April 22, 2013 Kendall's birth day :)

As many of you know I've dealt with preterm labor for about 8 weeks of this pregnancy, and then pregnancy induced high blood pressure which turned to slight pre-eclampsia for a few weeks. On Sunday, April 21, 2013 I woke from a nap to be extremely swollen, light headed, and just yucky feeling. I had Josh come in from doing yard work and take my blood pressure. It was pretty elevated for me at 155/95. (I had higher BP the night before and called my doctor and she had me monitor it for an hour to make sure it would go down some. It didn't continue to climb so my doctor told me to continue to monitor it and take it easy until my appointment on Tuesday.)
Anyway, on Sunday we monitored the BP for an hour and it didn't get any better, it kept climbing. So I took a shower, called my on-call doctor who said that since the BP kept climbing, I was already 38 weeks, and had been having issues for a few weeks that we would probably be having a baby that night. She had me go ahead and come in to L&D for monitoring, urinalysis, and lab work.
Josh and I got our bags ready and headed to Fayetteville where we fully expected to be sent home again without a baby.

When we arrived at the hospital around 7pm they hooked me up to the monitor to check baby's heart beat, contractions, and blood pressure. After 3 high readings the Dr. Hardman came in and checked me, said I was dilated to a 3 and 80% effaced. She asked, "Did you know you're having contractions?" I laughed and told her, "Yes, I've been having them for like 10 weeks." She said, "Man, you couldn't pay my uterus to contract when I was pregnant! Your's are every 2 minutes apart." I told her, "Yeah well, my uterus is a boss....it just won't make any progress!". She informed me that they were making a room ready for me and they would be admitting me shortly. I asked, "Wait, so we are for SURE having a baby this time?!" She told me we sure are. We wouldn't be leaving without our baby this time :)

She had me give a urine sample and took lab work to check liver functions and enzymes and stuff for pre-e. Shortly thereafter the nurse came in and said I had protein in my urine and they had to get me admitted asap to start the magnesium IV to keep from any seizures due to the high blood pressure.
Once they got me to a room they hooked up the magnesium, the saline IV, and the pitocin. With magnesium it can make you feel terrible, quickly. (Side effects can include: muscle weakness, lack of energy, blurry vision, slurred speech, headache  nausea & vomiting, and flushing.) I've heard some pretty terrible stories from friends who were given magnesium sulfate and I was *terrified* of how I'd feel. Because of the possible side effects they have to catheter you and keep you in the bed so as not to fall. Anyway, as soon as they gave me the mag I started to flush and feel hot, but that was it. I didn't experience any of the other side effects, thankfully! Although I was contracting on my own pretty regularly, magnesium sulfate is also used in pregnancy to stop the cervix from dilating and thinning, so when it slowed my contractions they decided to counteract it with a pitocin drip. The contractions picked up quickly so I went ahead and asked for my epidural since I couldn't get up and try and get comfortable.

After my epidural was placed Dr. Hardman came back in to check me and I was still at a 3 but 100% effaced. So I was making progress, but slowly. She broke my water at about 10pm. My mom, sister, and Josh's mom were at the hospital with us at this point. Around 4am the nurse came in and checked me and I had progressed to a 6-7 and at a -1 station. I was finally making progress! They let me rest for another 2 hours and came back around 6am to check me. I was dilated to a 9 and almost there!! I called my sister so she could get back to the hospital in time to push. The nurse said she expected we'd be pushing in a couple hours. Dr. Markell would be in at 7 to check me and hopefully we could start pushing shortly thereafter.
At 7am Dr. Markell checked me and I was 10cm, complete, and ready to go! The nurse wanted me to labor down for 20 minutes on each side before we began pushing in order to make baby a little more ready. At 7:50 they came in, checked me one more time, said it's time to push and started getting things ready. At this point I was completely FREAKED OUT and nervous. Thank GOD my sister was there to keep me calm as could be. My nurse was amazing. She coached me through everything. At 8:06 I took my first practice push when my nurse, Barb, told us Kendall had a head full of dark hair!! I pushed about 7 more times with the help of Josh, my sister, and the nurses. At about 8:35 my nurse ran into the hall, hollered for Dr. Markell who came in, had me push one more time. This time baby's hand got stuck so she had me stop for a minute while she fixed that. I pushed one more time and our chunky monkey punched her way into this world at 8:46am. She wasn't a loud crier at all. In fact Josh and I were both worried at first because she wasn't making much noise at all. They cleaned her off a bit and placed her on my chest where I boo-hooed and talked to her for a good 5 minutes. I was so amazed, enamored, and completely in love with our sweet rainbow baby girl.

