Addilece's Birth and My Hysterectomy

I'm sure many of you are wondering the details behind our beautiful daughters birth and the later, unexpected hysterectomy that I had to have. I wrote up a time line of the events that took place.

Friday, July 31, 2009

9:00 am- Arrive at BroMenn for my weekly doctor's appointment, dialated at a 2

9:30- water broke while doctor was checking the heartbeat

11:00-mild contractions start

Noon- Hooked up to Pitocin in order to help with contractions, offically considered in labor because my water broke but still not contracting like I should be. Dialated to a 2 to 3 cm

1:30 pm- Moved to 5 cm. Contrations were starting to pick up as Piciton was up, coming any where from 2 min to 30 seconds apart

3:30- Shift change in nurses, getting ready to move to a new room (mine didn't have a labor bed), dialted to a 6-7. Orders epidural, contractions are 30 seconds apart usually, sometimes a minute.

After 4- Epidural gets put in

The anistesiologist (sp?) was there for about a 1/2 hour. 10 minutes after he left I felt the overwelhming urge to push. I was fully dialated. My nurse did one push with me and had my doctor come in. I pushed for 25 minutes and then our beautiful baby girl was born.

5:13- Addilece was born

6:45- Addilece gets her first bath and I get ready to move to my post pardium room

8:00- In my post pardium room

9:00- They begin to realize that I am passing way to much blood

9:30- Dr. Dameron comes in and explains that we need to do a D&C. When I delievered my placenta came out in peices. They thought they got it all out, but the bleeding was a sign they hadn't. I would keep bleeding until it came out.

10:10- They take me to the OR to begin the proceedor, it was a 10 minute operation with a 1 hr recovery. My parents decide to stay until I'm out of surgery to make sure everything went alright. Tony is up in Mother/Baby with Addilece.

11:30- Tony realizes that things aren't going right and goes to talk to the nurses. They told him that Dr. Dameron had finally got the bleeding to stop and they were just checking with an sonagram to make sure everything was out

Midnight- Dr. Dameron comes to tell Tony that I was bleeding pretty heavily again. They had tried everything, even several medicanes. However, a piece of the placenta was wedged in the muscle of the placenta. They could try for one more minute but they were going to have to do a hysterectomy of the bleeding would not stop. Tony gave his verbal consent (by the time he signed consent forms a little bit later they were already half way through the operation).

Saturday, August 1, 2009

1:45 am- I wake up from the operation. They bring Tony in the room. I realize that between the time and Tony things weren't right. Dr. Dameron explained to me what had to be done. I don't remember all of it but I remember thinking, I don't know if I heard her right, did she really say that. I know I asked her "So I won't be able to have anymore kids?" She had left my eggs so I will not be thrown into menopause and Tony and I have the option of serigacy (sp?) some day.

At this point I headed up the ICU where I was poked and proded and josteled around (not such a fun expirence).

2:30- Dr. Dameron finally heads home (she is such an amazing doctor, she stayed with me the entire time)

3:00 and on- My parents come in to visit for a bit and check on me. Tony's dad and brother also come in, Tony called them about half way through the whole thing. They were such a huge blessing as they held Addilece and were a support to Tony.

I spent the next of the rest of Saturday in the ICU. They allowed me to pump a few times in order to get Addilece something to eat. Around 6 they brought her down and I was able to breast feed her. Tony and I spent 20 to 30 minutes together as a family and then they took her back upstairs. Finally at 11:30ish they brought me back to my Mother/Baby room.

I will probably spend some time on here, later blogging about our thoughts and feelings on the situation. Tony and I are more then willing to answer any questions that anybody has. We want to be as open as possible about this. We know that God has an amazing plan for our family. We are praying that we are open and aware of how God would use us. Thank you for your prayers.

Many people have asked what you can do to help. We are so grateful for your love and support. At this time I do not know what we need. We know we have people from our church brining meals and we have family coming to help out for a bit. At this point what we need more then anything is your prayers. We know we will need a support system and people to keep us accountable as we parent this precious child. We are deeply grateful for those of you that we know God is already preparing for that position.

