Our Story - Kelly, Patrick & Teagan

Hello Friends & Family!

Sorry for the long delay, things have been a little busy. Finally worked in some time to bring everyone up to speed.

Kelly and I went to the hospital on Monday 4/26 to prepare for our induction on Tuesday morning. We checked into the hospital and were put into a labor and delivery room for the night. Around 10:30ish, a nurse came in and informed us that L&D was "blowing up" and that they needed us to move to a recovery room for the night to make room for all the people in active labor. She was given Cervidil to help ripen her cervix. We did our best to make the most of the night and get some rest. I think both of us were very anxious as we did not get a great deal of sleep. Kelly even got a dose of Ambien but it did not work very well for her. We watched a movie (Transformers - she picked it, not me) and went to bed.

Tuesday morning started with us moving from a recovery room to another L&D room. This is where we would remain until after baby was born. Kelly was able to order her last meal before being put on Pitocin. She also got up and showered, did her hair and makeup and got back into bed. The Cervidil from Monday only brought her dilation to 2cm. After her nice healthy breakfast of Yogurt, granola and fresh fruit, we started the induction with an IV of Pitocin and fluid around 9:30am. Some of you may have kept up with the play by play on Facebook as we progressed through the day. Between 9:30 and 2:30PM, we only really moved a couple of centimeters. The contractions were constant, but not always consistent. It was getting a bit rough for a while. Kelly was growing more and more uncomfortable as we got closer and closer. Due to the fact that we did not get much sleep and the increasing feelings of being uncomfortable, Kelly decided she wanted to start an epidural. It was a great decision as she was not really able to tell me or Mom Rosario what she was really feeling or if there was any way we could help her out. Once the epidural was in, she was much more comfortable.

Throughout the day, we provided updates via Facebook and texts to family. We were constantly watching the clock wondering when we would be ready to push, what time the baby would get here, and if Aunt Karen would make it before we pushed. Aunt Karen made it around 4:00pm. Dilation made some dramatic changes once we crossed 5cm at 4:00. We jumped to 8cm by 6:00 and were ready to start pushing at 7:40pm.

Once we finally got the go ahead to start pushing, I grabbed one leg, put my hand behind her back and did my best to support my wife throughout the birth. Nurse Barbie was in the room coaching Kelly, Karen, mom and I. She was our pack leader and was the one counting out the contraction pushes for Kelly. At one point, nurse Barbie walked away to check some monitors and get the internal baby monitor set up. It was at this time that Kelly had a contraction and we all assumed our roles. I had always been counting along with the nurse, but I was more focused on breathing and helping Kelly. Apparently Karen and mom also did the same thing, for when Kelly started pushing while the nurse was gone, she was the only person in the room that realize "NOBODY IS COUNTING!!!!" I immediately vocalized where we were in the count. We all stayed focused on the pushing, but when it was time for Kelly to rest, we all had a good laugh.

Kelly had a rough start to pushing. While she was doing an excellent job, she was still rather far apart with her contractions. Instead of having one every 2-3 minutes, she was having them every 4-5 minutes. This obviously did not help get the baby out quickly. The doctor and nurses were happy with the progress being made and the doctor stepped out to check on other patients (and to rest as she was sticking around waiting for us, her last delivery, in what ended up being a very long day for her.) Kelly continued to push and push and push. She was getting more and more fatigued. Not too much further into pushing, Kelly's doctor came back in. With her, she brought another doctor and two nurses. It was an odd feeling, but they continued to push with us. Kelly's doctor decided it was time to offer Kelly a little bit of help with a vacuum assist. She said the baby was not exactly happy with what was going on and they were going to help Kelly out as she had a fairly long labor (almost 22 hours if you count the contractions she experienced due to the Cervidil). Kelly, being the trooper that she is, took this as a bit of help to finish the very difficult job, not as a failure. Her next three pushes were leaps and bounds better than she had done all night. It was as if she was just digging down and trying to get things done. The doctor got the vacuum attached and helped Kelly through two pushes. There was dramatic changes with those two pushes. The vacuum popped of during the second push, but that didn't matter. Kelly had decided it was time to stop messing around. She grunted and pushed, and even yelled a little as she gave a good push. The doctors were almost jumping up and down with excitement as the head was out. "Keep going Kelly" cheered her doctor. Kelly gave another push and a shoulder was about to pop out. "One more" said the doctor. Kelly dug deep, now on her fifth push for this contraction as opposed to the sets of three she had been doing. With a very loud, determined groan/scream, Kelly finished pushing out our little girl at 8:42pm on Tuesday April 27, 2010.

