It has been forever since I updated. I have been meaning to, but the weebly app I was so excited about isn't working correctly. Since the last update, Lucas has been born! He's here and he's healthy.
It started on Tuesday, September 21. I was 36 weeks, 3 days. My blood pressure, which had been awesome through the whole pregnancy spiked. I kept watch on it and then on Thursday I started feeling very odd at work. I felt like my heart was skipping beats and I couldn't catch my breath when this happened. (I later learned that I was slightly anemic) I had taken my blood pressure cuff to work with me and it was pretty high. I called the clinic on my way home that day and they were concerned enough to have me come straight in. At the clinic, my blood pressure was high so they sent me to the labor and delivery unit to be monitored.
I got to the hospital around 6pm. They hooked me up to a fetal monitor and a blood pressure cuff and had me lie down on the bed. My friend, Jill, came to keep me company as Brent was at home taking care of Colson. My blood pressures calmed down while I was there and my bloodwork looked good. They were getting ready to send me home. I decided I didn't want to be on the stretcher anymore and got up to sit in the chair by the bed. They were still monitoring my blood pressure at this point and it became unstable in the sitting position. At the point, I was told I was being admitted to the hospital overnight. I was scared to death and really upset because I hadn't seen Colson all day.
I was moved to the post partum wing of the hospital to be monitored. My blood pressure was so high that it took almost 2 hours to begin my IV line because my veins were so bad off. I got settled around 1am. My wonderful friend had stayed with me this whole time even though she had to go to work the next day and lived 45 minutes away. :-) She's pretty awesome.
The next day, I was monitored through the day and remained on hospital bedrest. My pressures didn't come down and Dr. Spetalnick came in to talk with me that afternoon. Dr. Spetalnick and I have a love/hate relationship. At 20 weeks with Colson, we were in a car accident. Dr. S was on-call. When I called to talk with him, he was pretty rude and I told Brent that I REFUSED to have him in the delivery room when Colson was born. Well...... he was the delivery doctor the night Colson was born..... and we also are thankful that he was there. When Colson was in trouble, Dr S was the one who took control, jumped on my stomach and maneuvered Colson out. See what I mean? Love/Hate..... Anyway, Dr S told me that he thought the best course of action would be to deliver Lucas as soon as possible. So.... calls were made and I was moved to a delivery room around 1am on Saturday morning.
I was started on a medicine to soften and dilate my cervix. The contractions started up pretty quickly and I began dilating. Around 6am, I was feeling the contractions pretty strongly and asked for the epidural. The epidural was in by 8am, and I felt better. We rested the remainder of the day and watched tv--- it was sort of exciting because the Goodlettsville Baseball team was playing in the World Series! I continued to dilate slowly through the day and the contractions were picking up slowly. I can't remember what time they started Pitocin, but they did. My water was also broken during this time.
Around 11pm that night, I was dilated to a 7-8. I began to hurt. The epidural was failing. I could feel everything. I have never felt such pain in my life. I felt like my hips were being ripped apart. I wasn't prepared to feel pain--- Colson was 10 pounds and I hardly felt anything! I came into this delivery not prepared for the intense amount of pain that I would feel over the next 7 hours. We kept calling anesthesia to do extra medicine, but it would only last around 45 minutes before wearing off. Apparently I wasn't very "nice" during this phase of labor. All I remember from it was the intense pain. I have never felt pain like that.
During this time, Lucas' heart rate kept doing weird things. This made my anxiety go into hyperdrive. They started oxygen on me and came in to reposition me so that his heartrate stayed in the normal range. I was crying and exhaustion had set in. There really was no reasoning with me. The doctor came in to talk with me. He asked what was going on and why I was so anxious. I told him that I was afraid Lucas was going to die. He asked why I felt like that. (I should mention here that this doctor-- whom I had never met before that night--had been confident and a bit arrogant everytime he had come to talk with me through the day). I told him that my daughter had died and I was afraid. His demeanor changed immediately. He walked me step by step through when they would begin worrying about the baby. He reassured me that my nurse was watching the monitor at the nurses' station even when she wasn't in my room. He told me that nothing he saw was concerning him at this point and he told me they would intervene well before Lucas got into serious trouble. He held my hand while talking to me. It was exactly what I needed in that moment.
I labored for a few more hours---- PAIN!!!! They had me begin pushing around 5:45 am. Lucas was coming fast. He was born at 5:59am and placed on my stomach.
Let me say that again-- he was placed on my stomach. There was no whisking him away so NICU could check him out. The room was filled with baby cries and congratulations--- a stark difference from both Kailee and Colson's birth. I got to touch him and kiss him and SEE him breathe. He had a head full of jet black hair, same as my Kailee. He looked so much like her at birth. It was pretty incredible. When I was ready, they took him to clean him up and weigh him. He was 8 lbs, 11oz---- that's a pretty good size for a 40 week baby---- Lucas was born at 37 weeks, 1 day. I can't imagine how big he would have been had he gone 2 more weeks! I had just had a NORMAL birth. :-)
Lucas is now 6 weeks and doing well. He is growing at the same rate Colson is and is now a hoss. We had some problems with his bilirubin after birth. We had to stay an extra day at vanderbilt and then we were home 2 days before his pediatrician admitted him to the local hospital to be put on phototherapy. That has completely resolved now and he's doing great at home with us. He is a wonderful addition to our family.
Colson is still adjusting to baby Lucas. He has a hard time understanding why his mommy is holding another baby. He likes to point at baby Lucas' toes and nose. He also thinks it's HILARIOUS when baby Lucas cries. Colson has become more verbal in the last few months, too. It's pretty funny. We'll ask him if he needs his diaper changed and he yell "Noooooo!!!!" and run off with his little toddler run. Cutest. Thing. Ever.
