Annabelle's Birth Story

One day old.

Annabelle today.
I must be one of those lucky girls to get pregnant on the first try, although DH and I weren't really trying, we weren't really preventing either. On March 14, 2008 I found out that I was pregnant. I had a pretty easy 1st and 2nd trimester at least I thought I did. At my 20 week u/s everything looked great. My doctor wanted me to get a second u/s because my placenta was low laying, so at 26 weeks I had another u/s. The placenta had moved upward and everything looked okay with the baby.

At my next appointment at 28 weeks the nurse noted that my blood pressure was high, this wasn't the first time that they noted this. About a month before they said something, but never once thought it was a big concerned. At this same appointment I asked the doctor about the swelling in my feet and if there wasn't anything I should do differently. Other then keeping my feet elevated as much as possible, drinking lots of water.

My next appointment was on 10/6/09 which was 33weeks 2 days. This was the first appointment that DH didn't attend. I thought, good, and easy and out appointment. I had a dentist appointment scheduled for later that afternoon. Figure I get that out of the way before I have the baby. Well I proceeded to have my appointment and the doctor stated that my bp was very high and that she didn't like the looks of my feet. Um really, they have been like this for weeks now and your finally noticing. They were very concerned that I gained 20lbs since my last appoinment (which was only two weeks ago). So they sent me to L&D for observation. I was a nervous wreck, called DH to tell him to meet me at the hospital. One of my coworkers works at the building were my OB was, so she called security and they drove me to the Hospital (which was very nice). DH got there right before they admitted me.

I was being admitted and within 10 minutes our entire world seem to be crashing down. They told us that I would be having the baby in the next two days because the only cure for pre-e was to deliver the baby. I was so upset, keep telling DH, no we can't have the baby now. They gave us an u/s to check on Annabelle and she looked perfect, she was measuring 4lbs.

I was given an IV and Mag. Saf. to lower my bp and I had the horrible cuff on the entire time. They keep telling me to stay calm, relax, try and sleep. You try and sleep with a bp cuff going off every 10 minutes, a nurse coming in every 30 minutes to ask me if was seeing spots, having headaches, etc. I also received one steroid shot for her lungs around 4:30 p.m. They were hoping I could hold off to get the second the following day.

Around 2 a.m. I told the nurse that I was feeling wet down below. She was no, you shouldn't feel anything. Well she checked me, the on-call OB checked me too, well come to find out my water broken all on it's own. So they told me to relax and that the doctor would be in around six a.m. to check me again. By six I was in so much pain, I needed something. I told me that I needed to have an epi, well I got the epi at 9:00 a.m., which was nice relief.

Around 3:30 p.m. I keep telling DH and the nurses that I need to push, but they wanted me to hold off until the doctor was available. The hospital had a full house. I ended up getting the last suite the day before. So I was trying my best to wait, but how do you tell a baby to wait. So after 30 minutes of pushing, Annabelle Renee was born at 4:30 p.m. on October 7, 2009 weighing 4lbs 10oz and 18 and half inches long. She came out screaming her head off. DH got a few pictures of us holding her, before they took her to the NICU.

I was unable to see her until Thursday evening because of the mag. saf. Seeing her in the NICU hooked up to IV, feeding tube and CPAP, was the hardest thing I've ever had to endure. I cried and was so worried about her. She spent 3 days on the CPAP, she was under the lights for 2 days, and by day 7 she was off the IV's, basically just learning how to eat and grow. We brought her home on day #12.


Annabelle's now 2.5 years old and just the cutest and brightest little girl we know (but we are biased).





Caroline's Birth Story

Two days old.
Three months old.

It's probably time to sit down and write out Caroline's birth story. With her pregnancy, I changed practices and my new OB started monitoring very closely from the beginning. I was being monitored starting at 16 weeks, my nurse (Val) administered my shot, plus checking my blood pressure too. 


At my 32 week appointment I went in and as soon as I step back into the office I started to get very warm. For whatever reason it was close to 80 degrees in February and the staff had the heater on so I was sweating it up and my face showed it. Val took my blood pressure and it was 152/90, and the NP checked my pressures for another 30 minutes and they only came down to 145/80. She thought it was in my best interest to head to L&D. I called Tim as soon as my appointment ended and told him to meet me at the house. He picked up Annabelle and we headed home. I called my girlfriend and ask if A could come over for the evening to play with her daughter. My MIL picked up Annabelle later that evening. Tim and I headed to the hospital, in hopes that my blood pressure would regulate. After being taken back to Triage, nurses took my blood pressure, got a urine sample (which was protein free), and took some blood for a work up. I was also hooked up to the baby monitor and contraction monitor. What a beautiful sound when you can hear your baby heart beat. It was confirmed by the Triage OB that was contracting (which I never felt) and that was already 1 cm and 50% effaced. My blood pressure did stabilize. I received one shot of terb and give a prescribration for procadia. I also received one steroid shot that day and I received the second one the following day. I was put on bed rest at 33 weeks.