The doctor cleared the baby's nose and mouth and set her on Kelly's stomach. I cut the cord and the baby was taken immediately to the warming table. Her hands and feet were still a little blue, but she was getting pinker by the second. The nurses continued to clean the baby up and score the baby. They called in the nursery lead to look at the baby. I was told that the baby had a bit of a bumpy ride and they wanted to look her over again. I later learned that "bumpy ride" included moments during pushing where the baby's heartbeat dropped from the mid 150's to the high 50's low 60's. It happened on consecutive contractions with little rebounding going on meaning that when the contraction ended, the heart rate did not return to the original level. The doctor would have only allowed this to happen for one, maybe two more contractions. If it continued to go this way, we would have been sent for an emergency c-section. What caused the bumpy ride was the cord being around the baby's neck as she was going through Kelly's pelvis. The doctors moved the cord as the baby's head came out, immediately making the vital signs better. The vacuum assist also brought the baby through the birth canal quicker than normal which did not allow natural compression to help breakup the fluid in her lungs. The nurses did a fine job in getting the lungs cleared and giving Kelly and I the long awaited first cry.

I leaned over Kelly and congratulated her, praised her and thanked her for all her hard work. We kissed and then she sent me to be with the baby. Kelly got a few stitches, but not too many. Now we were stuck with choosing a name.

Most people knew that we had narrowed our list of names down to 2. Alexis or Teagan? Alexis or Teagan? We had agreed days before the birth, that if the baby came out with blond hair, we would choose Teagan. Dark hair would be Alexis. We got mixed signals from our little girl as she had blond eyebrows, brownish hair with highlights that made you think there was some blond in there. We decided to wait until we had good light in the morning to make the decision. Sorry for the wait, but we wanted to make sure we picked the name we really wanted. (I think Kelly and I knew long ago that it was going to be Teagan though) Once we made our decision, we announced it to family and friends.

We spent Wednesday and part of Thursday in the hospital trying to get some rest. We came home at 12:30pm and introduced Teagan to Cabo our dog. I had previously brought home a blanket the baby had been using to help get Cabo used to the new smell that would be in the house. It is no secret that our dog is young and somewhat crazy. He did a nice job amazing me with his patience when we introduced them. He did a lot of sniffing, a few licks and was generally curious on what we had. Later in the day, I was able to lay Teagan down on the floor and let him come over and gently sniff her out. I am sure they will become the best of friends.

For now, we will spend our time getting to know each other better. All I know is that I have been amazed by the inner strength of my wife, charmed by the beauty of my daughter and pleased with the way my life is turning out. I love my girls and look forward to each and every moment with them.

Patrick

Quick Note

Thank you to all of our friends and family for your loving support. Our daughter was born at 8:42 pm on April 27, 2010. She weighed in at 8 pounds and two ounces. She is 20.5 inches long. Mother and baby are doing great.

We will have pictures up later in the day and will officially introduce her once we finally pick the name we will go with.

I am so very proud of my two girls.

Patrick

Friday Funday

I really thought I was done writing on this blog until our daughter finally came. I guess I was wrong. I was really hoping she would arrive today, but once again, she reminded us that she will decide when to come... unless there is pharmaceutical intervention of course.

I am happy to be out of work until May 5th. It will be wonderful to get some quality time with my two girls. I am anxiously waiting for her to come home. I want to pick her up and play with her. To cuddle with her and let her fall asleep on my chest. To be able to watch her and Kelly taking a nap while I wonder what they are dreaming about.

It just can't come soon enough. I wonder if we could convince the doctor to do this on Saturday? Then again, I could use a couple more days, with no work, to finish things around the house. Cut the lawn, vacuum, maybe call Kelly's dad and see if he can bring over his power-washer to do the siding.

So much to do... I want her homecoming to be perfect.

Ok... my mind is going a million places at once. Time to go cuddle with Kelly and get some sleep.

Patrick

39 weeks

Today we are 39 weeks. Contractions are still coming and going - nothing significant. She'll be here soon.

The Decision

We had our 38 week checkup this morning. Pat and I intentionally got there early so that I had time to sit and drink a cold glass of water before being called back for my blood pressure to be measured. Unfortunately the office was on a quick step today. We had barely even asked for the glass of water and we were being called into the back to begin. So once again my initial BP reading was high. - time to go back to the exam room, oh by the way... here's your water.

Once Dr. Korzen came into the room one of the first things out of my mouth was "boy you guys are fast today" "you're going to want to take my BP again aren't you?" to which she looked at the glass on the desk and said "that's why you're drinking that right?"

I told her I had been feeling small contractions since Friday, fingers crossed, there's some progress. NOPE! We are still 1cm dilated and 50%. - Disappointed again....

