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.

Day 2

We went to see the show Six today in Branson.  It was pretty good.  It was long, but they sang great.  Joy LOVED the 80's music they sang.  She danced so hard and I laughed do hard I was crying. 

After that we went to a go cart track.  Even Moses and Bekah got to drive the little kid go carts they had.  All the kids had a blast.  Jacob was sad at first because he was too little to do anything. Then they let him and Bekah ride in the kiddie Ferris wheel together.  Oh he loved that.  

We made it

We're here.  

We have 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms upstairs and 3 bedrooms and a bathroom downstairs.  

Brent, myself, and all the kids are downstairs with the hot tub and pinball machine.  Yay!

And now, the pictures. 

Living Room

Kitchen

Our room

Downstairs family room

Pinball machine

Hot tub and deck

Last, but not least... Me and baby!

Almost There - Our Vacation

Today we left at about 10 am to go to Branson with Brent's parents and his sister's family.   It will be a 4 day vacation and I'm not exactly sure what all it consists of besides a show and food.  

His family got in town last night.  We hadn't seen them for a year, and I showed up at their hotel with the kids to surprise them with something else.  Yesterday I was 37 weeks pregnant. They were shocked.  My mil joked about if we knew what caused that, and that she was going to have the talk with us about the birds and the bees.  My fil looked over and mentioned is picked up a little weight.  LOL!

Today she mentioned that she likes traveling with a pregnant woman because it gives her an excuse to have us stop and use the bathroom. 

I found out that processed foods are no good for me.  We are at Hardee's and my feet and hands instantly swelled up.  4 hours later and they're still swollen.  I can't wait to get up and move out of the band and also get some more water to drink.  

It's been a good drive so far.  We're almost there and I'm enjoying the Ozark mountains.  I miss this area, as it's where I'd spend my summers as a kid.  

35w 1d

Today I'm getting my birth kit out.  I'm picking through my stuff.  Finding what I have in there.  What I need.  I know it's late, but I've been through it before.  I bought my mistletoe tincture, since my last bottle was dumped out accidently.  

I'm making mama cloth pads.  I have begun to make some postpartum pads.  I'm excited to get those for this baby.  I really hate sposies.  

Things are going well.  I'm at 161 lbs, gaining 24 lbs so far.  Measuring perfect. Baby is crazy active.  I'm getting excited!

This is me on Friday (24w 5d). 

To my baby mouse - 32 weeks

Hello my baby mouse.  I feel you inside of me all the time.  I feel you wiggle and move about.  I feel your daily hiccups.  Your brothers and sisters have felt your tiny feet sweep across my ribs.  Last night I put my hand by my pubic bone and felt you move your little head back and forth.  I cry inside thinking of you.  You bring such unmeasurable joy to my soul.  

What a strange and amazing experience it is to feel you growing inside of me.  To know a life is formed, growing bigger and stronger daily.  That you are so unseen to my eyes, but I have been holding you for your entire life.  It seems so impossible, and yet here you are.  So real and true.  

Today I am 32 weeks along.  One day soon you will be in my arms.  I will finally have the chance to see you, to smell you, to touch your skin.  I will finally know you, instead of only seeing you in my dreams.  I will look upon you and have the opportunity to give you a name.  Your true name. 

We will both have gone through the most amazing experience of life.  You began so impossibly small.  You grew and formed into a perfect little person.  You are perfect to me.  I will always love you, baby mouse. 

I am counting down the days and the weeks until I will meet you for the first time.  I can then say, "Hello my baby mouse".  

Brigham's Birth Story

Today is Brigham's 7th birthday.  What a fast 7 years with my sweet man!  I wanted to share his story here.  

He was our first home birth and first boy. I researched all the information while we were TTC so I could 'convince' my husband to have the baby at home. When I told him I wanted to have our baby at home, he said he felt the same way.

Luckily, I didn't do all that work for nothing. All our parents were very against this. They knew I or Brigham would die. We showed them the statistics on how home birth was safer than hospital birth. They didn't get any say in the matter anyway. We found a wonderful midwife the next state over (we lived in MO and was near impossible to find a home birthing midwife.) She did all the prenatal visits at my home. She made me feel very empowered and educated me about pregnancy and birth more than I could have known. I had 3 children before and didn't know squat. Funny how uneducated I was when I put my faith in the doctors. 

I had a friend ask me to call her as soon as I went into labor so she could take pictures and document the entire thing (she's a photographer). She wanted a home birth so badly, but at that time her husband didn't like the idea very much.

I went to bed around 1am and thought, "Tomorrow morning I'll put the waterproof pad on the bed so it won't get wet if my water breaks."

I'm a procrastinator and was a few days overdue. Two hours later I woke up and water hit my knees. Funny! Too bad I didn't get that waterproof sheet on before I went to bed. :) I went to the bathroom and used a little strip to make sure my water broke (I thought what the heck! May as well make sure.) I went to my husband and kind of woke him up. I told him I had good news and bad news. The good news was I didn't wet the bed. I never told him the bad news. He guessed it on his own... No sleep tonight. 

We called the midwife and my friend. I walked around for a while in the house and ate some breakfast my FIL brought to us. I didn't want to eat but they made me. After a while my contractions stopped so Suzanne (my midwife) checked me. She said that my water broke on the top and asked if I wanted her to she could break my water again. I agreed because I was so tired and yet so excited. I couldn't wait to hold my baby.

I labored in the living room. We had a hammock stand and I hung from the hammock. I hung from my doula (who I almost bit). Glad I got my senses back before that happened. I pushed from the hammock for a while, but I was so exhausted that I just couldn't push any more.

They helped me to the couch and I decided to push while on my back. I didn't want to do this position before then, but I knew I could push from that position. I let out a huge scream and, after a few pushes, our little man's head made it into the world. I hear about the ring of fire, but I don't remember that. I do remember how bad his shoulders hurt when I pushed again. He was born a few minutes after 12pm.

What a wonderful experience. I always want our future children born at home. It was so wonderful and spiritual. I appreciated the births at home much more than those in the hospital. It is something else to feel it and know how hard your body is working to bring this wonderful little child into the world.