Ella's birth

Going back a month and a few days to when I had sweet Ella Ruth....

I was admitted into the hospital Friday the 23rd & by Sunday I had figured out I wasn't leaving until I had the baby. She had been doing fine on all the monitoring( and I was bored OUT OF MY MIND). There was just one time on Saturday night I had to stay hooked up a few extra minutes to the NST because her heart rate dropped too low, but she recovered & looked fine. On Sunday morning I had another ultrasound. Ella ran out of time to get all of her movements & kicks in, so she didn't get 8/8 on the biophysical profile. This was the first time for that. My fluid had also dropped a little below 5cm as well. The nurse got all the details from the ultrasound and called the doctor on-call. The doctor was one I hadn't seen before, of course.
My sister had stayed the night again so she could go to the ultrasound with me & try to decide whether to hit the road back to Orlando or not. We both assumed this meant baby would be coming that day, and she was waiting around to see the baby before she went home. When Luke came up to the hospital, he asked my nurse if she had heard yet from the doctor. She said she had called him and had seen him, but he was delivering and would come see us when he was done. She thought he said most likely no baby, but I'd be staying.  What a huge let down. I'm ALL for keeping the baby in past 39 weeks. I know all the details of when what parts finish developing, and I've seen everything in the NICU. I'm a full supporter of March of Dimes. I also have been close to death from HELLP. And I also had a 5 lb 10 oz baby with no fluid at all at 38 weeks. I just wanted a safe delivery & was praying we would all be healthy as well.
The doctor came in shortly after. He said he didn't have too much knowledge on all the studies on oligohydramnios. He had looked up some more studies before he came in, and most of them said once you hit 5 ,to deliver. We're not too sure where this number came from or why 5cm is the considered the cut off. He also believed that as close as you can get to 39 weeks is better. So after discussing NICU, healthy preemie babies, unhealthy term babies, past issues, and everything else, he left it up to us to decide!
In the back of my head, I was still thinking about BP. I didn't want to keep her in and then the pre-e kick in. I also didn't want this c-section to be emergency like the previous 2. If the fluid dropped too low, it could cause that. I also knew that with constant IV and bedrest, the fluid was not going up or even staying the same.So even though she was not even 38 weeks ( 37 is term) and every day makes a difference, we chose to take her out before anything else could happen. 
Since I had eaten breakfast, anesthesia  said we needed to wait until 6PM. So I had to sit & wait for about  2 hours until I headed back to triage at 4PM. The nurses in antepartum had been great. They were so friendly and caring. The nurses from Friday in triage had been the same way. Both of those areas were great ! I honestly think they saw my chart and freaked out, and that's the main reason they wanted me hanging around. We heard them say SHE SEIZED a million times. We would overhear them at shift change or when a new doctor would see me. We had to go over the previous 2 births so many times.   I cant imagine having to do this after losing a child or having a still birth.
 Once I finally got to triage, we had about 2 hours until the c-section. This was the longest two hours I can remember sitting through. I didn't want to think about the spinal or surgery or even dealing with 3 kids. I was still in denial that I was having baby #3 =) We hadn't even really talked or thought about what she would look like! I was trying not to think about pre-e or HELLP happening after delivery. I was honestly trying to think of how to get out of there and not deal with surgery. And then 6:00 rolled around and the doctor was in with a mom who was pushing. I had my anti-biotics and heartburn medicine in my IV, motion sickness patch, & a shot of sour grape medicine to keep me from throwing up. I didn't have any of the anti-sickness meds with the other 2. I think the nurse said it was just in case-- since I ate earlier. 
 I also had to walk this time to the OR. With Landon I was rolled in a bed, and with Lucy I was rolled pushed in the bed as fast as humanly possible. I still was NOT thinking about surgery, but realized I was not getting out of it. I don't know why I was so anxious about the spinal this time. The nurse asked me the entire 2.5 hours in triage what I was nervous about, so I guess it was obvious. I don't like bending over a pillow and not being able to see what's going on. It doesn't hurt, just the small sting, but I don't like it.  I am ticklish in that back area, and I don't want to jump, and I did. Maybe that's how I ended up with the spinal headache? 
As soon as I sat on the table one of the nurses came in and cranked up the Christmas music, and they started on the spinal, put the drape up, cleaned my belly, pinched me a few times, and called the doctor in to get started! We didn't have any complications during surgery. I remember the doctor saying something about 'very low', & I assumed they meant my scar. But there was no issues with it. Every doctor and nurse compliments my scar (kinda weird), and I'm never sure if it really is done well or if they just want me feel better about having one. Before too long they pulled her out, she screamed and screamed,the tears were flowing, they brought her to the side for me to see, and then she was off to get checked out across the room and daddy followed her. There was only one time that we really talked about what she might look like, and it was with Landon. He said she would have green eyes and red hair--too much Brave? So while in tirage, to get my mind off the nervousness, Luke starts looking up about red heads, and the zodiac sign ( whatever that's called) for her birthday, and we convince ourselves she will be a red head! Well, my baby came out with DARK DARK hair!

6 pounds and 3 ounces--biggest baby of our 3, and only dropped down to about 5 pounds and 13 ounces. While Luke was over with the baby and the nurses, I could hear the tones change from the voices on the other side of the drape.  Then they started talking with the anesthesiologist and telling him that he needed to get it ready, and then a few seconds later to go ahead. He then gave me a shot in my shoulder ( warned me first) and added something to each IV. He said something about my uterus not contracting and that it's common after multiple babies. He stood up and watched over the drape for a few minutes. I have no clue what happened or what shot I got. I know they usually give you pitocin to help it start to contract back down, but that was put into the IV bag. I guess I'll ask at my appointment next week. I do remember they said there was minimal bleeding though.

