Everyone is commenting on how big he is.. just like with my belly! I can see he is big too. But he is perfect!! 10 fingers, 10 toes, he's breathing, he looks great! He has dark hair and is doing great on his testing that they are giving him. He looks just like Oliver only bigger and has these cheeks that go on forever... I swear they easily go down his neck!! haha... He already has personality and crazy facial expressions which I love.
To be honest the rest is a blur... I have a doctor in between my legs, people everywhere, I cant stop staring at my baby and I'm just so happy and honestly so proud of myself... I know its crazy that I was feeling that in that moment but it had been a really rough summer. Daniel and I went through some pretty crazy stressful times and I held it together, kept this baby safe from all the what ifs and delivered without induction or C section like everyone had been telling me was going to be needed.
It was a truly amazing experience bringing sweet Abram into this world.. from the giggles in the bathroom when we found out we were expecting all the way to the tears in our eyes when he arrived. I love this little guy so so much and right now he is insisting on some milk.. lol ;)
Tuesday, September 24, 2013
Part two - Our Birth Story - Abram John Smith
So on Friday the 13th, I started maternity leave... I always made a big deal about working up until I deliver but that just shows how much pain I was in. The doctors told me to stop working... at this point I couldn't even stand up long enough to make Oliver's lunch for school!!
So that afternoon I had a doctors appointment... Daniel had to come with me cause I had Oliver and knew I had lots of testing (NST, ultrasound, "checking")... I was checked at a 1.5 which before that I had been pretty much locked up... I talked to the doctors and since my cervix was showing signs of starting it was ok to schedule an induction.... which I really didn't want but I couldn't be pregnant anymore... we scheduled everything for Monday night and went on our way.
That afternoon we ran some errands and then headed to Oliver's tball game. It was the first one and I took a ton of pictures and made a few comments to others like "just in case we aren't here tomorrow" or "I feel a little different today" that now looking back were signs... We left there came home and hung out. My mom had went to the mountains for a weekend church retreat so we were taking care of her dogs and just relaxing...
Between 10 and 11, I was having a lot of contractions and they were different than the thousands of Braxton Hicks contractions I had for the past 10 weeks. I kept having to pee after each one too... which was really different. Quickly they went from being erratic to every 10 minutes... I got myself up and did laundry, fixed my hair, straighten the house, Daniel put Abe's car seat and base in his car, etc... both of us were doing this stuff and silently we both knew what was happening but I didn't want to admit it and I could tell Daniel didn't want to force me. I sent Daniels mom a message asking if she would keep her phone by her in case I go into labor cause we would need to bring Oliver by... then she silently knew as well.
I decided to call the doctor on call after a few contractions almost made me throw up, as I waited for her to call back Daniel finally suggested we go to the hospital.. I said no, but was packing our bags so I knew we were... Finally I said lets go and we were out the door.
The contractions were 10 mins apart, lasting a minute and had been going on for like 2 hours... The doctor (midwife) finally called back and said we could go to the hospital and then they would send us home until we were in labor... she also called back with a morning voice.. she CLEARLY was in bed! Ugh. Daniel asked me if the "Housewife" would be delivering us... lol... he meant Midwife!
So we dropped Oliver off, stopped for gas and got to the hospital... In the car ride my contractions went from 10 mins to 6 mins apart and I was screaming in pain... We walked in the after hours ER entrance and the workers at the desk both pointed for us to go left towards labor and delivery... My contractions are now 4 mins apart... I knew now that the midwife was wrong and they were not sending us home.. we were fore sure in labor!!
We get checked in and the annoying nurse who kept talking about herself over my screams tells me I am at 5 and we are having a baby!! It feels exactly the same as when they told us we were having Oliver.... excited, scared, happy... absolutely amazing!! They bring us back to the delivery room and its the same one as last time!!! :)
Daniel calls our parents and my mom doesn't hear her phone but that's ok cause I don't want her to leave the mountains.... I had to wait for the epidural cause there was an emergency C section was going on so to calm me they gave me some medicine that the nurse said would taste like a margarita I am drinking from a straw....it was exactly like that... she said it would wear off quick and it did and the anesthesiologist still wasn't ready so they gave me something different that I didn't like at all!! It made me sleepy and my head wobble and made me nauseous. I don't remember much with that medicine but I do know I got some sleep but had weird dreams. I remember dreaming about my dad, I don't remember what the dream was but I know he was with me and that's why I dreamt about him!
