Abigail is 10 today

I decided to post her birth story from 10 years ago.  

Abigail is our third baby. I waited patiently with her birth. I was due on April 30. Well, April 30 came and went, and I continued to wait for her. On May 7, I knew I was in labor all day but didn't say anything to Brent until I was getting somewhat uncomfortable. Her labour was the very best of all of them thus far. We were staying with a group in Independence Missouri. I was in the kitchen area with Brent and some of the women there. I remember how we were all talking and laughing. One of them (who had just had her baby a week earlier) asked me how far apart my contractions were. I casually looked at the clock and when I timed it, I said they were 2 minutes apart. She then got somewhat frantic and said Brent and I needed to leave for the hospital (it was about 30 minutes away). One of the other women (who was a nurse) laughed and said we knew when we should leave, and that we would be fine. Shortly after that, Brent and I got in the car and went to the hospital. Our friends there said they would watch Sadie and Hannah, since it was the middle of the night, and they were sound asleep.

I didn't have any pains until I got into the car. Sitting still, and knowing I was going to the hospital, stressed my body and cause the contractions to become almost unbearable. I had Brent keep the radio on, and I sang the entire way to the hospital, except when I couldn't due to a contraction.

When we got to the hospital, Brent parked the car and helped me into the emergency room area. I was in so much pain that I was cramped into a doubled over position, and couldn't stand upright. The nurses led me into an observation room, put me in bed and hooked up monitors to see where I was at. I'm not exactly sure how long I was in there. It felt like hours, but was probably closer to 20-30 minutes. The nurses came in and took me to one of their birthing rooms. The staff was very friendly, but the on calldoctor was a little 'strange'. She just seemed kind of out of it, like she was asleep. I think she was just an odd person, but very friendly.

Shortly after getting to the birthing room, they broke my water. At that point, the pain got very hard to handle. I asked the staff for an epidural. As we were waiting, I found something out that I shared with Brent and the nurse. I told them that it felt so much better during the contractions when I pushed. It took so much of the pain off the contraction and substituted it withmanageable pressure. The nurse did not say anything to me about it, and left. About an hour after requesting the epidural, the anesthesiologistcame in with his assistant. I was in pain, and do not remember anything about this time of the labour. I am completely blank and do not even remember the epidural being administered. Brent said that the anesthesiologist had trouble with the previous woman (that is why it took so long for them to get to me) and he had blood spattered on him, and he had his assistant performing the epidural. While she was trying to put it in, he was yelling at her. That is not an ideal situation, in my opinion.

Shortly after the epidural, I gave birth to my little Abigail Marie. She was born with dark hair, almost black.

The doctors wanted to keep an eye on her. Herbilirubin level was high. They said she wasjaundiced and put her on a bililight. I was still kind of 'out of it' and the doctor said something about liver failure and a blood transfusion. I lost it and started crying. I know that they were trying to explain the worst case scenario, but I didn't understand what they were saying at that time. We took her home, and she spent the first week with a biliblanket. I somewhat joked that I had to plug my baby in, but I was actually battling depression at that time. I had a hard time bonding and I was frightened for her. She did great, though. She ate like a champ, and gained all her birth weight, plus some, back within two days of being home. We had a home nurse come and prick her little heal every day to check her bili level. It was sad, and hard to do, but she did great. After a week, the nurse said she was fine and didn't need the biliblanket anymore.

A scary night at the hospital

Ok. We're home from the hospital. 

That was the scariest thing I've ever been through. It trumped Bekah's seizure. Brent called last night after the play was over (he's durecting The Fantasticks and I was opening night).  He said he was sitting there and his foot suddenly started hurting really bad.  He couldn't walk on it and hurt really bad when it wasn't moving.  When he got home it was red and swollen in the two veins on the outside of his foot. He was in a lot of pain (which says something since he can handle pain). We decided to go to the ER after reading up on the symptoms of blood clots.  He fit them all.  Better safe than sorry.  

I was scared.  I drove, and was battling contractions.   Baby was literally spinning inside of me.  Round and round on my cervix, causing pain and contractions the entire drive.   Brent was in a lot of pain still.  We were almost there and his foot started feeling a little better, but he felt something shift to his knee. Then got light headed and sweaty.  He asked me to pray for him.  He was scared.  I prayed outloud, but started bawling.  Then I missed the turn to the hospital.  We were running on gas fumes, as the light had been on for a while, but I just wanted to get there.  

We finally get there (ran 2 red lights and then going 80 mph once back on the interstate) and I run to get a wheelchair. We get in the ER and they ask him for his birthday, name, insurance info, address... I'm about to scream at her. WHY are they just sitting there?!  He is barely conscience, his hands are seized up, he's slurring his speech... I kept trying to open his hands.  They were stiffened into an L.  I grabbed his head and kept telling him I loved him.  I was so scared he was going to die.  That he was having a stroke. I didn't want him to leave me without hearing those words from me one last time.  

