*Mason and Geneva's Birth Story* ~may be slightly graphic~

Some of this you may have heard or read about already but I think it's important to the whole story to include it in this part of the story. Let me say that I had been praying for a natural birth, even knowing that having a C-section was a very real possibility. I even talked about doing it completely natural with no pain meds or epidurals. During all the more painful contractions though, I had started thinking this wouldn't be possible because I couldn't see an end in sight and I wasn't sure how long I could do that without any "help"!

Geneva - 11/24/11

Mason - 11/24/11

I came home from the hospital after 7 weeks on bedrest, Mon, November 7th. I was home for 6 uneventful days, till the evening of Sunday, November 13th. At 31 weeks along and around 8:25pm, contractions just started up out of the blue and they were 5 minutes apart and intense. I timed them for 25 minutes and when I'd had 5 in that time, I called the doctor. He told me to go right to our local Labor and Delivery, which I did, they hooked me up to the Contraction monitor and heartrate monitors for the babies (who were both sounding fabulous) and started me on Magnesium Sulfate right away to stop the contractions, but that didn't help a lot and the contractions were getting quite painful, so they gave me Fentanyl. That didn't work and just made me a little drowsy, so they gave me a double dose of Stadol so I could get through the ambulance ride to transfer me to the big hospital with the NICU an hour away. Funny thing is, it made me hallucinate (LOL, I was seeing all the nurses, Dewayne, my Dr. and the EMT's as cardboard people) but it didn't take away the pain of the contractions. I rode in the ambulance and Dewayne drove home to grab some things for me and met me at the hospital.  Once I arrived at the big hospital a little after midnight on Monday, November 14th, there were 2 doctors, 1 nurse and a myriad of machines and monitors waiting for me. Since I was still contracting and they were getting even more painful, my nurse helped me with breathing through them. They upped the Magnesium Sulfate and gave me a 3rd steriod injection (I got the series of 2 the first time I was admitted to the hospital) for the babies lungs. After an ultrasound by the perinatologist to check babies positions, estimate their weights and check my cervical length, the OB doctor on call did a vaginal exam and found softening but no dilation. Contractions petered out around 3:30am and we were able to sleep for awhile. Dewayne left at 6am to head home and sleep a little before he went into work for a bit. Later that day, they moved me out of Labor and Delivery back to the Prenatal Unit, because labor wasn't eminient anymore. I had an uneventful afternoon Monday and the next day, everything was nice and calm! Until around 9pm when I started having contractions again, that is!! They were more intense and painful but they were kind of sporadic and weren't showing up when the nurses did my monitoring that evening and I thought that they weren't too bad, so they just told me to keep track of them. I called them again around 11 and they told me they'd be in to check on me at midnight and I was still contracting. So back on the monitor I went. The contractions still weren't showing up and didn't seem to be getting worse or closer together, so the nurses gave me an Ambien and I slept for a solid 2 1/2 hours. Contractions woke me up around 2:30am and I waited till 3:30 to call my nurses again. They came in and put me back on the monitor (and also listened to the babies heart beats for 5 minutes.) Babies were doing great, tolerating the contractions well. By that time, the contractions were starting to get closer together and more painful again. So they called the on call Dr. and he had them put me on the Magnesium Sulfate again and my IV site started swelling so they had to switch the IV site to the other arm. By now it's around 5:30am and contractions are showing no signs of stopping. I'd been using the bathroom every hour through out the night and the pressure down there was pretty intense. I still didn't think a whole lot was going on....I thought I was just "having contractions" again and that they would stop. I asked one of the nurses call Dewayne to tell him I was having contractions and we'd call if anything really started happening. Remember, we live an hour away from the hospital. It's about 6 now and things