For my whole life, I have been in church nearly every week. I have read the Bible cover-t0-cover several times. I have even heard sermons preached on this exact verse numerous times. But one day, a tweet changed it all for me. A few weeks ago, I accepted a challenge presented to me on Twitter to go a whole day without complaining. This was based on Philippians 2:14 ("Do everything without grumbling or arguing." NIV). I never had an idea how much I complained in a given day! This posed an especially hard task seeing that at the time I had a cold and I desperately wanted to gripe about how badly I felt! A fresh perspective given on a scripture heard over and over again.
It brought me to the thought of how much that falls into the category described in Philippians 2:5b "...have the same mindset as Christ Jesus." When it is brought to the forefront, how little do we do this? I find myself complaining about basic inconviences of life. ("I don't want to go to work today." "I don't want to cook dinner tonight." "Nothing in my closet looks right.") and I forget to only use my breath to bring honor to God (Psalms 150:6). I have been so convicted over my attitude that sometimes, I can think of nothing else.
Then I started reading all of Philippians 2: so much to ponder! Take a few minutes and read it. Be Mary, and ponder these things in your heart.
"Then you too should be glad and rejoice with me" Philippians 2:18 NIV
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Friday, January 28, 2011
Chan, Chan, Change...
So, I went back to work last week. I started panicking and worrying about it probably a week after Nina was born. I think secretly, I thought that if I didn't talk about it, it would never happen; but it did. The scheduled date was January 12. However, after many snow days, and semester exams being rescheduled, I reentered the world of teaching young minds on the 18th. The night of the 17th, I honestly thought my heart was being ripped out every time I did anything for the "last" time as a stay-at-home mom. ("This is my last time to nurse" "This is my last time to tuck her in") I swear you would have thought I was going away for years. I made Lee promise months ago that he would have her my first day back. I think I thought that it would make me feel less lame calling and crying on my breaks. (I forgot how infrequently those happened in teaching) The morning came and I quickly complained about how early it was! Nina had been sleeping until 7:30-8:00 every morning and 5:30 was super early. I got ready, and nursed Nina and cried the whole time. As I got ready to walk out of the door, I think I nearly kissed a hole through her face.
Once I got to school, I was okay as long as nobody asked how I was doing. I'm there to do a job people, let's keep it professional! ;) As first block rolled around, I had forgotten how it felt to be in front of 31 people! My students filed in and took their seats and looked expectantly at me as though to say "Okay lady. Teach us something." In the midst of all of the things in my life in the last few months, I have turned very introverted and being in front of a group, for the first time in my life, was a huge fear. As I got in front of the class, it was like getting back on a bike: it all started to come back to me. With the help of my kids, I remembered my class rules and my expectations (hilarious that I forgot to tell them what to bring to class!). We just finished week 2 (With some snow days mixed in there) and I feel like everything is going great. Nina is doing well with all the awesome people that are so wonderful to keep her, and I have remembered why I love my job. I honestly think the anticipation of it all was worse than the actual event. Just glad to have the first day over with!
The last few weeks, Nina has been waking up several nights to nurse at around 12:30. She hadn't been waking up to nurse since she was 10 weeks old. I think it was a direct sign to us that the time for rice cereal had come! I plan (but don't hold me to it) on making her baby food, so I dug out my food processor. (I think I only ever used it for grinding up Oreos for the making of Dirt Cake) I ground up my brown rice and boiled it with water and then mixed in breastmilk. It wasn't too bad. We prepared for the whole event with video cameras and Lee's big, fancy, baby-picture-taking camera. Here are a few pics from the big event:
As you can tell, it was a great success! She even wanted a second bowl. I think Nola was hoping she would drop some (she is so helpful like that!). Attempt #2 after she wakes up from this nap!
Friday, January 14, 2011
These are a few of my favorite things...
So, every year Oprah has her "favorite things" episode where she parades her favorite things in front of America and then gives them away to her audience. So, I figured, why not make a list of my favorite things? I've been through a lot this year with finishing my Spanish degree, being pregnant, being on bedrest, having a baby, and being at home, that I thought I should share some of things that make me happy. So, without further adieu, in no certain order, here is my list! (And don't expect me to give it all away at the end!)
