The Dewolf Diary: October 2012

This post could turn out to be super long....so there is your warning!

On Monday October 15th we had a Dr. appointment and Dr. Brown was finally back...wahoo!!! I was 39 weeks 4 days. Everything with the appointment was really great. Baby looked awesome. We saw his/her sweet little face on the ultrasound and we also saw a fist complete with fingernails! He checked me to see if I had any changes from Thursday. I was still 3cm and maybe 40% effaced. He told me and Ty that we could go over to the hospital and start Pitocin and see if that jump started me. He said we could go right over or any day that week. He left us alone to talk. Originally I told Ty if he wants to induce lets say Friday. But his offer of today was so tempting. But I didn't want to get sent home that night if nothing happened and I was scared of Pitocin contractions! But Ty convinced me that today was as good as any. So Dr. Brown came in and told us that after 6 or so hours if nothing happened then I would go home. He seemed to think that once some reg contractions got going I would just take off.

So we left the clinic and walked over to the hospital. We got into our labor and delivery room. I got hooked up to the monitors and turns out I was contracting on my own about 4-6 minutes apart. I got my IV and the nurse came in and started some Pitocin....a super low dose. I believe my first dose of Pitocin was around 4:15pm. Ty and I just watched some tv. I just kept thinking about how my body needed to cooperate because I so did not want to get sent home. Every half hour the nurse would come in and crank up the Pitocin. It was so amazing to lie there and listen to that beautiful heartbeat! Probably around 6:00ish they came over and checked my cervix. I had progressed to 4cm and 50% and so he decided to keep going with the Pitocin and see what happened.

So Ty and I decided to walk! The hospital is so small that after we walked the halls we decided to go outside and walk the parking lot. We walked for about a half hour and then came inside. On my way back to my room the nurse cranked up the Pitocin again! By this time the contractions were getting pretty strong. They were coming closer together and starting to get painful. It felt better to be walking then lying down. We went to our room and I sat on the birthing ball for a while. Then we went walking again! It was dark and kinda breezy and I had on my sexy gown and my IV pole and we cruised all over that parking lot.....again! When I got back to my room I got into bed so I could be checked again. I was really starting to hurt. I was even starting to want to hold Ty's hand when a contraction started and they were coming about 2 min apart. I was really going to be mad if it was hurting this bad and nothing was happening. The nurse came in and checked me and I was a little more than 4cm....seriously! What the heck?? But she said Dr. Brown would want to come down and check as well so she was going to call him. A couple minutes after she left the room I felt kind of a gush and felt wet. I called her back in to see if my water broke. Unfortunately no, but I was bleeding so that meant that maybe my cervix was going to really start dilating.

Dr. Brown came in and checked and I was 41/2 but he could stretch me to 5cm. So yay I get to stay! I look at Ty and we are both like holy cow we are going to have a baby!!!!! After that things went super super fast. The contractions were so so painful. They had a trauma in the er and so
the anethesiologist had to be there. It wasn't looking good that I was going to get my epidural....I was getting a little scared. I was hurting so badly and Dr. Brown offered some Fentenal but it can cause the baby to have breathing problems when first born so I decided not to and just hoped that I would get my epidural. I started feeling so much pressure. The nurse checked me and I was a 7. The head was right down which is why I was feeling so much pressure. Finally the anethesiologist came in and I got my epidural. But I didn't get the full relief. As soon as it was placed he put in the test dose and I felt like I needed to push. She checked me and I was pretty much ready to go. Dr. Brown came in and the fun began!

The epidural barely took the edge off and I felt EVERYTHING! This was practically a natural birth...most I have felt with any of my previous deliveries. I pushed and Ty told me he could see hair. Now this part of the delivery I am telling from Ty telling me what happened. He said when the head came out the cord was wrapped around the babies neck one time. So the doc was pulling it over her head. Suddenly there was a pop and the cord broke somewhere, but they couldn't tell where. So he had my push and the rest of her came out. Ty said the doctor turned her over and blood was squirting from her belly button everywhere. I saw her in the doc's arms but didn't see the blood (thank goodness! I had no idea anything had happened with the cord). She wasn't crying and her body was limp and wasn't moving. Ty says the doctor quickly pinched the belly button and stopped the bleeding and they rushed her over to the warming table. They had to put a breathing tube down her throat to help her breath. By this time I am flipping out because I haven't heard my baby make a sound. I kept saying is she ok is she breathing???? The nurse that was with me was saying that they were helping her breath and she was ok. But I was looking at her and she wasn't making a sound and she wasn't moving. Her hands and feet were blue. About this time someone said do we even know what the baby is? NO.....oh its a GIRL!!! Oh my gosh....Ty and I look at each other completely surprised that we have another daughter! Finally I heard a few little squeaks out of her and everybody said see mama she is ok what a super sound! It made me feel a little bit better but she still wasn't moving.