It started on Tuesday, September 21. I was 36 weeks, 3 days. My blood pressure, which had been awesome through the whole pregnancy spiked. I kept watch on it and then on Thursday I started feeling very odd at work. I felt like my heart was skipping beats and I couldn't catch my breath when this happened. (I later learned that I was slightly anemic) I had taken my blood pressure cuff to work with me and it was pretty high. I called the clinic on my way home that day and they were concerned enough to have me come straight in. At the clinic, my blood pressure was high so they sent me to the labor and delivery unit to be monitored.
I got to the hospital around 6pm. They hooked me up to a fetal monitor and a blood pressure cuff and had me lie down on the bed. My friend, Jill, came to keep me company as Brent was at home taking care of Colson. My blood pressures calmed down while I was there and my bloodwork looked good. They were getting ready to send me home. I decided I didn't want to be on the stretcher anymore and got up to sit in the chair by the bed. They were still monitoring my blood pressure at this point and it became unstable in the sitting position. At the point, I was told I was being admitted to the hospital overnight. I was scared to death and really upset because I hadn't seen Colson all day.
I was moved to the post partum wing of the hospital to be monitored. My blood pressure was so high that it took almost 2 hours to begin my IV line because my veins were so bad off. I got settled around 1am. My wonderful friend had stayed with me this whole time even though she had to go to work the next day and lived 45 minutes away. :-) She's pretty awesome.
The next day, I was monitored through the day and remained on hospital bedrest. My pressures didn't come down and Dr. Spetalnick came in to talk with me that afternoon. Dr. Spetalnick and I have a love/hate relationship. At 20 weeks with Colson, we were in a car accident. Dr. S was on-call. When I called to talk with him, he was pretty rude and I told Brent that I REFUSED to have him in the delivery room when Colson was born. Well...... he was the delivery doctor the night Colson was born..... and we also are thankful that he was there. When Colson was in trouble, Dr S was the one who took control, jumped on my stomach and maneuvered Colson out. See what I mean? Love/Hate..... Anyway, Dr S told me that he thought the best course of action would be to deliver Lucas as soon as possible. So.... calls were made and I was moved to a delivery room around 1am on Saturday morning.
I was started on a medicine to soften and dilate my cervix. The contractions started up pretty quickly and I began dilating. Around 6am, I was feeling the contractions pretty strongly and asked for the epidural. The epidural was in by 8am, and I felt better. We rested the remainder of the day and watched tv--- it was sort of exciting because the Goodlettsville Baseball team was playing in the World Series! I continued to dilate slowly through the day and the contractions were picking up slowly. I can't remember what time they started Pitocin, but they did. My water was also broken during this time.
Around 11pm that night, I was dilated to a 7-8. I began to hurt. The epidural was failing. I could feel everything. I have never felt such pain in my life. I felt like my hips were being ripped apart. I wasn't prepared to feel pain--- Colson was 10 pounds and I hardly felt anything! I came into this delivery not prepared for the intense amount of pain that I would feel over the next 7 hours. We kept calling anesthesia to do extra medicine, but it would only last around 45 minutes before wearing off. Apparently I wasn't very "nice" during this phase of labor. All I remember from it was the intense pain. I have never felt pain like that.
During this time, Lucas' heart rate kept doing weird things. This made my anxiety go into hyperdrive. They started oxygen on me and came in to reposition me so that his heartrate stayed in the normal range. I was crying and exhaustion had set in. There really was no reasoning with me. The doctor came in to talk with me. He asked what was going on and why I was so anxious. I told him that I was afraid Lucas was going to die. He asked why I felt like that. (I should mention here that this doctor-- whom I had never met before that night--had been confident and a bit arrogant everytime he had come to talk with me through the day). I told him that my daughter had died and I was afraid. His demeanor changed immediately. He walked me step by step through when they would begin worrying about the baby. He reassured me that my nurse was watching the monitor at the nurses' station even when she wasn't in my room. He told me that nothing he saw was concerning him at this point and he told me they would intervene well before Lucas got into serious trouble. He held my hand while talking to me. It was exactly what I needed in that moment.
I labored for a few more hours---- PAIN!!!! They had me begin pushing around 5:45 am. Lucas was coming fast. He was born at 5:59am and placed on my stomach.
Let me say that again-- he was placed on my stomach. There was no whisking him away so NICU could check him out. The room was filled with baby cries and congratulations--- a stark difference from both Kailee and Colson's birth. I got to touch him and kiss him and SEE him breathe. He had a head full of jet black hair, same as my Kailee. He looked so much like her at birth. It was pretty incredible. When I was ready, they took him to clean him up and weigh him. He was 8 lbs, 11oz---- that's a pretty good size for a 40 week baby---- Lucas was born at 37 weeks, 1 day. I can't imagine how big he would have been had he gone 2 more weeks! I had just had a NORMAL birth. :-)
Lucas is now 6 weeks and doing well. He is growing at the same rate Colson is and is now a hoss. We had some problems with his bilirubin after birth. We had to stay an extra day at vanderbilt and then we were home 2 days before his pediatrician admitted him to the local hospital to be put on phototherapy. That has completely resolved now and he's doing great at home with us. He is a wonderful addition to our family.
Colson is still adjusting to baby Lucas. He has a hard time understanding why his mommy is holding another baby. He likes to point at baby Lucas' toes and nose. He also thinks it's HILARIOUS when baby Lucas cries. Colson has become more verbal in the last few months, too. It's pretty funny. We'll ask him if he needs his diaper changed and he yell "Noooooo!!!!" and run off with his little toddler run. Cutest. Thing. Ever.
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