Michael's Birth Story

So here is the story of the wild events of Michael's birth. My due date was January 22, 2015. I have never gone early and have always had to be induced so I didn't think this one would be any different. Back in October I had scheduled my induction date with my dr based on her on call days. January 22 she was on call at the hospital I wanted to deliver at so it was all set. My parents starting looking for flights and were set to fly in on the 21st. The end of pregnancy is so long and hard but mentally I was prepared to go to the 22nd. Everything was progressing and going well in this pregnancy. When I was 37 weeks Wade had to fly back East for a work conference. I had gone to the dr the day before he left and I was only dilated to a 1 so Wade left on his flight the next day. I had decided while he was gone that I was going to take it super easy and not do anything. I didn't want to chance going in labor and him missing the birth. I asked my friend Julie to be my surrogate husband in case I did go into labor and I had my hospital bag all packed. I figured if I was prepared nothing would happen. And thankfully nothing did. He came home Friday afternoon and it was such a relief that he didn't miss the birth. So once he was home I started to get things cleaned and ready in case this baby decided to come early. Well He did.

Monday the 12th  was a normal day. The kids went back to school after winter break I got some errands done, did laundry, and made dinner. We put the kids to bed, made their lunches for the next day and then I went to bed. Around 12:30 am I woke up and thought that I felt weird kind of nauseous but you feel weird all the time in pregnancy so I didn't think much of it and went back to sleep. I woke up at 2:30 and felt incredibly nauseous. My first thought was I have the stomach flu. I thought I was going to throw up but I didn't. I went and laid back in bed and felt really sick. I was hot and sweating but then it passed and I didn't feel nauseous anymore. But then I was having pain in my stomach like I was having contractions. I laid there for a bout 30 minutes trying to time them. I thought about every 10 minutes I was feeling more pain but it seemed like weird pain too. I wasn't sure what was going on. I have never gone into labor on my own though so I figured this must be what labor is like for me. I know the nurses will tell you when the contractions are painful that is when you should come in. They were definitely painful. I woke wade up around 3 and told him I think I am in labor   I laid there for a while longer. Before I called to wake up my friend Julie I wanted to make sure it was labor. So finally around 4 I decided it was time to go to the hospital. I called Julie and Wade and I got up to go. Thankfully I had a hospital bag packed. I normally don't. We left for the hospital just before 5 not realizing what the next hour of our lives had in store for us. I called my parents on the way and told my dad I thought I was in labor and we were going to the hospital.
I am glad we left for the hospital when I did. Looking back I wish I would have gone earlier.
 

We got the hospital and they took their sweet time, I don't think the charge nurse that took us back to room  thought I was in labor. It was the normal routine put the hospital gown on and give a urine sample. I went to the bathroom to give  the urine sample and I was bleeding. I came out and told my nurse she was just like okay let's get you hooked up to the monitors. The first monitor she started to put on me was the baby's heart rate. She was moving the thing around trying to get the heart rate. I was worried for a second cause I hadn't been feeling the baby move a lot in the last hour. Finally she found it and it was a 60. Normal is around 150. This was at 5:25 am.  At this point the nurse got on her phone went out in the hall and was yelling the heart rate is a 60. About 6 nurses came into the room. They immediately got me on my hands and knees and his heart rate went to 100. The on call dr came in and checked me. I was only dilated to a 2 or 3 he broke my water and it was all blood. He said vaginal delivery no way. They got me back on my hands and knees and wheeled me to the OR. I didn't really know what was going on. I remember asking if I was going to have to have a c section and the nurse said yes. I was very concerned about whether they had time to give me an epidural before the c section. I have heard of women just having to have the csection with no pain meds and I didn't want that to happen to me. The nurses said oh no you are being completely put out. Because of this Wade was not able to go in the OR. He had to wait in the hall and wait to hear if Michael and I would make it out of this alive. He  wasn't really told anything either. I remained on my hands and knees until they were ready to put me out. When I laid on the table they put the mask on me and I felt them prepping me for the csection. I remember screaming in my head I am still awake don't start cutting. That is the last thing I remember until I was in the recovery room. Michael was born at 5:50 am. Twenty five minutes after he was first hooked up on the monitor. The nurse said once they cut me  he was out in a minute. It was one of the fastest c sections she has ever seen. One of the nurses that was in there the morning he was born was my night nurse the next night. I was asking her different things about what went on and that is where most of these details come from. She told me as soon as I was stable and Michael was out she went out in the hall and found Wade. She brought him as close as she could to the OR and let him listen to Michael cry and told him that I was okay. Wade had been out there for about 30 to 40 minutes not knowing what was going on.
 