At 5:45 I was at a 7; 90% effaced and -1..... and they broke my water with a slow leak.. the doctor discovered that I had meconium in my uterus (poop from Abe) so the resuscitation team would have to be on stand by when Abe was born to suction it out. I was scared. We thought things were going really fast at this point and I finally got the epidural.... and things just stopped!
I stalled at 7 FOREVER!!!
Morning came, Kathy came, my mom came, Gigi, Papa and Oliver came, Father Tim came, and we waited.. finally I moved to 8, then to 9... still we waited... I was starting to hurt more and more but didn't want to press the epidural button cause I wanted control when I pushed. Finally the pain was unbearable again and I was nauseous.. they checked me and it was time to push!!!
I pushed through 9 contractions... with 3-4 pushes at each contraction... I did some better than others but really I gave it my all.... its kind of hard to do all the things needed at once... pull your legs up... breath in and hold it, push like your pooping (but I didn't actually want to poop), etc... I was making a lot of progress and could tell his head was right there but the doctors still weren't in..
Finally Dr. Little came in and helped.. I guess I had my eyes closed cause he yelled "Kelly!, open your eyes and look"... I saw Abe's head and then his butt!!! I watched Daniel cut the cord!! I remember looking up at Daniel and smiling, both of us with tears in our eyes... It was sooo precious!!! Such an instant love again!!
So that afternoon I had a doctors appointment... Daniel had to come with me cause I had Oliver and knew I had lots of testing (NST, ultrasound, "checking")... I was checked at a 1.5 which before that I had been pretty much locked up... I talked to the doctors and since my cervix was showing signs of starting it was ok to schedule an induction.... which I really didn't want but I couldn't be pregnant anymore... we scheduled everything for Monday night and went on our way.
That afternoon we ran some errands and then headed to Oliver's tball game. It was the first one and I took a ton of pictures and made a few comments to others like "just in case we aren't here tomorrow" or "I feel a little different today" that now looking back were signs... We left there came home and hung out. My mom had went to the mountains for a weekend church retreat so we were taking care of her dogs and just relaxing...
Between 10 and 11, I was having a lot of contractions and they were different than the thousands of Braxton Hicks contractions I had for the past 10 weeks. I kept having to pee after each one too... which was really different. Quickly they went from being erratic to every 10 minutes... I got myself up and did laundry, fixed my hair, straighten the house, Daniel put Abe's car seat and base in his car, etc... both of us were doing this stuff and silently we both knew what was happening but I didn't want to admit it and I could tell Daniel didn't want to force me. I sent Daniels mom a message asking if she would keep her phone by her in case I go into labor cause we would need to bring Oliver by... then she silently knew as well.
I decided to call the doctor on call after a few contractions almost made me throw up, as I waited for her to call back Daniel finally suggested we go to the hospital.. I said no, but was packing our bags so I knew we were... Finally I said lets go and we were out the door.
The contractions were 10 mins apart, lasting a minute and had been going on for like 2 hours... The doctor (midwife) finally called back and said we could go to the hospital and then they would send us home until we were in labor... she also called back with a morning voice.. she CLEARLY was in bed! Ugh. Daniel asked me if the "Housewife" would be delivering us... lol... he meant Midwife!
So we dropped Oliver off, stopped for gas and got to the hospital... In the car ride my contractions went from 10 mins to 6 mins apart and I was screaming in pain... We walked in the after hours ER entrance and the workers at the desk both pointed for us to go left towards labor and delivery... My contractions are now 4 mins apart... I knew now that the midwife was wrong and they were not sending us home.. we were fore sure in labor!!
