Our Birth Story

Hello, All! 

Sorry this took so long, but here is our birth story.


Friday, June 2, 2006, 6:00AM: We have the go ahead to come to the hospital!!!

Friday, June 2, 2006, approx. 6:40AM-7:15AM: We arrive at the hospital, sign in, get taken to my room and handed my "butt-bearing" hospital gown.. I walked around the room because who knew how long I'd be in bed once they strapped me in.

Friday, June 2, 2006, approx. 7:30AM- IV in, Pitocin drip started.. LET THE FUN BEGIN!

Friday, June 2, 2006, approx. 8:30AM-2:00PM- Dr. Andrus comes in for internal exam. I have not changed since last appointment, still 1cm dilated. He breaks my water (I get soaked and flood the floor every time I walk to the bathroom after this point) and "oks" the raising of pitocin gradually to make contractions stronger & longer. After this point I am only given internal exams if absolutely necessary, to minimize risk of infection. I stay "stuck on 2 cm" most of the day. The contraction DO get stronger and even though I have no idea how far I am, I know I am 10way from maximum strength on the pitocin. I give in and ask for epidural.

Friday, June 2, 2006, approx. 2:30PM-3:00PM- Epidural in and I am given another exam.. 7 CM!!! Yay.. the pain WAS worth it, something IS going on. I still feel some pretty intense contractions, since the epidural takes 15-20 minutes to "kick in".  I am checked again and I have already zoomed to 10 CM!!

Friday, June 2, 2006, approx. 3:00PM-5:15PM- Time to start pushing! Alright this is what I'm here for! By the way, the epidural has kicked in... I push knees up, elevated, but on my back.. then on my left side... then on my right side.. then rotate... Ms. Kaelyn is NOT being cooperative.  Dr. comes in, does an internal exam and confirms. Kaelyn is STUCK behind my pelvic bone.. We have to do a cesarean. Halie is heart broken, because she wanted to be IN the room, but understands it is for Kaelyn's safety.

Friday, June 2, 2006, approx. 5:30PM- I start getting "numbs ya good" epidural medicine. Dad is given a blue O.R. suit. They had to go get him one out the bigger closet because his 6 ft frame and size 13 boots wouldn't fit in the ones kept in the rooms, LOL!  We give hugs & kisses to Halie & gramma.. next time we see them, we'll have a baby!!

Friday, June 2, 2006, 6:01PM- Official start time for first cut of cesarean. (I didnt get an exact play by play, but here is what happened via observers & dad.) Dad takes a picture over the curtain, then decides to watch. Her head is stuck in my pelvic area because of the pushing and they have to lean, & pull, & mash & pry. My uterus gets torn. I lose a lot of blood. (never got an exact count.. estimate of 200 units however they count that). George gets some pictures once they get her loose. My personal opinion is we got some great pictures of our daughters first moments in this world. 

Friday, June 2, 2006, 6:11PM

  KAELYN IS HERE!!!!! 

  7 pounds 11 ounces 

  20 inches long  

 Friday, June 2, 2006, approx. 6:30pm-7:30PM- The docs take their time here sewing me back together, letting the drugs wear off gradually, and giving me general pain meds through my IV, because were all pretty sure I'm going to hurt like hell when it wears off completely. We then go out so Kaelyn can meet her big sister, Halie & Grandma Anne (my mom) 

Friday, June 2, 2006, approx. 7:30PM-8:30PM- In recovery. I get iron, a pain pill, and all the ice I want!! I was soooo thirsty. I got a few small cups of water but I had to drink slow because of the nausea.  

Friday, June 2, 2006, approx. 8:30PM-9:30PM- After the nausea wore off I got to go to my room, where my family was waiting. They brought Kaelyn in and I got to feed her. Sister & Grandma got to hold her, then Daddy took them home. I rested and was asleep when he came back.  

Friday, June 2, 2006, approx. 9:30 PM-11:59pm- I was not allowed out of bed, was still on catheter, and feeling pretty sluggish. Doc called for a blood count because my blood pressure kept dropping. 

Saturday, June 3, 2006, approx. 12:00AM-3:30AM- A blood transfusion is necessary. Doc calls for 2 bags (pints) and another blood count.  It takes about an hour to get started and an hour a bag. Then (irony) they come draw a tube of blood to do the blood count, lol.  By this point I feel like a pincushion. I don't even feel the needles.

