Pregnancy...The C-section Couldn't Be Avoided

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It's been over a week since I've posted anything...We've been really busy around here.

Our Little One arrived on March 31, 2009 @ 12:31am.

I started feeling consistent contractions on Monday, March 30th, @ 5pm. They were coming every 8-10 minutes and lasting between 60-90 seconds. We called the doctor and he said to go to the hospital immediately because he didn't want me to labor at home.

We arrived at the hospital @ 9:30pm and an ultrasound of Little One was taken. She was still in a transverse (side lying) position and her back was towards my cervix. At this point, I was already 4.75cm dilated, already in active labor. When we inquired about turning the baby, the OB said that it was too late to turn the baby as I was already in active labor and a baby cannot be turned while the uterus is contracting. This was a medical condition for a C-section delivery.

I was prepared for a C-section at 11:30pm, brought into the Operating Room at 12am, and our Little One was born at 12:31am.

I initially said to DearHubby that this was like preparing for a race and not being able to even start it, but later realized that God just wanted to remind us that He is in complete control. Therefore, rather than us not being able to finish the race, we consider this situation as God finishing the race for us :)

We are very blessed with a beautiful and healthy baby, even at only 37 weeks :) She was 8lbs 6oz and 19.5 inches long!!!

Her big sisters are already so in awe of their little sister and we had a fun birthday party for Little One at the hospital!

Our church family has been so wonderful in providing help for our family during this time and it was such a testimony of Christ's love while I was in the hospital. There was a nurse who visited me every day and she always asked who was watching our other 2 girls. Every day I told her that a different friend was watching the girls and this nurse was very impressed by the love and care that our friends showed towards us. The nurse said, "Wow, I have never seen such love and care by just friends before. Usually you only see that kind of love and care by family." So I explained to her that these friends are a part of our church family and I exclaimed how our church family IS our family. Then, she asked me if we had any help when DearHubby goes back to work and I told her that we didn't have to worry because we were confident that our church family will be there to offer help.

We have had an outpouring of help from people watching our girls both day and night, to driving me to the doctor, to an abundance of food!!! It is such a testimony of God's love and we are grateful for God's faithfulness!

Yes, they'll know we are Christians by our love!!!

As far as my recovery, God has been very merciful! The pain has been very minimal and I am even able to get up and out of bed on her own; very different from my first C-section with DearDaughter1. In fact, I was feeling good on Sunday that the family was able to go to church, only days after being released from the hospital! Many were surprised to see us there! On Tuesday, April 7th, DearHubby went back to work and I survived the day, by God's loving grace! I am very tired, but have made it! My staples have also been removed and the incision is healing well!

The girls are adjusting well to the new baby and the new baby is fitting right in with the family. The girls wish they could actually see their little sister more, but she needs her sleep and so she's mostly eating or sleeping. Mommy is glad that our Little One is eating well because she was a little jaundice and needs to get those bowels moving to get that biliruben number down.

DearHubby's been a wonderful daddy and has held up the fort really well! When the girls didn't see their daddy on Tuesday morning, they cried out for him. Mommy missed him too :(

Pregnancy...A Prayer Request

On Monday, March 23rd, I had a non-stress test for the baby and an ultrasound done to check the amniotic fluid level. Praise God, the results for both tests were normal! However, during the ultrasound, the technician discovered that Little One #3 is not in position yet, she was laying sideways and not head-down. I will be considered full-term by tomorrow, Saturday. I saw the midwife last night and checked the position of the baby again and she was still fully sideways.

I am scheduled for an external version on Monday @ 10am. The doctor will basically use an ultrasound to aid him in manually turning the baby. The risk for this procedure is an immediate C-section if the baby goes in distress. The good news is that the doctor who will be doing this will not force the baby to move if he doesn't think she will and he has never had to do a C-section during this procedure.

If the external version is successful and the baby is turned, then I would be set to go into labor.

If the external version is not successful and the baby is still in a transverse position, fully laying sideways, when I go into labor, a C-section is required. There is no way to vaginally deliver a transverse baby.