After what seemed like forever she finally started pinking up and her arms and legs started wiggling and the breathing tube came out of her throat. While they were working on her Ty was telling me about the umbilical cord. If Doctor Brown wouldn't have pinched down as quickly as he did she could have bled to death. He had to stitch it closed. They also stuck a line in her belly button for IV fluids. She was also going to need antibiotics because of the tube just for precaution. She will also need her blood checked to see if she is going to need a blood transfusion. Dr. Brown called Utah Valley and talked to a neonatologist to see if she needed to be transferred to Provo for the NICU. Luckily he tells Dr. Brown that he is doing everything that they would do in Provo and so for now she is okay to stay. They wheeled my bed closer to the warming table so that I could touch her. I was trying to touch her feet and she kept pulling them away from me. Then they turned her so I could hold her hand. Oh my goodness.....what a doll! I could see Mckenna and Connor in her but she has black hair...tons of it! So everyone says what are you naming her?? Ty and I look at each other.....I am still voting for Callie because I liked it with Mckenna and still wished I would have used it. I know Ty isn't fully convinced but he's like ok. We still are deciding on a middle name and we finally decide on Rebecca...my grandma's middle name. So Callie Rebecca Dewolf was born at 12:08am October 16th weighing in at 7lbs 4oz (my smallest baby) and 20 inches long!!!

Finally 2 hours after her birth I get to hold my sweet girl. She is just absolutely precious. She has such a sweet little round face and head. I feed her and she does great. By this time its almost 2:30am. Ty is still wearing his work clothes and we have both had our contacts in for what seems like forever. He decides to run home and get a change of clothes and glasses for both of us. I feed her and hold her a little while longer and then they want to take her to the nursery to check her blood sugar and start her antibiotics. I am taken to my room and the baby is taken to the nursery.

I am lying in my bed trying to rest but its not happening. Ty gets back to the hospital at about 4:00am and brings me some food. I hadn't eaten since Noon Monday. The nurse did bring me some graham crackers to eat with my Ibuprofen, but I was still a little hungry. So there I was at 4 am eating a damn salad....it was so weird! Ty and I turn off the lights at 5:00 am and try to rest. I can hear him snoring. I am awake....and responding to texts from my siblings who are getting up for work. At 6:00am the nursery comes in and says the baby needs to eat and since she is hooked up to IV's its easier for me to go into her and feed her. So Ty and I go into the nursery and I feel her. Then Ty finally gets to hold his little girl for the first time! I love love love seeing him hold our newborns. He is so big and they always look so teeny tiny in his arms.....absolutely precious!

We go back to our room at about 8:00am. I ate a little breakfast. My mom calls and says she is on her way into work (which is the hospital) and she is bringing the kids. When the kids got there they had to look at Callie through the nursery window for a little while. Luckily she needed to eat and she was able to come out to the room. The kids all got to hold her and meet her. I was a little concerned about Connor because he super wanted a brother, but he was really sweet with her and seemed very excited to have a sister. He was happy that she had a C name like him!

There was a professional photographer at the hospital that day taking pictures for the website and some billboards. He wanted to take pictures of Callie and the other kids. So we agreed! The baby was in the nursery and the kids were crowded around the window and were looking in at her and he took a zillion pictures. I can't wait to see if we end up on the website or on a billboard!

Ty took the kids home and once again I tried to rest. But between phone calls, texts, visitors, and feeding the baby I got zero rest! I had been awake since 6:30am Monday morning when I got the kids up for school. So by this time I had been awake for about 33 hours. Strange enough I was tired but not exhausted which I think was adrenaline from having the baby.

Ty came back for dinner and we got to have our special Steak dinner. It was the worst dinner ever...lol! The steak was pretty small but didn't taste too bad. But we were served string beans and cottage cheese......we just had to laugh! (We were later apologized too and were given a free pork roast dinner which tasted much much better!)

The baby got the IV in her belly taken out and got an IV put into her foot. She started having drops in her blood sugar and so she was receiving fluids for that plus getting antibiotics. We had to try and feed her every 3 hours and supplement with a little bit of formula.

I will try and condense the rest of this massively long story. She ended up not needing to have a blood transfusion which was excellent news. She continued to have blood sugar issues through Wednesday evening and so she had to keep having her poor little feet poked. Her belly button started looking better and better every day. I was released on Wednesday but ended up just staying there because I was not going to leave my baby. Callie was released on Thursday at about 3:00pm. SO so happy to finally be going home with my baby!

This was our most interesting labor, delivery, and recovery of them all. It makes me feel sad that our last delivery experience had to be such a scary one that didn't turn out the way I wanted it too. But I am so very thankful that we had such a great medical team at the hospital that night and things turned out to be ok (although VERY VERY scary!). I am thankful for a healthy beautiful daughter!

Now I will post pictures and I am probably going to go overboard just like my story....Enjoy my gorgeous daughter!!!!!!

Today I am 39 weeks! Wow.....2nd longest time I have ever been pregnant! I had an appt today and had to see a different doctor because mine is out of town. Things look good and I am measuring 38 1/2 cm. I am 3cm dilated and 30% effaced. And I am feeling VERY pregnant! My body always hurts and I am so lazy and tired all. the. time! But I guess thats just the way it goes!

I see my reg doctor on Monday and hopefully we will set an induction day if baby doesn't come before his/her due date. I am getting so anxious to meet this baby! I still can't believe in a week or two I will have a newborn at home! Craziness....but I am so excited! Very bittersweet....ready for this pregnancy to be over but sad to know its probably the last one. But life is good!!!

Here is my pic from today.....39 weeks of yuck! Haha