 Saturday, June 3, 2006, approx. 3:30AM-some point later- I have to have 2 more pints of blood. My blood pressure stabilizes. I'm taken off the catheter, and allowed short trips to the bathroom only, & back to bed. Daddy is doing all the diaper changes, most of the rocking to sleep. Im a feedbag. My incision begins bleeding while breastfeeding. We pack it with heavy pads. I'm returned to bed, with shorter trips to the bathroom. I pass blood clots the size of small oranges then get confined to my bed again. 

Sunday, June 4, 2006- My blood pressure drops again and I need more blood. Only two bags is what it amounts to this time. I am severely dehydrated. My milk supply begins to ebb & flow. Kaelyn has trouble latching on due to all the changes in my body. Its the beginning of a weeklong battle (in which we finally switch to formula after pumping less than she needed for 5 days.) I have a small fever (99) and they have me drinking buckets of water & juice, on a mainly liquid diet, Halie comes to visit and gets to spend more time with her sister, and eventually I start to feel human. 

Monday, June 5, 2006- My blood levels out, my fever drops... if it stays I get to go home! The bruise from my incision and bleeding is severely painful, but I can move around better.  I do more for & with the baby. Daddy finally gets some well-deserved sleep. And this after noon...   I GOT TO GO HOME!!! 

Saturday, June 10, 2006-Tuesday, June 13, 2006- I have to go back to the hospital because my incision started draining massive amounts of fluid & blood.  I got there & the doctor used sterile Q-tips to go inside the wound where it was slightly open, and they drained about a quart, maybe more from it.  He had it cultured and admitted me with a 102.7 fever.  The "bruise" wasn't a bruise. It was fluid build-up. It "disappeared" when they drained my incision.

I was given 2 bags of antibiotics (2 different kinds) by IV every 4 hours.... and the culture came back that I have Methicilin Resistant strain of a staph infection. Basically it is immune to most antibiotics... so they had to change them... and my veins gave up.

I had so much flushing through my veins after Kaelyn was born (pitocin, fluids, blood transfusions, antibiotics, more fluids, more antibiotics...) they ran out of veins. So the doc put me on the pill form about a day and a half sooner than he'd wanted.

George & Kaelyn roomed-in with me, and he HAD to stay for her to stay, so he wasnt working. I just couldn't be without her. Halie was able to visit once with a friend of mine... my mom watched her but doesn't drive. All this was so upsetting. The nurses all told me I'm a trooper because I was taking all this so well.  In reality I cried at LEAST once a day over something, and sometimes again quietly at night.  I just wanted to get better, go home, and be with my girls.

I gradually began feeling better, though the incision was still draining well. My fever had dropped to around 98 but went back up to just over 99, so the docs debated on sending me home or not.

When I did go home, we'll STILL had to clean the inside of the wound like we did in the hospital... I couldnt get to it, so George wasnt too thrilled. But did it because he loved me.  

Friday, June 16, 2006- We're home again... about three days now. Kaelyn is 2 weeks old and I have spent most of her life in a hospital bed, but I am healing and getting better daily. I am still on strong antibiotics. I saw the doctor today, he said I am healing wonderfully, but it will probably be another 4-6 weeks till I am back to par with someone with a normal section. I have been through too much to bounce back.

I can't rush to my baby to hold her when she cries, because I have to run to the bathroom to wash my hands first then use medical grade hand sanitizer... just in case. It's for her safety; so Lord knows I'm more than willing...

I got home from the hospital Tuesday night. Halie left for her Dad's house (summer vacation) Thursday morning. I feel like I have had no time to let her bond with her sister. She is supposed to come home every other weekend to visit. I hope she doesn't moss too much of her infancy. She was a big help the 2-3 days I was home with her and learned how to pick up, carry, and lie down the baby PERFECTLY, and quickly. She's going to be a great big sister.

Tuesday, July 4, 2006- I still have my ups and downs. The downs are getting fewer & farther now that I am healing and can take a more active role in taking care of Kaelyn. George has been a GREAT help in keeping me sane, and holding me when I cry... or crying with me when necessary.  I would never have survived all this without his support. I'm the luckiest woman in the world, I have beautiful daughters and my wonderful husband.