38 Weeks Pregnant

Update as of 7/24 (latest doc appointment):
*Almost 2 cm
*Definete dropping of the baby

Doctor says that it will be "hit and miss" from here. She is pretty confident I will deliever by my due date. If not she will let me go one more week before she induces. Its nice to see that there is a light at the end of the tunnel...but I'm still getting really discouraged. Is that normal for every pregnant woman? I know it will end and I know it will be in the next few weeks but I just want it over now. I just feel aweful. My body is so worn out. So I am praying for strength and endurance (I know what happens to people who pray for patience...lol)

This is just a quick pregnancy update:

As of 7/17:
*1.5 cm dilated
*75% effaced
*Doctor Dameron: "We will probably see you at your appointment next week but from there it will be hit and miss. Things are definitely progressing."

Changes I've seen:
*A definite drop in the baby's position
*this child has pushed him/herself all the way in front
*Spurts of "cleaning energy"
*The bathroom is my best friend...or at least it wants to think it is
*My poor skin is stretched farther then anybody's skin deserves and is incredibly itchy...yuck.

I am READY to have this baby. Depending on the time of day depends on how well I'm holding up. I can be fine w/ being pregnant and 1/2 hour later I am crying telling Tony that I just can't do it anymore. I am anxious to hold my child. To call my child by his or her name and just love them. Today I was humbly reminded though that God has his perfect timing and I must wait for Him. He knows exactly how long my baby needs to be in the womb to get everything he/she needs. I was reminded today of orphans waiting for loving parents they may never know, loving parents waiting to see if a child gets to become theirs, those waiting on jobs, and so many other things. My wait pales in comparison. I am thankful that the Lord has given me this desire to "just be done" because I think it means I'm ready to begin this journey of being a mom. However, I need to remind myself to trust God with His timing, not an easy thing to do!

Baby Showers Galore:
I had two amazing baby showers in the last few weeks. My work surprised me with one, it was truly a surprise. And my church blessed me with another. We received such beautiful and amazing things. I am completely overwhelmed by God's goodness in our lives and the way he has provided. Thank you for everyone who took the time and resources to bless us and our child! I hope you know how grateful we are.

The "Nest" is ready:
I had a check list....amazingly its almost all the way checked off. A week ago I didn't feel anywhere close to completing it. The apartment has gotten a floor to ceiling cleaning (although it may need another one if this baby doesn't come soon), we got new furniture and got it all situated (slipped covered and a new rug), we finally (after living here two months) got all our pictures hung up, the baby's room is ready to go, and our bags are packed. It feels so nice to have that load off my back...its unexplainable.

One Month (Or Less??)

It is offical. I am 36 weeks pregnant and down to my LAST MONTH!!!!! Or could it be less? I guess it could be more too but I can't think about that right now :)

So how are things going....pretty good actually. I mean I am ready for this to be over. I have reched my limit! I told Tony that the offical eviction happens on July 29. That is about a week and a half before I am due. That is when I will be done with all my birthing classes and my internship and basicly done with work (one day short). But I'm really really trying to be patient!

PEANUT NEWS:

The little one is doing just fine. Pushing out my insides is his/her favorite game. I think that the baby has flipped, although I have heard nothing from my doctor. So I'm not worried about a breach birth at this point. This child has quit a cute room that he/she is coming home too...if I do say so myself. :)

These letters were drawn by my sister! They are gorgeous. They really make the room what it is!

We have been overwelhmed by God's faithfulness throughout this pregancy. The changing table and crib were from people who no longer needed them. My parents were so sweet to invest in a really nice carseat and stroller for us.

These are my letters....not as cute but they help add some color to a very bland room. The rocking chair was my great grandfathers. I am so excited to be able to cuddle and rock my baby in it!

The shelf was being gotten rid of by an international student in our apartmeng complex. Even the cheerios and wipes were a blessing. I paid a total of $4 for over 850 wipes!

