Saturday, April 21, 2012

The Birth Story

Just when you least expect to go into labor, you do!  I had gone to the doctor on Wed and I was 4 cm, so not a whole lot of change in over a week.  I was a little disappointed, but luckily I got the forms filled out so that I didn't have to work anymore.  Also, induction was set for the 24th (Tues).  I went home and crashed on the couch.  I hadn't been feeling great, but thought it was tied to the stomach bug that Kaylie had earlier that week. I had quite a few things planned for the 19th.  There were things that I just wanted to get done before the baby came.
I woke up around 4 am having cramps, but due to the way I had been feeling I thought nothing of it.  Then around 6 I realized that I had been having these cramps and Braxton Hicks contractions sort of frequently and I couldn't sleep.  By the time Justin was awake and ready to leave for work at 6:30 I told him not to leave yet until I was sure I wasn't in labor.  At 6:45 I called my mom to ask what she thought and if I should go to the hospital.  The "cramps" were getting stronger and more frequent, but hadn't lasted very long really (maybe 30 minutes).  So, my mom came over at around 7:15 to get the girls and take them to school and Justin and I were going to go to the hospital to get checked out.  Getting gas in the van was one of the things I was planning on doing that day (and my mom was about out of gas too), so we had to stop at the gas station to get enough gas to get us to the hospital.
I posted on Facebook at 7:25 on the highway that I thought I might be in labor.  I was pretty sure I was in labor, but because it hadn't been that long that I had been in pain I was worried that it would go away.  I even said to Justin on the way to the hospital, "I'm going to feel bad if this is false labor!"  We got to the hospital around 7:40, filled out a small amount of paper work and went into triage.  I was about 6 cm at this point and begging them to get me the epidural quickly.  The nurse was working on getting me into the system and getting me checked out.  It seemed to take forever and she didn't seem to be in too much of a hurry.  Then, at about 8:05 I was technically admitted into the hospital and moved into the labor and delivery room.  I was having pretty strong contractions and screaming in pain already.  I was still begging for the epidural.  They wanted to get a bag of fluids in me before I got the epidural though and they had a little bit of trouble getting my IV in (I guess due to my low BP).  I was laying on my side trying to make it through the contractions, the nurse was having me sign all of this paperwork and probably telling me some semi-important things.  At about 8:20 I felt my water break and told them.  8:25 was about when I knew she was coming soon, told them, and they told me not to push yet.  They were still working on getting me hooked up to the monitors and into the system.  Finally, I said "She's coming now!" and a couple of pushes later, she was born at 8:31.  A couple of minutes later it dawned on me that I had just had a baby!  A doctor came in to finish things up after she was born.
Later, the doctor that was supposed to deliver told us that they called to say that she needed to come in to deliver, she brushed her teeth and got into her car, and they called back to say that she had been born!
I can't believe it happened that fast, but thank goodness it was that fast because it was crazy painful without any "help" as I was screaming for in the middle of everything.
Praise God that everything turned out all right.  There are so many things that could have happened to cause a delay of getting to the hospital and most likely resulted in Brynlee being born on the side of the road or somewhere equally disturbing.  Now, we have another miracle from God in our home and our family feels complete.

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Dear Lord, Please let this be my last Pregnancy Update!

If you have not seen or heard yet, we have chosen a name.  Brynlee Grace Adams could be here any day now!  
I'm very ready to have this baby girl.  I'm 37 weeks and 4 days today.  I went in last Monday and found out that I was 3cm dilated an 80% effaced.  I was pretty miserable last week at work.  I was exhausted, in pain, and of course crabby.  I went to my doctor appointment this past Monday planning on getting a note that said I didn't have to work anymore.  Unfortunately, the midwife said that there is no medical reason why I cannot work.  I also found that I hadn't progressed much at all in the past week.
So, I came to work to try to find a way to take some time off before the baby comes.  Basically, I found out that I have to work up until the day I deliver.  I was very upset, angry, etc that no one could help me out.  I just wanted a few stress free days before the baby came where I could focus on the baby coming instead of focusing on how to make it through the day at work. 
Thankfully, God is good and has actually helped me to feel a bit better this week.  So far, I'm making it through the week.  Also, my family has been very helpful.  I just hope this baby comes soon (but of course on an even numbered day, so tomorrow would be good!)
I'm a little worried that I will go into labor at school.  It could take me an hour to get to the hospital from work and who knows what could happen in that hour.  Of course, the Lord is in control and He knows what is best.  At least I'm making more money while I wait for Brynlee to "Grace" us with her presence.  (Sorry I couldn't help it).
I have nicknames for the girls and I'm trying to find one for Brynlee.
I call them Kaylie Ann from BradentAN (so that it rhymes of course), Myla Rae from Tampa Bay, and now we will have Brynlee Grace from.....
Outer Space?  Another Place?  Too bad we live in River's Edge instead of River Place.  I guess we have a little time to figure that one out.
And now.....I will wait.

Saturday, April 7, 2012

Final Post about Redecorating the Girls' Room!

I'm finally done! (For now....haha) I was messing around with a few ideas and waiting to hang everything up until I knew what I had.  I made the yarn-wrapped letters (K & M) for their names.  I glued buttons onto fabric in the shape of a heart and framed it. I made a butterfly out scrapbook paper.  Then, I had an empty spot on a wall, so I just framed a piece of scrapbook paper for now.  I'll probably eventually think of something more creative to put there.  I also finally hung the string so that the girls can use the clothespins I decorated to hang their art work.  Here are the final results:

 The girls from my life group had a girls night/baby shower for me and Ali.  Erika made those adorable pinwheels and I had to take one since it matched everything in their room perfectly!

 Kaylie and Myla read every night using the flower light before going to sleep.



 Thanks to my Mom and Dad we have a nice, new tree right outside the girls' window now.  Kaylie named it Sarah because I refused to name the new baby Sarah.

 Below are a few close ups of some the things I made, including collages of each of the girls.