They nursery nurse took her, cleaned her off, weighed and measured her and gave her back to me where we let her find her way to nurse. She latched on in just 15 minutes and did so good. It was amazing!

The love and absolute amazement we felt in that moment for the tiny life we helped create can not be described. Everyone tells you, from the moment you announce your pregnancy, how challenging pregnancy, parenting, and babies are. They don't tell you have awesome it is. Well let me tell you, if they tried, they couldn't come close to describing it.
Because Kendall was considered large for gestational age at 8lbs 5oz and 21in long she had to have her little heel pricked and her sugars checked a few times the 2 days we were there. Her numbers were great and she didn't need any special attention for that.
We had a short stay in the hospital and we were home by Tuesday afternoon around 3pm.
Breast feeding went ok until we got home. Once we were home I was so emotional and so worried about her getting enough that I became very hard on myself about it. Kendall was doing great, she's a natural after all!
On Friday we had her first pediatric appointment where we discovered was jaundice, had been dehydrated for 2 days, and had lost 11oz since birth. Dr. Wilkinson assured us these were all normal considering we had been breastfeeding, but I was heartbroken that my poor baby had not been satisfied and was dehydrated.
After 4 complete emotional breakdowns, feeling insane levels of anxiety, and the beginning of depression, Josh and I decided that breastfeeding was not going to work for us. I was miserable. I couldn't enjoy my sweet baby girl because she was famished constantly. She made me hurt, which made me cry, which made me not let down, and made her hungrier. It was a vicious cycle. My baby deserves a healthy, happy mama so that's what she's getting :)
Today, Josh went back to work. I cried for an hour last night because I was terrified to be left completely alone with Kendall. Why? I don't know...I guess just knowing that I am now responsible for a whole other life for 18 years is very overwhelming. We have had a great day full of eating, pooping, and sleeping. (For Kendall, not me ;)) And daddy will be home in less than 3 hours!

We are over the moon to have our sweet baby here with us. After a very long, hard, and bittersweet year we are so relieved to finally have our child here with us.

Here are a few more pictures Josh's cousin, Drew Lacy, and a girl she was mentoring, Kelsey Pruitt, took of Kendall yesterday.

My sister will also be taking some newborn photos of Miss Kendy, so I'll be posting again with those soon!! 

Enjoy :)

36 Weeks and slacking!!

A lot has happened in the past 2 weeks! I had yet another pre-term labor scare at 34w5d. I ended up at labor and delivery with my cervix dilated to a 2, contractions were roughly 2 minutes apart for over a minute long. My blood pressure was pretty high while in the hospital, but they chalked it up to the pain from the contractions. We were admitted overnight and started on an antibiotic IV and liquid only orders just in case I delivered that night. They gave me 2 rounds of stadol and phenergan to try and relax my uterus and slow the contractions (which has stopped it the past two times) and that didn't touch these contractions. They gave me a dose of Terbutaline to try and stop the contractions and that didn't do anything but make me terribly ill for a good 30 minutes. At this point they decided to admit me and keep me over night. The problem is that I was at the stage in pregnancy where they won't go to drastic measures to stop you from delivering, but they also will not do anything to further your progression. So after exhausting all avenues I was stuck in between pre-term labor and getting to go home. I had a very fitful night of sleep where the contractions never slowed. At 3am those suckers picked up hard core and I just knew I was going into full blown labor. About 30 minutes later the nurse came to change out my IV and take my vitals and I told her how badly I was hurting. She checked me and there had been no progression with my cervix so they gave me another round of stadol to help me rest. Normally I wouldn't take pain meds like I did, but because I knew I was making no progression and they couldn't stop them I didn't know how long this was all going to last. Finally at about 7am my doctor made her rounds, checked me and declared no progress still, and offered to let me have a real breakfast. She said since I wasn't progressing any that after I ate breakfast and was monitored for another couple hours to make sure nothing changed I could go home if I was comfortable doing this at home. After I ate the contractions really started to slow down! When my nurse came in to check on me I told her how much better I was feeling and she went to call my doctor and see what our next step was. She came back in and asked if I was comfortable enough to go home and I said yes. About 10 minutes later she came back with my discharge papers and we were outta there!

