The End

Or I guess I should probably say "The Beginning." This birth story has been a little harder to write and I don't know for sure why. It seems like every time I get ready to do it I avoid it. Maybe it's because it all happened so fast, so different, and so well, fast.

I was released from the hospital on Wednesday afternoon after two full days of bed rest. My 24hr urine came back + for protein and my pressures remained moderate to high. I was diagnosed with pre-eclampsia, but allowed to go home and continue my bedrest there. I was thrilled. The King and I actually laughed because I told him that I thought it was just too hard to be in the hospital when you're sick. I guess what I meant was it didn't really feel like a break from everyday life. My ear got better at the pace of a snail race and I developed a sinus infection as well. The two days I was there were spent laying in bed praying for sleep which was very intermittent. It was also difficult to be away from the girls at such at transitional point in our lives.

Once home I pretty much resumed a normal pace. The day after I was released I reported back for my biophysical profile. I had the weekend off and we just hung out. Sunday was a long day. I didn't feel well at all and I was really beginning to wonder how this was all going to end. The longer I was sick the more anxious I became about labor and delivery. I've mentioned it before, but anxiety about the end was a running theme with this pregnancy.

First thing Monday morning I had an OB appointment. I really had no idea what to expect. I rushed around to get ready, take the girls to my Mom's house, and make it to the appointment on time. That morning my urine in the office was +2 for protein and my blood pressure was high. He checked my cervix and I was 1-2cm dialated and 50% effaced. He told me to hold tight and left the room for a few minutes. When he came back he had paperwork and told me I would be induced the very next morning. On top of that I still had to go back to the hospital that afternoon for another biophysical profile. Even though I knew this was all a possibility I felt shocked.

I went straight to my Mom's house to get the girls and call the King. He decided to come home and just start his week off so that we could get everything in order. My Mom offered to keep all of the girls on Monday night so that we could be at the hospital by 5:45am. We spent the rest of the day getting things ready. The girls were so excited. It was nice to be able to tell them what was going on.

That night the King and I went shopping to get a few last minute things and to dinner. It was nice to have some quiet time and I was feeling pretty nervous. Later I finished packing our bags, charging batteries, and cleaning up the house. Surprisingly I slept well and didn't have any trouble getting up at 4:30. Something changed about my mindset that morning and I was more determined. I was still anxious but I guess I just focused on the fact that he was coming and very soon.

Once at the hospital things moved faster than I had anticipated. I was admitted right away, an IV was started, and my doctor was there by 7am. I was still dialated 1-2cm and 50% effaced. He broke my water and things got to rocking and rolling. I knew I wanted an epidural and he said I could have one right away but there were some bumps in the road. Apparantly due to the pre-e I had to have special blood work done in order to get the epicural. The blood was drawn and it was approximately 10 am when I finally got it. It took two tries. The first time the catheter was put in my spine and the "windows" were all closed causing a block. No pain relief. The second time was the charm and I started to feel a little bit of relief. It was very short lived though. After about 10 minutes it was clear the epi wasn't working. My nurses were great and got Dr. right back up there. He explained that sometimes it's hard to catch up with the contractions and you need more medicine. He gave me some and finally things were okay.

Feeling better I tried to quietly rest. I could feel the pressure of the contractions and I silently waited for more significant pressure. By noon I knew it was time. Without saying much I pressed the nurse call button and told them I felt like pushing. They were very responsive, it was the same nurse that delivered Bradlynn without a Dr in the room, and turned on the baby warmer. The Dr. was called and I was determined to be complete. Things felt surreal at that point. I could hear casual conversations going on around me but couldn't focus. I remember the nurse telling me to pretend to blow out candles and oddly that helped. The second the Dr said I could push I did. The baby came right down. Another push and he was crowning. Apparently the cord was tight against his shoulder and I had to pause for a painful moment. Then one last push delivered my sweet baby boy. He was born at 12:17 pm weighing 6#6ozs and 18 1/4" long. He was placed on my chest right away and I can't describe the emotions.

Once put in the warmer he proved his lungs were healthy by wailing away. His apgar scores were 8/8. I felt amazing. Such relief. It was over. He was healthy. I was alive. We stayed in the hospital that night and he of course roomed in with me. The next day I requested to go home and we've been here ever since. The girls LOVE him. I think Chiggie said it best when she said, "Mom, we've done this so many times now and it just never gets old." No it doesn't.

Home

Just Like That

Simple perfection. You are here! And right now that is absolutely all that matters!

Still Waiting

How can you want two very different things at the same time. On one hand, this pregnancy has gone by so smoothly, up until the end. Until I got sick I really had very little to complain about. Pregnancy wise I still feel the same way. I know the Pre-e is new because I just haven't felt sick. On the other hand we're very near the end and I'm just so ready for him to be here safe and sound. It's hard to enjoy the last few days when you really don't feel that great and you know you're not going to get better until the baby comes. I guess all good things really must come to an end. Here's to a new beginning I suppose.

Waiting

That's what we're doing, just waiting. It's amazing how anxious you get in the end. We are completely ready. I can't think of anything else he could possibly need. I really feel like I was doing so good until I got sick and then ended up in the hospital with nothing else to think about. Meanwhile listening to the cries of new babies being born. No matter how you look at it, we're so close now. How can a week or so feel so long? I have an appointment on Monday and I have no idea what will happen. It depends on so many factors. We'll just have to wait and see.

