A Baby Story

Here I am, 2 weeks after baby Brody joined our family.  I've read birth stories before and always thought to myself that I wouldn't sit down and share mine because it was our story.  But this one is a little different.  Life had to stop and we had to bring baby into this world whether he was ready or not.

I went to my 39 week appointment (actually 38 weeks and 6 days) at 11:30am.  I had planned to get to my appointment, grab some lunch (Wendy's jr bacon cheeseburger to be exact!), and get back to work.  Hubby and I got in the room fairly quickly and I was excited because I was starving.  The nurse weighed me and checked my blood pressure like usual.  This time, we had a little different situation.  My BP was a little on the high side.  Well, doctor came in and finished out the appointment by having the nurse re-check my BP.  After she checked it, doctor came back in and said we are sending you up to the Babykind floor to be observed and have some labs drawn.  Okay, fine, I thought.  I called work and let them know I was going to be late because of this and headed upstairs.

We were put in a room, hooked up to a monitor, BP taken, labs drawn.  About an hour later, the charge nurse came in the room and said, Well, we are having a baby today or tomorrow.  I looked at hubby or support because I was in shock.  He asked the nurse what was wrong and she said labs came back abnormal and doctor wanted baby out but he would explain more when he came up.  I started crying and shaking because I was NOT ready for this (this is still hard to think about!). 

They put us in a labor and delivery room, gave me my lovely hospital gown, put me in bed and hooked up all the monitors.  At this point, I was scared and still in shock....and starving!  They brought me a lovely tray of a liquid diet and left me there for awhile before the doctor came in.  At this point, we had called and texted those few people we said we were going to inform.  The nurse came back to start my IV and about 6:30 the doctor finally came in.  In the meantime, my sister in law came to sit with us and hubby went home to shower and grab our bags.  When the doctor came in, he explained that I had preeclampsia and we had to get baby out for the safety of both of us.  He broke my water and they hooked me up to pitocin along with Magnesium Sulfate to help stabilize my BP.  There was no turning back now!

Still scared, I had no choice but to try to be brave.  I couldn't have done it without my hubby and sister in law there to keep me sane.  Things were progressing, contractions were coming.  I was even having contractions on my own and the pitocin was slowed...and then again increased...ugh!  All I wanted to do at this point was sleep.  I knew I needed it because we were on a long road.  I knew I couldn't have an epidural because my platelets were low again.  So my only option was to fight it without drugs or use Nubain.  I told myself that I didn't want to use the Nubain because I knew it had affects on baby, but I needed sleep.  I was having horrible back labor and couldn't sleep with that. 

Since my BP was so high, I wasn't supposed to be able to leave my bed except to use the bathroom.  But the nurse at that time was nice enough to bring me the exercise ball to sit on for awhile and let me sit in the rocker.  They also let me walk to another room to use the whirlpool tub.  The tub was my only relief and I sat in there as long as they let me.  Through all this, I was still a little in denial.  Contractions were coming and going and hubby was there by my side through it all.  Even though he woke up at 4:30am Wednesday morning for work and didn't get to sleep until Thursday night about 11:00pm. 

Morning came and went, even though I had no clue what time it was.  Sometime around 2:00, I was ready.  I was dilated to a 9 and needed to push.  My sister in law found the nurse and things started.  SIL was gathering her stuff to leave when I asked her to stay.  I knew that not only I needed her, but hubby did too. 

Things went on and the doctor came in.  We tried and tried and tried, but baby boy wasn't moving.  We found out that he was face up and that was causing problems.  Finally the doctor gave me 3 options.  I could keep trying, we could try the vacuum, or we could go in for a c-section.  Well, the c-section was our last option and I knew I couldn't keep going myself.  So we tried the vacuum.  After a few tears and concerns between hubby and I, we tried it.  This didn't work either.  The doctor was even frustrated and had already called the surgical team because he knew this wasn't going to work.  Finally, they were prepping me for my c-section.  Hubby lost it.  He wasn't going in the OR with me.  They said I couldn't have an epidural and I would have to be put under.  This scared hubby and he was done.  But they checked my platelets again and they came back normal and I was able to move forward with the epidural and quick surgery to get my son in the world.