Luke brought the baby over after that, they sewed me up, moved me to the other bed, and rolled me off to recovery. I had the option to do skin to skin in the operating room-- I was asked about it in triage right before, and it totally threw me off. I didn't know I had that option, and I thought I'd not mentally be wanting to hold the baby during surgery and there just might be too much going on for me. So, I said no. And I made sure the nurse didn't think I was a bad mom for saying that. She seemed to give the impression that it's a newer thing that they do, and it was TOTALLY fine with them if I said no. I'm sure it's more of a hassle to change things up in the OR, and they are use to not doing it. There is my Ella Ruth story. The annoyance with the nurses/hospital experience came with the next few days. I'm sure I'll get around to that soon enough!
Back to packing up the house.........
But first, a look at those hospital pictures. Obviously, I didn't buy them, but here are the previews of some:









Isn't it CRAZY how quickly they change?

37 +3

Yay, done!

Do you see her beautiful dresser? Luke finished painting it white, and spray painted the drawer pulls pink! It's so tiny and cute! I love it! It was a good $20  find on Craigslist.

The day before Thanksgiving marked 37 weeks! Back and forth to the doctor's office 3 times in 7 days, and then we headed to the L&D triage for another scan on Friday. My amniotic fluid level was about the same or dropped to about 4.9 cm. Anything under 5 is in the range considered too low. The measurements can be off depending on who does them, how the baby is laying, and many other things. The baby is still doing great with her heart rate and movements and is passing every test. The doctor who came to talk to me ( The on-call doctor. I haven't seen mine in over 10 days because he has been on vacation, and he has no clue anything that I've been doing) wasn't sure what to do. He agrees with many other doctors that 38 week babies are much better off than 37 week babies. So, he decided that he would just keep me at the hospital, hooked up to an IV, doing a non-stress test on baby 2 times a day, and then we will re-scan on Sunday. Hopefully the IV fluids will re-hydrate me and kick my placenta into gear, and I will go home. But if it doesn't end up that way, then I'm not too sure what I will do! I am for sure getting a tubal during this c-section. Every new doctor that I have seen ( 4 in the past week), has asked me if I am sure. We didn't want to take any chances after Lucy. That didn't work out as planned. But now that we are here, I just still don't think my body is up to  this whole pregnancy thing! I have 2, most likely 3, perfectly healthy kids! But I don't want to wear and tear my insides any more. Now who is to say we would ever conceive again anyways? But we said that THIS time around. Our chances of conception without medical intervention were very low. I'll just stay safe rather than sorry. This is just too much stress for me, and it's hard to take care of your kids while they are vomiting when you can hardly get up off the floor. It's hard to see your (almost) 4 year old cry when he has to leave you at 'the doctors'. And, whoa, I can't handle Lucy's screeching/screaming at home, much less in a hospital room!

The baby measured right around 6 pounds and 3 ounces again yesterday, so she probably will be a smaller girl either way. Like I said with the other 2, my body just doesn't grow big babies--despite their parents large sizes of over 8 1/2 pounds and over 9 pounds. I'm totally find with waiting to closer to 38 weeks. Safe delivery is what I want, and healthy would be awesome too! I think we all know WAY too many people who deliver 35,36,37 weeks who take their perfectly healthy babies home. BUT I've also walked through a NICU with 38 week, 8 pound babies on antibiotics, ventilators, and struggling. 

I'm bored out of my mind. I'd rather be at home taking down all the orange and pumpkins and fall decorations, putting up the kids' small trees in their rooms with them, and decorating the tree together in the living room. Even if I go ahead and have baby tomorrow, then I still won't be home until Wednesday or Thursday of next week. UGH.If I get sent home tomorrow then I will be able to get all the decorations done! We've already bought the kids' birthday and Christmas gifts, so we won't have to worry about that.  I'm just not sure how all of this newborn stuff and Landon's birthday the week after will play out, if she comes tomorrow. I'm still not ready for 3 kids! I'm still not ready for surgery, a spinal, surgery, catheter, surgery,or having surgery. My surgeries have all gone great, I just have tried not to think about it at all because of what all happened AFTER surgery with Lucy. I'm pretty sure my BP is going to stay under control this time, but then again my body is weird! And I know plenty of people who have had to go back into the hospital or have had to stay longer due to hypertension AFTER baby.

Lucy news: Her speech teacher--or toy doctor as Landon called her-- came last week, and did another evaluation on her. This little nugget who tested at like 6-9 months for speech and comprehension at 15 months old tested between 2 years and 6 months and 2 years and 11 months at 23 months old  ( corrected age of 21 months)!!! She is almost at a year advanced right now ;) She's AmAzInG! We did miss her last hearing test at Vandy in September  .We totally forgot about it. They did send us a notice in the mail.....that we got the Monday after her Friday appointment. She's been messing with her right ear for a while now. I've almost taken her in to the doctor several times, but then she acts fine. It also is a little on the gross side! ( I love that she looks at stuff now and says EW GROSS!) Everything that I've read has said that the color of what comes out of their ear isn't that important, but I think maybe she needs it seriously CLEANED OUT! Hopefully they will do that for me at her next well visit. I finally scheduled them(Landon & Lucy) both, on the same day, the day after her birthday.  I think some of her words are a little nasally, like she isn't hearing them correctly. It could all just be her age and that her ears are gross. :) But anyways, she is caught up and beyond where she needs to be!

A few more pictures from the week:

Chilling Thanksgiving night watching Shrek 

LOVE these cupcakes!

Visiting tonight.