Lucy's Birth Story - Part 1

So as you all know I was scheduled for an induction.  Just to remind you, we were doing this because of all the problems I had with LolaBean's pregnancy and the fact that I still had borderline PAPP-A levels in this pregnancy as well.  So at 38 weeks my Dr decided it was pretty safe to induce labor.  And let me tell you, I was ready as well.  I was getting so uncomfortable.  It was really tough to breath, bending over was impossible, I was just generally at that stage where you are grumpy all the time...  And of course the week after I delivered we had a huge heat wave that is still raging!  So anyway onto the birth story...

We were supposed to be at the hospital at 8 am.  Well being we had a toddler to get ready and drop off and a pregnant nervous grumpy momma we were a little late...like 9am.  Lol!  We registered and got ourselves situated in the room.  The nurse came in and checked me (still 2 cm ) and got my IV going.  We discussed the epidural.  I was advised that the anesthesiologist was going to be very busy that day and that if I wanted an epidural I had better get it sooner rather than later.  I said yes please we can start it whenever the Dr is ready.  As I said previously I am not adverse to pain management.  I've felt what labor is like and I tend to have back labor so I would definitely be wanting the epidural.  Also I still worry about emergency c-sections so I'd rather already be drugged just in case so I don't have to be knocked out.  She said okay no problem.  She advised me my Dr would be in to see me shortly.  

Dr. S came in at around 1030 and we chatted for a bit.  He checked me as well.  Advised me I was having contractions but they were irregular and not very strong.  (I knew that)  He had to rush off to check on another patient but told me next time he would be back to break my water.  He returned at about 11 am.  As he was prepping to break my water I sort of prayed out loud..."God let it be clear!"  He paused and looked at me quizzically?  He said how do you know about that?  I said "Oh Dr S I know way too much information...I really don't want her to have already pooped!"  He assured me everything would be fine she was coming early enough...  He said okay it's probably not going to be a lot of fluid, you are not that big...  Lol!  And pop my waters were broke....And they were NOT clear.  Lucy had already pooped inside.  Dr.S and Amy our great nurse sat there and monitored the waters...It was about 10 minutes of leaking gushing fluid....Amy looked up and said that doesn't look like a little to me....She's in a pool!  I laughed I said no it didn't feel like a little amount of fluid to me...  

And just like last time once my water was broken the contractions started and kicked up in intensity.  My mom got there at about 12 and was on fire.  She walked in the room and said "Okay let's get this show on the road!"  Like I had any control over how fast this labor was going to be.  Actually her and JD were pretty annoying during my labor and regularly I would've been snippy with them, but I was so focused on breathing through and just getting through the pain to the next contraction that I tuned them out and laughed when I could.  

At 1:00 the anesthesiologist came in and administered my epidural.  At this time they were also hanging the bag of pitocin.  We had a little bit of trouble with my epidural....But I'll have to get into that in part 2 as this is getting long and I have to get the girls ready for the their photo shoot this morning. 

More to come tomorrow!

Much Love!
ks

Birth Story!

I guess it's about time I got back on line and filled everyone in on how little Miss came to be so early.  It was Tuesday June 7, 2011 and I had a Non Stress Test booked for 9 am that morning.  I travelled into town and picked JD up from my office and went to the Hospital.  I really hadn't been feeling very well, I was very swollen and uncomfortable.  I was also getting black spots in my vision (but I was staying pretty mum about that).  The NST went well, Lola was moving and her heart beat was great.  At the end of the NST they always take your bp.  Especially as you have been laying down for an hour it should be nice and low.  Well mine was 154/99.  They checked it again and it was slowly increasing.  The nursing staff decided to run some blood work and see what was going on.  It took an hour for the results to come back and when they did my bp was now 175/110!!!  My blood work showed elevated liver enzymes and some other things were a little skewed as well. 

The on call Doctor came in and told me I am not leaving with a baby in my belly today.  They were going to do a cervical check and see if they could break my water, if not we were headed for a Cesarean.  I was admitted to the birthing unit and they checked me.  I was a finger tip dilated and 30-40% effaced.  So my water was broken, antibiotics, magnesium sulfate, and oxy-tocsin were started, a catheter was placed and we were rolling.  This was at about 12:30 pm on Tuesday. 

We immediately called my parents and JD's.  My parents packed up and started their 4 hour drive.  JD's mom came and sat with me while JD ran home for our hospital bags and to let the dogs out.  My contractions started almost right after she broke my water.  JD was gone for almost 3 hours, and in that time my contractions had moved to every 4 minutes.  At 5 I said okay that's enough let's do the epidural.  Oh my what a god send that is.  Because let me tell you it stopped working at around 10 and I almost lost my mind!  We sent our mother's home at around 10 that night and told them we would call them when we reached 7 cm's.  At this point I was only 3 cm's dilated. 