I voiced my concern about lack of movement. Not that I haven't been feeling her move, because I have - just that sometimes she'll make some really good movements and then they'll be times where I don't think / cant remember if she's moved for hours. They wheeled in the non-stress test machine and hooked me up. The lower monitor measured her heart beats, the higher monitor measured if I was having contractions and I had a button in my hand to push whenever I felt her move. I sat there for what seemed like forever not pushing the button. During this time the assistant came in and checked the report the machine was spitting out - shortly after Dr. Korzen came in with a vibrating buzzer, stuck it on my belly and BUZZED. Apparently our baby likes to sleep. With a few more shakes she was moving all around. Pat and I couldn't stop laughing at the sound the buzzer made along with what we could imagine her mind was thinking when she was abruptly woken up from a nice nap by something she'd never heard or felt before.
(also during this they took my BP again, back down to normal) A couple more minutes on the non-stress test machine and all was good. (it was also confirmed that I am having small contractions)

When Dr. Korzen came back she asked us what we wanted to do next. If we wanted to be induced. Pat and I just looked at each other.
Her concerns - Our baby is healthy and potentially above average on size. My blood pressure although fine at the moment has been something we deal with on a regular basis. I believe there's only been one time that I wasn't asked to take it a second or third time. Although I'm not showing signs of preeclampsia because there's no protein in my urine it's a good possibility there will be a time where they cant get the numbers to come down and then there'd be an issue. She's healthy - why wait? Next week would be ideal.

So on Tuesday, April 27th at 39 weeks and 6 days we are scheduled for an induction. Now she could still come anytime before then and surprise us... but next Tuesday is the cutoff... by next Tuesday (maybe early Wednesday morning) we will meet our daughter.

Approaching The End

I woke Sunday morning to a wife wondering what this little girl is doing. She seems to be moving a whole bunch and then she stops moving for long periods of time.

Kelly went downstairs to have breakfast, while I kept my backside planted in bed. I got another 30 -45 minutes in before Kel came up to see what was on tap for the day.

It was a great day to get some loose ends tied up. I looked at it this way... Due date is approaching fast, most first time pregnancies end early, she has dropped, the doctor "helped" her become a 1, and Kel thinks she lost her mucus plug. The way I see it, I don't have another weekend to get things done. After all, I have placed my guess on the due date as this Friday.

With that being said, Kelly went to do some shopping. She returned a waterproof mattress cover that didn't fit the bed, went to find a new cover (which we definitely put on the bed tonight,) picked up a new curtain rod, and got the blinds for the baby room cut down to size. I took the time she was gone to lay a weed treatment on our lawn, finished painting shelf #2, and went to get a badly needed haircut. Once I returned, we installed the shelf, blinds, new curtain rod and hung a wind chime that Kelly has had since she was a little girl.

I do have to say, I really feel finished with her room. I am ready should our little girl decide to make her debut. I know Kelly has already made up her mind that she is done wondering and just wants to meet this baby. I have to agree. No more worries, not more wondering, forget my prediction, I think it is time for you to come say hello.

I am ready for the waiting to be over. I have felt you through mommy's belly, I have seen you grow for 9 months, I have spoken to you, I have read to you..I have rested my head on you waiting for you to kick me in the nose. We have finally passed the benchmark of 38 weeks. Science says you are full term and ready to come at any time. I am ready for the waiting to be over.

So here it is unborn child, Daddy is waiting for you... and he wants you to hurry up. It's okay if you want to come out now.

We have a perfect place for you in our home and in our arms.


Patrick

Today, I consider myself a proud father

Now don't get your hopes up, we haven't had the baby just yet. That will come in a week or two (I predict April 23, 2010.)

No, today was a day that I spent playing with the dog while waiting for mom to come home. I almost thought, just for a brief moment in time, that my dog could be an agility dog. Forget the fact that when he fetches, he forgets to return it to you. Ignore the fact that he is somewhat independent and does what he wants to do in the middle of the yard when he is not on a leash. You can also pretend you don't notice that he is easily distracted.

We were playing with three tennis balls. I threw the first one and he took off like a bat out of you know what straight for it. This was my first indication that he is not the smoothest of operators when playing. His eyes were on the prize, he was at full speed, and ran straight over the ball making a desperate attempt to grab it on his flyby. He then, trying to stop and turn around, ran into the neighbor's fence. At least he accomplished his goal of stopping. Once he came to a stop, I gave him a call. He again came running toward his ball that was still in my hand. As he approached, I decided to give it a little toss in the air, leading him just a bit. To my astonishment, not only did he continue on his path through me, he decided to leap for the ball, which he successfully caught. He then kept running in his current trajectory (this time there was no fence to stop him.) When he finally slowed enough to turn without rolling over like an SUV during a high speed maneuver, he set his eyes back on me. I was still holding another tennis ball and he was dead set on getting it. As he came running my way, I tossed another ball. He missed this one, but I did notice that his current jumping height was a dramatic increase over his previous flight. I gathered the loose tennis balls and continued to play with him. I confirmed again and again that my dog has a pretty good leaping ability. At one point, I do believe he was at shoulder height. I was quite excited that he was playing and dropping the ball to get the next one. I was also very proud that my little boy could jump. Let's just hope that he never realizes that that the fence is no taller than the top of my stomach in some spots.

