Ella's birth story

I just got finished feeding her and now can't go back to sleep, so I thought I would write out her birth story. It was pretty uneventful to tell the truth, which is great.

We got to the hospital about 10:30 p.m., on Monday to be induced due to high blood pressure and low amniotic fluid, and by the time they got me hooked up to the monitors and my IV in, I was having contractions on my own. The doctor decided not to do the vaginal meds to make me dilate, since I was already having contractions. These weren't bad at all.

They started pitocin through the IV at 5 a.m. I was about a 2 then. The contractions started coming harder, but they weren't bad at all. When they picked up about two hours later, I asked for my epidural. They checked me, and I was at three, so they let me get it. It was wonderful, and the anthesiologist didn't hurt me at all.

A few hours later, about 10 a.m., I started feeling contractions on one side, so I told the nurse. She upped the meds for the epidural. I had been laying on my side to keep my blood pressure down, and right after that, it was time to roll to the over side. All that extra medicine went to that side, and my one leg was paralyzed. I couldn't feel it at all. It freaked me out a little. I started to have a panic attack, but DH calmed me down a little. It was the most awful feeling in the world.

They checked me at 11 a.m., and I was only at a 4. I almost freaked out then because I wasn't sure how long I was going to last with my leg as numb as it was. The doctor decided to up my pitocin. Probably an hour later, I felt something different, a sense of pressure. Dh went and got the nurse, who checked me and said we were ready to have a baby. She called my doctor who came over.

I pushed for four sets of three, and Ella was born. DH nearly passed out, but the doctor made him turn around and sit down by my head and he was fine after that. She cut me because I had started to tear, and she said it would have been a massive tear if she hadn't. I am ok with it and less sore than I was when I had a second degree tear with my oldest DD.

She weighed six pounds, nine ounces and was 19 inches long. She's a chunky little monkey with chubby cheeks and double chin. Tessa is in love with her and is a great big sister. I was so worried because I was afraid she would be jealous because it's just been DH, me and her for the past six and a half years, but so far so good. I know it might be different when we get home.

I will always miss our Jenna, who was stillborn last year due to Trisomy 18, but my arms don't feel quite as empty as they did for the longest time anymore. My rainbow baby is finally here, and she has a big sister who is watching her from above, making sure she is fine.

I'll post pics tomorrow when we get home.

Ella will be here tomorrow

I've been going twice a week to the doctor. Mondays have been for a biophysical profile ultrsound and check up and Thursdays have been for a non-stress test and BP check.

Ella has looked good on everything, and last Monday, my fluid even went up some. However, my BP continued to rise, although it would go down if I rested. I had to go into labor and delivery one time again to be monitored, but they were able to always get the blood pressure down.

Well, today, I had another biophysical profile. Even though my ticker on this blog says I'm 38 weeks today, my doctor prefers to say I'm 37 and a half weeks due to an early ultrasound I had. She really wanted to try to get me to 38 weeks, but the biophysical profile today showed that my fluid was low again. My blood pressure, although not as high as it has been, was still up.

Dr. McGowen thinks it's medically time. The ultrasound showed that Ella weighed six pounds, 15 ounces, but I don't think she's that big. I think she's probably around six pounds. She doesn't foresee any problems with Ella, but said with her being 37 and a half weeks, she might need a little oxygen to help her breath. I sure hope not.

I go in after Tessa's bedtime tonight and will have medicine inserted vaginally at midnight. Four hours later, they will start the pitocin. I'm not a natural labor type of girl, so I'll be getting my epidural. I am so hoping for a good labor and delivery experience with Ella. I had such a horrible one with Tessa.

Hopefully, my next post will be full of pictures of Ella. I'm so nervous, scared, excited all at the same time.

Passed the non-stress test

I'm so sorry it's taken me so long to post. Ella passed the non-stress test with flying colors. She's doing great even with the low fluid, blood flow restriction and deteriorating placenta.

My blood pressure is still creeping up. I had to go in today for another ultrasound for them to do a biophysical profile. My fluid level is a little lower at 5, but Ella passed with a eight out of eight. I have to go back on Thursday for another non-stress test.

Today, I also had a check-up. My blood pressure then was 142/96. I knew it was high. My head was killing me, but my swelling is down from last week and didn't have any protein in my urine. We are going to try for a few more days. She checked me, and I am one centimeter dilated. She could also feel Ella's head.

She repeated again today that I won't go past 38 weeks. In fact, if I make it that far, she will induce me. She said I don't need to go any farther than that. But, in her personal opinion, I won't even make it that far. She's predicting we will go in the next week to week in a half.

Brian cleaned the baby's room today. He scrubbed down the walls and the carpet. Now, he has to go shopping. I need preemie clothes because Ella will be little, a few baby washclothes, a few baby towels, some more blankets, some preemie size gowns and newborn gowns, too, a swaddle blanket and a swing. Brian is planning to go shopping for all of that later this week.

