Gregg came to Minnesota for the month of August to do an Emergency Medicine away rotation at Hennepin County Medical Center. So, with the doctor's okay to fly prior to 36 weeks, we planned for Kaylen and I to spend 10 days in Minnesota with him and with the family. Julie and Doug also booked a trip to be there for my Mom's family reunion on August 16th.
We had been having a great week, swimming in the pool, taking boat and jet ski rides on the river and Kaylen getting completely spoiled by loved ones. Julie and Doug flew in on the 13th, but planned to spend the 14th and through the weekend with us. I had made a visit to Regions Hospital on Wednesday the 13th at the advice of my Portland OB office to be sure I wasn't leaking amniotic fluid, but after a test was done, it was determined I was not. The Dr also checked my cervix and I was now 1 centimeter dilated. I thought nothing of that as I'd had friends be centimeters dilated through the end of their pregnancy. On Thursday morning, my friend, Jacki, stopped over at the house the morning of the 14th and not long after, Julie and Doug walked through the door. They took Kaylen shopping and we eventually headed over to the river house to spend the day.
Kaylen played at the river, took a boat ride, Kaylen and I swam in the river, and started to make a yummy dinner that the entire family would eat out on the deck overlooking the river on a beautiful night. While helping make the salad, I started to not feel well and had some "waves" of nausea hit me with some back pain. In the recent weeks, this wasn't super alarming as I'd had not always felt good, so pushed on. During dinner, my "waves" started to get a little more uncomfortable to the point that after dinner, I went inside to lay on the couch to start tracking them. They increasingly got more painful now to the point that I wanted to cry. I was determined that I was just waiting these out and they were some false labor contractions as some of my friends who had recently had babies had experienced. But Gregg and Julie decided it was time to go back to the hospital to be checked. Thank God they did. Doug and Julie drove me back to Regions and ensured Gregg they would call if it was labor or otherwise. However, I contracted regularly the entire way to the hospital and by the time I got to the hospital, I was nonstop contracting and in lots and lots of pain. I asked to use the restroom and discovered about that time, that it was real labor. I asked Julie to call Gregg and shortly thereafter, I heard her tell Gregg on the phone, Get to the hospital sweet pea, you're going to have a baby tonight. I looked at her and just told her no. :-) Ahh, what happens to your brain when you're caught completely off guard. I was still so sure that this was not happening. I was 34 weeks and 2 days. Kaylen showed no signs of early labor and I was sure this was not going to happen on this trip. We had brought nothing with us and I had a repeat c section scheduled in Portland for September 16th with a due date of September 23rd. I had told at least 15 people who were concerned with my flying, that the Dr had okay'd it, that he wasn't going to come early, and that worst case scenario, I would be home in MN with my family should anything happen. Ahhhhh yes, so of course it did.
Everything thereafter went very quickly. I realized that the "small gush" of what I thought was leaking that afternoon before we took a boat ride, was my water breaking. Now that I'd reached the hospital, I was told I was 4 centimeters dilated and I don't remember the effacement, but it was then that I realized, it was all happening that night. I told them I wanted a repeat c-section as I had previously been diagnosed with Kaylen's delivery that I had pelvic disproportion and that a vaginal delivery was not likely. However, I got the impression from the day before that Regions is very pro VBAC. They moved forward as though I would have the c-section, and I was being prepped for an epidural and we were just waiting for the fluids to go through and the anesthesiologist was on his way. The OB, Dr. Fall, approached me asking if I would want to consider a VBAC as the baby was going to be premature and likely smaller. I have a hard time knowing where I want to go to lunch when asked, and had a REALLY difficult time deciding something that major without Gregg. So, Julie called him for me, but I was in so much pain, I couldn't talk. Somewhere in my head, I made some peace with the idea in that I could at least try. I was told there was still time for the epidural as my body and mind were already exhausted and overwhelmed by the pain. I had not done much to prepare for dealing with contractions as I had never fully considered labor unmedicated. However, while we were still waiting for the fluids, I began to feel pressure and the doctors said I was now fully effaced and in full labor. My opportunity for an epidural was GONE. Sigh. So, full speed ahead, it was time to push. Gregg and my Mom had made it to the hospital in time, though I didn't know my Mom was in the waiting room with Doug, which Julie and Gregg were in the room with me. My Mom was told it was going to be a c-section and had no idea we were inside in active labor. However, I'm not sure after she struggled watching me recover from my c-section with Kaylen, that she could've handled seeing me in that much pain.