At 4:52pm, Brody joined our family.  The team of doctors and nurses checked him over and let hubby cut the cord.  They wrapped him up and gave him to hubby.  I finally got to see him.  We shared some smiles and tears just looking at him.  But then I had to go to recovery and Brody still needed weighed and checked over again.  Hubby took him to the nursery where my parents and hubby's mom, sister and nieces were waiting to meet him. 

I was in recovery for about an hour before being taken to my room where daddy and baby were cuddling in the chair.  They got to spend some quality time getting to know each other.  What a special time for them.  Over the next 3 days, I recovered in my hospital bed and baby was taken care of by us and the nurses. 

Brody lost 1lb 3oz in the hospital and he was dehydrated.  We almost didn't get to go home on Sunday.  But I agreed to supplement feedings to get him hydrated and back up to his birth weight.   We had to bring him back to the hospital the next day to weigh him and check his bili because he was a little jaundice before we left. 

My BP was stable when we left and I had to make an appointment to get it rechecked later that week.  We are both healthy now and no worries about high BP or jaundice. 

This story really doesn't put what I went through into reality.  I can honestly say it was a long, exhausting few days, but I knew in the end baby boy was going to be here.  I don't remember having  whole lot of pain or going to hell and back before he was here.  I do know that I was the talk of the floor for a few days.  Even though there were 14 babies born in those 5 days.  The nurses all said I was one tough cookie and they wouldn't trade places with me.  I didn't realize what I had gone through until I started thinking about not having an epidural while they used the vacuum to try to get baby out.  Being so focused on the end result really helps with pain tolerance.  And I will never complain about those few days when I look at my little man! :) 

Introducing Baby Brody!

One week ago today, I was admitted into the hospital.  I thought baby B would come that day, but he had other plans. 
Born 4-12-12
4:52pm
8lbs 13oz
20 inches

Proud daddy!

38 weeks...a little late!

Yes, we are actually almost into the 39th week.  I have been in a slump where I don't want to blog,...or do anything for that matter!  I have been feeling sick and really tired, so all I want to do is try to relax and do nothing.  But that seems like a thing of the past.  I used to be able to sit on the couch and watch a good hour or two of TV and think nothing of it when I was tired.  Now, I sit down and start watching something, and 10 minutes later I'm up taking care of something.  Maybe this is my kind of nesting stage.  Our house is by no means dirty because we, yes WE, cleaned it and have been making a great effort to keep it that way so that I don't have to spend too much time working after work. 

But I think the reality of all this has finally set in for hubby.  He is worrying about things finally.  He never worries!  We do not have a basement on our house and we have talked about doing something since we moved in.  We've spent lots of hours at the neighbors when bad weather was coming or the sirens were going off.  But we both agree that packing up baby in the middle of the night to run to the neighbors doesn't sound like much fun.  So, he decided we are putting an addition on the garage where we can put a crawl space, or larger room.  I guess I agree that this is necessary, but I hate the thought of doing this now.  Seems like something that should have been done a few months ago! 

Anyway, back to week 38.  We are slowly getting there.  Seems like the last few weeks have been an eternity. 

37 Week update!

Here we are, 3 weeks and counting! Actually, I won't lie, I'm REALLY counting the fact that I only have 10 more work days :)  And then I will really start counting down baby's arrival.  Of course I'm more excited about him being here then being off work...but you get it, right?!
(sorry, no picture this week.  But trust me, I've gotten bigger!)

At 37 weeks, yup, I'm going to finally believe what thebump.com has to say!  He is the size of a watermelon! They say he has reached full term measuring around 18.9 and 20.9 inches and weighing 6.2 to 9.2 pounds.  He is still developing brain cells and growing and maturing.  These last few weeks are very crucial to his development and we need him to stay in there until AT LEAST 39 weeks.  As much as I would like him out now, I think it's best he keeps bakin'!