In the meantime, the midwife has given us some things to do to encourage the baby to move into position. One is the get on all 4s and rub the baby towards the direction she needs to go. Another is to get mysel upside down or at least my bottom higher to encourage the Little One's head to float up, which might encourage her to move in the right direction. Another is to shine a flash light where her head should be because Little Ones are inquisitive and she may want to see what the light is all about. Another is to just lean forward over the counter to give enough room for the Little One to move. We will be doing these things throughout the weekend.

We hope all our endeavors work.

Our hope and desire is to avoid a C-section.

"One thing have I asked of the LORD, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to inquire in his temple. For he will hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble; he will conceal me under the cover of his tent; he will lift me high upon a rock." -Psalm 27:4,5

"He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the LORD, 'My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.'" -Psalm 91:1,2

Pregnancy...

I had a hard time sleeping last night and got very little of it, if any. There were a lot of things running through my mind, especially the idea of having a third Little One to care for in less than 5 weeks. I'm getting quite anxious about it.

DearHubby and I spent most of this weekend with a lot of tension between us. We finally found reconciliation and resolution to our issues last night when we both were finally willing to talk and discovered that the main reason we've both been so on edge lately is because we've been getting very little rest. I, especially, like to take advantage of the time after the girls are in bed. I like to get the house ready for the next day during this time and sometimes it takes me 'til 10pm to get all that I want done done. It's so hard getting chores done during the day while the girls are running around. There's an interruption every 5 minutes and it sometimes takes longer to do a chore while they're up versus when they're down. DearDaughter2 is also at a stage where she's very clingy and sometimes whiny, which is understandable. Her attention span is still so short and she cannot stay on an activity for very long and still needs a lot of direction. So, it is twice as hard to get anything accomplished while DearDaughter2 is up as she demands lots of time from me. In addition, she's transitioning from 2 naps to 1 and on some days I don't start my day until the afternoon and by that time I am just so tired. I'm not even talking about the days where we've got appointments to make and we have to leave the house by 8am. And then, the chores I'm talking about isn't even like cleaning chores. Cleaning and dusting is such a foreign term in this house right now. It's just mere survival chores like getting groceries, cooking, dishes, laundry, sorting of mail, paying of bills, and taking out trash that I have a hard time keeping up with. In addition to getting those chores done, I've been trying to get some extra projects squeezed in so that when my parents are here they'll have room in the laundry room to put their luggage and DearHubby can start work on our addition.

Yeah, it sometimes takes me 2 to 3 weeks just to even get to cleaning our toilet, when there's mold starting to form. I don't even know when was the last time I touched our bath tub.

This Saturday we moved DearDaughter2 into DearDaughter1's room and before we placed any furniture down, I dusted and vacuumed the area. I haven't cleaned DearDaughter1's room for over a year and there were dust bunnies and cakes of dust everywhere.

What makes things even more of a challenge is just the physical challenge of being pregnant. Carrying this big belly is really such a chore and with the combination of a lack of rest, it is really difficult to make my body get up and go.

So, as I think about the condition of this house, especially the difficulty of keeping up with chores now, I am feeling a bit anxious about adding another Little One to care for. Breastfeeding alone will take up a lot of time...

DearHubby set a time limit for us last night to aim for a 10pm bedtime. So, I listed all the reasons why we don't get to bed by 10pm now. He has volunteered to help me with some chores and now we have a division of labor. However, I also agreed to save some chores for the day time and that has me a little nervous as the chores I save at night are the ones that take the most time and concentration.

It's probably me being so tired that my outlook on things are just so negative. Maybe if I get more rest my outlook will be brighter.

Pregnancy...Decision Update and Eating Healthier

On Monday, February 23rd, I had a consult meeting with a mid-wife at the potential practice I was looking at. I addressed these concerns:

- Was it too late for me to switch practices since I was 32 weeks along? No.

- Does she have any problems with me doing a VBAC since the baby was measuring big and I was carrying too much amniotic fluid? No. She will do everything she can to deliver this baby vaginally.

- I would rather be delivered by a mid-wife. The practice has 2 mid-wives, whom I will see for the rest of my pregnancy, and if they are not on call, then there are several other mid-wives who moonlight that would be there.

