#GrandfinaleBaby's Birth Story

Well this post feels like a long time coming. It's Christmas Eve and for the first time in a long time I actually have time to sit down and blog.

This birth story isn't very long or traumatic but I'm sharing it because the aftermath of the delivery is where I think most people will find solace in knowing they are not alone.

As you know I struggled with high blood pressure and symptoms of preeclampsia during my pregnancy. On November 4th (Wednesday) I was admitted to the hospital after a routine growth scan appointment due to my blood pressure being high. The Doctor explained to me that he thought it would be best for me to stay in the hospital until the baby was delivered. My original due date was December 26.

That morning I had gone to the doctor alone. Once the doctor said that he was admitting me I informed him that I would need to go back home to swap cars with my husband and pack a bag. I was driving the car with the car seats and strollers in it and because I had refused to pack a bag (despite my husband's constant suggestions to do so...) I really did need to go home.

So I went home, updated my husband about what was about to happen and we packed a bag and got me back up to the hospital after driving thru Chick Fil A to grab what felt like my last supper.

We arrived back at the hospital and I was immediately taken back to my room in Labor and Delivery. Initially I thought I would just be "living" there until we were much closer to my due date. But then my blood pressure spiked. It was so high that I had to be put on magnesium. Again. I hate magnesium. I think most people do. Magnesium makes you feel like you're having an outer body experience mixed with hot flashes and the flu.

Once you're on the mag (as the doctors call it) you have to stay in bed (because your risk of falling increases) and you're not allowed to eat. Luckily, I had eaten that CFA right before being admitted so I wasn't starving.

The next day was a different story. I was hungry. They were able to get my blood pressure down (by IV) but unfortunately my 24 hour urine sample showed that protein was spilling over into my urine. Your urine sample number shouldn't exceed 300 and my sample came in at 800. Not good.

That's when the team of doctors came in and told me that I would have to deliver the baby because I had developed severe preeclampsia. I had so many different feeling about delivering early. Is my baby going to be okay? Is my situation really that bad? Can't they monitor me for a few more weeks? What are the chances that I'd really have a stroke or a seizure?

I was scared and nervous but at the same time I knew I couldn't let those fears get me upset. I needed to stay calm so I could think rationally about what was about to happen and what the next couple of months would be like. I asked my nurse if someone from the NICU could come talk to me because I knew he would have to spend some time there after the delivery.

The NICU doctor came in and gave me the run down of all of the worst case scenarios. He told me he would come back by again in the morning to make sure I didn't have any questions. When he came back in the morning (Friday) I felt like the entire hospital staff came with him...

Now if you remember I got pregnant after having my tubes tied two years ago. My doctors wanted to talk to me about that and how they would "try their best" to make sure my tubes were really done this time. I got a refresher from the NICU, I met my nurses and the anesthesiologist. Before they began to prep me for surgery I called my Grandfather who's a Reverend and asked him to pray for me. My Grandfather has the most soothing voice. After talking to him I was so calm and I felt so strong. I was ready to walk through this journey, prepared for whatever the results may be...

My husband and I were prepped for surgery and we headed back to the operating room. It was the same room that I delivered Little Mike in two years ago. My husband waited outside while they got me up on the table and gave me an epidural. Normally I am freezing in the OR but I was given warm blankets during my delivery this time and I appreciated that so much.

My husband was escorted into the room and my surgery began. At 4:19pm on November 6 we welcomed our son Moses into our family. He weighed in at three pounds even and he had the tiniest little cry...

My husband and the baby went to the NICU while my doctors finished up my surgery. I spent the next two days in the hospital recovering from the surgery, pumping colostrum and learning as much as I could about the NICU journey.

In the next post I'll recap our NICU journey and share somethings that I think would help you if you ever find yourself in this same situation. I hope you have enjoyed reading about my experience with preE and the delivery of our #grandfinalebaby. 

Has anyone experienced preeclampsia? Share your story with me in the comments...

Baby Boy's Birth Story Part III

I feel like it's been forever since I've done a new post. It's been a very busy couple weeks. If you've had a baby you know what I'm talking about. Between the not sleeping, breastfeeding, pumping and trying to find a new rhythm it's been crazy. Luckily, my Mom was able to come spend a couple weeks with us and my husband was on paternity leave so it wasn't too bad. I'm hoping to get back to posting regularly in the coming week. 

Our first couple weeks have been pretty great. Baby M is such a good baby. Like most newborns all he does is eat and sleep. We've been able to go on several family outings which has kept Savannah's life very normal. Baby M's newborn and two week check up both went very well. He's gained weight and is growing so fast. He looks so different now. It's amazing how fast they change and grow.

