Ok, so I'm going to try this again, as I had this post almost complete when I accidentally deleted it all. I was so mad! Anyway, this will most likely be a LONG post, so sit back, relax, maybe grab a warm beverage...just a thought.
Now lets see, where did I leave off? I believe my last post was around week 37 when I wasn't induced. For the remainder of week 36 and 37, after my first induction scare, I was put on bed rest due to my elevated blood pressure. Bed rest stinks, although I didn't have to load the dishwasher or take down the Christmas tree right away, which was nice. I would go on a daily outing to CVS to check my blood pressure, and come back home, although occasionally I cheated and grabbed dinner before heading back to the homestead. I kept up that schedule until my 38 week appointment on Monday, January 11th.
I went in to my 38 week appointment on the 11th, and I was nervous even before I did the routine testing. I knew that I was lucky not being induced at 37 weeks (my blood pressure was elevated and my platelets were dropping, but steadily picked up, saving me from a 37 week induction), but they never guaranteed me anything. I could have had the baby anytime at that point. My doctor told me that she would definitely induce at 39 weeks, but if my blood pressure was slightly elevated, or if my platelets had dropped anymore, she would induce me earlier than that. Anyway, back to my 38 week appointment. I got called back to do the routine testing, and the last test the nurse did was my blood pressure. As the nurse strapped on the cuff, I knew it was the moment of truth...134/90. It was over. I knew what my doctor was going to say. As I walked back to the waiting room to wait for the doctor, I caught Colt's eye from across the room. I was smiling, but also sick to my stomach from nerves. He knew what I was going to say too. It was obviously not a "good" situation, because my blood pressure was high, but we were also relieved to be having the baby, and not be put on bed rest again. They assured me at 37 weeks that the baby would most likely be fully developed and I was 38 weeks at that point. I finally got called back to see the doctor. When she reviewed my results, she confirmed our suspicions. She said at that point she was obligated to induce me for my own health. The baby was doing great, but it was me that she was worried about. She wanted to send me to St. Joseph's Hospital that night to start the induction, and she asked if I was comfortable going to that hospital, since I had never been there before. I asked if there was any way I could go to UCH (University Community Hospital), because I had been there several times before visiting my cousins after they had their babies, my cousin Lauren used to work in Labor and Delivery there and knew all of the nurses and doctors, and we had been there when we had to go to Triage for testing. She told me to go home and REST, and prepare to be induced the following night at UCH. She would be there on Wednesday morning to deliver the baby. Colt and I were so thrilled that she would be delivering Cash. We chose an OB practice that had several female doctors, and we weren't guaranteed to have a certain doctor deliver us. We had seen Dr. Polender several times throughout our pregnancy, and had been dealing with her exclusively those last few weeks. We filled out some paperwork in the office, and made our way back home to wait it out. I won't lie...Monday night and Tuesday morning/afternoon were horrible. I was SO NERVOUS about the induction that I basically threw up the entire time I was home. I wish I could have enjoyed those last two days of my pregnancy, but I was so worked up. Side Note: It turns out that all of that throwing up helped the process along, because my cervix was closed at my appointment on Monday, and I had dilated 1.5 cm by Tuesday night. I was really wound up on Monday night, so Colt took me for a late night drive which was nice. Tuesday morning/afternoon was spent laying around, being sick to my stomach, and packing our things. I had heard some good stories about induction, and some horror stories. Finally we made it to Tuesday evening, and it was time to go to the hospital.
Colt packed up the car with our things, and two diaper bags, one for baby necessities, and the other full of fun baby outfits! It was a pretty quiet 10 minute ride to the hospital, besides Colt sweetly trying to calm me down. We got there around 7pm and my parents were waiting in the lobby. The security guard said they could come up and visit once I got settled in my room. It seems strange, but I will always remember the elevator ride up to the second floor. I had been in it several times before, going to see Tara and Lauren's babies, as well as when we had to go to Triage in the weeks previous. I kept thinking, the next time we're in this elevator we'll be coming back down with a baby. Colt gave me a reassuring kiss, and we stepped out to make the long walk down the Labor and Delivery hallway. We checked in with the nurse and she showed us to Labor and Delivery Room 4. Our nurse, Sara, took my blood pressure and had me leave a urine sample. "Now I have to do some mean things to you," she said. That is always a really calming thing to hear. She inserted my IV, which was apparently the "mean thing", although I didn't think it was bad at all. She started me on some fluids, which made my fingers swell up! She also gave me a little bit of Zofran, which is an anti-nausea medication. That helped settle my nervous stomach! After that my parents were able to come up. We sat there and talked, and laughed while the fluids were going through the IV, until the nurse came in and said it was time to start the Cervidil. I had been very nervous about this, maybe more nervous than anything else. I had heard mixed reviews on Cervidil, which is a cervix softener. Some women said it wasn't bad at all, and others said it was way worse than any other part of labor. Its basically a little piece of fabric that is placed on the cervix to soften and dilate it. I didn't think it was that bad. It was very