- What happens if there is a complication during labor? There will be a doctor at the hospital on stand-by just in case an emergency C-section is needed.

- What does she think about induction? Not in favor of it and would rather wait for spontaneous labor.

I was pleased with the consult and switched practices immediately by signing the record of release form and scheduling my first visit.

As I saw the new mid-wife yesterday, we briefly discussed last week's ultrasound results, which showed the Little One measuring over 5 pounds, putting it in the 81st percentile, and my amniotic fluid level was about 20cc (? - still unsure of the unit measurement), which the doctor said is borderline high, but much better than last time, which was at 30cc. The mid-wife was still concerned about the size of the baby and the amount of fluid present, but did not think a weekly screening is necessary, in contrast to the perinatal doctor's suggestion. I was relieved about that. I cancelled my appointment for this week's screening immediately. However, she was still concerned that I may still have gestational diabetes and has me taking another blood sugar level test the next time.

So, I went grocery shopping last night to purchase some healthier foods for me. I purchased whole wheat bread, whole wheat bagels, Khashi cereal that was high in protein and fiber, strawberries, peaches, bananas, cottage cheese, raspberry preserves that is sweetened with fruit and fruit juices only, roasted tomato and olive oil Triscuits, neuftatel cheese, and cheddar cheese. These foods were mainly purchased for breakfast, lunch, and snack time. My friend gave me brown rice and I already had salad ingredients at home. I'll just make normal dinners, just substituting the white rice I normally use with the brown rice.

My whole family should be eating like this, and before children, I was more healthy eating conscious, but is there a cheaper way? I spent $30 on just food for me alone. It's so sad to say, but junk food is so much cheaper and easier to serve, which is why I started in that direction with my family. I'll need to be more diligent and conscious about what I feed my family. Maybe if I bought more fruits for their snacks and cut out the junk snacks like animal crackers, Club House crackers, Gerber puffs, etc..., maybe the cost would even out? I'll also have to make more of an effort to make the time for healthy decisions. That may mean cutting out some activity in our lives...at least until a good routine is established?

Pregnancy...Feeling Back Pains and a No Sweet Sorrow Parting

Today is one of those days where I wish I could just have some time to myself.

DearHubby and I worked out at the gym last night. We went back after a 2 month break (because of the holidays and illnesses) on Saturday and it felt really good!!! I even felt really good last night after our workout. We changed my workout routine a bit to fit my pregnancy, but I still work up a pretty good sweat and I am always filled with a lot of energy when I exercise. Anyway, so DearHubby and I are trying to get back to a good exercise routine again.

Well, yesterday, DearDaughter2's nose started running in the afternoon. By the evening time, her nose was stuffed up and she couldn't breathe. Despite my efforts to suck out the mucus, she still stayed stuffed up and could not go to sleep. Every 15 minutes she was up and standing at her crib railing crying out for "Mommy". So I had to roll over, get up, and put her down to bed. The previous night, DearHubby struggled with DearDaughter2's wakings (now we know why she was waking up, she wasn't feeling too well) and so I told DearHubby that I'd take care of DearDaughter2 last night. I probably got in and out of bed until 1am.

Combined with the exercise workout, the rolling in and out of bed, and the lack of rest, my back gave out on me this morning. It's not as bad as it has been in the past because I can still walk, but my back is tight and I get a spasm every so often. It makes lifting DearDaughter2 painful and she's been asking to be held a lot this morning for comfort's sake.

My DearFriends have offered to watch the girls when ever I feel like I need time alone...It's so nice of them...But with this sore back, I don't want to get the girls' diaper bag prepared nor do I want to go through the hastle of trying to round them up to get their coats and shoes on nor do I want to chase after them to get them in the car nor do I want to bend over to buckle them in their car seats nor do I want to drive 10 to 20 minutes to get to a friend's house, spend another 10 to 20 minutes getting the girls unloaded and settled, and then another 10 to 20 minutes driving back home. I'm already tired and sore just thinking about that and then by the time I get home to try to get some rest, my mind would be so busy thinking about the things I could be doing while the girls are out, and then I'd probably only have an hour at home alone, before I'd have to go back and get the girls again. I don't know...