I spent the next week and half on bed rest at home and it wasn't until 34w 2d that I started to actually feel the contractions. On Friday evening I told Tim that I was going to call the on-call doctor about the contractions was experiencing. I called and spoke with this doctor, whom I never meet, Dr. L. He basically told me to drink tons of water and lay on my left. Call him back if the contractions increased and got closer together. They actually stopped and I was able to sleep a little that night. The following day I didn't have any contractions and I was spent almost all day in bed resting. My step mom took Annabelle for the day (what a blessing).

The following day my friend Jen came over and brought us lunch. I was feeling very off that morning, having contractions, and I had diaherra too. It wasn't until Jen left that I went upstairs to rest did I noticed that my contractions were on top of each other. I called the on-call OB again still Dr. L. I was told to come right in. We made plans for Annabelle and headed to the hospital. We arrived at the hospital at 4:30 p.m. and this was when hell started.

As soon as we arrived I was told to give a urine sample (still no protein), my blood pressure was good (130/80). I was checked by the midwife on staff, who confirmed that I was indeed contraction, now I'm 2.5 cm and 80% effaced. Midwife did the GBS swab and the nurses wanted to put an iv in. This is where things got crazy. I had two nurses and the IV team try and find a vein. I was pricked six times before Anesthesiologist from the OR was called up. I told him that they normally take blood from my right arm (but they really didn't want to the iv in my crease of my arm because that's where they like to take blood). Anesthesiologist was talking about putting the IV in my foot. I almost cried right then and there. He decided to put it in my right arm and I was very grateful. I was administered two more shots of terb and three doses of procadia, but the contractions were still happening. Finally at 11:00 p.m. they decided to keep me over night and moved us to a more comfortable room. At this point I had been texting and putting updates on FB. Come to find out my nurse was friends with another friend of mine.

Tim decided to leave and get food, and I was finally able to eat (more or less drink clear liquids). Around 1:00 a.m. we decided to try and get some rest. I remember playing on my phone and trying to watch tv between the contraction. At 2:30 I remember asking the nurse for something for the pain. They decided to give me ambein, which should help me fall asleep. Well at 3:00 a.m. I'm still awake, and the contractions were getting stronger, so I asked for pain medication. They decided to give me staydol. I remember feeling very sleepy at this point, so I guess the ambein finally started to work. I'm not sure how long I was asleep. I do remember dreaming about dogs running in beautiful wildflower fields, etc. At 5:00 a.m. the nurse and OB rush in, because the baby's heartbeat had dropped. They checked me and I'm now at 6/7 cm. I'm now being rushed down to L&D. I remember at this point asking for epidural. My nurse assured me that I was on the list. Things are really fuzzy between being checked and being sent to L&D. I remember riding in a wheel chair downstairs, and I remember being put into the L&D bed, but not very much more. I remember Tim asking the nurse if he had time to run outside to get the baby book. They told him to hurry. I also remember seeing the on-call Dr walk in. He introduces himself, etc. I also remember asking him if I could get an epidural. He told me that I could either wait 45 minutes or I could have a baby soon. At that moment, I remember telling him and my nurse that I had to push. I pushed two times and Caroline Vivian was born at 5:57 a.m. weighting 5lbs 5oz and 19 1/4 inches long (34w 5d). She came out screaming. Tim was able to get pictures of her and her foot prints. I held her for about a second before she was sent down to the NICU. Tim stayed with me while the doctor sewed me up. I remember asking Tim if I had delivered the placenta, because I don't remember that part. Two hours after Caroline was born Tim and I were down in the NICU visiting with her. Then our 14 day NICU ride began.

Caroline had no problems with breathing on her own, but about three hours later she was having A's and B's. They put her on the CPAP, just to help her, plus they gave her caffine. The following day they removed her IV, had her in an open crib (which I was hoping to be all good signs to going home soon). She spent 2 days under the bili blanket. It took almost a week for to start gaining weight again. She keep having spells of brady's and apena's, although they were less and less. At 7 days old they were talking about discharged. We had a discharge date for the following day, but she failed her car seat test, which granted her another 5 days in the NICU. It wasn't until she was 14 days old did they decide to re-test her and she finally past. She came home on 3/26/12 weighting 5lbs 7oz.

Caroline is now 3 months old (1.5 month adjusted). At her two month appointment she was up to 11lbs. We are so blessed by both of our kids and are very thankful for the care they received at Franklin Square Hospital.