uncomfortable, and not something I'd volunteer for, but it wasn't horrible. It stung for a few seconds afterwards, but after that I couldn't even feel it. My parents were allowed back in the room to hang out for a while longer. I wasn't allowed to eat or drink anything for two hours after the Cervidil was placed. At the time I wasn't even hungry, so it wasn't a big deal. Around 10:30pm, the nurse came in and said the baby was perfect and that I could eat a little bit early if I wanted to. Colt went to Subway and got me a steak and cheese sub! Delicious! After I ate, the nurse came in and gave me some Ambien to be able to sleep. My parents left around 11:30pm, so they could make it back the next morning at 7am! I had never taken Ambien before, and it hit me pretty fast. I fell asleep fairly quickly, but I only stayed asleep for about a half hour. I had some crazy, 3D dreams during that half hour though! I remember having to go to the bathroom during the night, and the nurse unhooking me from my IV so I could walk, and being really dizzy and wobbly. After that half hour, I was up the rest of the night, give or take a few minutes of sleep here and there. The contractions started to get really uncomfortable during the night, but I got through them. Around 7am the next morning they started the Pitocin. The contractions started coming really close together, and were pretty painful. They asked me if I wanted the epidural, but I opted for a shower first. After my shower the nurse called the nurse anesthetist in to prep me. She put the plastic paper over my back, and cleaned the injection site. They wanted me to put my elbows on my knees (not an easy feat for a VERY pregnant woman) to let my spine poke out more, making it more visible for the Anesthesiologist. It was painful to be sitting so slumped over, especially when I was contracting so hard. I started to get nauseated, which was scary because the last thing I wanted to be doing when someone was shoving a needle in my spine was throwing up! I calmed myself down, and waited patiently for the Anesthesiologist. THEY COULDN'T FIND HIM! The nurse was paging him all over the hospital, but it took several minutes for him to get to my room. Finally he arrived, and gave me the epidural around 9am. Many women had told me that it was painful, but I didn't find it painful at all. They numbed the area with a small shot, and then gave me the bigger shot. Neither one was painful. It almost felt like when the dentist numbs your tooth. When they inserted the needle, it felt like they stuck it a little more towards the right than the center, but as I had never had an epidural before, I didn't say anything. A few minutes later it started to take effect. It was glorious! I was able to talk again, and didn't feel any pain. I could still feel the contractions somewhat on my left side, but it wasn't painful at that point. Dr. Polender came in after my epidural to break my water. That was a weird feeling! It didn't hurt at all, as I was numb from the waist down. The rest of the day was spent talking with family, and laying around. To be honest, I'm not really sure what all happened between the hours after my epidural to when I was 8cm. Colt left for a little while to grab a shower at home. My dad texted him something, and ended it with "10/4". Colt thought he was saying that I was 10cm and started freaking out! Haha! Colt's mom, Sharon, was at the hospital, and she came up to the room to visit for a while. Grandma Dee and Grandpa Sal came by also. My cousins Tara and Lauren came up to the room as well but by the time they arrived, my contractions must've been really hard, because I could feel them again. I could feel a ton of pressure and pain, and it was coming quickly. I told my nurse what I was experiencing, and she called the nurse anesthetist to come back in. I had to explain what was going on to her, and she gave me a small dose of something (I guess it was the epidural--I knew what it was at the time, but I forget now) to help with the pain, through my epidural catheter in my back. After that, I was feeling good again. My doctor came in to check me, and I was at 8cm! That was at about noon. I had dilated from 2 or 3 cm to 8cm in just a few hours. I decided I better take a nap before having to push. I laid there, and was in and out of sleep for about an hour. Colt was playing some music on our laptop while our mothers and my sister sat in the room talking (other family members were in the waiting room). Like I said, I was in and out of sleep, but I remember Colt playing two specific songs on the laptop. The first one is called, "Alright For Now", and the other is called, "Angel Dream", both by Tom Petty. Colt used to play them over his headphones for the baby when I was pregnant. I loved both of those songs before, but now I associate them with Cash's birth and they've become so special. My doctor came in again around 1pm, and checked me again. "Oh yeah...his head is right there," she said. "Does that mean I'm 10cm?" "Definitely! Time to push," she said. I started pushing around 1:00pm. I was very nauseated which they said was a good indicator that my body was ready to deliver. The first few pushes were rough because I was so sick to my stomach. My mom held the barf bag to my mouth as I pushed. Maybe too much information, but hey, this is a BIRTH STORY! Colt took his place in the chair beside my head. I didn't want him to move around too much because he gets very faint in medical situations. He got up a few times to splash some water on his face in the bathroom that was in our room. He was very sweet and encouraging. My sister was roaming the room taking pictures, and my mom was holding my left leg and watching my progress. I would push for 10 seconds, exhale, inhale and repeat 2 more times before I could relax for a few seconds. On my first push, they could see the top of his head! I only pushed for 40 minutes, and there he was! My mom cut the cord, as Colt was in no position to do the deed and gave her the go ahead. I was SO thirsty after delivery that I must've drank my weight in fruit punch.