So, onto other pregnancy news, yesterday I had an OB appointment and after seeing the Nurse Practitioner I wanted to meet with my doctor in her private office to have a nice private talk with her about switching practices. I wanted to tell her that it's been a hard decision, but unfortunately DearHubby and I are thinking about switching practices. I wanted to let her know how much I really appreciated the care she's provided to me for the past 5 years. I wanted to let her know that this would be a hard parting since she was with me through my miscarriage and with me as we delivered both my girls. However, as I tried to schedule an appointment with my doctor, the receptionist had no sympathy to my request and said, "You're not scheduled to come in for another 2 weeks. You need to wait the 2 weeks. That doctor is not available anyway until 2 weeks." I pleaded with the receptionist and said, "I really need to meet with this doctor next week. It's really an urgent issue and I need to talk to her." She looked around the room at the other receptionists and had to consult them about it and they all said that because I was scheduled to come in in 2 weeks anyway, then I would need to wait the 2 weeks. As I was in the middle of this conversation, this doctor walked in and I asked the receptionist if I could speak to her now. She was really hesitant to give the doctor a holler and so I called the doctor over. It wasn't the way I wanted to say all the things I wanted to say and I didn't even get to say all the things I wanted to say. I just informed my doctor of our desire to switch practices, all the while everyone around us is trying to hear our conversation. The doctor was disappointed in this decision, but since we were out in public, we could not talk in detail about this decision. All my doctor could do was say, "You will need to sign a record release form to take your records." It was an awkward parting and though I made an appointment to see her in 2 weeks, if all goes well with my consult with this new practice, this might have been the last time for me to see this doctor. This parting was not such sweet sorrow.

I have a consult meeting with a midwife at the new practice on Monday, February 23rd.

Pregnancy...A Little Nervous

I am a little nervous this morning. I will be making the phone call of a lifetime.

DearHubby and I have prayed about switching OB/GYN practices and today is the day I am calling to inquire about a potential practice we've been looking at. I am nervous because it is so late in my pregnancy. I am 31 weeks along, so only about 8+ more weeks to go. It's a little scary making such a BIG change at such a late stage and once a switch is made, there's no going back, at least this time. I really need to make sure that I will be comfortable with this potential practice before making THE DECISION, but the decision needs to also be made VERY quickly...

I was already uncomfortable with my current practice when I was pregnant with DearDaughter2, but I stayed on with them because I love the OB I was with when she had her private practice. Providentially and blessedly, she delivered both my girls. She moved with this group in the middle of my pregnancy with DearDaughter2 and though I was not comfortable with the other doctors, I was still a little hesitant about switching because of how I really like this particular OB. I would consider her a cross between a mid-wife and a doctor.

A few developments have occurred that has pushed me into switching practices. First, I have never felt supported by the other doctors in this practice. I wanted to do a VBAC (Vaginal Birth After C-Section) with DearDaughter2 and except for my own OB, all the other doctors opposed it, encouraging me to have another C-Section. Well, I had a successful NATURAL VBAC with DearDaughter2.

Currently, this Little One is measuring in the 97th percentile and she is predicted to be a 10 pound baby. As a result, there's been a lot of monitoring of the Little One and a lot of tests on me. There's also been the push, again, for another C-Section or even induction. I am just afraid that if my OB is not on call when I go into labor and I get any other doctor, they will push for medical intervention rather than allowing me to progress and labor as I'd want.

Lastly, this practice switched hospitals where I will deliver and the new hospital is 40 minutes away (without traffic) compared to the 15 minutes that my local hospital is.

The potential practice I am looking at has mid-wives and I have many friends who have delivered naturally who have highly recommended this practice.

My only hesitation is that my current practice has all female OB/GYNs. I have NEVER seen a male doctor in my life. That's another scary part for me because I am very shy about being seen by a male doctor. Oh, I take that back...I have seen a male doctor before...It was my first Gynelogical exam when I joined the US Coast Guard Academy and I cried the whole time because I was still a virgin and I had never had anything poked down in that area before...Anyway, this potential practice I am looking at has a couple of male doctors and that makes me uncomfortable. I feel like I would need my husband with me at all my visits, especially when they do that internal. Hopefully, I will not need to see a male doctor and I can just stick to the mid-wives...