The doctors all told me I was doing great with pushing and at one point, Dr. Fall told me she thought it might be the next one. However, it wasn't the next one or the next one, or the one after that. I realized as I saw them wheel something in, that I realized I might have been holding just a little back over fear of those last pushes, that I had to get it together. I gave it all I had, and in those last two pushes, he was out. It took him a minute to make noise and I was petrified, until just a couple short seconds later, he was crying. My heart soared. I also learned later that his heart rate had begun to drop and what they had wheeled in was the vacuum. I was so thankful that it was not necessary that it be used. I went through a little more pain as they took care of our son and had to finish up taking care of me.... MAN, I was so over the pain! But not long after, they took me to the recovery floor. We were told our baby boy would need to be in the NICU or at Regions, the Specialty Care Nursery, for at least 24 hours. Little did we know at the time, that it was going to potentially be weeks. My family all got to go meet him as did I after I was allowed to leave the L&D floor. He was beautiful, perfect and amazing, just as Kaylen was the minute we all met her.
My mind was truly still blown that I had given birth to our son. We had nothing with us, flights would have to be changed, no arrangements home would have to be made, and most importantly, the new fight would be getting our sweet guy well enough to come home, when he was ready, whenever that might be.
Oh... and giving him a name. We were 95% sure his first name would be Everett, but thought we had a little more time to lock that in. Nope. But the real struggle was with his middle name. We had tossed around a number of family names, but really tried hard to figure out flow and sound. Kaylen's middle name is after my paternal Grandmother, Lorraine, and I've loved her name from minute one. Gregg let me change her first name just a couple months prior to her arrival, so I wanted Gregg to have the final say on Everett's middle name. In the end, Kaylen and Gregg's, the votes most important, we chose Everett James. He was born August 14th at 10:16 pm, weight 4 lbs 14 oz and 18.5 inches long.... and incredibly loved.
We were all in a bit of a frenzy, so between Julie's shopping spree and Gregg's and help from my cousins Ryan and Stacy, this little guy is going to make it back to Portland with STUFF. :-) It has been so nice to have so many really try to help and come through for us. It has been an overwhelming process and I spend much of my time with Everett in the NICU while trying to get home for a few hours some days to spend time with Kaylen. My parents are largely Kaylen's main caregivers and will be until Gregg and Kaylen go home on August 30th. Everett and I will go home when he's ready.
He is slowly making progress, taking a little more by bottle each feeding, trying to get some exposure to the breast and the rest by NG tube feeding. As of yesterday, at a week and 1 day, he had surpassed his birth weight by an ounce. Praying he will continue to grow and get stronger and one day soon the switch will flip and his feedings will vastly improve as will his desaturation drops in oxygen. But he is perfect, and sweet and calm. I asked if it was a preemie thing to not cry much and the nurses have told me no, not really. He is just a calm sweet baby and the only thing he really doesn't enjoy is the amount of air he gets in that tiny little belly.
We are all in love with him and Kaylen has been looking forward very much to his arrival. She is not so sure she wanted it to happen this soon, but she is doing well adjusting and giving him lots of kisses when she visits the hospital. But what I'd heard is definitely true, it was hard to believe that the overwhelming love you have for your first does not divide to love the next, but multiplies. It overwhelms my heart just how lucky and perfect our new family of four is, but it has been an incredible experience to be able to share it at home with my family surrounded by the immense love everyone has for these two kiddos. I am anxious to get my family home and all be together, but not until he's ready that's for sure. Just trying to live in the moment and in these moments, I'm feeling completely completely completely blessed.
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