As if that wasn't enough to boast about, when I released him from the couch after dinner tonight (we make him sit away from us while we are eating in hopes that once the baby is here he will not beg at her high chair) and gave him his treat, I decided to toss it to him. Typically, this action makes him flinch and curl up like a person that knows they cannot catch the object that is about to hit them. He usually lets it fall in his general area or bounce off his head. Not tonight!!! He finally caught the treat. Mom and I gave him such loud, boisterous praise that he got very excited. I tossed him another treat and he caught it again. Maybe there is hope for him after all.

Maybe not... as I look at him right now, he is licking the glass of the sliding door and chasing a moth. Hey... a dad can still hope right.

Patrick

Drumroll please!

And the verdict : 7.12 (+ / - 14oz)

So our baby is anywhere from 6.14 - 8.10 at this point. Boy that's a range.
As I suspected - not much progress has taken place. She's pretty content where she's at and in no big hurry to make her debut. Thanks to a little help from the doctor I am now at 1cm. Waiting to see what next week brings.

I'm getting anxious to meet her - please come soon! Don't make mommy and daddy wait another 2 weeks or longer.

Our Last Ultrasound

This morning we had an ultrasound to measure the baby and see how big she is. The tech took three measurements of each part - the thigh bone, the head, the abdomen, the stomach, spine etc... I'm assuming off those three they'll come up with an average and guestimate how big she is. Results may be at the doctors office tomorrow AM in time for our apt if not, by Wednesday they'll have them.

My guess - I think she'll be long. From what I could tell (and I'm no expert) she measured 39'ish weeks on her head and thigh bone, but her abdomen measured 37.

Although the tech didn't say anything about "big baby" "small baby" - I left satisfied. We know she is healthy and doing everything she needs to be doing at this point to meet us in the near future.

We were able to see her diaphragm and abdomen move up and down - practicing her breathing. We know she is head down. Her spine and butt are on my right side and her legs are out to the left. Her head is sideways and facing my left hip bone. Were also able to see some of her face and could tell that she was moving her lips - suckling already!

37 Weeks

I'm sitting here posting this picture watching and feeling her move. Only a couple more weeks and she'll be here squirming in our arms just like she is now in my belly.

36 weeks / Doctor Apt / Dentist

Happy Late Easter Everyone! We had a great Easter with Mom R and family. Unfortunately later that night I broke a tooth. Teaches me for eating past 9:30pm!

Monday started with a trip to the dentist where he gave me a temporary filling - the crown will come once the baby has been delivered.

In the evening we had a doctors apt - at 36 weeks and 4 days. There isn't a whole lot of news. My blood pressure was good, even though they had to take it 3 times for the machine to work right. I think it may have had something to do with having Pat go ask for a glass of cold water before they tried taking it while we were sitting in the waiting room.
See every time I have issues with my BP they have me sit in the waiting room with a cold glass of water before they retake it - I just thought last night I'd be proactive and do the cold water trick before the initial reading.

We are not dilated, but that's okay. I'm not panicking at this point. Let me hit 38 / 39 weeks and I'll be like c'mon now dilate already - just a little!

We did ask what her thought for current weight was and she did her usual feeling around. This was the only time though that she's seemed concerned with what she feels. To her, shes thinking this baby feels big - like much bigger than last week. Her estimate would be in the 7's at this point - potentially making the baby a 9lb'er when she's born. She wrote a script and we have scheduled an ultrasound for next Monday morning to take a better look at how big she currently is and if we could have messed up on how far along I am. (Doubtful since I know exactly how long my cycles were and what day the first day of my last period was - not to mention that my uterus is still measuring spot on)

We will keep everyone posted - Our next doctors apt is the morning of Tuesday April 13th and I'm sure one of the topics of discussion will be the ultrasound findings from the day before.

It's Finally Done

We finally finished the baby room. We put a lot of time into it and finally hung the shelf and pictures. We may end up adding another shelf, but that is to be decided later.

Here is a video of the room. Hopefully she will love it as much as mom does.

Enjoy

Patrick