I decided I should start a new paragraph to explain how it felt to see our baby for the first time. I was worried that because I had an epidural, I wouldn't be able to feel ANYTHING related to delivery but that wasn't the case. I could feel his head come out, and then his little shoulders slide out after. My last push was such a relief. They suctioned out his mouth and nose and I heard him cry. It was the sweetest sound I've ever heard. He had a very squeaky (adorable) cry, which he still has. The doctor gave him to me right away. Colt jumped up from his chair to see his son. We were all crying. He was so beautiful. I'll never forget the feeling of him in my arms for the first time. He was so warm, wet and slimy, but I didn't care. It was so surreal to know that he was mine. I got to hold him for about a minute before the nurse took him over to the warmer, which was in my room, to clean him up, measure and weigh him. He was born at 1:48pm, weighing 7 lbs. 8oz. and 19 3/4 inches long. As the doctor was "tying (or sewing) up some loose ends" I was laying on the delivery table taking pictures of Colt and Cash. The nurses were laughing at me. Who takes pictures while they're still on the delivery table!?! The baby didn't leave my side at any point (other than about 1o minutes for the circumcision) the entire time we were in the hospital. We jumped right into parenthood! A little while after delivery we were moved up to Mother/Baby. I was SO TIRED! The nurse helped me into a wheelchair and laid the baby in my arms. I was worried that I would drop the baby, because I was so drowsy. My eyes were rolling back in my head. I hadn't had good night sleep since Sunday night, and it was Wednesday afternoon!
We made it to our room on the Mother/Baby floor, and were quickly greeted my our new nurse. She checked me "from head to toe", and checked the baby out as well. The lactation consultant visited us as well. I felt bad because I was literally falling asleep as she was talking to me. I don't know if she noticed or not. Cash was a great nurser in the beginning. He nursed for the first time for about 40 minutes! We had given him a pacifier before I tried to nurse him, so he had the sucking reflex down already! In the days following he had some trouble wanting to nurse because my milk still hadn't come in. We stuck it out through a few nights of "cluster feeding" and he's a great nurser now. The rest of our stay in the hospital consisted of visits from family members, nurse checkups and trying (and failing) to get some sleep. One of the nights in the hospital I only got 45 minutes of sleep! For some reason, I didn't feel tired...yet.
I think I will make a seperate post about our time since the delivery. We couldn't be happier. Cash is such a blessing, and we're so thankful that he is healthy and happy. Even Moe seems to like him! As I type this, he is sniffing the baby, and laying his head down beside him, and Cash is putting his hand on Moe's face. So sweet! Thank you to all you readers out there who have stuck with us through the long (and ridiculously informative) pregnancy posts. I hope to continue the blog with updates from our life as a family. We love all of you guys! Stay tuned!
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Monday, January 4, 2010
Induction Watch: Appt. Follow-Up :)
Well...today's appointment wasn't conclusive. I went in for my ultrasound/OB check-up and to have some blood work done to check my platelets. My doctor told me that they would let me know by tonight if I was going to be induced this week or not. Well, not exactly...Hopefully we'll know by tomorrow when my blood work comes back.
My ultrasound went well. The tech said she got some really good measurements on him, and estimates that he'll be around 7 lbs., give or take a half pound, if he were born this week. He's still measuring in the 80th percentile for growth, and is measuring about two weeks ahead of schedule. He still has a lot of amniotic fluid, which is good news also. She also laughed, and said it looked like he has a lot of hair. We'll see about that. His "mock-breathing" was going well also. Its what baby's lungs do to get used to breathing, so they'll breathe when they're born.
When I met with the doctor, she said my blood pressure was better (130/72), and that everything else looked promising to give me another week of being pregnant before re-checking me. They drew my blood and said she'd have the results back tomorrow around noon. If my platelets have dropped again, they'll induce me tomorrow. Thankfully, she answered all my questions about induction fears etc. I felt SO MUCH BETTER when we left, about the possibilities. I'm ready for whatever they want to throw at me now.
So there it is in a nutshell...The baby looks great, and they assured me that if I need to be induced, he'll be ready to be born. I should know tomorrow afternoon whether my platelets came back normal or not. If so, I'll remain pregnant for a little while longer. If not, they'll call me back to the doctor's office to fill out some paperwork, then admit me to the hospital around 7 or 8pm on Tuesday night to start the Cervidil. Wednesday morning we would start the Pitocin, and then hopefully by Wednesday night, baby Cash would be here! I will keep everyone as updated as I possibly can. Thanks for reading!
My ultrasound went well. The tech said she got some really good measurements on him, and estimates that he'll be around 7 lbs., give or take a half pound, if he were born this week. He's still measuring in the 80th percentile for growth, and is measuring about two weeks ahead of schedule. He still has a lot of amniotic fluid, which is good news also. She also laughed, and said it looked like he has a lot of hair. We'll see about that. His "mock-breathing" was going well also. Its what baby's lungs do to get used to breathing, so they'll breathe when they're born.
When I met with the doctor, she said my blood pressure was better (130/72), and that everything else looked promising to give me another week of being pregnant before re-checking me. They drew my blood and said she'd have the results back tomorrow around noon. If my platelets have dropped again, they'll induce me tomorrow. Thankfully, she answered all my questions about induction fears etc. I felt SO MUCH BETTER when we left, about the possibilities. I'm ready for whatever they want to throw at me now.
So there it is in a nutshell...The baby looks great, and they assured me that if I need to be induced, he'll be ready to be born. I should know tomorrow afternoon whether my platelets came back normal or not. If so, I'll remain pregnant for a little while longer. If not, they'll call me back to the doctor's office to fill out some paperwork, then admit me to the hospital around 7 or 8pm on Tuesday night to start the Cervidil. Wednesday morning we would start the Pitocin, and then hopefully by Wednesday night, baby Cash would be here! I will keep everyone as updated as I possibly can. Thanks for reading!
Saturday, January 2, 2010
Week 36: No clever title
Well I started this post a few days ago before all of the drama, so I figured I'd better start over. I may post the original update at a later time.