I know I mentioned on the blog before that I was a little nervous about breastfeeding this time around. My milk supply with Sav was never enough to feed and pump to build a stash for the freezer. This time around I have more than enough milk. I could probably feed my baby and a few others. My husband jokes that we should stop buying milk and the whole family should switch to breast milk to save a few bucks. He's funny. I don't know if I'd actually do that but at least Baby M has plenty of milk ready when he needs it. I'm just so happy that I'm having a better experience with my supply this time around. Praise God from whom all breast milk flows!

Sleeping has been a little tough. Due to all the cuddling he got while everyone was here I believe he's already figured out that he doesn't want to sleep in his own bed. Y'all already know how I feel about the sleeping situation. I will start sleep training as soon as my husband permanently goes back to work. I'm not too concerned about training him since he's still so new to the world. 

I haven't done an outing by myself with both kids yet but I'll be sure to let you all know how that works out for me. I'm sure it will be entertaining if nothing else. I haven't started doing any serious exercising yet. I'm waiting until I've been officially cleared by the doctor. My appointment is in August. Until then I plan to go for walks when I can and stay as active as possible. It's so important to keep moving after a C-Section. I hope everyone is enjoying their Independence Day! 

Baby Boy's Birth Story Part I

Now that I've had a week to let everything sink in I thought today would be a great day to share baby M's birth story. On June 14 I went in to the hospital for one of my Non Stress Test. After my testing time was up I was given a BPP (bio physical profile) which was completely normal for me. A BPP is an ultrasound where the tech or doctor looks for different movements, breathing activity and measures  your fluid. Since I had gotten lots of these done during my pregnancy I was just going through the motions like I always do. 

Savannah and I were discussing what we were going to eat for lunch after I was done at the hospital. She had decided that she wanted Chick Fil-A. It wasn't until my actual Doctor came in the room that things started to concern me a little. She rarely ever comes in to speak to me after I've had a BPP. I figured since we were so close to my c-section date that maybe she was going to tell me I could skip testing next week. I was wrong. 

My Doctor was coming in to tell me that my fluid was extremely low. I had just had my fluid checked on that Tuesday (three days before) and everything was perfect. Apparently your fluid can leak and you  wouldn't necessarily know. I had no idea. And of course since I was already high risk with a septum in my uterus and a sensitive area from a previous ectopic pregnancy the only safe choice for the baby was to deliver him early. I was bummed and terrified. My Doctor told me that once your fluid leaks that it could do damage to your umbilical cord and could bring about a host of other problems. 

It was about two o' clock in the afternoon when I called my husband at work to give him the news. I'm pretty sure he flew to the hospital because he got there so fast. He took Sav to lunch and home to pack an overnight bag for her. My family wasn't scheduled to be in town until baby M's original birth date. We had to find someone to watch Savannah for the night. Luckily, all of my early planning paid off and everything for my husband and I was ready to go.

The hospital thought it would be a good idea to have someone from the NICU come in to speak with me because I was delivering early. Babies born at about thirty five weeks normally spend some time in the NICU. The Doctor said that breathing for these babies can be tough. This scared the crap out of me. I did NOT want him to go to the NICU. Then again, I didn't want him being born early. It was all happening very fast. It was very overwhelming. 

As soon as my husband got back to the hospital he scrubbed up. We went back into the operating room a little after four o' clock. The anesthesiologist did my spinal block/epidural. The room was freezing. My blood pressure kept rising and I was offered something to help with the anxiety. I passed on that offering. After everything was numb and I was in position the entire OR staff entered the room along with my husband. 

It is a very weird experience being cut open while still being awake. You can feel them pulling and tugging. There's lots of pressure on your chest and abdomen. During my c-section with Savannah the Doctors told me what was going on step by step. The set of Doctors I had this go around decided to discuss current events. I was cool with that. My husband was holding my hand and talking to me the whole time. At exactly five o' five I gave birth to a handsome little boy that looks just like his Dad.  C-sections are quick. If there are no complications you get in and out of there in no time.

Baby M's cry was so strong. After a few minutes the NICU Doctor came over to me and said, "We're sending your baby to your room. His breathing is strong. He's perfect." Music to my ears. Isn't God incredible? I may not have a normal size uterus. I may only have one fallopian tube. I may have had a previous ectopic pregnancy. Despite all of those things I have still been able to bring two very healthy babies in to this world. My tiny little ones remind me that anything is possible and that all of our steps have already been ordered. Our paths may not be what we'd like and we will definitely meet our share of challenges but if we are faithful every thing will work out for our good. 

We were wheeled into the recovery room where we spent the next two hours. I love it that your baby stays with you through out the entire birth experience now. I will share more on our hospital stay, coming home and getting started with breastfeeding later. Thank you for all of the well wishes!