are starting to look like they may keep going and the Mag isn't stopping the contractions. Nurses are going in and out of my room at a regular rate. All of this time, I haven't asked for pain meds or even thought that I was going into labor. I am now at 31 weeks and 3 days. At 6:27am, all of the sudden, I felt the need to PUSH and that my water might have broken....I told my nurse frantically that I did and that she needed to call Dewayne NOW!!! Then I got strict orders to puff and not to push.....I still had my cerclage in (the stitch to keep my cervix closed) and if the babies were born with that in, my cervix could be ripped badly. My nurse checked me and felt Mason's head was right there. The next thing I knew, I was being wheeled out of my room on my bed as fast as they could down to the OR, next to the NICU. All the while, when I'd get a contraction, I'd be puffing instead of pushing and then my body would just take over and start to push. This happened three times total, while "flying" through the halls of the hospital and just as I was wheeled into the OR at 6:36am, my body took over and bore down hard and Mason popped out of me onto the bed behind me under the covers. I told the nurses (the dr. wasn't there yet.) "I had a baby, he came out, he was born!" and the OR nurse pulled up the blanket and there he was, crying! She clamped and cut his cord. Then she passed him through the window to the nurse waiting in the NICU. They then transferred me to the OR table and got my feet up in stirrups. The on call Dr. for the Prenatal Unit still hadn't arrived so they called a Dr. who was in the on call room next door to the OR (as it turns out, he was my Dr. for my whole pg with Brighton but didn't deliver him, he was off the weekend Brighton was born) and he came in just after Mason was born. He slowly broke Geneva's bag of waters and helped her ease down into the birth canal. Then he told me to gently push and out popped my little girl at 6:49am. He held her up so I could see her and then clamped and cut her cord and she was passed through the window to the nurse in the NICU. The rest was easy, placentas came right out with one more push, I was then put on a pictocin drip to help minimize bleeding and shrink my uterus, sedated and given local anaesthetic, so they could check my cervix for tearing (and repair it if it was necessary) from the cerclage (which Mason popped) and stitch up the first degree tear in my perineum. My cervix had no damage at all and they were able to just take the popped cerclage out. :o) Whew!! The nurse popped her head through the window periodically to give me updates on the babies and the NICU dr. came in later to tell me the babies were doing great and breathing on their own. Mason weighed 3lbs 14oz and was 16 1/2 inches long and Geneva weighed 3lbs 11oz and was 17 inches long. They are in the NICU and will most likely be able to come home before the New Year. They both got their IV's out and they both no longer need the hi-flow air and oxygen tubes in their noses. They are being tube-fed over an ounce of my pumped milk every 3 hours now and we are doing "non-nutritive" sucking so they can "practice" for breastfeeding!! They also get caffeine to help with keeping their breathing steady. I'm so proud of my babies and love them so very much. Brighton is excited his baby brother and baby sister are born but won't be able to meet them till they come home from the NICU! He does get to see pictures though. It was an amazing labor and delivery, considering I only KNEW I was in labor 22 minutes before it was all over!! Now I'd say my active labor was around 3 hours long! :o) I GOT my COMPLETELY natural birth! I am so thankful that my prayers were answered. The doctors and nurses (My nurses were phenomenal. I just LOVE them all, they are amazing and caring women!) took such good care of me while I was there for the first time - 7 weeks - then the second time - 2 days - and now the doctors and nurses in the NICU are taking good care of my babies. Praise the Lord!! God is so Good.....all the time! :o) A couple of my nurses told me that God allowed me to go into labor without me realizing it because if we had "known" sooner, I would have ended up with a C-section because that is what a few of the regular on call doctors prefer! AND I would have told my nurses sooner that I was in labor if I had realized it. I always told them when I felt off or if anything out of the ordinary happened!!