I am feeling all right. My head aches a lot but Tylenol helps. My cousin and his wife stopped by tonight to deliver a present, and I felt so bad because the house is not company ready right now. Brian is doing his best, but he just isn't the world's greatest housekeeper. I don't like having people over unless the house is spotless, but if they can't understand, they aren't worth worrying about. I think they do though.

Non-stress test tomorrow

Yesterday, Dr. McGowen's office called me to tell me she wants me to come in tomorrow for a non-stress test. I know this involves hooking me up to a fetal monitor to check for the heart rate, accelerations and movements. They are checking to make sure Ella is tolerating the low fluid and umbilical cord problems.

I'm going to admit it. I am scared to death. I don't want to lose this baby. There is a part of me that wants to tell them if it's dangerous for her to go ahead and take her. I know 35 weeks and four days is early, but if she's better off out than in, let's do it. Even if it's 50/50, let's get her out so I know she's safe.

On the other hand, I don't know if I can handle leaving a baby at the hospital when I go home. I had to go home empty-handed with Jenna, and even though I know Ella would come home sometime, I think it would just be too reminiscent of that day.

I am still having headaches. I'm going to tell them tomorrow when I go in. The Tylenol helps a lot and makes it go away, but it pretty much comes back four to six hours after I take the Tylenol.

I also hate bedrest. I don't know how someone does it for a long period of time. I'm going to miss Tessa's Halloween party Friday at school, when I promised her I would go. I'm also not going to be able to go to trick or treating with her. I feel like I'm letting her down, and it's just not fair to her. My sister is going to the Halloween party at school to make up for me not being there.

If I'm still pregnant Nov. 7, I'll miss my family's annual bonfire. It's a family tradition that's been going on for almost 40 years. I have never missed one since I've been alive. I love it. I'll have to miss it, too.

I know it's not a big deal in the grand scheme of things, and it's totally worth it if it gets Ella safely and healthily here. I'm gladly going to do it, but I think I can complain here. I'm trying awfully hard not to complain in real life.

Old crappy placenta

The good news is that Ella looks great on ultrasound. She's a little smaller than average, but nothing to worry about. She weighed about four pounds, 11 ounces, which is normal, but she's just short. I'm not worried about that at all, because Tessa was and still is short. In fact, she's the shortest kid in her class.

The bad news is that I might be developing pre-eclampsia, and even if I'm not, my placenta is breaking down, deteriorating and just plain isn't working like it should. The ultrasound today showed that my fluid is low, which indicates the placenta isn't working, and also that the blood flow through the umbilical cord is being constricted.

She asked me if I had had any swelling or headaches in the last few weeks, and I had. I never thought much about it, because I chalked it up to sinuses, the time of the year, the stress with Tessa's school problems, etc. They always went away with Tylenol, and I had been told that if they didn't go away after taking the meds, I needed to call then. I had a headache this morning, so instead of sending me home on bedrest, the doctor sent me to the hospital for monitoring. I also have to collect my urine for 24 hours to take back to them to check for proteins.

The room they put me in was very much like the one I was in when Jenna was delivered, but I am so thankful it wasn't the same one. I had a great nurse, too. She hooked me up to a fetal heart monitor, which was too funny because Ella got the hiccups for like 10 minutes one time. Brian asked if she was karate chopping the monitor, and two seconds later, the nurse came in and said, "Looks like someone has the hiccups." It was really funny.

My blood pressure got up to 130/91 at the hospital, but they have sent me home on bedrest because my blood work looked good. I have to take my urine back in tomorrow, and I have another ultrasound scheduled for next Monday. I'm not sure what happens if my urine shows protein or if the fluid is still low. I'm going to ask tomorrow when I turn the urine in to them.

I asked the nurse what could be causing the placenta to break down if it wasn't pre-eclampsia. She said they don't really know what causes it. She said she tells nursing students that it's called OCP or Old Crappy Placenta. Placentas designed to last nine months, but some only last eight. Brian said it's kind of like a diesel motor. They are designed to last 300,000, but sometimes, they blow up at 200,000. She said that was a good analogy.

I have a feeling that Ella will be here sooner rather than later. I told I think she'll probably be here in two weeks instead of the four to five that would go to my due date. She's going to be a little bitty baby just like Tessa was. I'm going to have to get Brian or my mom or someone to go and buy some preemie sizes along with some preemie diapers. When Tessa was born, she didn't have any clothes because she was so small. The truth is, even though I got a lot of nice stuff at my shower, I still need a bouncy seat, a swing and the bedding set, even though I do have that one picked out, just not ordered yet, so I still have quite a bit I need to buy.