We get checked in and the annoying nurse who kept talking about herself over my screams tells me I am at 5 and we are having a baby!! It feels exactly the same as when they told us we were having Oliver.... excited, scared, happy... absolutely amazing!! They bring us back to the delivery room and its the same one as last time!!! :)
Daniel calls our parents and my mom doesn't hear her phone but that's ok cause I don't want her to leave the mountains.... I had to wait for the epidural cause there was an emergency C section was going on so to calm me they gave me some medicine that the nurse said would taste like a margarita I am drinking from a straw....it was exactly like that... she said it would wear off quick and it did and the anesthesiologist still wasn't ready so they gave me something different that I didn't like at all!! It made me sleepy and my head wobble and made me nauseous. I don't remember much with that medicine but I do know I got some sleep but had weird dreams. I remember dreaming about my dad, I don't remember what the dream was but I know he was with me and that's why I dreamt about him!
At 5:45 I was at a 7; 90% effaced and -1..... and they broke my water with a slow leak.. the doctor discovered that I had meconium in my uterus (poop from Abe) so the resuscitation team would have to be on stand by when Abe was born to suction it out. I was scared. We thought things were going really fast at this point and I finally got the epidural.... and things just stopped!
I stalled at 7 FOREVER!!!
Morning came, Kathy came, my mom came, Gigi, Papa and Oliver came, Father Tim came, and we waited.. finally I moved to 8, then to 9... still we waited... I was starting to hurt more and more but didn't want to press the epidural button cause I wanted control when I pushed. Finally the pain was unbearable again and I was nauseous.. they checked me and it was time to push!!!
I pushed through 9 contractions... with 3-4 pushes at each contraction... I did some better than others but really I gave it my all.... its kind of hard to do all the things needed at once... pull your legs up... breath in and hold it, push like your pooping (but I didn't actually want to poop), etc... I was making a lot of progress and could tell his head was right there but the doctors still weren't in..
Finally Dr. Little came in and helped.. I guess I had my eyes closed cause he yelled "Kelly!, open your eyes and look"... I saw Abe's head and then his butt!!! I watched Daniel cut the cord!! I remember looking up at Daniel and smiling, both of us with tears in our eyes... It was sooo precious!!! Such an instant love again!!
Our Birth Story - Abram John Smith
Wow.. He is here, he is beautiful and he is ours.. I simply cant believe I am so lucky again.
Being pregnant with Abram was a blast... We went to Savannah together on a girls trip.. Chattanooga for a country festival, the beach and all the typical nonsense I seem to get myself and my boys into. As much fun as it was it was also very stressful...
Around the beginning of July I was huge... not everywhere but just my belly... I looked full term and wasn't even 30 weeks yet! EVERYWHERE I went people would comment about my big belly and stare in disbelief if they knew how long I still had to go. To strangers I began lying and saying things like "a few more days"... it really was crazy. When I got back from the beach the craziness of my big belly went from... I have big bumps to a very scary dark place. I went for my normal monthly checkup and when Dr, Harrison measured my belly he noticed that it had grown too much in the 4 weeks. He said it was probably nothing but I needed to go to the Gainesville office for them to do more tests and I had to go right away... So we did more tests and they determined that I had Polyhydraminos..... it is too much fluid in the uterus, here is the definition....
Polyhydramnios (pol-ee-hy-DRAM-nee-os) is the excessive accumulation of amniotic fluid — the fluid that surrounds the baby in the uterus during pregnancy. Polyhydramnios occurs in about 1 percent of pregnancies.
Most cases of polyhydramnios are mild and result from a gradual buildup of amniotic fluid during the second half of pregnancy. Severe polyhydramnios may cause shortness of breath, preterm labor or other signs and symptoms.
So I found out I had a severe case... My fluid numbers hung around between 35-45 and they are supposed to be less than 25 and go down each week. I now had answers for why I was so short of breath, or for my fainting spells and obviously my big bump... but the scary dark place was why I had poly.... it could be for no reason, or it could be a problem with the baby swallowing, other birth defects, cleft lip, downsydrome, a blockage in the stomach or intestines. Ugh... so scary... I had to meet with another specialist but my appointment wasn't for 5 long long days..... luckily, the ultrasound person did a secret 3d ultrasound for me to help me rule out cleft lip and see that my baby at least looked ok... He did and that's where I got the picture for the twinsie post...
so luckily after all that drama everything turned out PERFECT and he looked fine... of course worry was still ALWAYS in the back (front) of my mind.... there is a huge risk for preterm labor however cause the amount of weight in my uterus it could burst at anytime... I had a big boy in there and about 6 liters of fluid! They said to expect delivery around August 11th!!!