10. Boppy Total Body Pillow I am a devoted back sleeper. I have been made fun of for years about waking up in the exact same position in which I fell asleep. In your 20th week of pregnancy, you are supposed to start sleeping on your side (some doctors specify your left side). This sounded awful to me! Who sleeps on their side the whole night?! The Boppy company made this fabulous pillow that made sleeping wonderful! The pillow became such a fixture in my life (I went nowhere without it), that Lee named it "Bob the Boppy" or just "Bob" for short.
9. My Sonicare toothbrush. At my friend, Michele's, rehearsal dinner, I stated that "I floss anally". What I meant to say is that I am obsessed with flossing. (Way to make a great first impression, right?!) This toothbrush has made brushing our teeth a pleasure in our family and something we look forward to! (Don't make fun!) It is perfect for removing coffee stain (A big problem around our house!) *Note: ask your dentist to order it for you. They get it much cheaper than you can get it for in stores*
8. Clarisonic For Christmas this year, my mom got me this little gadget that I wasn't quite sure to make of. You put your face wash on it, and use it on your face to clean and oh my! does it ever clean!! This is the first time I've been off of Proactiv in 6 years and not had a breakout! (Lee even loves it, but don't tell him I told you... he never reads my blog)
7. A chenille throw blanket. When I was a junior in college, I bought this red throw blanket at Target that I used for every nap. I loved this blanket. So much, that when my friend, Katie, came to visit, she remembered my sweet blanket (that is now across the back of my couch.) It is warm enough for the winter, but cool enough to use to nap in an unairconditioned cabin. It was big enough to go around me when I was on bed rest and soft enough that Nina pets it. A must have.
6. Blue ink pens. In college, I learned that when a professor gave you a handout, it wasn't so easy to scan a page to differentiate between my notes and theirs. I have found this true on greeting cards as well. Just a plain ol' Bic blue ink pen. Love it.
5. Vaseline. Doesn't it fix everything? I often feel like the dad in "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" with Windex. Diaper rash? Vaseline. Dry hands? Vaseline. Ring stuck on your finger? Vaseline. Seriously. (Oprah would never have that on her "Favorite Things" show.)
4. Stainless steel water bottle. Even thought we are often made fun of for our over-amount of greenness, these bottles rock! They keep your water cooler and they're safe with the whole BPA scare.
3. Weight Watchers. What a trick to diet while keeping enough calories where I can continue to nurse! I had no idea where to start, so I was eating like I was still pregnant to ensure enough calories for my milk supply. No wonder I wasn't losing baby weight! Weight Watchers has a specific plan for nursing mothers! I get a ridiculous amount of points (I totally had French Toast and bacon for breakfast and still have 22 points left for the day) and never feel deprived. However I am losing at a steady rate of 2 lbs a week (What's recommended to keep it off and for nursing.) Goodbye baby fat! (P.S. Sign up fee is free until March!)
*At this point, I ask Lee what my favorite things are. This is the conversation that happened:
Me: What would you say my favorite things are?
Lee: Me and Nina
Me: This is things not people
Lee: Your breast pump
Me: That's kinda awkward to blog about, don't ya think?
Lee: All of your favorite things are kinda awkward.
Thanks hon*
2. Gripe Water. We found out about this when Nina was a newborn. It is a magic combination of ginger and fennel that instantly cures hiccups. It is mostly made for colicky babies, but works wonders for hiccups, gas, etc. It's mostly Tums for babies and we love it.
1. I debated whether I should put my Kindle or my iPhone 4. Both of which are always by my side. So, lets just call it electronic devices. I used to have a stack of books beside my bed and they always took up a ton of room in my suitcase when we traveled and now it is super compact and you never worry about losing your place. On the iPhone, I used to be a huge believer in my Blackberry, but saw the light when I made the switch. I LOVE this phone. It can do pretty much everything you ever wanted a phone (or person, for that matter) to do.
