this is me this time last year. kinda glad he's out now.
Showing posts with label pregnancy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label pregnancy. Show all posts
Charlie's Birth Story
It is the strangest thing to wake up in the morning knowing that your baby will be born that day. I thought I might feel more anxious about it, but really, I just felt good knowing that. Chris let me sleep in a little bit (since I WAS starving), and I took a nice leisurely shower, shaved my legs, painted my toes, put on mascara...you know, the important things! Chris took the kids to school and got in one last pre-baby bike ride and then we ran a couple of errands on our way to the hospital. We arrived a little before 2:00 for my 4:00 surgery. "I'm here to have my baby," I told the birth center receptionist. They had me sign in and then took us back to a room where we waited for a bit.
I asked if I was a "fall risk" because I was starving to death (I was told nothing to eat or drink since midnight the night before)...
A triage nurse came in to admit me. I had to answer a bunch of questions that seemingly had nothing to do with one another. I swear one was "when was your last bowel movement", followed by, "by what method do you learn the best?". Anyway...then she gave me a surgical gown to change into, typed my blood, and put in an IV. Finally, at 4:10, the nurse walked me down to the OR. I was so ready! Chris was told to stay behind and change into scrubs and they would come and get him after I was all prepped. The operating room was freezing! They gave me a couple warm blankets and had me sit on the edge of the table. The anesthesiologist, Dr Banish, was awesome...he scrubbed the injection site on my lower back, then told me to touch my chin to my chest and he injected the spinal medication into my lower back. Within seconds I had to lay down before I lost all the feeling in my legs. What a weird feeling! Slowly my legs went to feeling very tingly to feeling like they weighed 200 pounds a piece. It is so strange to be able to see your legs but not feel them or move them at all. It felt like they weren't even mine! Dr Boutry came in as well as the assisting surgeon, and they brought Chris in when everything was ready to go, at about 4:40. Chris sat right next to my head and Dr Banish sat on the other side and the surgery began. With a spinal I didn't feel any pain at all, but I could feel tugging and pushing (they were pushing on my upper abdomen to get the baby out). At 4:47 Charlie was born! It was amazing to hear him cry. He was really yelling! His body turned less blue-ish and more pink with each yell. His feet and hands were the last to turn pink, (which is apparently normal), and then he looked absolutely perfect.
Hearing him cry, and seeing his beautiful face felt like such a huge weight lifted from me. He was BIG, and healthy! While I knew in my heart all along that he was going to be fine, I think I still held that possibility in the back of my mind that something was going to go terribly wrong. When it didn't tears flooded my eyes. He was perfect! We were going to be able to take him home! At that second I stopped worrying about his entrance into this world, and began worrying about the rest of his life!
STATS:
Charles Peter Drechsel
born January 28, 2010
4:47 pm
7 lbs 15 oz
20 inches
Apgar 9, 10
I asked if I was a "fall risk" because I was starving to death (I was told nothing to eat or drink since midnight the night before)...
A triage nurse came in to admit me. I had to answer a bunch of questions that seemingly had nothing to do with one another. I swear one was "when was your last bowel movement", followed by, "by what method do you learn the best?". Anyway...then she gave me a surgical gown to change into, typed my blood, and put in an IV. Finally, at 4:10, the nurse walked me down to the OR. I was so ready! Chris was told to stay behind and change into scrubs and they would come and get him after I was all prepped. The operating room was freezing! They gave me a couple warm blankets and had me sit on the edge of the table. The anesthesiologist, Dr Banish, was awesome...he scrubbed the injection site on my lower back, then told me to touch my chin to my chest and he injected the spinal medication into my lower back. Within seconds I had to lay down before I lost all the feeling in my legs. What a weird feeling! Slowly my legs went to feeling very tingly to feeling like they weighed 200 pounds a piece. It is so strange to be able to see your legs but not feel them or move them at all. It felt like they weren't even mine! Dr Boutry came in as well as the assisting surgeon, and they brought Chris in when everything was ready to go, at about 4:40. Chris sat right next to my head and Dr Banish sat on the other side and the surgery began. With a spinal I didn't feel any pain at all, but I could feel tugging and pushing (they were pushing on my upper abdomen to get the baby out). At 4:47 Charlie was born! It was amazing to hear him cry. He was really yelling! His body turned less blue-ish and more pink with each yell. His feet and hands were the last to turn pink, (which is apparently normal), and then he looked absolutely perfect.