I will start from the beginning of all the "excitement". Thursday evening was a big night for us, as I'm sure it was for everyone. It was not only a full moon, but a blue moon! It marked the beginning of a new year and a new decade, but for Colt and I, it marked the end of the last year of our lives without children. We were really excited to spend it together, with my family and the Jardines. I had been keeping track of my blood pressure the last few days because I had a Nephrologist appointment next week, and the doctor always asks what my "scores" have been. On Tuesday (the 29th), and Wednesday (the 30th) my blood pressure had been a little bit higher than normal, and the same was true on Thursday morning. My doctor said to call if it went over 140/90, but it was still measuring under that, so I wasn't yet worried. Thursday evening we made our way over to Palm Harbor to spend New Year's Eve at the Jardine's house. I took some Tylenol on the way over, around 8:30pm because I've had a really bad head cold, and the beginning of a bad headache. We had a great evening talking and playing games. I had been having a lot of Braxton Hicks contractions throughout the night, although they weren't regular, or very strong. After midnight, my headache was really bad, so Colt and I left a few minutes after the ball dropped. On the way home, I asked him if we could stop by CVS to get a Coke, thinking it was a caffeine headache. While we were there, I decided to check my blood pressure again, just to make sure everything was ok. Apparently severe headaches can be a sign of high blood pressure. When I measured it in the store, I took it three times and it was between 135-141/86-92. I called my mom and asked her if she thought I needed to call the doctor. She said to get closer to home, and take my blood pressure again at the CVS near our house, and see what it says. We did this, and it was slightly higher, ranging between 141-144/90-97! I called my doctors office to seek further instruction. The nurse on call told me to go to the hospital to have myself checked out just for my own piece of mind, but to pack something in case we were admitted. Colt and I quickly packed our bags around 1am, and made our way to Labor & Delivery. Thankfully I had the baby's bags packed already. We spent the ride to the hospital, somewhat in disbelief, talking about how ironic it is that you can prepare all you want, but in the end, there is really no "preparing" for things like this. When we arrived, they asked me to fill out some paperwork, and escorted us down the hall to Triage. They asked me to change into a gown and to give a urine sample before they showed us to my bed. Our little curtained section of Triage was in the very back corner. Looking back, I guess it was nice because we got a window, although the blinds remained closed the entire time. They informed me that my urine sample came back pretty good, only showing that I had trace proteins (not a lot). They also hooked me up to a contraction monitor, a fetal heart rate monitor, and a blood pressure cuff. The cuff was set to take my blood pressure every 10 minutes. At this point, we were still kind of confused as to what all the fuss was about. We thought they were going to take my blood pressure a few times and we'd be out of there in 10 minutes. I hadn't expected to change into a gown, much less be hooked up to any machines. I was having a lot of Braxton Hicks contractions, which they said was normal at this point in my pregnancy, and that the baby's heart rate was perfect. My blood pressures were measuring about the same as they had been, but they didn't seem overly concerned. They took some blood to run some tests on my liver enzymes and a myriad of other things. When the results came back, it showed that my platelet count was at the low end of normal, but still ok (150-something in case you were wondering).
About an hour after we had been there they wheeled another patient in to the curtained section next to us. We never saw her face, but we heard her moaning. Colt and I looked at each other, with wide eyes, thinking she must've been having some pretty strong contractions. Because she was right next to us, we could hear almost everything she was saying to the doctor. She had felt her baby move around earlier that day when she was playing with her son, but the movement seemed kind of weird, and then she started having a tightening sensation. She explained she tended to be a worrier, and she didn't want to make a big deal out of nothing. Her husband was a pilot, and in Oklahoma for the night, so her sister had accompanied her to the hospital. They attached a contraction monitor, and a fetal heart rate monitor to her as well. Sometimes it can take a few seconds to find the baby's heartbeat, either because he/she is squirming around in there, or you can't pinpoint the baby's position, but finding her baby's heart beat was taking entirely too long. After a few minutes, the woman started to panic. She was about a week farther along than me, and due January 13th. She called her husband to let him know what was going on, and we heard her tearfully explain, "They can't find the heartbeat, Michael...They can't find it!" Another 10 to 15 minutes passed by of the nurses and her sister trying to calm her down. She kept repeating that she didn't know anything could be wrong, she had felt her move earlier that day, but it was "weird movement". The doctor that I was waiting to talk to was also the doctor she was waiting to talk to. The nurses told her that when the doctor arrived they would give her an ultrasound to see what was going on. Colt and I sat there in silence, praying for her, and selfishly hoping they would take her out of the room to do the ultrasound, in case of the worst. The doctor finally arrived and they wheeled the ultrasound machine in the room. Although everyone expected it, we were not prepared to hear the words, "I'm so sorry." The woman was crying hysterically. "NO! NO! How could this be? I felt her move earlier! I thought she kicked! I didn't know anything was wrong!" Her sister tried to comfort her, but she couldn't be comforted. When she called her husband, she just kept repeating, "I'm so sorry, Michael. I'm so sorry." At this point, Colt and I had both lost it, but didn't want her to know we were crying. If it were me, I wouldn't want anyone else listening in on such a painful, and private moment, even though it was impossible not to hear since we were in such close proximity. Softly in the background, I could hear the beat of my baby's heart on the monitor, and was praying that she wouldn't be able to hear it, and mistake it for her baby. "I can't deliver a dead baby," she said. The response that her sister gave her is something that will stick with me for the rest of my life. "You'll do whatever you have to do." It wasn't her sister's intention to be cold or insensitive, but to remind her of her strength, and in turn, empower her through this tragedy. What an amazing gift. I think sometimes when these types of tragedies happen, people tend to offer their sympathy over and over again, which under the circumstances is more than appropriate, but in the end sympathy is not what's going to pull you through. At some point, you have to pick yourself up, realize your own strength, and that you are equipped to deal with this. I remember my mom telling me a story about a conversation she had with my great-grandmother, "Mammy", after my father passed away. I can't remember the exact phrasing, but it was something along the lines of , " Terri, my husband died too, you have to move on. You have two little girls to take care of. You need to get over this." If you knew my great grandmother, or any of the women in my family in general, you would know that I come from a long line of strong women, and this was not something out of character for her to say. My mother, of course, was taken aback, but has recounted in later years how true it was. My mother was 26 years old, with a 2 year old, a 5 month old, a home, bills, responsibilities, and a dead husband. She didn't have any other options. This was the first thing I thought of when I heard the response the sister gave to the grieving woman next to us. Over the next few minutes, she would have moments of clarity when she could talk about the events preceding her hospital visit that night, and then break down mid-sentence. After a while they wheeled her out. Colt and I sat there in silence for a few minutes.