So, that's that. No, you're not getting any of this free, but consider my advice a gift enough! ;)
10. Boppy Total Body Pillow I am a devoted back sleeper. I have been made fun of for years about waking up in the exact same position in which I fell asleep. In your 20th week of pregnancy, you are supposed to start sleeping on your side (some doctors specify your left side). This sounded awful to me! Who sleeps on their side the whole night?! The Boppy company made this fabulous pillow that made sleeping wonderful! The pillow became such a fixture in my life (I went nowhere without it), that Lee named it "Bob the Boppy" or just "Bob" for short.
9. My Sonicare toothbrush. At my friend, Michele's, rehearsal dinner, I stated that "I floss anally". What I meant to say is that I am obsessed with flossing. (Way to make a great first impression, right?!) This toothbrush has made brushing our teeth a pleasure in our family and something we look forward to! (Don't make fun!) It is perfect for removing coffee stain (A big problem around our house!) *Note: ask your dentist to order it for you. They get it much cheaper than you can get it for in stores*
8. Clarisonic For Christmas this year, my mom got me this little gadget that I wasn't quite sure to make of. You put your face wash on it, and use it on your face to clean and oh my! does it ever clean!! This is the first time I've been off of Proactiv in 6 years and not had a breakout! (Lee even loves it, but don't tell him I told you... he never reads my blog)
7. A chenille throw blanket. When I was a junior in college, I bought this red throw blanket at Target that I used for every nap. I loved this blanket. So much, that when my friend, Katie, came to visit, she remembered my sweet blanket (that is now across the back of my couch.) It is warm enough for the winter, but cool enough to use to nap in an unairconditioned cabin. It was big enough to go around me when I was on bed rest and soft enough that Nina pets it. A must have.
6. Blue ink pens. In college, I learned that when a professor gave you a handout, it wasn't so easy to scan a page to differentiate between my notes and theirs. I have found this true on greeting cards as well. Just a plain ol' Bic blue ink pen. Love it.
5. Vaseline. Doesn't it fix everything? I often feel like the dad in "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" with Windex. Diaper rash? Vaseline. Dry hands? Vaseline. Ring stuck on your finger? Vaseline. Seriously. (Oprah would never have that on her "Favorite Things" show.)
4. Stainless steel water bottle. Even thought we are often made fun of for our over-amount of greenness, these bottles rock! They keep your water cooler and they're safe with the whole BPA scare.
3. Weight Watchers. What a trick to diet while keeping enough calories where I can continue to nurse! I had no idea where to start, so I was eating like I was still pregnant to ensure enough calories for my milk supply. No wonder I wasn't losing baby weight! Weight Watchers has a specific plan for nursing mothers! I get a ridiculous amount of points (I totally had French Toast and bacon for breakfast and still have 22 points left for the day) and never feel deprived. However I am losing at a steady rate of 2 lbs a week (What's recommended to keep it off and for nursing.) Goodbye baby fat! (P.S. Sign up fee is free until March!)
*At this point, I ask Lee what my favorite things are. This is the conversation that happened:
Me: What would you say my favorite things are?
Lee: Me and Nina
Me: This is things not people
Lee: Your breast pump
Me: That's kinda awkward to blog about, don't ya think?
Lee: All of your favorite things are kinda awkward.
Thanks hon*
2. Gripe Water. We found out about this when Nina was a newborn. It is a magic combination of ginger and fennel that instantly cures hiccups. It is mostly made for colicky babies, but works wonders for hiccups, gas, etc. It's mostly Tums for babies and we love it.
1. I debated whether I should put my Kindle or my iPhone 4. Both of which are always by my side. So, lets just call it electronic devices. I used to have a stack of books beside my bed and they always took up a ton of room in my suitcase when we traveled and now it is super compact and you never worry about losing your place. On the iPhone, I used to be a huge believer in my Blackberry, but saw the light when I made the switch. I LOVE this phone. It can do pretty much everything you ever wanted a phone (or person, for that matter) to do.
So, that's that. No, you're not getting any of this free, but consider my advice a gift enough! ;)
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Will I ever be good at blogging?
After watching the movie "Julie and Julia" (an amazing movie), I realized the neglect that has been done to my blog. Not all things on this blog will be baby-centered, but be prepared to hear lots about my little joy.