It turns out I had a placenta abruption   Which is when the placenta starts tearing away from the uterus. So the pain I thought were contractions was really just the placenta tearing away. So as the day and night went on I got more details about what happened and how serious this really was and how lucky I was to be alive along with Michael.  The dr told me that my blood almost was not clotting. A lot of times with placenta abruptions they have to take your uterus out. Also, the baby can bleed with these as well. Thankfully they didn't have to take my uterus,my blood did finally clot and Michael came out fine  He came out crying and with good color. His breathing was a little off so he was taken to the nursery to be monitored. This is pretty common with c section babies. His oxygen level always stayed normal though. I didn't get to see him for 12 hours. That was hard. I have never waited that long to hold my baby. 
 

I had lost a lot of blood though and they told me I would probably need a blood transfusion. Normal levels for pregnant women are between 10 and 12. My level after the delivery was a 6 and then the next morning it dropped to a 4.2. It wasn't optional anymore I needed to have one. I had one and the dr checked my levels and said I should have another one. I felt so much better after the transfusions. I am glad I had them. I think my recovery would have been worse if I didn't. My dr told me that my delivery is one that you read about in the textbooks and you hope you never see it in your career. 
 

While I am grateful to be alive and grateful that Michael is okay this recovery has been hard. It has been hard having the recovery of a csection when I was planning on a vaginal delivery. It hasn't been terribly painful but it is a longer recovery. It is major surgery. It was hard coming home and not being able to lift Brooke and do the normal things I wanted to do and that my kids wanted me to do. I also felt robbed of the birth experience I was expecting to have. I wasn't even awake when he was born and wade couldn't be in there. I have always loved giving birth and I think it is one of the most spiritual experiences. With all these frustrations I have just had to pray a lot and rely on my Savior to get me through these tough times. I have had to focus on the positive and focus on the fact that I am alive and am still here to raise my kids. I think in today's world  I didn't  ever think I could die in child birth. I know there are complications but I didn't think anything like this would happen to me. I am so thankful for modern medicine though. I am thankful for quick acting drs and nurses who took care of me and my baby and kept us alive and safe. As time has gone on I have processed everything and am doing a lot better mentally. Those first few weeks were hard though. 
 

Everyone tells me boys are less dramatic than girls but he sure made his dramatic entrance into this world. 
Here are pictures from the day he was born and the day after. 

Grandma Christiansen's funeral

Sadly January ended with Wade's grandma Christiansen dying. She had been going down hill over the last year or so. The last few months had been up and down. We would get calls she wasn't eating and couldn't get out of bed but then she would start doing better. We knew her time was limited but we just didn't know when it would be. We were able to see her at thanksgiving. She was able to meet and hold brooke. I Always love visiting grandma and grandpa C when we go to Utah. They are always excited to see us and are so sweet with my girls. The Friday before she died we got a text that she was not eating. We knew it would only be a few days. She made it through the weekend. On Monday the hospice nurses came in the morning and got her dressed. Grandpa c went outside to shovel some snow and when he came back inside he couldn't wake her. She was gone. I am glad it was peaceful for her. Wade's grandpa took such great care of her through all of his. After she died when they were waiting for the funeral home to come get her body, he went and got her favorite red blanket and covered her body in it. I thought that was so sweet.

We left for Utah on Thursday for the funeral. The funeral was very nice. All six children spoke and the grandchildren and great grandchildren sang I Am A Child of God while I accompanied them. I loved to hear the stories the children gave about her. Two of the daughters talked about the love that grandma and grandpa had for each other. They were always holding hands. They always sat by each other at church. Kids were not allowed between them. She was a great supporter of her husband in his many church callings. She taught her kids how to work. She was a great gardner and loved a nice looking yard. The kids did not always like he yard work but loved the end result. She was always dressed well and had a great sense of style. When Wades sisters were younger she should take them shopping at Nordstrom for a new outfit. As I watched the slideshow of pictures of her through the years she was always dressed so well. It was interesting to sit and listen to stories of things that were taught to Wade's dad Scott that have been passed on to Wade. She was a neat lady and was a great example to me. As I sat and listened to the various stories there were so many things that she did that I want to apply in my life. I know that we will all miss her and are sad that she is gone. I am grateful for the knowledge of the plan of salvation to know that we are sealed to her and will see her again. It makes this process so much easier. Below are some pictures I took. Mostly from the graveside service. Wade was asked to dedicate the graveside. He did an awesome job. He was grateful for the opportunity to do that.