The next day was my Rust baby shower. It was so much fun! My friends from Little Rock were able to drive in and it was so great getting to spend time with them :) Kendall was showered with love and thrown a beautiful party! My fabulous SIL and MIL threw a great shower. It couldn't have been better! Here are a few pictures to enjoy from that day :)

 Sweet moments captured by Drew Lacy Photography

My sweet friends from Little Rock

                                                             Brittany, Me, Jenn, LaToya

 Cake pops, pretzels, and a beautiful diaper cake!
All made by Kelli, Neola, Sabrina, and Destiny :)

 Pinwheels, bruschetta (was still in the oven), fruit dip and fruit baby bowl, and the BEST PART was that delicious cookie cake!!

Adorable fruit baby bowl made by Kelli!! SO cute!

That Monday I went in for my 35 week prenatal visit and my blood pressure was 150/90, I had a headache for 2 days, and my feet and hands were enormously swollen. I was told to lay down for a few minutes and if my pressure came down I could get labs drawn and go home to do the 24hr urine collection to test for preeclampsia. If it didn't come down any I would have to be admitted...again. Thankfully it did come down a little and I was sent in for labs and then sent home with my big ole jug. That afternoon the nurse called and said my labs came back normal (thank God!) so we were just going to monitor by BP and see how the 24hr urine test came out. I had to go back the next day to turn in my jug, check BP, and check on baby. At that appointment my BP was considerably lower and K was doing just fine with a heart rate of 154bpm. 

That afternoon they called back to tell me the urine test came back within normal range. So I am to continue bed rest :( monitor BP 3 times a day, and call with any readings over 140/90. 

On Wednesday at 35w3d I started getting UTI sypmtoms. Yes, again. That's 6 UTIs this pregnancy. Luckily my doctor was on call and gladly called in an antibiotic to get started on. That evening around 3am I started contracting again. 3 minutes apart, about 1.5 minutes each. I drank some water, took a warm bath....nothing changed. They weren't slowing down but they weren't increasing in intensity either. So I laid back down and dozed off between contractions. I called my doctors office at 8am and left a message. My doctor was out for the day, but another doctor's nurse called me back and I explained my preterm labor to her and she said to monitor it by intensity. If the contractions become increasingly intense to call asap. Around 12pm the intensity was getting pretty painful. So I called again....when she called me back an hour later they had started to slow (thank goodness!). 

That was my last bout of preterm labor. I am now 36 weeks pregnant and no longer at risk for preterm labor!! Woohoo!! We have made it!! If I go into labor now they will not try and stop it! Now K will probably wait until her due date to cause anymore problems....typical female. But, the good news is that if she isn't here by April 28th I will be induced early that week :) So less than 20 days until we meet our sweet girl!!

How far along? 36 Weeks 4 Days

Total weight gain: +26 lbs

Maternity clothes? skirts & maxi dresses

Stretch marks? On my belly :( 

Sleep: Sleep has been ok lately!

Best moment this week: Getting the nursery finished!!

Miss Anything? everything - I am officially at the "uncomfortable" stage, out of breath often & I am really missing being able to put on socks/pants without huffing & puffing

Movement: ALL the time. And she's finally dropped a little!!

Food cravings: Nothing. I've lost my appetite.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Not really.

Gender: Girl

 

Labor Signs: LOTS of contractions this week, dilated to a 2.

Symptoms: PREGNANT. Need I say more?

Belly Button in or out? Still in, but flattening out.

Wedding rings on or off? Real set off, fake set on.

 

Happy or Moody most of the time: Just really tired...

Looking forward to: Meeting our precious girl soon!!