So, I will be making this phone call shortly. I just wanted to get some of this nervousness out. Then, I will spend some time in prayer for wisdom...

In Pursuit of His Call

Pregnancy...Some Thoughts

I am a bit upset and need to vent this way before the tears start rolling.

At my 27th week OB appointment the nurse practitioner who examined me was concerned by my uterus measurement. She said that I was measuring 32 weeks instead of 27. As a result, she sent me for an ultrasound. The ultrasound results correlated with her concerns and the baby was measuring 3 pounds 13 ounces, or in the 97th percentile. Another concern they found was extra amniotic fluid.

When I went back to my 29th week OB appointment, the OB I saw read the ultrasound results and wanted my sugar levels rechecked again. I passed the 3 hour glucose test and so she ordered another blood test to be taken, one where I would fast in the morning, go to the lab, eat breakfast, and then return 2 hours after breakfast for a second blood test. It sounds easy enough.

Well, today was a perfect day for me to go out and do the blood test. I would wake the girls up, get to the lab by 7:30am, go to Chick-Fil-A for their free breakfast and play date, and then return after a nice morning of play with the girls.

Unfortunately, it didn't quite work out that way.

I did wake the girls up and we did get to the lab by 7:45am. However, since the girls were awoken from their sleep and then hadn't had breakfast, they were really cranky at the lab. It was difficult keeping them settled for the 10 minutes we were there. When I heard my name called I was relieved to know it was my turn...It wasn't my turn. The OB forgot to write the diagnostic code on the script, they called the OB office for the code, but they were not open yet, and they could not draw my blood. I need to return to the lab. Tears almost started rolling right there at the lab. It was such an inconvenience getting the girls up just for a quick blood draw and they couldn't even do it. I was not looking forward to going through that another time.

I tried not to let the situation get to me, especially while we were at Chick-Fil-A, and thought I'd get everything straightened out afterwards. I called the OB office hoping they'd be able to give me the code over the phone, but the nurse couldn't. She suggested the lab call the office and I told her that the time I need to be at the lab is the time they're not open. I was hoping that if I explained that she'd then give me the code. To no avail, she was not going to give me the code over the phone. I now need to take an extra trip to the doctor's office and this is where I am really upset.

The next available time I can do this blood test is Thursday morning, but in between that time, I have so many other appointments. It's hard enough squeezing in a short grocery run...The doctor's office is not even on the way to any of the places that I need to go and it's a 20 to 25 minutes drive there and back. That's a whole hour just to get this code that's going to be written on the script, which I could have gotten over the phone and wrote it on the script myself.

The hardest part about all this is trying to keep a good attitude about the whole situation. I really cannot think of anything positive about it and that's what's making me want to cry the most. All I can think of is the challenge of juggling everything around so that I can make that extra trip to the OB's office. It would be easy if I could do everything by myself, but I always have 2 little girls by my side. You can't just pick up and go with 2 little ones. It takes planning to go anywhere. A 1 hour run for a single person can end up to be 3 hours for a mom with 2 little ones...Where's that time going to come from?

Lord, God, help me...Now, the tears are rolling...

Baby News

DearHubby and I are happy to announce that we are expecting our 3rd child! I am now 15 weeks along and am due on April 18, 2009.

Please keep me and the little one in your prayers as I have come down with the shingles, the same virus as chicken pox. Though the statistics are low, there is a possibility of the baby developing congenital birth defects due to this virus. Please pray with us that the Lord will protect the health of our little one.

DearDaughter1 has been vaccinated for the chicken pox and is protected, but DearDaughter2 was not vaccinated until yesterday after I was diagnosed with the shingles. There is a possibility that DearDaughter2 will come down with the chicken pox. Please pray with us that the Lord will protect our girls' health too!

Not the best of time to share our good news, but we would like you to rejoice with us for another gift of life and to pray with us for this life!