Being a mom has always been something that I knew I wanted to do. I knew I would love my child and spending time with her, but oh my word!! Nobody warned me that I would come to love (and like) her more every day. Last week was Lee's first seminary class since Nina was born. She and I were alone all week. I was so scared that she would have some horrid accident or come down with a life-threatening disease in the 4 days he was gone. I was wrong (Praise Jesus!) and she and I enjoyed a week of girl time. I used to dread Lee's weeks in seminary like I dread going to Wal-Mart in December. We would spend most evenings frustrated with the lack of cell phone service and intensity that his courses require. I used to look forward to the night they would leave Parchment Valley to go to Gino's Pizza for Two for Tuesdays because I knew the cell service would be consistent. This class, however, we had the joy of webcams! Several times during the day, Lee would be able to chime into the mecca of girl-time. Every night, he would "go" with me as I tucked Nina in and would be able to pray with us. First seminary class= great success!
This week marks the end of my stay-at-home-mom era. I can't believe that it's time for it to be over! When I was on bedrest and had to miss the first day of school, I thought that by the time the second semester came around, then I would be ready to go back to work- boy was I badly mistaken! I have gotten so accustomed to our little life of me being home and playing homemaker! My house and life has felt so under control. The time of dread started probably in October when I realized how quickly the first two months had gone by and I knew the next two would be equally as fast. So, here we are. I went to school today to somewhat get my bearings and prepare for the return to the world of early mornings and high-heels. I have missed my coworkers and students, but the thought of not smelling like spit-up and carrying a diaper bag everywhere is a little unsettling!
I am so lucky for my child-care workers to be my husband, mother, mother-in-law, and close friend. I know they all love Nina and will take such good care of her. As I started to wallow in my self-pity of all of the things I would miss, I was so convicted by the things I was failing to see. While singing in our praise band on Sunday, I had the realization that I was choosing to fail to see the fact that I had been called to teach and to minister to my students everyday. The place I have the opportunity to go to every morning, isn't just a job, but my place of ministry and my mission field. I had been praying for a peace that passes understanding, and I found it.
Stay tuned for more consistent blogging-hopefully...
Being a mom has always been something that I knew I wanted to do. I knew I would love my child and spending time with her, but oh my word!! Nobody warned me that I would come to love (and like) her more every day. Last week was Lee's first seminary class since Nina was born. She and I were alone all week. I was so scared that she would have some horrid accident or come down with a life-threatening disease in the 4 days he was gone. I was wrong (Praise Jesus!) and she and I enjoyed a week of girl time. I used to dread Lee's weeks in seminary like I dread going to Wal-Mart in December. We would spend most evenings frustrated with the lack of cell phone service and intensity that his courses require. I used to look forward to the night they would leave Parchment Valley to go to Gino's Pizza for Two for Tuesdays because I knew the cell service would be consistent. This class, however, we had the joy of webcams! Several times during the day, Lee would be able to chime into the mecca of girl-time. Every night, he would "go" with me as I tucked Nina in and would be able to pray with us. First seminary class= great success!
This week marks the end of my stay-at-home-mom era. I can't believe that it's time for it to be over! When I was on bedrest and had to miss the first day of school, I thought that by the time the second semester came around, then I would be ready to go back to work- boy was I badly mistaken! I have gotten so accustomed to our little life of me being home and playing homemaker! My house and life has felt so under control. The time of dread started probably in October when I realized how quickly the first two months had gone by and I knew the next two would be equally as fast. So, here we are. I went to school today to somewhat get my bearings and prepare for the return to the world of early mornings and high-heels. I have missed my coworkers and students, but the thought of not smelling like spit-up and carrying a diaper bag everywhere is a little unsettling!
I am so lucky for my child-care workers to be my husband, mother, mother-in-law, and close friend. I know they all love Nina and will take such good care of her. As I started to wallow in my self-pity of all of the things I would miss, I was so convicted by the things I was failing to see. While singing in our praise band on Sunday, I had the realization that I was choosing to fail to see the fact that I had been called to teach and to minister to my students everyday. The place I have the opportunity to go to every morning, isn't just a job, but my place of ministry and my mission field. I had been praying for a peace that passes understanding, and I found it.
Stay tuned for more consistent blogging-hopefully...
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Whoa baby!