Luckily he stayed put... which is great cause he is healthy and safe inside me BUT it was a nightmare for me. I couldn't walk far, stand up for long, sleep in bed, etc. but it was going to be all worth it... When things got really bad or hard I went and sat in Abe's room and cried and prayed and JUST knew that we would get through it!
And we did.... see part two.
Being pregnant with Abram was a blast... We went to Savannah together on a girls trip.. Chattanooga for a country festival, the beach and all the typical nonsense I seem to get myself and my boys into. As much fun as it was it was also very stressful...
Around the beginning of July I was huge... not everywhere but just my belly... I looked full term and wasn't even 30 weeks yet! EVERYWHERE I went people would comment about my big belly and stare in disbelief if they knew how long I still had to go. To strangers I began lying and saying things like "a few more days"... it really was crazy. When I got back from the beach the craziness of my big belly went from... I have big bumps to a very scary dark place. I went for my normal monthly checkup and when Dr, Harrison measured my belly he noticed that it had grown too much in the 4 weeks. He said it was probably nothing but I needed to go to the Gainesville office for them to do more tests and I had to go right away... So we did more tests and they determined that I had Polyhydraminos..... it is too much fluid in the uterus, here is the definition....
Polyhydramnios (pol-ee-hy-DRAM-nee-os) is the excessive accumulation of amniotic fluid — the fluid that surrounds the baby in the uterus during pregnancy. Polyhydramnios occurs in about 1 percent of pregnancies.
Most cases of polyhydramnios are mild and result from a gradual buildup of amniotic fluid during the second half of pregnancy. Severe polyhydramnios may cause shortness of breath, preterm labor or other signs and symptoms.
So I found out I had a severe case... My fluid numbers hung around between 35-45 and they are supposed to be less than 25 and go down each week. I now had answers for why I was so short of breath, or for my fainting spells and obviously my big bump... but the scary dark place was why I had poly.... it could be for no reason, or it could be a problem with the baby swallowing, other birth defects, cleft lip, downsydrome, a blockage in the stomach or intestines. Ugh... so scary... I had to meet with another specialist but my appointment wasn't for 5 long long days..... luckily, the ultrasound person did a secret 3d ultrasound for me to help me rule out cleft lip and see that my baby at least looked ok... He did and that's where I got the picture for the twinsie post...
so luckily after all that drama everything turned out PERFECT and he looked fine... of course worry was still ALWAYS in the back (front) of my mind.... there is a huge risk for preterm labor however cause the amount of weight in my uterus it could burst at anytime... I had a big boy in there and about 6 liters of fluid! They said to expect delivery around August 11th!!!
Luckily he stayed put... which is great cause he is healthy and safe inside me BUT it was a nightmare for me. I couldn't walk far, stand up for long, sleep in bed, etc. but it was going to be all worth it... When things got really bad or hard I went and sat in Abe's room and cried and prayed and JUST knew that we would get through it!
And we did.... see part two.
Thursday, August 8, 2013
Abe Update
Oh Abram John... you are going to be a little handful for Momma aren't you? Since we have come back from the beach when I was 30 weeks pregnant.. (omg its only been 3 weeks... time is moving soo SLOWLY!!) things have been interesting surrounding you.
On that Tuesday I went for my appointment at the Braselton appointment and Dr. Harrison thought my belly had grown too much in the 2 week span. I was measuring 4-6 weeks ahead where as the appointment before I was measuring only 2 weeks ahead which had been consistent. I went to the Gainesville office where they did an ultrasound and saw that there was too much fluid and Abram was measuring large as well. At this point my fluid level was in the 33cm, it is supposed to be between 5 and 25. Abe was 4lbs 6 oz.. He was supposed to be just at 3lbs. They set me up on weekly ultrasound appointments and kind of left things at that and told me he would probably be here early.