I had been on the phone with my mom when we heard the news that her baby had passed away, and I whispered that I'd have to call her back later, so after the woman left, I resumed my phone call with my mother. I updated her on my progress, although I didn't have much information at that point because the doctor I was waiting to see was still with the woman who had been next to me. We sat there for another hour waiting for the doctor. When she finally came in and pulled back the curtain, I was surprised to see that she was pregnant as well. It must have been very difficult for her personally, being pregnant and dealing with a mother who had just lost her baby. Needless to say, she wasn't very cheery when she walked into the room. She explained that my blood pressure was still elevated, but not dangerous at that point, and that my platelets were at the low end of normal, but again, not dangerous. She ordered a 24 urine test, and gave me the option to stay in the hospital over night and complete the test, or go home and do it. Obviously I opted to go home. I was instructed to go on "bedrest" and bring the urine test back on Saturday (the 2nd), and they would check my blood pressure again to make sure it was still ok. She also prescribed a potassium supplement to help remedy a deficiency I had, and to control my blood pressure. We finally got home around 7:00am on January 1st, 2010.
Colt and I slept for most of the day on Friday (the 1st). We finally woke up around 2:30pm, and
sat around the house, as I couldn't really go anywhere. In the evening, I was supposed to check my blood pressure again, so Colt and I went up to CVS. It was still elevated, but under 140/90, so we didn't call the doctor. We got some takeout, and went back to the house for the remainder of my day of "bedrest".
Colt had a wedding to play on Saturday afternoon/night so he wasn't able to accompany me to the hospital on Saturday afternoon. I can't tell you how many times I heard, "I'm so sorry, I wish I could be with you," throughout the day. It was the first time he was going to miss any kind of appointment I've had (Obstetrician or Nephrologist). He is the best husband. I knew this was a big gig, and if it were any other "normal" gig, he would cancel, but he couldn't cancel a wedding. I wasn't upset whatsoever, but he felt horrible. He was so worried that I was going to go into labor, or be admitted to the hospital, and he wouldn't be there. At one point in the day, I had set my laptop case up on the counter as a reminder to put it away, and he said, "What's that for? What are you doing with that?" I started laughing and said, "Do you think I'm trying to secretly pack my things so I can have the baby tonight when you're gone?" He left around 3ish, and my parents kindly offered to escort me to the hospital to turn in my test. I told them I was a "big girl" and could go by myself, as I was expecting this to be a quick appointment to turn in the test, have my blood pressure checked, and leave, but they insisted. Good parents! We got to the hospital around 3:30, and went straight up to Labor & Delivery. I filled out more paperwork, and gave them my test. I knew I would probably go back to Triage for them to test my blood pressure, but I wasn't expecting to have to change into a gown again! We ended up in the same curtained section that Colt and I had been in the night before. Again, they attached the monitors and blood pressure cuff. I had two awesome nurses who explained so much to me. They said they look for what are called "excels" in the baby's heart rate to happen at least 3 times an hour, and they consider that good. They were laughing and telling me that Cash must've been dancing in there, because he looked like he was having a great time! His heart rate was perfect. After the nurses left, I was telling my mom and dad about the old Twilight Zone episodes that Colt and I were watching the night before, and about a particularly scary episode. When I got to the climax of the story, the baby's heart rate started getting louder and faster. We all started laughing, because it seemed like he was so into the story! The nurses came back in and said my blood pressure had gone down slightly since the last time I was in, and that was good. They did more blood work and said they'd be back soon with the results. About an hour later, they came back in and said that my platelets had gone down since the other day, and were now at 139. This was still ok, but again, at the low end of normal. They told me they were going to call my doctor and see what she wanted me to do. We waited another hour or so, and the doctor called, and asked to speak with me. I have to say, I LOVE the doctor that I've been seeing. She is part of The Women's Group, which is, as the name implies, a group of women doctors. You are supposed to see each one so you are familiar with them all by the time you deliver, but for some reason, I've ended up seeing her more than anyone. Anyway, when I picked up the phone from my hospital bed, she said, "Well Aubree, you continue to baffle me!" Since I had protein my urine before I was pregnant, I couldn't be classified as having Pre-Eclampsia (especially with the small amounts of protein that were present), and because my blood pressure wasn't REALLY high, I couldn't be classified as having gestational hypertension. It seems that I have a symptom or two of everything, but nothing that would be considered "dangerous". She was somewhat worried about the drop in my platelets. My doctor has always been very conservative in that, some things that most doctors would bypass and not think twice about, she examines further to make sure there are no problems. She said my platelets weren't at a dangerous level at this point, but they did drop since the day before. She asked when my next doctor's office appointment was, and I told her Monday, with her. She put me on bedrest again for Sunday, and said she would do a sonogram on Monday to make sure the baby was still growing properly, and getting enough blood flow. She would also