Now that I've gotten all the drama out of delivery, let's discuss the fruits of my labor! I briefly got to hold Nina before I went to surgery, but only for a few minutes. It wasn't until I was back in my room for a bit, did they bring her to my room. Lee says that he's never seen someone completely change as I did once they wheeled that tiny bundle in. Because I was in surgery/recovery for so long, they had to give Nina a bottle of formula (anyone who knows how obsessed I am about breastfeeding knows that Lee was scared to tell me this piece of information. It was the first thing I said to him when I got to see him after surgery "They had to give her a bottle, didn't they?" haha). Due to my fluid loss, all of my colostrum dried up, so we had to supplement with formula until my milk came in (9 days later). I would nurse for 20-30 minutes and then she would get a small amount of formula.
Having a newborn was easy as pie in the hospital; when I wanted to sleep, the nursery came to get her. They would bathe her, clean her belly button, change her diaper, whatever we needed! I totally thought I was set to roll with this newborn thing. I mean, whoever said that it was hard, was completely crazy, right?! ;) haha Then we came home. The first night I thought, "Um, baby, I don't know if you know what I went through to get you, but I'm tired and need sleep. So, please just be quiet and we'll be fine!" Oh my word was that first week's sleep (or lack thereof) completely crazy! She slept fine during the day, but we were doing great to get 90 minutes uninterrupted sleep. The second night, I called mom at 4:00am to see what in the world I was doing wrong. Who knew that this was normal?! At this point, I had to take a minute to regroup and figure out how in the world to get this child on a schedule so we could sleep. Babywise: an incredible book on sleep patterns and schedules that guarantees a full night's sleep between 7-9 weeks. Here we are at 5 weeks, and she's doing great! It isn't recommended that a newborn sleep for longer than 5 hours without eating and she's currently sleeping for 4 1/2 hours.
I've been asked if being a mom was surreal and the answer is simple: yes! At her first appointment at the pediatrician, they called for "Nina's mom" and I giggled like I did the first time Lee was referred to as "your husband".
After we were home for 2 days, we noticed Nina was getting irritated in the diaper area. At this point, we decided to make the switch to our cloth diapers. We are so excited about our decision to use these diapers. Everyone's cautioning has proven to be false.
1) Our house doesn't smell like poop. The only time we smell anything is the few times we've used disposables
2) No folding required. A little stuffing, but, it honestly takes 20 minutes every 3 days
3) It will save between $2,000-$3,000 a kid
4) Lee and I both have crazy sensitive skin and this takes away the issues of diaper rash which also saves time and money with creams.
We basically love them!
More details on the growing baby to come soon!!
Thursday, September 23, 2010
The day they said "let's have a baby!"
I woke up on Monday, August 30, to get ready for another ultrasound and doctor's visit. Lee had a particular amount of energy this morning and I found him unloading the dishwasher and checking the car seat (again) to be sure it was installed right. We had been told to come to every doctor's appointment with bags packed to be ready in case induction was going to happen. The ultrasound showed a healthy baby girl who was breathing up a storm. sOnce we got checked into the doctor, my bp was up to 151/110 and protein was showing in my routine urinalysis. My preeclampsia had gone from "mild" to "severe" and we were off to the hospital to be induced. They checked me at the office and I was dilated to 2 cm! We went straight to the hospital and got checked in. We were so excited to see Rhonda (my nurse from the preeclampsia stay) working and got to meet Shauna, my nurse for the day shift. The midwife came in to check me and I was already to 3 cm. I had dilated a centimeter in 45 minutes! (We're convinced I was on my way to going into labor on my own anyway) They broke my water, started pitocin, and we were off! Debbie Crowder (the midwife) informed me that they would need to start magnesium to keep my preeclampsia in check and to fight off possible seizures. I knew that mag wasn't a good thing. I knew it would make me loopy and probably make me throw up. I asked her how low my bp needed to be to avoid it. She said my bottom number needed to be in the 80's. The 80's?! Was she nuts?? I hadn't seen it that low since June! We get on the horn and start calling people to pray for that very specific need. I told Debbie to give me 20 minutes and if it wasn't down, I'd let her start the mag. Praise Jesus, it instantly started to go down and never again went above 88. Crisis avoided! Shauna left the bag of magnesium beside my bed so that we could continue to have a prayer point.