I had my epi upped and fixed at 10 then sucked on a banana Popsicle, and then lost my cookies hard!  The contractions were really picking up, and they were all in my lower back.  I don't know how I did it but I found a quiet dark place in my mind and kept hiding there through the pain.  There was no hand squeezing or swearing going on in my room.  I think I prayed a lot out loud, and I know I said Holy Mother of Pearl quite a bit during the really bad ones.  The nurses found that pretty funny.

At 1:00 I was begging JD to call my mom, as my house it 1/2 hour away and it would take them sometime to wake up and get into the car.  He kept arguing with me, they haven't checked you yet, we don't know where you are...  I said babe, I know where I am call my MOM!!!  Sure enough they checked me and I was 6 cm.  We called and everyone started coming back to the hospital.  At 1:30 they checked me again and I was 9 cm with a rim of cervix left.  I called my mom and yelled at them to please hurry, as Lola is coming fast.  They all arrived just before 2 am.  Right when they arrived my awesome nurse Cheryl got everyone in position and had me start pushing.  4 pushes in and she was calling for the Special care nursery staff and the OB.  I pushed a 5th time and the Dr. told me I needed to get her out now.  So I barred down and out she came at 2:26 am on June 8, 2011 weighing in at 4 lbs 12 ounces, measuring 17 inches.

She was so tiny and her umbilical chord was around her neck.  Special care worked on her for a couple of minutes and then brought her to me for a quick snuggle.  She was then promptly removed to the NICU to be watched for at least 24 hours.  You would think this is where the story ends, but nope not for us.  I ended up in the OR at 4 am.  I wasn't passing the placenta, so I had to have a D&C. 

My bp is slowly on it's way back down.  At last check it was 150/100.  But I am being monitored pretty closely.  Lola is doing wonderful.  She actually is almost growing out of her preemie onsies!  We are breast feeding and supplementing when necessary with formula.

I have a couple of posts rattling around in my head, and I promise I will get them down this week.  I absolutely love being a mom, and I can't tell you how blessed I feel.

Much Love!

ks and LolaBean

Christmas on Hold!

Yup!  No Christmas this year for JD and ks.  Our family was so sick that we had to cancel it this year.  And it wasn't one or two people who were down with the flu...it was 6!  They were so sick that they convinced the twins that Santa wasn't coming for another day or two.  LOL!  Thank gosh they are only 3!  Everyone is now on the mend but we are pretty insistent that the house air out and that everyone be vomit free for more than 24 hours before we enter the house.  The last thing this lady needs is a nasty virus!

Oh and did I tell you..?  I'm in my 2nd trimester! 

Oh and did I mention I had no morning sickness in my first trimester?  Oh I did!  Well guess what?  I have it in my second.  Boo hiss!  So all of you that were cursing me under your breath for escaping the yaks.  Well you can now smile.  2 days in a row my dinner has made a second coming.  I feel totally fine, just like I have a gas bubble and then I start burping, then I start verping, then I start chucking...Sorry TMI?  LOL! 

In other news...

Yesterday was JD's Birthday.  We took the day off work to hang out together.  It was great!  We woke up leisurely (well as much as you can with  3  4 dogs in the house), had our coffee (decaf) and a bagel, got dressed and went shopping exchanging clothes, then went out for breakfast for lunch, came home and had a big nap!  JD got his B'Day present a day earlier as I couldn't get it out of the car.  I bought him a new t.v.  A big, shiny, flat, 55' t.v. (with wall mount).  He is in love with it.  So much so that he hasn't done the wall mount but the t.v is hooked up and being watched.  I actually bought it as we are remodeling our main floor and our new family room needed a larger t.v. that could be wall mounted to save room.  And to avoid little hand prints ruining the screen.  This is a  lesson Auntie K and Uncle J have learned with their nieces and nephews.  Our other t.v. has a tiny hand print that is the result of us not being quick enough to wipe Taylor's little hands after pancakes and syrup one morning with us.  Ooops!  Ah well!

My life would be so dull with out JD in it.  I'm so glad that we both made wrong decisions that led us to each other.  As the song goes... "God Bless the broken road that led me straight to you!"

If you are reading this JD.  I love you more than words can say.  If you weren't by my side for the last 5 years of hell I don't think I would still be standing here today.  You have been my rock, my strength, my clown, my one ray of light through all this darkness.  I love you more today than the day we married.  Happy (1 day later) Birthday!

Much love!

ks