Caden's 1st Christmas

Caden...

Morning of Induction

The day Caden was born...

Bo and I called Labor and Delivery at 3:30 am on Dec 20th to see if there was any rooms available on the floor for me to be induced. We were told to be at the hospital no later than 4:30 am. When we arrived I was admitted and the usual paperwork, blood work, etc was done. I was checked by a OB resident who gave me not so encouraging news that my cervix was not dilated so they would have to start off with a cervix ripening drug. When they went to give me the drug, the nurse noticed that I was having consistent contractions and I was no longer able to receive the drug due to the possibility of hyper stimulation of the uterus. I was then told that I would have to sit and wait to see what happens.....contractions stopping vs. cervix dilating on its own. So we sat and wait until the next shift came in. The midwife came and checked me and said that the previous resident was wrong I am almost 2cm dilated like Mr Carter had told me on Monday! But since I continued to have consistent contractions they decided to manually dilate my cervix and start me on pitocin. So, approx 4 hours (8am) after arriving finally the induction begins. My cervix dilated to 4 cm at approx 3pm and I was finally in active labor. I then received a not so well placed epidural and my water was broken at 5pm. From that point on the labor became more intense and increasingly uncomfortable. I had my epidural re dosed 3 different times for severe back labor/ contraction pains. Pretty much the only thing the epidural did numb was my thighs and below (a lot of help that did!!!) At approx 10pm I was told I was finally at 10 cm dilated, but they wanted me to "labor down" because Caden wasn't in the lowest position possible. That excruciating pain of being fully dilated but not able to push was over at 10:35pm when they told me I could finally start pushing. With the help of Bo and my nurse I pushed for 1 hour and 10 mins before they shouted at me not to push because he was crowning and there was no doctor in the room. The nurse ran out of the room and yelled for the doctor who came rushing in and gowned up....there were also many other people that came in the room to assist with delivery. So on the next contraction when everyone was ready in place Caden's head came through and I was promptly told not to push again because he had the cord around his neck. Once the cord was removed the next contraction completed the delivery and he started to cry! What a wonderful sound that was! Bo went over and stayed by his side while the doctors where still working with me. I want to thank Bo for all the love and support he gave me throughout the entire laboring process! He was by my side the whole time and if it wasn't for him I don't think I could have made it through the very intense last 3-4 hours of labor. He was truly amazing! I also want to thank my mom for being there as bo's sidekick and second in command it was great having you around. Finally, to Jim and Liz for the love and humor they gave me during this process...it was well needed! Love you all!

Baby Shower @ Work!

37wk OB appointment

Today my BP was 154/85..Mr. Carter was not happy about that! I gained another 7lbs..my feet are so swollen! My rash spread to pretty much everywhere! Mr. Carter said I was just a mess! The good news is he checked my cervix and i'm 1.5-2 cm dilated and softening! He also stripped my membranes...all I got to say is OUCH! He also was able to have Dr King sign off on upping my induction date to this thursday, Dec 20! So, I'm going to be induced in 3 days!!! CRAZY! So, Caden will be exactly 38wks gestation. I also received an oral steroid prescription to help with this horrible rash! My tummy measured 38wks and Caden's heartbeat was approx 135bpm. I also found out that I am GBS negative! So, Caden will (should) be here before christmas!!! How exciting! We need to go buy him a present! ha ha ha That is pretty much it! Wish me luck!

It's Official!

Today, I went to work with very little sleep because last night my whole body was itching me to death! I was at work sitting there at the nurses station when one of the discharge planners who is a nurse came up to me and asked me what was wrong with my arms and hands. So, i looked down at my arms and realized I have red spots with blanching around them all over my forearms and hands. So, that freaked me out some! There was a doctor on the floor who I knew delivered babies and asked him what he thought of this mess....he said..well it looks like a rash...do you have PUPPP??? I was like YES! he said it looks like it is now spreading to my arms then and i should notify my midwife. So, i took my BP and it was 132/95 and decided maybe I should go to the OB clinic and leave a note for Mr. Carter. I then proceeded to lunch and returned to work...a couple hours later Mr. Carter called and told me to come to the OB clinic so he can look at the rash and give me the 'Quarters' paperwork. Quarters means i no longer have to go to work. So, it is like bed rest only i don't have to actually be in bed the whole day...just at my house! So, yes...I'm done working until approx 23 Feb 08! Mr. Carter said the rash was indeed spreading, but he did say that so far it's not a severe case of PUPPP...only semi mild! It doesn't feel semi mild though! AARRGGHH! My next NST is Friday and my next OB appoint is 17 Dec!

36wk Doctor Appointment

Another glorious day at the OB clinic for me....NOT!! So, today my check-in BP was 156/93 which is the highest I've ever seen my BP be in my life! I also have a new pregnancy symptom called PUPPP, its a pregnancy rash only 1% of pregnant women have! So OF COURSE i have it! So until week 35 (rash onset) this whole pregnancy things wasn't too terrible! But now i'm ready for Caden to be delivered since that is the only 'cure' for this itchy rash! Mr Carter checked my weight and I've gained 6lbs in 2 weeks...my fingers/hands/and wrists are swollen...my shins and feet are starting to swell as well! I had my GBS checked and won't know the results until next weeks appointment. Caden's heartbeat was approx. 150 bpm and my tummy was measuring 37 wks. Mr. Carter also said that the ultrasounds and NST have been looking good! So, after all was said and done....we took my bp again and it was 139/79. Mr. Carter is contemplating bed rest when at work my diastolic (lower number) is over 90 and/ or my systolic (upper number) is over 145. So, i'm to take my bp when i'm working and then after work. My next OB appointment is on the 17 Dec. That is pretty much it! Only 17 days until induction day!!!!!

Fire Dept Christmas Party

Dec 7th was Bo's Christmas party for his work! We drove over to Panama City to attend the function. It was fun because I was able to meet the people he works with. Bo said that pretty much all of his shift showed up to the party due to "the talk" the fire chief gave everyone! ha ha The dinner was sooo delicious! We had fun! Thanks to Beth, I had a dress to wear! Only 19 days until the induction!

TO ALL THE T-SHIRT HATERS!

For all of you who don't know this about me....I LOVE my old T-Shirts! This particular T-Shirt is very near and dear to my heart! This T-Shirt is from a softball tournament I attended when I was 12 yrs old! Yes, its the 14th anniversary of the shirt! It has no holes on it and is nice and worn in...like a good t-shirt should be! The best part is the shirt still fits even though I'm 9 months pregnant! Just wanted to share with everyone this special anniversary for me! hee hee

35wk ultrasound

We had probably our last ultrasound today! The ultrasound tech said that it is hard to get good pictures b/c at this point in the pregnancy the bones have calcified and that throws shadows to the rest of the picture. So, the only picture we could get that was of any cuteness was this one of his fingers. In all of Caden's previous ultrasounds he had his hands in fists so you could never see his fingers. Until now! Aren't they so cute! Its like he is waving hello to everyone! They couldn't really get a picture of the face b/c they said he was way to low for the picture to come out! They estimated his weight now at 5lbs 13 oz! So, they are suppose to gain approx. 5-7 oz a week in the last month soo...maybe he'll be around...7-9 lbs at birth??? who knows! It's getting really exciting!

35 wk

I'm sorry it has taken me so long to post some new pictures of me and Caden! I swear I look bigger than I feel!!! Ella and Caleb wanted to say hi and show their faces in the picture too! Less than 4 weeks left! Can't wait!!!