Labor continued like it should. Contractions on pitocin made me nuts (as I had heard they would) and I got my epidural when I dilated to 6 cm. I was able to start to get some rest, as did mom, and I let Lee cuddle with me while I enjoyed being pain free. At this point, I had met my night nurse (soon to be a friend), Misty, who was with us every second of the delivery process. When I got to a 9, I started to feel the contractions again and quickly went to a 10. I had been told that the urge to push was one of the strongest urges you'll ever feel, and man, were they right. But finally! Something could be done with the pain! With Lee, mom, and Misty with me, I started pushing at 3:15. What a surreal feeling! I remember thinking, "holy cow! I'm having a baby!" The midwife, Zion, was brought in and at 5:21, Nina Claire Boso was born weighing 6 lb 11.6 oz and measuring 19 inches long. She was perfect. The look on Lee's face when she was born was something I will never forget. I was still in shock as to how easily I could breathe and that I had just had a baby!
After we had all admired this new little wonder, Zion brought in Dr. Wolfe to help finish up with things. This is when things started to go downhill. About 40 minutes after delivery, my ears started ringing and I started seeing spots. At this point, a massive hemorrhage started from my uterus. I was an idiot who knew no better (heck, I'd never had a baby before!) and I laughed it off and apologized to everyone. I began to feel a tad more normal again and then a few minutes later, more hemorrhaging. At this point, I feel like I'm on an episode of ER. Nurses are buzzing everywhere, they call for O- blood stat, my blood pressure keeps falling (it was as low as 40/20), Nina is taken out of the room, I was in and out of consciousness, and I continued to ask Shauna (who was coming back on shift) if I was dying. (Typing about it just feels so weird that it was happening to me.) They apparently stuck me to draw blood and no blood came. The blood and fluids were started and I was wheeled down to the OR for immediate surgery. I have been told that I was a gray'ish green color and I continued to ask my OR nurse (I think her name was Cindy) if I was going to die. (Why did I harass these poor women and make them answer a question that they weren't sure of themselves??) There were anesthesiologists, nurses, and doctors everywhere. I knew I was dying, but was too sick to care.
The next thing I know, I'm in recovery. After being there for a while, I am taken to my room that has been turned into an ICU room in Labor and Delivery. Shauna was my nurse all day and I was hooked up to so many machines! I found out later that I had a condition called "placenta accreta". This is where the placenta adheres to the uterine wall and causes trauma after delivery. Most of these cases are in post-C-Section cases. Unfortunately, there is no way of diagnosing or predicting it. The accreta had left part of the placenta in my uterus that they were able to remove during surgery. After they determined they were able to save my life, a hysterectomy was considered, but luckily avoided. After surgery, I was considered "stable but not out the woods yet". I had been given 4 units of blood during surgery and 2 more the next day. By Friday, I was able to surprise my doctors and was sent home, on medicine, but home nonetheless.
I delivered when I was 37 weeks and 3 days. Who knows if the accreta would have caused more problems if I had gone the full 40 weeks. Also, I was told that magnesium could have increased my bleeding and made things much worse (could they have gotten worse??). Lucky for me, my hemoglobin was already at a 12 (12-14 is considered normal) before I went into labor giving me as much blood to work with as I could. I swear there are no coincidences in this world. God put every nurse, midwife, and doctor where He did in that 18 hours because they would be instrumental in saving my life. It has been 3 1/2 weeks and I still find myself washed with emotion to God's faithfulness. I can't sing "Great is Thy Faithfulness" without sobbing on the line "Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord unto me".
When we were driving home from the hospital, I realized I had been given a new lease on life. I saw the horizon differently. Things that used to upset me seemed so small in the joy of new life for me and my tiny bundle of joy (did I mention that she was perfect??). God's faithfulness to me and my family can't be expressed. and the faces that were with me (Dr. Rainey, Dr. Wolfe, Misty, Shauna, and Rhonda) will never be forgotten. Instead of looking on that week with horror, I look at it gratefully for the deliverance that we experienced and the love I was given.