Honestly, we have quite a bit of stuff to do to get ready. We have to rent a steam cleaner for the carpet in her room and paint the walls. I feel so bad for Brian because he's going to have to do it all himself.

Baby shower tomorrow and ultrasound on Monday

Tomorrow is my baby shower. I am excited, but not, too. I don't like being the center of attention, but I am looking forward to seeing all of my friends together. It's being held at my brother and sister-in-law's house, and her mother, who is a wonderful baker, is making the cake. I love good food, even though most of it is giving me heartburn right now. I'll just have to suffer the consequences.

Monday, we are having my 35 week appointment. I am also having a growth span that day. Part of me is so excited to see her again on ultrasound because it's been a while since we have, but another part is scared that they are going to see something wrong on the ultrasound.

Everyone tells me I am carrying small, even though my belly measures right on time. I haven't really gained all that much weight, about 16 pounds. What if she's small because she has Trisomy 18? I know that's irrational, that everything looked great at all the ultrasounds we had, and all the bloodwork came back normal. But, when you've lost one baby, it makes you irrational about some things.

I've also had a lot of headaches this week, which is a symptom of pre-eclampsia. With Tessa, my symptoms were all pretty atypical, which is why it wasn't caught. If Ella is small, it could be because I have pre-eclampsia again, which means they would either put me on bedrest or deliver me early. As much as I am over being pregnant, I don't want her to come too early, especially if it means she wouldn't be able to go home with us. Bedrest would be Ok, but not ideal, especially with the schedule Brian works.

I'm also worried that she might be too big. Dr. McGowen has already warned me that my pelvis is too narrow for me to give birth to a baby that weighs more than eight pounds. A c-section doesn't really scare me, but it's not ideal.

I just want her here healthy. I want to know she's healthy. The only way for me to know 100 percent is for her to be born or to have an amniocentesis, and I'm not sure if it's really worth it at this stage.

Back from the meeting with Tessa's teacher and principal

I'm pretty happy with the way things went. We aren't moving her for right now. The principal said he wants to give the teacher a chance to make some changes and see how that goes first. We're giving it until the end of November officially, but if Tessa's upset stomach gets worse, we'll revisit it sooner.

I asked about the three weeks worth of work in her desk, and the principal was not very happy about it at all. The teacher said that they have two places to turn in work. One is for everyday work and the other is for unit work. She does not check the unit work every day, and most of what was in Tessa's desk was unit work. The principal told her she has to check Tessa's desk every day for her work, that there was no excuse for it going on that long. I could tell she wasn't very happy about him responding that way, but she agreed to do it.

I also asked her about the desk dumping incident. She said she didn't dump it; she just took every thing out and some things fell on the floor. I'm still not accepting of that answer, but I'm going to let it go for now. The principal told her that teachers have gotten too far away from learning and are now focusing too much on organizational skills. He said if a child is learning and is on grade level (which Tessa is) then organizational skills can come later. He told her teacher to back off of those for a while. I was pleased with that answer.

I also brought up the fact that the teacher said the kids weren't supposed to ask her questions during reading time. The principal's head whipped around to her when I said that, and she stammered something about giving them all individualized time. I told her that Tessa is behind, finishes up what she was working on and can't remember the instructions for the new work she's doing, so she just sticks it in her desk. The principal said that Tessa has to be allowed to ask her questions during reading time in order to stay ahead.

I told them that we were changing what we were doing at home with regards to work. My aunt lives across the street, and some of Tessa's friends from school go over there after they get off the bus so my aunt can babysit them until their mom gets off work. She wants to go there to play, and I would usually let her. We would come home, and then, she would do her homework. Now, she has to come home first and do her work first before she can go over there. I told her teacher that I wanted her to bring home the work that she didn't get finished with during the day, that this would serve as motivation to get her work done.

Her teacher said she thinks first graders should only be doing about 15 minutes of homework a night and parents have too much other stuff to worry about than work that wasn't done in class. The principal said, "You have parents here that want to help, so you can send the work home. Their system is going to be her motivation to get it done, so she can have her fun sooner." I agree, which is why we came up with the plan. So, even though her teacher didn't really want to do it, she's going to create a folder for us, put the work Tessa didn't get finished with in class in it, and we are going to work on it each night. This will also help us to see if it's a case of Tessa not wanting to do it or her not being able to.

She is also going to work to restore the relationship between her and Tessa. The principal wants her to do that first. I'm willing to give it another chance to see if she follows through with what she says she's going to do. The principal is willing to change her if need be, but he wants to try this first. I'm willing to do that.

The teacher had to fill out paperwork about all the the things she has to do in order for this to work, and we all signed it. I am going to hold her accountable to it. If it doesn't work within the next month, Tessa will be changing teachers, and the principal will be behind me on it.