They finally take him in and I move the car since it was parked at the curb. All the spots seemed to be reserved for physicians.  I start yelling at the parking spots.   I finally find a spot. I get out and start bawling in the parking lot. I called my mom and start crying and talking 100 miles a min. She makes me stop, slow down, and repeat because she isn't sure if she's talking to me or my daughter Sadie, and wasn't sure who I'm talking about. She leaves her house to meet me up there. I'm pretty sure he's having a stroke.  

I get to his room and he's getting ready for an IV. He's looking better. I asked if he felt better but he didn't answer. I panic for a moment and ask him if he can talk. He said yes, and that he's feeling better but foot still hurts. 

They take blood, keep us there about an hour or two, feel his foot, say it's probably tendentious, write a script for anti inflammatories, and send us home. They said you can't feel blood clots (which isn't true from my friends who's spouses had them).  He can walk today.  It's feeling better, but his knee hurts a little.  I'm still worried about him.  He's not sure if it's a pain from running or from last night.  He didn't notice it until the car trip when he said he felt the pain move from his foot to his leg. 

I thought he was going to die. Too damn scary! Every time he said he felt funny, or thought he'd pass out I told him he wasn't allowed to feel that way.  I'm still telling him that.  Every time I think about it I cry.  I can't lose him.  All I could think was this can't be happening. Stay awake.  Stay with me.  

Brent's side at 3am after getting home:

Tonight was a surreal experience. It was opening night for The Fantasticks, which went really well. However, as I was sitting backstage, I started to get a throbbing pain in my foot for no apparent reason. By the time I left I could barely walk to the car. When I got home, Amanda noticed my foot was red, and slightly swollen. I couldn't put any weight on it at that point. The pain grew so intense that I decided to go to the hospital. About 5 minutes from Liberty hospital, the pain eased somewhat. Then my whole body got cold and sweaty, and my arms and head began to tingle. By the time we got to the hospital I couldn't move my arms, my hands were stiff, and I was barely conscious. They had to wheel me inside. At that point Amanda thought I was dying.

By the time I got to the room I started to feel better, although my foot still hurt. They ruled out anything serious. The doctor thinks the foot pain is just an inflammation of the tendons, or possibly a viral infection in my foot.

One funny thing that happened is that I got a new girl putting my IV in. It's not the most comforting thing having a new girl shoving a needle in your arm, especially when she yells "Oh shit" and blood goes everywhere. lol

I still can't put weight on my foot, but the meds have helped the throbbing subside. At least I didn't have to spend the night in the hospital. It's also nice to still be alive. Now I'm just waiting for the adrenaline to wear off so I can get some sleep.

One Born Every Minute...

So, I finally got to watch episode 1 today. I must say, I was sorely disappointed, but not really all that surprised. I was extremely saddened by the second woman who ended up with a cesarean. When she said she had lots of pressure. The nurse said it was because baby was coming and she was almost fully dilated (she was at a 9 1/2). Then, when she hit transition (you could tell), they called emergency c-section for "failure to progress". I was like WTH!!!! She's at a 9 1/2! Baby is pushing it's way down! I was so ticked!!! DH thought it was complete crap!

**Here is the link to the video.

http://www.mylifetime.com/shows/one-born-every-minute/video/full-episodes/episode-1-to-medicate-or-not

Fast forward to 27:45. She says that there is a lot of pressure. The nurse says "That is the baby. You are almost fully dilated." Then at 28:07 they call "Failure to Progress" for the reason of the cesarean! NOTHING about baby having ANY problems.**

I've also been hearing all about how the "crunchy" family was so rude and obnoxious. How the nurse (Pam) was also rude and obnoxious. How they should have had a birth in a birthing center if they wanted to go natural. So on, and so on.

I think that the nurse, was a bit rude with her overall attitude about their labour and birth wishes. She needed to step back, and let them labour. Really, just leave them alone. They didn't want all the interventions. After hours of hard labour, I can tell you that I am much meaner than they were. DH is also very protective of my wishes. Neither on of us would have been so nice, and probably would have just asked for a different nurse. The couple most likely would have LOVED to go to a birthing center, but they couldn't. Why? Here is what the mother had to say:

"First of all, there are no birth centers in Columbus, and several homebirth midwives, but only one homebirth midwife practice that has a physician ‘back-up’ (which just felt responsible to me). But, NO insurance locally covers homebirthing, so at first, it was an economical decision. Later in my pregnancy, after we began taking NCB classes, we decided that our next baby would be at home, but there was also a measure of comfort in doing the first at the hospital, since I had no idea what to expect."

I was disappointed when they finally pressured her into Pitocin. :( At 21 hours of labour (which is normal), she was tired and (IMO) they took advantage of that.


Overall, I really think that the show put the hospital and staff in a negative light. The nurses spent a lot of time rolling their eyes when the woman was moaning through her labour pains. They always had snide little looks on their faces. They were always pushing interventions. Which I understand. It is there job to sell the drugs and procedures. The more they sell, the more the hospital makes.

It was actually really sad to watch. However, on the plus side. This show did remind me why I enjoyed birthing my last 3 babies at home so much. It was a little more painful, but so much easier, happier, more comfortable, and much less stressful.

I think that the first episode is all I care to watch. I think I'll throw it in the "A Baby Story" trash bin. It's too bad, because the previews really made it look like it was going to be interesting.