Hearing him cry, and seeing his beautiful face felt like such a huge weight lifted from me. He was BIG, and healthy! While I knew in my heart all along that he was going to be fine, I think I still held that possibility in the back of my mind that something was going to go terribly wrong. When it didn't tears flooded my eyes. He was perfect! We were going to be able to take him home! At that second I stopped worrying about his entrance into this world, and began worrying about the rest of his life!
STATS:
Charles Peter Drechsel
born January 28, 2010
4:47 pm
7 lbs 15 oz
20 inches
Apgar 9, 10
Baby Gear Baby Gear Baby Gear!
What fun is having a baby other than obsessing over which particular make of stroller, carseat, etc to get? I think maybe that gear shopping is one of the main reasons I choose to procreate! I chose the adorable Joovy Kooper. It reclines nearly flat so it can be used with a pretty young baby, it has tall enough handles for Chris and I, it folds relatively compact, and it isn't overly heavy (I think it's like 18 pounds). Plus, it's CUTE! My mom asked me if there was anything that she could buy for the baby and when I mentioned this stroller she said, "Well, don't you already have a couple of strollers?!" (Ok, maybe I do, but I think that is irrelevant!) Kinda like saying, "don't you already have a couple pairs of black shoes?" Anyway, she did surprise us with the stroller (it is even cuter in real life!) and after I brought it home last weekend I woke to Camden driving it around the house, "practicing". It was so sweet. I am so blessed to have so much willing help when this new baby arrives!
The other thing that is worth obsessing over is the perfect diaper bag, and I think I found it. The Skip Hop Dash Deluxe. It is ADORABLE. The inside is light, making it easy to find things in it, it has magnets instead of velcro (which would stick to cozy baby blankets, etc) and it has a zippered compartment on the outside for mommy's keys, wallet (see below), and cell phone. It easily switches from an over the shoulder strap to a stroller strap, and it's not too girly, so I think I will be able to get Chris to carry it as well. ; ) Thank you, Lorina, for spoiling us with this awesome bag!
Finally, (and YOU may not think this is baby related), I needed a new, slightly larger, wallet. Because, who wants to carry around a diaper bag AND a purse, and also, because all my friends have the same wallet and they threatened to kick me out of the club if I didn't hurry up and get one! So, I broke down and got the Hobo International Lauren Clutch, in leafy green. I think it is getting delivered today and I am SOOOOO excited. Almost as excited as I am for baby G!
almost 38 weeks...and counting
The ultrasound photo is G Lance at 20ish weeks. I'll be 38 weeks on Thursday, can you even imagine how cute he must be now?
I'm not complaining. I am feeling really good, I can still sleep at night. I have everything "ready" for baby G. His bassinet is set up, his clothes are washed, his carseat is installed in the car, my bag is packed...I am just SO EXCITED to meet him that I can hardly wait! Everyday I get up I think, maybe today will be the day. And every night I think, well, maybe tomorrow! Surprisingly, I am not yet to the point yet where I feel this baby MUST get OUT. Maybe I am all too aware of the lack of sleep that is just around the corner. Or maybe I am worried about how this little one is going to impact my ability to run to target on five minutes notice. It seems surreal to be having a baby so soon. I have been wanting a new baby for SOOOO long, that the fact that he is almost here, (and I'll get to bring him HOME!) is a little bit scary. What am I going to wish for then?
Third Trimester!
I've officially reached the third trimester! If I didn't crop my head off of this photo you would easily tell by my expression how happy I am to be the same size as the entire universe. What achieving this milestone means is that now, any sort of getting up out of a seated position requires quite a bit of work, and lots of noises. If I'm laying down, it's even worse! I feel like I could not get any larger, but there are something like 13 more weeks (though I would happily settle for just 10 or 11)!
By the way, have I mentioned how much this kid moves around? It's not like cute little baby kicks going on in there. These are more like, "Hey, MOM! Take that! and here, I think I'm going to do a cartwheel...how you like that one, MOM? And another thing, you don't need to pee? How about now?" I'm not kidding about this, at all...but, I still kind of love it. The whole family has gotten the chance to feel baby G kick, it's pretty obvious at this point, but a few days ago Camden came up to me and said, "Mom, I'm really sorry I lied to you...but I've never been able to feel the baby kick. And I never felt Mina kick either." I swear, that kid cracks me up. So I had him put his hand on my belly, with my hand on top, and baby G is kicking away and Camden is completely oblivious.