The picture on the front of the program is grandpa c's favorite picture of her.

January month in review

So January was a month of getting back to routine after the holidays.
Caitlyn and Elsa started dance at a studio here. We miss Lori but I am glad there is somewhere for the girls to take. They were very excited to start up again. I didn't get any pictures of them though.

These days I mostly just get pictures of Brooke. I am trying to get enough pictures of Brooke so she doesn't feel like we didn't love her cause there are not a lot of pictures of her. Thank goodness for camera phones or she wouldn't have any pictures. Below are a few snapshots from the month. Brooke ended the month with getting her first ear infection. Hopefully we are not on a path to tubes but only time will tell.

In January we celebrated wade's birthday. He turned 32. Wade didn't care if we really celebrated but the girls made sure we had a celebration. It was on a Sunday so we didn't do a ton. We went to church opened gifts, had dinner and red velvet cupcakes. He got an iPod shuffle to run with from me and a nerf dart gun from the girls. The girls picked it out cause they wanted daddy to chase them and shoot them. They are silly. He got the sweater vests from his parents and an REI gift card from my parents. He ended the day by taking he kids to a primary activity while I went to a rehearsal. Birthdays are so exciting as we get older and have responsibilities.

December Happenings

December was a little crazy as December usually is getting ready for Christmas. 

 

 Brooke gets a lot of Daddy time as I help the other kids with things. 

 

One night I came downstairs after putting the kids to bed and this is what I found.  I couldn't resist a picture.

 

 

 So the Saturday that Utah played BYU we all wore our Utah Clothes.  Caitlyn has a Utah Basketball poster in her room and so she keeps track of when the games are. She likes to wear her Utah shirt on the days of the game.  Before Wade and I  had woken up that morning she had put her Utah shirt on and helped the other girls find theirs. It also was our Ward Christmas Brunch that morning.  There are a lot of BYU fans in our ward and only a handful of Utah fans.  So we all wore our Utah clothes to the Ward party.  We only got a few comments.  That night we all watched the game. I know we lost but it was a close one.

 

 

 Another night I cam downstairs and Brooke was asleep.  She looks so peaceful when she is sleeping.  While we are putting the other girls to bed Brooke is hungry and tired so she often falls asleep during the bedtime process.

 

 

 

Every year my mom would make gingerbread houses with the grand kids.  Since we live away now we have carried on the tradition with our kids.  Wade really did these with the kids.  I was doing dishes again.  These things try my patience. I want to be a fun mom but sometimes it is hard to have happy attitude when I do these things.  We did sugar cookies on Christmas Eve and that had me asking myself "Why do I do these things?"  It always goes much better in my mind.

 

 

Here are the girls in their Christmas Dresses.  Yes, I know I am missing a daughter.  I was playing the piano for the ward choir so I left early for practice and Wade was bringing the kids later. I had these three ready before I left so I snapped a quick picture.  Brooke was not in her dress yet so I asked Wade if he had time to get one of all 4 of them but he ran out of time.  I thought that is okay I will get one after church.  That plan didn't happen cause Brooke had a blow out at church.  So next time they wear their dresses I will get a picture of all four of them.

 

 

 

 Here are our pictures from Christmas Day.  The girls had a good Christmas.  The older they get the more fun Christmas is.  Caitlyn was so excited and had a hard time waiting for the rest of the family to wake up to open gifts.  Sam didn't like waiting for other people to open their gifts.

 

 

 

 We decided to invite all of Wade's family to our house after Christmas.  Wade's parents brother and Sister drove on Christmas day from Utah. His other sister drove on Thursday from CA.  We have not all been together in four years so it was fun to be together.  His Sister Tristen's 30th birthday was while they were here so the girls got pedicures and manicures and then we all went to Claim Jumper for Dinner. The kids have a lot of fun together.  We took some pictures since we had everyone together.  Here are a few of them.