Back in the hospital..................

So, my brief respite from hospital life only lasted 6 days! Ah, well, I did get those 6 days and I am thankful for that. I am back in the hospital on bedrest. Contractions started up out of the blue, 5 minutes apart and painful. Called the Dr. almost right away and he sent me directly to the local L&D. They then transferred me to the hospital with the "big guns" by ambulance, after they got me started on Mag, Terbutaline and painkillers! LOL!! They gave me Fentanol and that made me dizzy but didn't help too much with the pain, so then they gave me a double dose of Stadol and that made me hallucinate (everything and everyone was cardboard and I was seeing things that weren't there) and I could still feel the pain from the contractions!! Crazy!

So, at 31 weeks and 2 days along, I'm back in the hospital. The dr. says I need to stay here till 36 weeks now but that doesn't seem too long (after putting in a 7 week stint already)! It's only 4 weeks and 6 days..till the Monday after the Sunday that I will 36 weeks along on!

Latest belly pic........AND the latest news..............

Dewayne has faithfully been taking my picture every Sunday when he and Brighton have been visiting me. 

Here is the 30 weeks with Twins shot from Sunday, November 6th.

The latest news is that after 7 weeks of bedrest in the hospital, I am now at HOME!! Still on bedrest, but so thankful to be home!! PRAISE THE LORD! I have numerous Dr. appts in the next few weeks, but it's so wonderful to be home again, that I'm just not thinking about that right now. I am savoring the feel of laying in my own bed, hearing my son playing out in the livingroom, tolerating the dog wanting to spend every second laying at my feet or on my legs on the bed. I would normally just kick the dog off the bed and tell her to go somewhere else! Ha ha. I'm just so happy to be home. :o)

Bedrest @ 22 weeks~

Took a trip into the L&D OB Triage on Saturday for contractions. I got shots to stop them & sent home to RELAX! I am now on strict bed rest. I have to stay down & can only get up for very short (time & distance) bathroom trips. Prayers are appreciated. I am 22 weeks along. Brighton, 2 1/2 yrs old, is with Grandma right now. I have a niece flying up to help out on Tuesday evening! YAY, so thankful for that!

BABY IS HERE!!

After baby got cleaned up.

Showing off Brighton's hair - Proud daddy

Grandma, Grandpa Roy - Daddy, Mommy, Brighton & Grandma


Announcing the arrival of our son: Brighton Theodore - Monday, March 23, 2009 - 12:27 am - Weight: 7 lb 2 oz Length: 21 inches

The day finally arrived when the baby was ready to be born. As you know, I was scheduled to be induced at 6:30am on Monday, March 23, 2009. Well, lo and behold, on Sunday, March 22, 2009 at around 3 pm, I started having contractions that were pretty intense and starting to get painful. So, we headed into the hospital. We got there around 4:30-5 pm. They monitored me for awhile, then checked me. I wasn't "progressed" far enough to be "in labor" yet, so they sent me out to walk the halls for an hour. When we got back from our "walk", I had progressed a little more, enough so they decided to check me into Labor and Delivery. I checked into my room officially at 8 pm and at that time was dilated to 1.5 cm and 90% effaced. The nurse, thinking it was going to be a while before anything happened was, ready to give me IV pain meds to help me sleep but she wanted me to try to shower first to help me relax and work through contractions. I sat and rocked side to side on a "birthing" ball in the shower for a little over an hour and when I got out, I had dilated to 8 cm. My water broke around 9:30 pm on it's own, and I had the Baby at 12:27 am. All in all, it was a very good labor and birth. It wasn't as hard as I thought it could be, but it wasn't as easy as I was hoping either. It is definitely hard work but so worth it. I ended up using an IV pain medication and was considering an Epidural. But it went so fast, once it got started, that I didn't need it. We didn't even have time to get our "labor" bag, that I had packed, from the car. The labor bag had snacks for my husband and his mother (my very fabulous support team), comfort items for me, pillow and blanket from home, a book of Sudoku puzzles for my hubby and a handheld Tetris game for me. So, the next time around, the labor bag is coming in with me, no matter what, when I go into OB Triage.....even if I think they may be sending me home!!!

another trip to the hospital.....

