or our biggest fear was deliver the baby early via cesarean.

It wasn't till two days later, we found out I had a bacterial infection that was in my blood stream and started an attack on my abdomen. With strong IV antibiotics, I finally started to get better. I spent a week in the hospital, and with the exception of a few checks on our cats and grabbing food, my husband never left my side. He talked me through my pain, helped me get from my bed to the bathroom, even rubbed my back and legs when I started to ache.

I don't know how much worse it could have been if he hadn't had taken me to the hospital when he did, but I know my stubbornness of not wanting to seem weak would have kept me from getting help sooner. He made the right decision, and I get to keep our baby girl in my belly for now. Lesson learned: if you feel like something is wrong, go in and get help, even if they dismiss you only you can know how you truly feel. I'm so grateful for my husband and the hospital staff for getting me back to health and protecting our baby.