The next week the fluid jumped from 33 to 44 and I knew it had... I could feel it stretching and ripping since my last appointment.. Clothes were way tighter and I was really uncomfortable... And now scared to death cause it should never be jumping that high. They said it was probably nothing but it could be an issue with a blockage in Abe's throat or belly. They couldnt see any issues though. I left there convincing myself and my mom that everything was fine.. I just knew it.. but deep down in my heart all I wanted to do was cry cause I was scared... You see with Oliver I followed every rule.. I ate everything I was supposed to do and stayed away from everything that they thought could be harmful.. this time I have still been good but I ate some deli meat, I drank some caffeine and I even sipped the first sip from Daniels beer whenever I opened one for him. What if I harmed my baby?? The hardest part of this was I wanted to sit on google and research and get lost in my fears but I have Oliver with me so I have to act like everything is fine. It was so hard but now I see Oliver was with me to keep me from going further to places I didn't need to.
This week was the hardest.. I saw the doctor on Tuesday and went back again on Friday and they were sending me to a specialist on Monday. They started me on NST tests each time I come to the doctor which I was a little familiar with cause I had one the day before Oliver was born. The doctors told me I have appromimately 6 liters of fluid in my belly and to pack a bag cause I was basically liable to pop at any time. I also washed and gathered all our beach towels just in case. The NST tests showed Abram was doing well inside me so that was good. He was just playing in the pool inside me!! It took forever for it to be Friday but I went to the doctor alone and the NST was good and the ultrasound tech was amazing and snuck some 3d pictures for me. I had read that clef lip and birth defects cause alot of fluid... and guess what? ABE LOOKED perfect... my heart immediately calmed.. and this time I knew that we were part of the 65% that have high fluid for no reason.. And I also got another pleasant surprise.... I had seen that baby face before.... Abram seriously looks 100% like Oliver in utero! :)
I calmed down for the weekend and was very calm in seeing the specialist that Monday... Although still extremely uncomfortable and at this point... 32 weeks I was downright in pain!! The specialist did an hour long, very invasive ultrasound regimen and we got to see Abe from all angles, colors, everything... and we also got to see that 3d picture of his precious face.. Daniel wasn't at Fridays appointment and even though I showed him the picture I bet he was glad to see it at the specialist with me. The specialist said he didn't see one thing that he thought was an issue so I was good to go back to my regular doctor!! Also my fluid had dropped back down in the 30's. :)
I read on google that your fluid peaks at 34 weeks and since he has been measuring ahead I think I just progressed faster than normal.. and maybe that's what caused so much fluid... also this time, I didn't swell up like I did last time, so maybe my body just produces alot of water and this time it stayed in my belly. I really have no idea, but at this point I am ok with that. I still need to be careful since I still have Polydraminos and I go for weekly or bi weekly check ups but things this serious have settled some.. now onto my other pregnancy issues! ;)
On that Tuesday I went for my appointment at the Braselton appointment and Dr. Harrison thought my belly had grown too much in the 2 week span. I was measuring 4-6 weeks ahead where as the appointment before I was measuring only 2 weeks ahead which had been consistent. I went to the Gainesville office where they did an ultrasound and saw that there was too much fluid and Abram was measuring large as well. At this point my fluid level was in the 33cm, it is supposed to be between 5 and 25. Abe was 4lbs 6 oz.. He was supposed to be just at 3lbs. They set me up on weekly ultrasound appointments and kind of left things at that and told me he would probably be here early.
The next week the fluid jumped from 33 to 44 and I knew it had... I could feel it stretching and ripping since my last appointment.. Clothes were way tighter and I was really uncomfortable... And now scared to death cause it should never be jumping that high. They said it was probably nothing but it could be an issue with a blockage in Abe's throat or belly. They couldnt see any issues though. I left there convincing myself and my mom that everything was fine.. I just knew it.. but deep down in my heart all I wanted to do was cry cause I was scared... You see with Oliver I followed every rule.. I ate everything I was supposed to do and stayed away from everything that they thought could be harmful.. this time I have still been good but I ate some deli meat, I drank some caffeine and I even sipped the first sip from Daniels beer whenever I opened one for him. What if I harmed my baby?? The hardest part of this was I wanted to sit on google and research and get lost in my fears but I have Oliver with me so I have to act like everything is fine. It was so hard but now I see Oliver was with me to keep me from going further to places I didn't need to.