re-check my blood pressure, and do more blood work. If my platelets drop anymore by Monday, she would admit me to the hospital and keep me under observation until 37 weeks (Wednesday), and then induce me! So there you have it folks. If my platelets drop by tomorrow, we could be having this baby THIS WEEK! This is very exciting, but somewhat scary also. Although 37 weeks is full term, and they keep telling me he's a big baby, induction is scary. Labor in general is scary! You never know what can happen. When I get scared, after I pray, I remind myself of the words that I heard earlier this week, "You'll do whatever you have to do." Besides just the labor aspect of it, the thought of HAVING A BABY in our home this week is somewhat daunting! I know I'm prepared for his arrival, but I don't know how "ready" anyone can ever be for such an event. If you had asked me a few weeks ago, I would have said I was ready. I've always felt "ready" to have a baby, even when I was a little girl. I never thought that I'd be so unsure so close to his arrival. How will this change our lives? How will this change our marriage? What about our day to day routine? What about poor, Moe (our dog)? I can get advice all day and night about how these things will change, or how they have changed for other couples, but I don't think anyone can really understand these changes until they happen to them. I'm a big ball of excitement and nerves. I'm sure that's normal.
Today (Sunday), I spent the day in bed, and on the couch for the remainder of my bedrest. We got the rest of the clothes folded (NOT strenuous, so don't yell at me). Colt has taken such good care of me. "Do you need a drink? Do you need chapstick? Are you hungry?" He has been so sweet. He even offered to paint my toenails! Tomorrow is the big day. We'll find out whether we're going to be induced or not. I will try to update as soon as I can, but if we are going to be admitted, things will be happening pretty fast. Hopefully I'll have some time to update on Tuesday at the hospital. If my platelets go up, I'll be home Monday afternoon to at least let you know what happened (even if its brief). Thanks so much for reading!
I will start from the beginning of all the "excitement". Thursday evening was a big night for us, as I'm sure it was for everyone. It was not only a full moon, but a blue moon! It marked the beginning of a new year and a new decade, but for Colt and I, it marked the end of the last year of our lives without children. We were really excited to spend it together, with my family and the Jardines. I had been keeping track of my blood pressure the last few days because I had a Nephrologist appointment next week, and the doctor always asks what my "scores" have been. On Tuesday (the 29th), and Wednesday (the 30th) my blood pressure had been a little bit higher than normal, and the same was true on Thursday morning. My doctor said to call if it went over 140/90, but it was still measuring under that, so I wasn't yet worried. Thursday evening we made our way over to Palm Harbor to spend New Year's Eve at the Jardine's house. I took some Tylenol on the way over, around 8:30pm because I've had a really bad head cold, and the beginning of a bad headache. We had a great evening talking and playing games. I had been having a lot of Braxton Hicks contractions throughout the night, although they weren't regular, or very strong. After midnight, my headache was really bad, so Colt and I left a few minutes after the ball dropped. On the way home, I asked him if we could stop by CVS to get a Coke, thinking it was a caffeine headache. While we were there, I decided to check my blood pressure again, just to make sure everything was ok. Apparently severe headaches can be a sign of high blood pressure. When I measured it in the store, I took it three times and it was between 135-141/86-92. I called my mom and asked her if she thought I needed to call the doctor. She said to get closer to home, and take my blood pressure again at the CVS near our house, and see what it says. We did this, and it was slightly higher, ranging between 141-144/90-97! I called my doctors office to seek further instruction. The nurse on call told me to go to the hospital to have myself checked out just for my own piece of mind, but to pack something in case we were admitted. Colt and I quickly packed our bags around 1am, and made our way to Labor & Delivery. Thankfully I had the baby's bags packed already. We spent the ride to the hospital, somewhat in disbelief, talking about how ironic it is that you can prepare all you want, but in the end, there is really no "preparing" for things like this. When we arrived, they asked me to fill out some paperwork, and escorted us down the hall to Triage. They asked me to change into a gown and to give a urine sample before they showed us to my bed. Our little curtained section of Triage was in the very back corner. Looking back, I guess it was nice because we got a window, although the blinds remained closed the entire time. They informed me that my urine sample came back pretty good, only showing that I had trace proteins (not a lot). They also hooked me up to a contraction monitor, a fetal heart rate monitor, and a blood pressure cuff. The cuff was set to take my blood pressure every 10 minutes. At this point, we were still kind of confused as to what all the fuss was about. We thought they were going to take my blood pressure a few times and we'd be out of there in 10 minutes. I hadn't expected to change into a gown, much less be hooked up to any machines. I was having a lot of Braxton Hicks contractions, which they said was normal at this point in my pregnancy, and that the baby's heart rate was perfect. My blood pressures were measuring about the same as they had been, but they didn't seem overly concerned. They took some blood to run some tests on my liver enzymes and a myriad of other things. When the results came back, it showed that my platelet count was at the low end of normal, but still ok (150-something in case you were wondering).