It has been fun spending time with my husband getting this room together. I don't know where everything from the showers and friends will go but we will find a place! Like I said...God is faithful. We have spent under $45 to funish this room and half of that was baskets for clothes. Everything thing else has been gifted through others.

MOMMY NEWS:

Tired, extremly sore, itchy skin, feeling sick, forgetful, and slow....such is life right now. But through all of it I am overwelhmed with JOY at bringing home my child. I figure what I am going through is not too uncommon so I just have to suck it up :) There are days when I don't know if I will be a good parent but I'm trying to remind myself that I will only be a good parent if I let God parent through me. I am so glad to be serving such a FAITHFUL God.

At 34 weeks I felt a lot of aches and pains. The feared contractions, however, I wasn't dialated. They put my on the monitors and sure enough I was having some. However, I think what the monitors where picking up was Braxton Hicks and the night before was false labor. At 35 weeks I was 1 cm dialated. I don't know what I am at 36 weeks yet. My doctor is glad to see things start to progress along.

I told a Mommy and Me class to learn about post birthing care of myself and the baby. Tony and I also started our birthing classes. We were hoping to have these complete by this point but with my internship we were unable to do that. We really enjoyed the first night and our teacher is wonderful.

Life for me is starting to slow down a bit. I'm done with summer classes (whoo hoo) and I am a few weeks out of completing my internship. I have 3 more weeks of work but those should be fairly simple weeks.

DADDY'S NEWS:

Tony is doing pretty well. He is working so hard to provide for his wife and child. He is a roofer during the day and a gas station attendant at night. He also gives blood plasma when he can find the time. I'm so thankful for a husband that is so unselfish to provide what is over all best for his family by allowing his wife to stay home.

He has been so amazing throughout this whole pregnancy. He takes care of me, the house, the money....all of it with NO COMPLAINTS. I am so serious. If he has complained at all its about dishes, and who can blame him....plus my complaints are much bigger then his in that catagory! I don't know what I would do with out him.

He has also managed to round us up some new furniture which I am very exciting about and has done a great job of the contrustion part of the baby's room. He gets to pick out the baby's going home outfit (a tradition that comes from my parents). This is a privilage that he more then deserves! He keeps me calm and holds me when I just can't be....I don't think God could of shown me how much I can love him (Tony) if He had not taken me down this path of pregnancy.

Peace in the Storm

Tony and I recently celebrated our 1 year anniversary. Sometimes it is very hard to believe that our wedding was just one year ago. Its also really hard to believe that there was ever a time that we weren't married. Tony and I were talking about the wedding the other day while playing cards.

One clear thing that I remember about our wedding was the rain. It POURED the day we got married. I remember standing at my parent's front door thinking "well this kinda sucks." However, God taught me a lot through that rain. It rained ALL morning. However, every single time Tony or I had to walk outside it either slightly drizzled or completely stopped. It was really amazing. Seeing that Tony and I did not see each other until I walked down the isle I didn't even discover his side of it until later on.

Some people would see that rain as a curse to a wedding day. However, I was overwhelmed by the way God took care of us in such a small way. He stopped the rain at such perfect times. Many times it would start again as soon as entered the building we were going into. But He took the time to give us peace in that storm.

As Tony and I enter a new stage in our lives of parenting I am again reminded of that. Parenting at this point in our lives was not what we would of chosen. Financially it is about the worst choice we could make. Neither one of us really is ready for it career wise. But we know God chose this time for a reason and we know we must trust him with that.

The changes in our lives have definetly been stormy, especially for me. I have great fears of parenting. I fear what will happen to Tony and my relationship as he will have two jobs and school full time. I fear that I will struggle with loniless and frustration as I do most of this on my own, with no acess to the outside world (we only have one vehicle). I fear that I will not be able to get my child on a reasonable schedule before I begin class. We also have many stresses in our lives. I am working almost full time, doing an internship, and taking classes. With all that I feel like my body is physically shutting down on me. Tony is working two jobs and trying to still help out around that house. I have also seen this take a physical toll on him. We have dealt with looses in our families: Tony's grandmother passing away, and my dad loosing his job after 27+ years.