Okay...I'm going to be infamous for all the trips to the hospital before I really go into labor. Yesterday morning I was having contractions all morning. Kind of sporadic and not too hard. Then around 1, they started coming closer together and settled into a 4-5 minute pattern. So, I called Dewayne around 1:38 and told him what they were doing. He was on his lunch break so he said he'd run back to work and let them know he was taking off for the day/weekend. He got home around 2. He showered and ate his lunch and then we headed into town. We stopped in Peters Creek, so I could use the bathroom and we could see his mom on the way in. We visited for a little while and because the contractions were still regular and coming strong, we continued into the hospital. I called on the way to let them know we were on our way in, so they could have the paperwork ready. When we got there, Dewayne dropped me at the door and went to park the car. Then, when he got in, I opted to just walk into the Maternity Center (it's not far from the parking garage) instead of riding in the wheelchair. We got signed in, which went fast because they had my chart pulled and ready up at the desk. Then, as we were walking back, a very strong contraction hit........I had to stop walking and hold onto the desk. Well, then once I got hooked up to the monitors, I stopped having contractions except for 2-3 small ones, but baby's heart rate was really high and causing a bit of concern. My BP wasn't too bad, 143/84, is one reading I remember. I am now, for sure, 1 cm dilated and almost fully effaced on one side of my cervix, don't know why the other side isn't effaced. We stayed for a while to see if baby's HR would go down and it finally evened out and came into the "normal" range. By that time, they had decided they wanted an ultrasound to look at the baby and make sure the fluid levels, placenta were good. It was so cool to see the baby's head down low (baby has dropped).....we couldn't even see it's forehead and we could see a little fringe of hair waving in the amniotic fluid and his or her little hands and lips, chin and the bottom of his or her nose. We then got "discharged" and we discussed going to the mall to walk around, so maybe I'd start having contractions again but we just drove through Wendy's to grab a bite to eat (a ceasar salad w/ no dressing for me, and a combo meal for Dewayne) and then came to Mom and Roy's and spent the night here. This morning, I was still having contractions but they aren't getting too close together. But Dewayne ran home to get some stuff, because Mom convinced him that it'll be safer if we stay here till I go into labor or we go in on Monday to be induced. So, we'll be "camping" out here till baby is ready to come!! :-)

I am scheduled..................

Okay, everyone........the news you've all been waiting.....well, maybe not THE NEWS you've been waiting for but the next best thing. If you don't hear before Monday that I have had this baby, we will be going into the hospital to be induced. Monday, March 23rd at 6:30am. Since my due date is Saturday and "that doesn't work well for the Dr.". But if I do go into labor naturally it's okay, it's just not a good time to induce. So, this baby has a chance to be born before then if he or she would like to be. I'm hoping baby wants to meet us before then. :-)

Due Date.......5 days and counting....

Yep...it's coming up fast. I am so antsy and so ready to go into labor, it isn't even funny. LoL...yes, it is. With being on bedrest for the last few weeks, it makes me even look forward to labor. I am praying that all will go well and it won't be as hard as it sounds from some people's stories. I have read the book....or most of it, anyway, Childbirth Without Fear and it makes it sound possible to have a bearable labor without too much pain.....just a lot of hard work and concentration. So, we will see what these next five days bring. I have my regular doctor appointment tomorrow morning and we will be discussing when this baby will be coming.....if he (my Dr.) will plan to induce me and what day, if I don't go into labor naturally by Saturday. :-)

A trip to the hospital.......

Yeah, I know....it sounds promising but it sure wasn't. My BP starting going up yesterday, even with me laying down and I got a headache. So, I called the OB Triage line at Providence around 6 pm and told them what was going on. They said I should come in. I didn't like that very much so I called my doctor to see if he thought I should go in, too. Well, I got another Dr. who was taking his calls this weekend and he said I should go in. So, in we decided to go. But we had to take the labor bag, the coming home bag and the infant car seat, along with a couple of pillows and blankets for me, just in case we ended up staying in the hospital. We finally left the house around 9 pm and drove in. Now, all this time I was also having contractions, nothing really regular but I could kind tell that I had a few here and there. When we got to the hospital, they hooked me up to the FHR monitor (fetal heart rate), a monitor to check my contractions and a BP cuff. Watching the contractions on the monitor was fun. Sometimes I couldn't even tell that I was having them, but they would show up on the monitor and actually make quite a peak. They took blood and made me give a urine sample to test for protein and dehydration (which were all negative, yippee!). Then after about 1 hour and 45 minutes of monitoring they sent me home. To lay down, behave myself and keep an eye on my BP and contractions and do "kick counts". Fun, fun!! And here I was hoping for a baby. But we came home empty-handed and tired and crawled into bed around 1 am. :-) But now the car is all packed with the essential things we need to head into the hospital, so we are one step closer to being ready to head to the hospital in LABOR!!