Labor continued like it should. Contractions on pitocin made me nuts (as I had heard they would) and I got my epidural when I dilated to 6 cm. I was able to start to get some rest, as did mom, and I let Lee cuddle with me while I enjoyed being pain free. At this point, I had met my night nurse (soon to be a friend), Misty, who was with us every second of the delivery process. When I got to a 9, I started to feel the contractions again and quickly went to a 10. I had been told that the urge to push was one of the strongest urges you'll ever feel, and man, were they right. But finally! Something could be done with the pain! With Lee, mom, and Misty with me, I started pushing at 3:15. What a surreal feeling! I remember thinking, "holy cow! I'm having a baby!" The midwife, Zion, was brought in and at 5:21, Nina Claire Boso was born weighing 6 lb 11.6 oz and measuring 19 inches long. She was perfect. The look on Lee's face when she was born was something I will never forget. I was still in shock as to how easily I could breathe and that I had just had a baby!
After we had all admired this new little wonder, Zion brought in Dr. Wolfe to help finish up with things. This is when things started to go downhill. About 40 minutes after delivery, my ears started ringing and I started seeing spots. At this point, a massive hemorrhage started from my uterus. I was an idiot who knew no better (heck, I'd never had a baby before!) and I laughed it off and apologized to everyone. I began to feel a tad more normal again and then a few minutes later, more hemorrhaging. At this point, I feel like I'm on an episode of ER. Nurses are buzzing everywhere, they call for O- blood stat, my blood pressure keeps falling (it was as low as 40/20), Nina is taken out of the room, I was in and out of consciousness, and I continued to ask Shauna (who was coming back on shift) if I was dying. (Typing about it just feels so weird that it was happening to me.) They apparently stuck me to draw blood and no blood came. The blood and fluids were started and I was wheeled down to the OR for immediate surgery. I have been told that I was a gray'ish green color and I continued to ask my OR nurse (I think her name was Cindy) if I was going to die. (Why did I harass these poor women and make them answer a question that they weren't sure of themselves??) There were anesthesiologists, nurses, and doctors everywhere. I knew I was dying, but was too sick to care.
The next thing I know, I'm in recovery. After being there for a while, I am taken to my room that has been turned into an ICU room in Labor and Delivery. Shauna was my nurse all day and I was hooked up to so many machines! I found out later that I had a condition called "placenta accreta". This is where the placenta adheres to the uterine wall and causes trauma after delivery. Most of these cases are in post-C-Section cases. Unfortunately, there is no way of diagnosing or predicting it. The accreta had left part of the placenta in my uterus that they were able to remove during surgery. After they determined they were able to save my life, a hysterectomy was considered, but luckily avoided. After surgery, I was considered "stable but not out the woods yet". I had been given 4 units of blood during surgery and 2 more the next day. By Friday, I was able to surprise my doctors and was sent home, on medicine, but home nonetheless.
I delivered when I was 37 weeks and 3 days. Who knows if the accreta would have caused more problems if I had gone the full 40 weeks. Also, I was told that magnesium could have increased my bleeding and made things much worse (could they have gotten worse??). Lucky for me, my hemoglobin was already at a 12 (12-14 is considered normal) before I went into labor giving me as much blood to work with as I could. I swear there are no coincidences in this world. God put every nurse, midwife, and doctor where He did in that 18 hours because they would be instrumental in saving my life. It has been 3 1/2 weeks and I still find myself washed with emotion to God's faithfulness. I can't sing "Great is Thy Faithfulness" without sobbing on the line "Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord unto me".
When we were driving home from the hospital, I realized I had been given a new lease on life. I saw the horizon differently. Things that used to upset me seemed so small in the joy of new life for me and my tiny bundle of joy (did I mention that she was perfect??). God's faithfulness to me and my family can't be expressed. and the faces that were with me (Dr. Rainey, Dr. Wolfe, Misty, Shauna, and Rhonda) will never be forgotten. Instead of looking on that week with horror, I look at it gratefully for the deliverance that we experienced and the love I was given.