We had our 37 week appointment today and everything is good.  Measuring very close to where I should be.  Hubby asked the Doctor if he thought we were going to have a big baby or not.  Doctor said, please don't quote me, but I will say he will be around 7lbs 12oz.  He said it could be less, but he will say for sure that we are not having a 5 pounder!  We did learn that I lost 3 pounds in the last week, which we are contributing to water weight.  My feet and legs were pretty swollen in the last 2 weeks and that has all gone down.  Also, we are making progress!  We are at a 2.  Any progress is good to me :)

We had a little bit of a hiccup this past weekend.  I've been having pains in my upper abdomine.  They would come and go and they weren't all that severe during the week.  Come the weekend, I tried to sleep, but it wasn't happening.  I was exhausted and finally broke down.  I woke hubby up crying at about 4:30 Sunday morning.  He knew I meant business when I was crying because I don't usually do that.  So, we put on some clothes and headed to the hospital.  They took me straight upstairs to the baby floor and hooked me up to the monitors.  Of course, they first want to make sure baby is okay.  Heartbeat and activity were good, so they move on to mom.  They found nothing wrong except one blood pressure check that was a little high.  They took blood and my platelets were a little low, but nothing to be concerned about.  The doctor released me after 7 hours.  I went home without answers and a week full of appointments. 

I went in Monday for an ultrasound of my spleen, kidneys, and gallbladder.  And also lab work.  Results all came back normal.  Doctor said as long as Tylneol is working, we will keep doing that.  Until he hears from me saying that I need more drugs, he will leave it at that.  Because his thought is that it's the gallbladder and there's nothing they can do until after baby is born.  And the pain may just go away after pregnancy too.  But, I learned that if my platelets are below 100 when I go into labor and I want an epidural, it's not going to happen.  So now, that is a concern of mine.  I am going to be eating my spinach to get those platelets up!  You just never know when you might need that shot of drugs in labor!

A smoky week

Hubby spent a better part of this week fighting fires.  On Monday, they were called out to offer mutual aide to another fire department.  This fire claimed 1000-2000 acres and a farmstead of an old farmer.  This was a sad loss since the farm had been in this family for many years.  He was left with the clothes he had on, his pickup, and a tractor.  That is a hard loss to swallow for anyone.  The guys got back to the hall about 8:30 that night just in time to eat some supper, clean up trucks, and get home to their families.  Hubby had to miss our 3rd child birth class due to this fire, but that was more important at the time. 

Then, on Wednesday, about 4:15pm, the guys were called out to a fire west of town.  The other rural fire department had already been called out, but it was too big for them to handle.  After spending a good 30 minutes trying to figure out how to get to the flames through the rough terrain, they started the long battle.  Because of creeks and railroad tracks and valley's they struggled with the getting to the fire.  After being out there for about an hour, they had to call for more mutual aide.  Two other rural departments were called out because the guys couldn't keep up with water.  They fought this fire, keeping it from jumping both lanes of the interstate and taking on any farmsteads or other structures, for a good 5 hours before making any real progress.  The ladies auxiliary supplied the guys with chicken for supper and more beverages to keep them hydrated.  This was going to be a long night!  I talked to hubby at about 10:00pm and he said half of the guys were going to stay out there until 3 to watch it and keep putting on water, and then switch at 3.  Hubby came in the house about 3:30am lookin' like he hadn't showered in a month! After a quick shower, all he wanted was to crawl into bed and sleep for a good 5 hours and then get up and go into work late.  Considering he had been up since 4:30am the previous morning, worked a 10 hour day and fought a hot fire for hours, I thought he deserved more then 5 hours.

The other group of guys all came back to the hall at about 8am to refuel and clean trucks.  But, they were called out to the fire again at about 10 that morning.  The wind and heat didn't help the situation.  All we could do was pray for some freak rain shower to dump at anytime, but that obviously didn't happen!  Again, the ladies auxiliary supplied them with lunch and beverages because this was going to be another long haul.  When I got off work, I headed to the fire hall to start making supper for them.  Luckily, the guys were able to come in at about 7 and eat.  They weren't real sure if that was it for the day or if they were going to have to head back out.  But that was it.  Between the two departments, they would check it throughout the night and the next morning.

Being at the hall when they came in was an experience.  They all came in, totally exhausted, not wanting anything else but a chair, some food and probably a shower.  They all drug themselves in and sat down not saying a whole lot, which is not normal for this group of guys.  Finally, they decided it was just time to eat and keep going.  As they were eating, they started sharing stories and experiences from the last two days and they started joking and laughing.  This was the group that I know!  They cleaned their plates, but didn't just sit there.  They knew their duties weren't finished.  They thanked us for the food and headed to the shop to wash and restock trucks and check them over quick for any needed maintenance.  After finishing that and cleaning up the shop, they had a celebratory beer and then headed home to their families who they probably hadn't seen much in the last 2 days. 