Baby Fever!!

So, I had a Doctor's appointment on Tuesday morning. And at that appointment, my doctor said that I will have this baby by my due date......one way or another. I am still having the high blood pressure and the lower number has been creeping up over 100. The doctor doesn't want to rush things, if I'm not ready to have the baby, but because of the bp he will induce me if I don't go into labor by my due date. So, in nine days or less.......we will be parents of a new baby boy or girl!! And I had just decided that I was going to be pregnant forever!! :-)

Two Weeks Left.......maybe!!

Well, I am now at the 38 weeks of gestation mark. Can you believe it? It seems like just yesterday, we were telling everyone that we were expecting in March and here we are.....counting down the last few days. Of course, the first three months just dragged by. Then the next five and a half months just flew by. Now that I am on complete bedrest the days are going slower again but still 14 days till that magical date that is sitting on the calendar waiting. The baby may decide he or she would like to come earlier.......or that staying in my tummy longer might be a better option......but still it's nearing the time when we get to meet our little blessing and give this baby his or her name. I folded all the Newborn and 0-3 month onesies, sleep & plays, socks, mittens, towels and washcloths, receiving blankets, hats and the fleece blanket, that were washed in preparation. Now they are ready to go into the baby's little "dresser", which will most likely be one of those plastic tote drawer things. It just needs to be brought in from the garage and wiped down. Do you think I'm ready? I don't know. I am starting to feel more prepared for the impending arrival of our little "monster"!! Kohl* doesn't know what to think about all the little baby stuff that has been hanging around the house lately. She thinks it may be toys for her to play with but she gets in trouble when she does try to get into it. Poor little poodle......I am sure it's confusing her. She is such a sweet dog and I hope she will adjust well to having the new baby in the house......she has been our "baby" for a year now, so it will definitely be an adjustment for her.

*I will try to post a blog on the arrival of Kohl into our life with pictures, etc., at a later date. I don't have any of my Kohl pictures on my laptop yet!!

First night downstairs........

Well, I didn't have to sleep downstairs all by myself. :-) My husband joined me in the spare room on a twin bed.......LOL, Kohl wanted to sleep in here with us, too, but she had to stay in her area. Whenever I got up to use the bathroom, you could hear her try the door to see if I didn't latch it completely when I came back to bed. It was a little tight, but I slept better than I have been sleeping lately....mostly because Dewayne was beside me all night, I am sure. When I asked him how he slept, he said he slept okay for the first part of the night.......so, we will see if he decides sleeping upstairs tonight might be a better choice for him. :-) I love him so much. He is so thoughtful and sweet. He gave me breakfast this morning, made sure I had clothes for the day (since they are all upstairs), moved the phone downstairs to be by my resting place, moved things for my entertainment close to me and off to work he went. :-)

Complete Bedrest but with a stricter Regime

Okay....I do understand that complete bedrest means you are supposed to be down and only be up to go to the bathroom. Well, now I have been smudging that line just a little. I was hanging out upstairs in our bedroom, which means that to use the bathroom, get snacks, etc., I had to come downstairs, then head back up the stairs when I was done. :-) I also was okayed to go to the chiropractor for adjustments and get a massage. But no more. I must stay horizontal ALL THE TIME. Except for short, fast bathroom breaks and NO MORE STAIRS. WAAAHHHH. It means I have to be downstairs, which means it will be easier to grab a yogurt from the fridge on my way back from the bathroom. It also means that my husband will be sleeping upstairs alone and I will be sleeping downstairs ALONE on the couch, in the spare room on the twin bed or on the futon in the back room. Unless, he wanted to set up the futon close to whatever "bed" I end up on, so he could be nearby at least. But, really now maybe he will actually get some real sleep without me tossing and turning and groaning beside him. Since Friday night, my discomfort has increased (I think it's due to the size of my belly) and my ability to actually sleep well has decreased. I had some pretty strong contractions yesterday and they even started getting regular, almost down to the every ten minutes that the Dr. said would be our sign to head into Anchorage to Providence Hospital. But then they tapered off and we tried to sleep. :-) Baby hasn't dropped or "lightened" yet, and the Dr. says that usually happens sooner when it's your first. And because I'm carrying so high, that it should be very obvious when it does happen. I am starting to get to the place where I just want to have this baby, so I don't feel big and ungainly anymore and I get to meet this new person who will be changing our life, so much!!!