This week was the hardest.. I saw the doctor on Tuesday and went back again on Friday and they were sending me to a specialist on Monday. They started me on NST tests each time I come to the doctor which I was a little familiar with cause I had one the day before Oliver was born. The doctors told me I have appromimately 6 liters of fluid in my belly and to pack a bag cause I was basically liable to pop at any time. I also washed and gathered all our beach towels just in case. The NST tests showed Abram was doing well inside me so that was good. He was just playing in the pool inside me!! It took forever for it to be Friday but I went to the doctor alone and the NST was good and the ultrasound tech was amazing and snuck some 3d pictures for me. I had read that clef lip and birth defects cause alot of fluid... and guess what? ABE LOOKED perfect... my heart immediately calmed.. and this time I knew that we were part of the 65% that have high fluid for no reason.. And I also got another pleasant surprise.... I had seen that baby face before.... Abram seriously looks 100% like Oliver in utero! :)
I calmed down for the weekend and was very calm in seeing the specialist that Monday... Although still extremely uncomfortable and at this point... 32 weeks I was downright in pain!! The specialist did an hour long, very invasive ultrasound regimen and we got to see Abe from all angles, colors, everything... and we also got to see that 3d picture of his precious face.. Daniel wasn't at Fridays appointment and even though I showed him the picture I bet he was glad to see it at the specialist with me. The specialist said he didn't see one thing that he thought was an issue so I was good to go back to my regular doctor!! Also my fluid had dropped back down in the 30's. :)
I read on google that your fluid peaks at 34 weeks and since he has been measuring ahead I think I just progressed faster than normal.. and maybe that's what caused so much fluid... also this time, I didn't swell up like I did last time, so maybe my body just produces alot of water and this time it stayed in my belly. I really have no idea, but at this point I am ok with that. I still need to be careful since I still have Polydraminos and I go for weekly or bi weekly check ups but things this serious have settled some.. now onto my other pregnancy issues! ;)
Wednesday, August 7, 2013
Dan's the Man!!
The first two texts are July 25th and the third one is from today!! I am so proud of this man for entering an industry where he had no training, no knowledge of anything and with a leader that we were warned against. Daniel has really grown and impressed me more in the past year than I ever imagined. I really cannot express how proud I am of him for getting this far....
Even if the next text said he is scared "shitless"..... To which I brought the conversation back to me and reminded him of other things he was scared "shitless" about. lol :)
Sunday, July 21, 2013
I cannot keep up!!
I cant believe I have slacked off again... well actually I can cause its me and I can never keep this thing going... I see that I left off somewhere after Oliver's surgery...That was the worst 10 days of my life. I still have no idea what was happening to my little boy which is hard to process but he is better... so so so much better. He doesnt snore anymore, hasnt had a runny or stuffy nose since and I would redo those 10 days of hell again in a second to make him a healthy, well rested child.. Although, he has started this WEIRD smelling of the fingers thing that I am going to kill him if he doesnt stop. UGH!
I see that I let off my last entry with good hopes for days 9 and 10 and all my hopes came true. The night terror, seizures went away just like Dr. Thomson said they would... He is a brillant, brillant man! Life went back to normal.... and which is probably why I havent written since... normal in our world, is BUSY!
Right now I am reviewing my fb to do some catch up posts and talk about my lil bun in the oven!! :)
I see that I let off my last entry with good hopes for days 9 and 10 and all my hopes came true. The night terror, seizures went away just like Dr. Thomson said they would... He is a brillant, brillant man! Life went back to normal.... and which is probably why I havent written since... normal in our world, is BUSY!
Right now I am reviewing my fb to do some catch up posts and talk about my lil bun in the oven!! :)
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