What I learned from these guys in those two days is real heroism.  No, they didn't save lives from burning buildings or save a drowning victim.  But they put their families and jobs on hold to sacrifice their lives.  This selflessness really inspired me and made me so proud of these guys.  Volunteers.  They don't get paid for their long hours out there.  And some don't even get paid at work for those days.  Some of them had never gone that long without seeing their kids, but I hope those kids see their dad as a real life hero!  These guys deserve so much respect.  So much more then us ladies on the auxiliary can give them by just keeping them fed and watered and saying a simple thank you for their hard work.  And no matter what they just did to keep a fire from destroying the whole country side, they were so thankful for what us ladies had MADE them.  We heard more thank yous then we deserved for what we did!



My real life hero!



36 Week Update

Minus 4 weeks and counting! 

Baby Boy is the size of a coconut.  Still at a length of 17.2 to 18.7 inches and weighing in between 4.2 and 5.8 pounds.  He is continuing to pack on the pounds and his skin is getting smoother.  His liver and kidneys are completely functioning and he is almost able to completely breathe on his own.  His circulation and immune systems are also good to go. 



Minus make-up, hair pulled back, getting ready for bed...sorry for the scary picture!

 As for mommy, I'm holding in there.  Finally feel pregnant with only 4 weeks to go!  Minor swelling, nausea, and the ol' aches and pains.  Nothing we can't live with though.  And, as of last weeks appointment, Dr says we are are right on for an average first time pregnancy.  I guess that's a good thing!

Highlight of this month: Baby Shower!  We had so many friends and family join me at our house for a quick game, decorating onesies, and a round of opening gifts and eating cake!  I don't have pictures from the day yet, but I will be getting them from my friend soon.  I will post a few then.  But I do have a sneak peek into the amount of gifts we received! And boy, all I can say is we are so blessed with great friends and family!  Baby boy is so loved and he doesn't even know it yet.  We got an array of things, from outfits to blankets, bottles to toys and books, a tub to a bouncer, a cow humidifier to baby monitors!  We couldn't ask for a better life! 

Room one!

A few in the baby room

More in baby room

Quilt: Handcrafted by my mom...Never knew she could do this! But we love it :)

Diaper cake #1...took a long time to put together I'm sure, but just as long to take apart and put away!

Diaper cake #2, all those tiny hair bands wrapped around the diapers...I finally gave up!

Super cute diaper motorcycle!! I didn't want to take it apart!



Fire trucks with balloons tied to them and 1 diaper cake!

  As I said, LOTS of stuff!  And tons of diapers because the of the "man shower."  The guys were instructed to bring diapers as their entrance fee.  We let some of the guys in without them, though!

35 week update

5 more weeks!  Give or take a few days of course.  No matter what day he comes we will be happy...even if it is on Friday the 13th!

At week 35, our little peanut is now the size of a butternut squash!  Weighing in between 4.2 and 5.8 pounds and 17.2 to 18.7 inches in length.  His length probably won't change much in the next 5 weeks, but he will continue to pack on the baby fat.  Which means mom will continue to pack on the weight too!  Other than weight and length, his hearing is now fully developed.  He continues to grow and change as normal!

Baby boy hasn't been causing mom too many problems.  I'm still struggling with the heartburn and normal aches and pains and swelling of pregnancy.  We have another appointment today, so we will see where we measure at this time.  I don't feel like I gained any weight, but we will soon find out!

Tomorrow is St. Patrick's day and also our baby showers.  We are super excited to get together with friends and family and celebrate the new life that will soon be in our world.  It couldn't get much better than this! :)

The weather is gorgeous, breaking records left and right.  We are supposed to hit a high of 79 today!  It's only March, so that's a little scary but we also realize that....it's only March!  And that means there is still a large possibility of snow on the Great Plains of North Dakota.  But the farmers are taking advantage of the nice weather by getting farming equipment ready and enjoying the fact that calving season might not be as stressful as it is when the temps are in the single digits! 

Enjoy the weekend and have a green beer for me!  Happy St. Patrick's Day :)