Ooops......

I think I overdid it just a bit. I woke up this morning when Dewayne got up to get ready for work around 6:50. I only got up to use the bathroom and take my vitamins, then came back to bed for a while. After he left, I went downstairs and made myself a breakfast smoothie. Then came back up to bed until around 8:50. I had a massage and chiropractor appointment at 10:15, so I took a shower.....I am thinking a shower before my massage, isn't such a good idea. The massage and adjustment felt great but by the time I got home after getting the car washed and running a couple of important errands (I was able to stay in the car the whole time), I was starving (I picked up a quick salad w/ no salad dressing from McD's) and I could feel my blood pressure was up......so, I soon as I got into bed, I took it. 153/99......ouch. So, I am lying very studiously on my left side, doing deep breathing and relaxation exercises, trying to will my BP to go back down to a more normal level. And to think.......my BP this week has been running in the high 130's/high 70's-low 80's. It was looking pretty good. You know, I guess there is something to this bedrest thing, after all. Baby, I'm sorry.....I will do better, just for you!!!

A New Tradition.....

Not really..........................I'd rather that not going to church on Sunday morning didn't become an actual tradition!!

We went to church last Sunday, but with me starting to get uncomfortable, especially with sitting or standing for any period of time, it wasn't too much fun (not that church is supposed to be FUN, but you are supposed to be able to enjoy it and actually sing and listen to the sermon). Then, on Tuesday, when I was at my Dr. visit, he told me that I needed to be doing complete bedrest, no more working and no more partial bedrest! So, thus came about the no going to church on Sunday morning "tradition". I have always enjoyed going to church on Sunday. I love the fellowship, worship, listening to the sermon. I miss that when I don't have it. We listened to a sermon online this morning for our church service and it just isn't the same. I am very thankful, though, that we have that option. I am happy that Hockinson ALC has their website and the archived sermons. Once this child is born, then as soon as we are able, we will be back in church on Sunday mornings. I want our children to love going to church on Sunday mornings and whenever there is a special service as much as I do.

One Lazy Saturday.....

Well, when you are on bedrest, each day pretty much starts the same. Except that today I actually was planning to go somewhere. I woke up very early this morning, around 5 or so and managed to stay quiet for almost an hour. Then, I just can't help it, if my husband moves or I think he might also be awake, I have to start talking to him. Finally, around 6, I started thinking about taking a shower. I didn't take one yesterday in the interest of not overdoing it. When I told my wonderful hubby I hadn't showered yesterday he told me that he was going to say something and I asked him "What?", then he said, "You stink." LoL....So, up I got and off to the shower I went. It feels so nice to be clean. Then, I came back to bed and we went back to sleep for a while. When we woke up again, I was hungry.....Dewayne offered me cereal with yogurt, but I was in the mood for Scrambled Eggs. I asked if he'd like to make the eggs, but he really wanted to give me cereal, so I finally consented to the cereal. He went downstairs and after a while I smelled something wonderful. Scrambled Eggs......he made them with a little bacon and cheddar cheese....yum!! After breakfast, I got up and went and found the camera, so we could take some new belly pics and a pic of us together......so far, we didn't have any of us that showed off my belly. After pictures, we got ready to go shopping for a new bra for me.....that was so tiring, but I found two that will work fine for now and after the baby comes. On our way home, we were listening to NPR and CarTalk was on. We like to listen to that when it's on and we are driving around....it is very entertaining and informative. It was snowing pretty hard this morning and it's still snowing. Well, after Car Talk, a comedy news show called Wait, Wait Don't Tell Me, comes on for an hour. So, we decided to lay my seat back so I could relax and we went on a Saturday afternoon drive. It was nice to be out of the house for a while. The roads were a little slick but it was fun and Dewayne is a very good driver. :-)