3rd trimester
Well, I have no excuse for my lack of posting since I was on bedrest... or maybe that WAS my excuse since I did absolutely nothing! For most of July and the first part of August, I was on "activity restriction" due to my blood pressure being up. I really missed walking and doing some of the basic things, but took it in stride. I think I've seen every episode of every show TLC has ever made. I had 2 awesome baby showers (one at Summersville Baptist and one at Breckenridge Baptist), we went to the beach (what a fiasco with me!), and I watched other people remodel my bedroom. The beach trip was awesome with the family, but I wasn't allowed to do much and my body let me know if I did too much. Generally, I woke up, laid by the pool, sat in the pool, took a nap, went to dinner, went to bed. One day, we went to the outlets and after 45 minutes, my feet wouldn't fit in my shoes. Such a bummer!
I started to notice something might be more than "a little high blood pressure" after I saw pics from my shower at BMBC. My nose had swollen so much that I barely recognized myself. Having a close friend who had had preeclampsia, I knew that was a symptom. I continued to be on weekly doctor's visits and they kept a close eye on everything, but there still was no protein in my urine. (I totally hate that word). I spent one day not on my butt all day, and that was the day Sarah Beth and Matt got hitched; what an awesome weekend! But by the end of it, I was pooped and had a rather bad headache. I took my blood pressure regularly for the next 2 days and it continued to stay up, really up. I went to teacher's first day of school and awaited a phone call back from my OB. When I heard from him, he wanted me to be seen the next morning and he told me to bring clothes for a possible hospital stay (ugh). He was right, they checked me in for monitoring and to do a 24 hour urine (eww) collection. That was such an awkward test! I had to pee in a hat, and then pour it into this container and store it in a cooler in my bathroom (a tailgating nightmare). After 24 hours, they tested all that had been collected for protein and voila! protein. I had a case of mild preeclampsia and was officially on real bedrest. Anyone who knows me well, knows that I'm not good at being still. I looked forward to my biweekly doctor's visits where I had monitoring once a week and an ultrasound once a week. I would shave my legs, straighten my hair, do anything that made me feel like a human again. Just awaiting the words "lets have this baby!".
The bedrest helped with some of my swelling (eventhough I didn't recognize myself and I laughed when Lee told me I was beautiful). Lee brought as much of his work home to help me out as he could. He was a champion who never said "Do you really need another glass of water??". I took Benadryl at night to try to get some sleep between my 6 pee breaks a night. But still, being pregnant wasn't as bad as people made it out to be. The worst part, for me, was being concerned for Nina's safety if my bp went up and they wanted to take her before shew as ready. Just a waiting game at this point...
I started to notice something might be more than "a little high blood pressure" after I saw pics from my shower at BMBC. My nose had swollen so much that I barely recognized myself. Having a close friend who had had preeclampsia, I knew that was a symptom. I continued to be on weekly doctor's visits and they kept a close eye on everything, but there still was no protein in my urine. (I totally hate that word). I spent one day not on my butt all day, and that was the day Sarah Beth and Matt got hitched; what an awesome weekend! But by the end of it, I was pooped and had a rather bad headache. I took my blood pressure regularly for the next 2 days and it continued to stay up, really up. I went to teacher's first day of school and awaited a phone call back from my OB. When I heard from him, he wanted me to be seen the next morning and he told me to bring clothes for a possible hospital stay (ugh). He was right, they checked me in for monitoring and to do a 24 hour urine (eww) collection. That was such an awkward test! I had to pee in a hat, and then pour it into this container and store it in a cooler in my bathroom (a tailgating nightmare). After 24 hours, they tested all that had been collected for protein and voila! protein. I had a case of mild preeclampsia and was officially on real bedrest. Anyone who knows me well, knows that I'm not good at being still. I looked forward to my biweekly doctor's visits where I had monitoring once a week and an ultrasound once a week. I would shave my legs, straighten my hair, do anything that made me feel like a human again. Just awaiting the words "lets have this baby!".
The bedrest helped with some of my swelling (eventhough I didn't recognize myself and I laughed when Lee told me I was beautiful). Lee brought as much of his work home to help me out as he could. He was a champion who never said "Do you really need another glass of water??". I took Benadryl at night to try to get some sleep between my 6 pee breaks a night. But still, being pregnant wasn't as bad as people made it out to be. The worst part, for me, was being concerned for Nina's safety if my bp went up and they wanted to take her before shew as ready. Just a waiting game at this point...
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