However, I have also been blessed to see God give me peace in the storms. Yesterday Tony kept singing a song that was on my MP3 player. I finally got it out for him to listen too. That led to a crazy afternoon of laughing, playing music and dancing. I haven't laughed that hard with my husband in so long. After this coming weekend I am going on travel restrictions. I am looking forward to using that as an excuse to just be able to stay home and relax. Tony's boss is an amazing person who has gone above and beyond and really allowed Tony and I too have a peace of mind. I thank God that he put Tony in a tough job, but one with a Christian boss who truely cares. We have also found peace in gifts that people have given us that have always come when we least expected but most need the boost.

I am overwelhmed that God constantly takes care of me, even when I think things just kinda suck right now. I will give an update on my pregancy soon. However, this was something God had laid on my heart to share!

Pregnancy Update: Week 26

Wow, I didn't realize it had been nine weeks since my last post. I just kept thinking that I was up to date :) So here is how my pregnancy is going thus far.....

Easter Picture: 23 weeks pregnant

The Baby:

This child is definitely growing...although not huge. At 25 weeks we had a high tech ultrasound (I will explain why in a minute) and the baby was in the 59% for weight. He/she was 1 lb 12 oz. According to weight the baby is 4 days ahead of schedule. Tony and I figured we would have a big baby (we were both big babies) but it looks like this may be an 8 pounder or so...so not huge.

The baby was diagnosed with Single Umbilical Artery (SUA). 1% of kids have this. Baby's are suppose to have two arteries and a vien, ours has one of each. This was the reason for the high tech ultrasound. Everything looks very healthy though. It will have no affect on the baby after birth.

I went from never feeling this child kick to kicking all the time. Its really fun to feel. Its usually pretty active in the mornings (early in the mornings), sometime in the afternoon, and then after 6 or 7 at night. Should be an interesting sleep schedule once they are born.

Mommy:A picture on our trip to St. Louis (our pre baby bash). 22 weeks pregnant

I am doing pretty good. YES, the morning sickness is past, it was never really there actually (I think that is the most common question I get). I am definetely showing. I haven't had any strangers come and say any yet. However, several aquantances who may or may not of known have said things. Its becoming harder to get in and out of chairs and pick things up. Tony says I'm begining to wadle a bit (there is actually a medical reason behind that). The worst part about pregnancy....swollen everything. I have a lovely $8 ring on my finger and I have boxed up my beautiful diamond. I am also getting in the habit of propping my feet at night to get the nasty fluid off of them. Sometimes I really wonder if any more baby can fit inside of me.

Daddy:

Tony cooking steaks for his 21st Birthday. The grill was his birthday gift!

Tony is doing very well. He was playing w/ an 18 month old the other day and came back to announce that he could not wait to be a dad. I've asked him if he's scared and he says, suprisingly enough NO. I wish I could be as confindent. He enjoys feeling the baby kick. He was been very supportive and loving, as he unfortunatly takes most of the brunt of my mood swings. I told him to make sure that no one ever told him he wasn't doing enough for me...because he has gone above and beyond.

Tony with the hippos on our trip the St. Louis Zoo. We went in order to have one last get away before the baby come. I was definitely a fun and memorable experience.

Enjoying the hippos.

Life Updates:
We are moving in a week and a half. WooHoo! It will be down one building. Then we can get our crib (which we haven't seen) and changing table. I can't wait to get those ready for the baby. My nesting skills are in full force, so it will be fun to unleash them. We are also starting a garden soon.

Life until the baby arrives promises to be very busy. I start my internship around the same time we move. I'm also taking two courses and work 30 hours a week. I finish most of that by the end of July and hope to have a good week to rest before the baby comes. Tony is currently finishing up a semester of classes. He will begin roofing soon and is also looking for a second job. On top of that we have several weddings, my nephew is coming in June, and many other little things to accomplish. I'm hoping that keeping busy will keep me positive.

Together at the Missouri Botanical Gardens. My feet were dead by this point but it was definitely worth it.