We had G Lance's room painted this week, and I have finally begun to get some things organized in there. The room so far looks very plain and simple, which is just how I like it. : ) Stay tuned for pictures of the finished project, sometime in the next 18 years.
Mina's Story
As we approach the 8th month birthday of our baby girl, Mina, I just wanted to write down everything that happened leading up to her birth and then, her passing. Just a warning though, that I do talk about girl parts for obvious reasons, so if that's too much information for you stop reading here. : )
The whole pregnancy was problematic from the beginning. Beginning at about 12 weeks I had a pretty big bleeding episode, I thought for sure I was miscarrying, but an ultrasound instead showed that the placenta was completely covering the cervix (placenta previa), and that I had a blood clot between the placenta and the amniotic sac (subchorionic hematoma). The problem with placenta previa is that the placenta is essentially blocking the baby's way out, so if it remains throughout the pregnancy, a C-section would be required. My doctor explained though, that since it was so early, that the chances of the placenta "moving" up and out of the way were pretty good, and that the clot could be reabsorbed and I could go on to have a normal pregnancy. Because I was still bleeding though, I was put on strict bedrest, which was not very much fun. Fortunately, I was allowed to stay at home, but...it was November, how the heck was I going to do my Christmas shopping!? I couldn't leave the couch, let alone go to Target! Unfortunately, I bled on and off (mostly on) for most of my pregnancy! I have WONDERFUL friends and family who were so supportive during this time, shuttling the kids to and from school, offering playdates for Camden, making meals for us, bringing lattes and conversation to bored little me! Chris was amazing and did everything he could to keep the house running smoothly AND hold down his regular job as well. I was able to read the entire Twilight series, which, unfortunately didn't take very long. I also watched the entire series to date of Rescue Me-four seasons! Thanksgiving was spent at home, with my awesome husband cooking an entire turkey dinner on his own! There were a few days that I was able to get off the couch, and go to Target (I think they missed me!), but mostly I was just a lazy bum on the couch.
During this time, my aunt Bev was battling her second round of cancer, and being on bedrest made it really difficult to be able to spend a lot of time with her, but I did, every chance I got. The end of January her health deteriorated to the point that her oncologist said there really wasn't anything else they could do for her, treatment-wise. She went home with hospice coming to help. I was off bedrest for a bit, and was able to help her out a little. I am forever grateful for that. She passed away on February 2nd, 2009.
On the evening of February 15th, I was back on bedrest, and was lounging on the couch, watching tv, (per usual) and suddenly felt a gush. I was sure that my water had broken! Surprisingly, I was pretty calm. Chris, on the other hand...was pretty freaked out. I was only 27 weeks along! We were able to get my aunt Margaret to come over right away to stay with Grace and Camden, and then Chris and I headed to the hospital. After an hour or so, they confirmed that my water had broken, and had started me on IV antibiotics (once your water breaks they need to prevent infection). They also gave me one of two steroid shots which helps the baby's lungs develop if premature delivery is feared. (the other one I would get 12 hours later). The nurses were great, and told me to get comfortable, that I wasn't going home until after the baby was born. Eventually I was moved from labor and delivery to the wing where they stick pregnant ladies who are NOT supposed to have their babies yet. (There is a whole wing for that!) I made a list and Chris brought me all my necessities (laptop included!) so that I could settle in for the long haul. Grace was pawned off on Margaret, who was able to take her to school, and Nanny, who could pick her up. Camden was lucky enough to go stay with the Janus' who were on their mid-winter break, which just made life easier all around without having to find entertainment for him. Thank you!