About an hour after we had been there they wheeled another patient in to the curtained section next to us. We never saw her face, but we heard her moaning. Colt and I looked at each other, with wide eyes, thinking she must've been having some pretty strong contractions. Because she was right next to us, we could hear almost everything she was saying to the doctor. She had felt her baby move around earlier that day when she was playing with her son, but the movement seemed kind of weird, and then she started having a tightening sensation. She explained she tended to be a worrier, and she didn't want to make a big deal out of nothing. Her husband was a pilot, and in Oklahoma for the night, so her sister had accompanied her to the hospital. They attached a contraction monitor, and a fetal heart rate monitor to her as well. Sometimes it can take a few seconds to find the baby's heartbeat, either because he/she is squirming around in there, or you can't pinpoint the baby's position, but finding her baby's heart beat was taking entirely too long. After a few minutes, the woman started to panic. She was about a week farther along than me, and due January 13th. She called her husband to let him know what was going on, and we heard her tearfully explain, "They can't find the heartbeat, Michael...They can't find it!" Another 10 to 15 minutes passed by of the nurses and her sister trying to calm her down. She kept repeating that she didn't know anything could be wrong, she had felt her move earlier that day, but it was "weird movement". The doctor that I was waiting to talk to was also the doctor she was waiting to talk to. The nurses told her that when the doctor arrived they would give her an ultrasound to see what was going on. Colt and I sat there in silence, praying for her, and selfishly hoping they would take her out of the room to do the ultrasound, in case of the worst. The doctor finally arrived and they wheeled the ultrasound machine in the room. Although everyone expected it, we were not prepared to hear the words, "I'm so sorry." The woman was crying hysterically. "NO! NO! How could this be? I felt her move earlier! I thought she kicked! I didn't know anything was wrong!" Her sister tried to comfort her, but she couldn't be comforted. When she called her husband, she just kept repeating, "I'm so sorry, Michael. I'm so sorry." At this point, Colt and I had both lost it, but didn't want her to know we were crying. If it were me, I wouldn't want anyone else listening in on such a painful, and private moment, even though it was impossible not to hear since we were in such close proximity. Softly in the background, I could hear the beat of my baby's heart on the monitor, and was praying that she wouldn't be able to hear it, and mistake it for her baby. "I can't deliver a dead baby," she said. The response that her sister gave her is something that will stick with me for the rest of my life. "You'll do whatever you have to do." It wasn't her sister's intention to be cold or insensitive, but to remind her of her strength, and in turn, empower her through this tragedy. What an amazing gift. I think sometimes when these types of tragedies happen, people tend to offer their sympathy over and over again, which under the circumstances is more than appropriate, but in the end sympathy is not what's going to pull you through. At some point, you have to pick yourself up, realize your own strength, and that you are equipped to deal with this. I remember my mom telling me a story about a conversation she had with my great-grandmother, "Mammy", after my father passed away. I can't remember the exact phrasing, but it was something along the lines of , " Terri, my husband died too, you have to move on. You have two little girls to take care of. You need to get over this." If you knew my great grandmother, or any of the women in my family in general, you would know that I come from a long line of strong women, and this was not something out of character for her to say. My mother, of course, was taken aback, but has recounted in later years how true it was. My mother was 26 years old, with a 2 year old, a 5 month old, a home, bills, responsibilities, and a dead husband. She didn't have any other options. This was the first thing I thought of when I heard the response the sister gave to the grieving woman next to us. Over the next few minutes, she would have moments of clarity when she could talk about the events preceding her hospital visit that night, and then break down mid-sentence. After a while they wheeled her out. Colt and I sat there in silence for a few minutes.
I had been on the phone with my mom when we heard the news that her baby had passed away, and I whispered that I'd have to call her back later, so after the woman left, I resumed my phone call with my mother. I updated her on my progress, although I didn't have much information at that point because the doctor I was waiting to see was still with the woman who had been next to me. We sat there for another hour waiting for the doctor. When she finally came in and pulled back the curtain, I was surprised to see that she was pregnant as well. It must have been very difficult for her personally, being pregnant and dealing with a mother who had just lost her baby. Needless to say, she wasn't very cheery when she walked into the room. She explained that my blood pressure was still elevated, but not dangerous at that point, and that my platelets were at the low end of normal, but again, not dangerous. She ordered a 24 urine test, and gave me the option to stay in the hospital over night and complete the test, or go home and do it. Obviously I opted to go home. I was instructed to go on "bedrest" and bring the urine test back on Saturday (the 2nd), and they would check my blood pressure again to make sure it was still ok. She also prescribed a potassium supplement to help remedy a deficiency I had, and to control my blood pressure. We finally got home around 7:00am on January 1st, 2010.
Colt and I slept for most of the day on Friday (the 1st). We finally woke up around 2:30pm, and
sat around the house, as I couldn't really go anywhere. In the evening, I was supposed to check my blood pressure again, so Colt and I went up to CVS. It was still elevated, but under 140/90, so we didn't call the doctor. We got some takeout, and went back to the house for the remainder of my day of "bedrest".