Home Sweet Home

I was so busy celebrating yesterday, of course laying on my left side sipping water ;), that I never got the chance to update. I was released just before lunch time with several regulations. Of course I am supposed to be on bed rest with bathroom privileges. Which begs the question, what in the heck do the poor people w/ out bathroom privileges do? Anyway, I also have to report back this afternoon for another nst and biophysical profile. This part doesn't thrill me because it complicates things. I've made some arrangements and Chiggie is just going to come along. She's never seen an ultrasound before so she's pretty excited.

So, for now we're definitely still playing the waiting game. I keep reassuring myself that this can't go on much longer. I have a week and a half until my due date, that's what is so bizarre. Come on baby we want to see you!

Hopeful

I am up early this morning waiting. I won't know the results of the testing for a bit but I am hopeful. I am far enough along in this pregnancy that the baby will be absolutely fine if he's forced out but that's not what I want. I'm hoping to just go into labor on my own very soon. The odds of that seem very unlikely spending my time laying in a hospital bed. I miss the girls terribly and this is not how I wanted our last few days as a family of 6 to go. I'm hoping to get a few days to make up for that.

I obviously have some kind of a virus because despite the fact that I am taking an antibiotic I am becoming a little more congested everyday. I have a cough, but it's not bad. The congestion mostly effects my head/ear. I think that's what is making this healing process seem so slow. I'll be sure to ask my doctor this morning if that seems normal. For now I wait.

Changes

Things can change on a dime, that's for sure. Here I sit in the hospital on bed rest. It all started with that darn ear infection. I'm just sure of that. I made it until Sunday before I cracked. When I cracked, it got ugly. I decided around 11:30pm that I had no choice but to go to the ER. I cannot fully describe how awful this sounded. The drive, the wait, the exposure, the fact that the King had to stay with the sleeping girls..... Yuck, but in the end pain won and I went. It was actually a much worse experience than I ever could have imagined on my own. The place was packed, of course, so I took a number. It would've been different had I not felt like someone was shoving an ice pick in my ear. The entire left side of my face was throbbing as well.

I'm not entirely sure how, but I managed to wait for a couple of hours until finally it was my turn to be seen. Ironically once back in the examining room it only took 10 minutes to be diagnosed and receive my first round of antibiotics. I drove home and was back on the couch by 2:30am still feeling horrible. I had an OB appointment at 11, and I got the girls ready and dropped them off at my Mom's. I was feeling dizzy, nauseated, and just plain sick.

I had no wait time what so ever at the Dr.'s office. I told him about the ear and how I was feeling. He checked my BP and it was 140/100. He let me rest a minute, checked again with the same result. I was then told not to dilly dally and to head straight over to the hospital to be admitted. I made a few phone calls and started the admissions process. Once here my BP stabilized and baby and I passed all of our tests. We had another ultrasound which he slept through, but it was good to see his heart beating away and his belly contracting with breathing motions.

Unfortunately when all my labs came back the news wasn't great. I am spilling protein over into my urine as well. When I was at the Dr. yesterday he checked my cervix and I am high and fully closed making me not favorable for induction right now. So we wait. Again, things could change on a dime. I'm doing a 24hr urine catch and those results will determine our future. The King is with the girls and they are confused but doing very well. My Mom kept them yesterday so that he could be with me through the testing process. A friend kept them this morning so that he could bring me some things from home. I took a shower and that perked me up a bit.

I wish I could say my ear wasn't hurting, but this ache is stubborn and hanging in there which has me frustrated. I'm trying to rest, but it's weird. The hardest part is the unknown, but that's just life I suppose, it can change on a dime!

Horse Shoes and Hand Grenades

I really thought I was close to having the baby last night. As the title implies, no cigar. I started having mild contractions around 11:30 pm and they continued steadily almost all night long. They never picked up in intensity but of course that didn't keep me from hoping they would. It speaks volumes that I was super excited to ask for an IV antibiotic. Yeah, my ears are killing me still. Tomorrow is my appointment and I am so glad relief is in sight.

Good Grief

I haven't been sick this pregnancy very much at all. So I was pretty surprised when I woke up this morning and my ear hurt. I decided to give it some time. I have suffered ear infections my whole life so I know when I have one. I was pretty busy all day, but I took some pain relievers and really had a good day. I went grocery shopping, did a bunch of laundry, and took some lunch to my Mom who had a medical procedure done yesterday. Now tonight I am 100% sure my ear is infected. It took forever for the pain drops I have to kick in and up until they did I was contemplating a trip to the E.R. I have an appointment Monday, so I hope I can make it until then. I really want this cleared up before I deliver.

While I'm Waiting

Preparing for a baby is fun, there is no doubt about that. I have entertained myself by preparing the room and organizing his things. It helps pass the time and I think it prepares the girls as well. It makes something so hard to understand seem very real. Here's just a few pictures of what we've been up to.

37 Weeks Full Term!

Wooo Hoooo and the countdown officially begins. Too bad I have a toothache that is driving me cuh-razy. Stupid Tylenol. I am using numbing medication but I think I've built up a tolerance or something because it's not helping anymore. There really isn't anything I can do because it's not infected, no fever or anything. As soon as the baby comes I can make an appointment and get things fixed. It's hurt on and off for a bit so I'm hoping the "off" comes really soon.

I am surprisingly still pretty darn comfortable pregnancy wise. I sleep just fine at night when the girls are feeling well. Sure I get up to go to the bathroom, but nothing new there. At night I usually have bothersome BH contractions and I often hope they're doing at least a little something. I try to keep myself busy so I don't fall into the constant false labor trap. Anyway you look at it this baby is coming very soon.