Anyway, life as we now knew it continued in this way for a few days, constant IV antibiotics, frequent ultrasounds to check my (amniotic) fluid level which had gone way way down, and three times a day fetal heartbeat monitoring. On Wednesday, the 18th, in the afternoon, my doctor said that my fluid level was so low that the baby would be better out than in, so he proposed that we would induce the following morning. (Oh, I should also say that my most recent ultrasound had shown that the placenta had migrated and was no longer previa, so that I was allowed to try and have a normal delivery). Chris left to go pick Grace up and was going to have dinner with her, when I, (of course!) started having contractions. When they didn't go away I called Chris and said I thought maybe he should just come back to the hospital, which he did. The contractions weren't showing up on the monitor when I could feel them, but then, when I didn't feel them anymore, the monitor showed that they had started...crazy stuff! Since my doctor was planning on inducing me the next morning, there was no reason at this point to try and stop the labor, so, they moved me over to labor and delivery. Almost instantly, the contractions stopped...for real. By this time Chris was back, and we were just supposed to "hang out" and see if the contractions started up again. That's when I went to the bathroom and started gushing blood. You know how they say that you'll know if you are hemorrhaging? I was hemorrhaging, and it was really scary. We called my nurse, who quickly paged the doctor and then prepped me for surgery. Poor Chris was left alone in the delivery room with a set of scrubs and told to change while they rolled me to the operating room. At that point, they didn't know if they would have time to give me a spinal block, or if I was going under general anethesia (under general, Chris would not be allowed to be there with me). The operating room was so bright and shiny and clean. There were so many people in there bustling about: my doctors (there were two who were going to do the surgery), my nurses, the anesthesiologist, the neonatologist, the NICU nurses, and who knows how many others! My modesty was completely out the window! I was still bleeding all over the place and my bare bottom was out there for what seemed like the whole world to see. Fortunately, there was time for the spinal block, so Chris was brought into the operating room and sat right next to me. Surgery began at 8:36pm and at 8:40 Mina Kathryn was born! She opened her eyes, and she even cried! The NICU team got her ventilated and gave her a shot of sufectrant to help her breathing (as was standard procedure in a preemie), and my doctors finished putting me back together. Mina was 2 lbs 6 oz and 13 1/2 inches long. They said she was a very good size for a 27 weeker, and the NICU nurses said she was feisty! (Well, duh, I AM her mother). She was doing very well initially. The very next day she was off the ventilator and on CPAP, which is essentially breathing on her own. I spent all day in the NICU, and we had some wonderful nurses. Mina was able to grasp my finger with her tiny hands, and every 4 hours I would take her temperature, change her (teeny tiny) diaper, etc. On Friday afternoon they inserted her PICC line which is kind of like an IV, but it goes to right above the main artery. This is where they can feed her, give her medicines, as well as draw blood, rather than poking her every time. Friday evening the neonatologist called my hospital room to say that she was showing signs of RDS or "preemie lung disease" which is very normal in preemies, and so they had to re-ventilate her, he made it sound like this was completely normal and expected.
On Saturday morning when I arrived at the NICU the same doctor met me at the door and I knew that was not good. Throughout the night her breathing had continued to deteriorate (they had the oxygen turned all the way up to 100 from "room air" which is 21 over the course of an hour) and eventually (some 12 or so hours later) they determined that it wasn't preemie lung disease as first suspected, but that her PICC line was flooding her chest cavity with the IV fluids rather than going into her veins where it was supposed to go. All the fluid was putting pressure on her lungs which is why she had been having such a hard time breathing. They pulled the PICC line and drained the fluid from her chest area, but at that point she did not look well. When Chris arrived from home we called Pastor Jackson and he came immediately to baptise her. On Sunday we had a different doctor who was a little less optimistic. She said that most preemies who suffered the trauma that whe went through would not still be alive. With her oxygen levels down so low for so long she may have suffered brain damage. The doctor said that we needed to see Mina becoming more responsive. Since Friday night she hadn't been responsive at all, not even to grasp my finger. And her skin was very sallow, rather than the bright red she had been. On Monday Mina was very puffy, and not peeing at all. She had little to no responsiveness and very little muscle tone.
On Tuesday morning when I arrived at the NICU I took one look at her and knew she wasn't going to make it. I told the nurses I wanted to hold her (for the first time!) and they were very accomodating (maybe I should have been worried that they were so accomodating at this point). My friend, Lorina was there with me, until Chris and Grace arrived. Mina's heartrate was very low and they weren't even able to get a reading on her blood pressure. The oxygen was still turned up all the way. Our favorite doctor, Dr Golden, was back on shift that day and told us that her kidneys had shut down, and her liver and heart were suffering drastically as well. He said that if all those major systems had been damaged by the trauma on Friday night that her brain most likely had too. This was obvious to us just by her lack of responsiveness since then. He told us that the only thing keeping her alive was the ventilator. Chris' mom brought Camden from school and we took Mina to a private room where we all got a chance to hold her and spend time together as a family of five before she passed away. I am so grateful that time.
Our precious baby girl, Mina Kathryn, left us February 24th, 2009, at 2:10pm. She is now our angel in Heaven with her Nana Bev and Uncle Pete. We feel so blessed to have known her, even for a little while.
A video of Mina's short life:
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