Colt had a wedding to play on Saturday afternoon/night so he wasn't able to accompany me to the hospital on Saturday afternoon. I can't tell you how many times I heard, "I'm so sorry, I wish I could be with you," throughout the day. It was the first time he was going to miss any kind of appointment I've had (Obstetrician or Nephrologist). He is the best husband. I knew this was a big gig, and if it were any other "normal" gig, he would cancel, but he couldn't cancel a wedding. I wasn't upset whatsoever, but he felt horrible. He was so worried that I was going to go into labor, or be admitted to the hospital, and he wouldn't be there. At one point in the day, I had set my laptop case up on the counter as a reminder to put it away, and he said, "What's that for? What are you doing with that?" I started laughing and said, "Do you think I'm trying to secretly pack my things so I can have the baby tonight when you're gone?" He left around 3ish, and my parents kindly offered to escort me to the hospital to turn in my test. I told them I was a "big girl" and could go by myself, as I was expecting this to be a quick appointment to turn in the test, have my blood pressure checked, and leave, but they insisted. Good parents! We got to the hospital around 3:30, and went straight up to Labor & Delivery. I filled out more paperwork, and gave them my test. I knew I would probably go back to Triage for them to test my blood pressure, but I wasn't expecting to have to change into a gown again! We ended up in the same curtained section that Colt and I had been in the night before. Again, they attached the monitors and blood pressure cuff. I had two awesome nurses who explained so much to me. They said they look for what are called "excels" in the baby's heart rate to happen at least 3 times an hour, and they consider that good. They were laughing and telling me that Cash must've been dancing in there, because he looked like he was having a great time! His heart rate was perfect. After the nurses left, I was telling my mom and dad about the old Twilight Zone episodes that Colt and I were watching the night before, and about a particularly scary episode. When I got to the climax of the story, the baby's heart rate started getting louder and faster. We all started laughing, because it seemed like he was so into the story! The nurses came back in and said my blood pressure had gone down slightly since the last time I was in, and that was good. They did more blood work and said they'd be back soon with the results. About an hour later, they came back in and said that my platelets had gone down since the other day, and were now at 139. This was still ok, but again, at the low end of normal. They told me they were going to call my doctor and see what she wanted me to do. We waited another hour or so, and the doctor called, and asked to speak with me. I have to say, I LOVE the doctor that I've been seeing. She is part of The Women's Group, which is, as the name implies, a group of women doctors. You are supposed to see each one so you are familiar with them all by the time you deliver, but for some reason, I've ended up seeing her more than anyone. Anyway, when I picked up the phone from my hospital bed, she said, "Well Aubree, you continue to baffle me!" Since I had protein my urine before I was pregnant, I couldn't be classified as having Pre-Eclampsia (especially with the small amounts of protein that were present), and because my blood pressure wasn't REALLY high, I couldn't be classified as having gestational hypertension. It seems that I have a symptom or two of everything, but nothing that would be considered "dangerous". She was somewhat worried about the drop in my platelets. My doctor has always been very conservative in that, some things that most doctors would bypass and not think twice about, she examines further to make sure there are no problems. She said my platelets weren't at a dangerous level at this point, but they did drop since the day before. She asked when my next doctor's office appointment was, and I told her Monday, with her. She put me on bedrest again for Sunday, and said she would do a sonogram on Monday to make sure the baby was still growing properly, and getting enough blood flow. She would also re-check my blood pressure, and do more blood work. If my platelets drop anymore by Monday, she would admit me to the hospital and keep me under observation until 37 weeks (Wednesday), and then induce me! So there you have it folks. If my platelets drop by tomorrow, we could be having this baby THIS WEEK! This is very exciting, but somewhat scary also. Although 37 weeks is full term, and they keep telling me he's a big baby, induction is scary. Labor in general is scary! You never know what can happen. When I get scared, after I pray, I remind myself of the words that I heard earlier this week, "You'll do whatever you have to do." Besides just the labor aspect of it, the thought of HAVING A BABY in our home this week is somewhat daunting! I know I'm prepared for his arrival, but I don't know how "ready" anyone can ever be for such an event. If you had asked me a few weeks ago, I would have said I was ready. I've always felt "ready" to have a baby, even when I was a little girl. I never thought that I'd be so unsure so close to his arrival. How will this change our lives? How will this change our marriage? What about our day to day routine? What about poor, Moe (our dog)? I can get advice all day and night about how these things will change, or how they have changed for other couples, but I don't think anyone can really understand these changes until they happen to them. I'm a big ball of excitement and nerves. I'm sure that's normal.
Today (Sunday), I spent the day in bed, and on the couch for the remainder of my bedrest. We got the rest of the clothes folded (NOT strenuous, so don't yell at me). Colt has taken such good care of me. "Do you need a drink? Do you need chapstick? Are you hungry?" He has been so sweet. He even offered to paint my toenails! Tomorrow is the big day. We'll find out whether we're going to be induced or not. I will try to update as soon as I can, but if we are going to be admitted, things will be happening pretty fast. Hopefully I'll have some time to update on Tuesday at the hospital. If my platelets go up, I'll be home Monday afternoon to at least let you know what happened (even if its brief). Thanks so much for reading!
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