Mathis’ Birth Story

^{“Babies are angels that fly to the Earth,
their wings disappear at the time of their birth,
one look in their eyes and we're never the same.
They're part of us now and that part has a name,
that part is your heart and a bond that won't sever our babies are angels, we love them forever.”  Author Unknown}

^{8-9-12:  Such an exciting morning!  Surprisingly Thankfully I slept well last night and actually did not want to wake up when our alarm went off this morning.  Charlie headed off to class around 6:00am and I took a shower, got ready, and finished packing my bags.  The Mentzers are watching Madison for us while we are not home, which is so nice!  So I took her over to their house before my appointment.  Both Jeff and Mischika prayed for me – it was so sweet and comforting – I love them!} 

^{I grabbed some Chick-fil-A on the way to my appointment – knew this would probably be my last good meal for a while.  My appointment was at 9 am.  My blood pressure was 150/101.  She came in and checked me and I was 70% effaced and 1 cm dilated!  Some progress – an answer to prayer!  My doctor was really surprised!  She was planning for me to come back this afternoon to be admitted, but since I was already there and my blood pressure was high, she said we would just get started early.  So she had me wheeled over to labor & delivery.  My blood pressure was 130/80 – laying down, yay!  And Mathis’ heartbeat sounds good and he is moving all around!} 

^{It’s 11:30am and my nurse just placed the Cervadil.}  

^{8-16-12:  So this is where I left off in the hospital, as I am typing this Mathis is now 6 days old so I will try to remember as many details as I can .} 

^{The plan was for the Cervadil to stay for 12 hours and they would remove it if I started progressing before then.  I started to feel contractions around 4:30pm – they were mild.  The contractions started getting stronger as the day went on.  That evening we had some friends/family come visit and the contractions were getting stronger.  I think I was a little distracted that they were getting worse.  Until my blood pressure was reading 175/100.  My nurse had everyone leave and had me rest.  She said that if it did not start to come down that my doctor would want to start Mag.  It came down some but I think a lot of it was associated with the pain.  At 11:30pm my nurse removed the Cervadil and checked me. I was still 1cm dilated and 90% effaced.  The contractions were pretty strong in my abdomen and back.  After showering and getting back to bed, my nurse told me to try to get some sleep.  I laid there trying to relax but the contractions were coming every 2 minutes and getting stronger, especially in my back.  At 1:30 we decided it would be a good time to get my epidural and hopefully I could get some rest.  My nurse placed my IV and then the anesthesiologist came in and placed my epidural.  It was not painful at all, just uncomfortable having to sit up bent over getting the epidural while having contractions.  But not bad at all and once the medicine started to work it was wonderful!  I never slept that night but definitely was able to relax.  After I got the epidural my doctor wanted to start the pitocin.  When my nurse got ready to starting my contractions were happening too frequently so they could not start it.  After IV fluids and the effect of the epidural, around 4:00am they were able to start the pitocin.  My blood pressures were good at this point.  They increased the pitocin every 30 minutes.  The couple times that my nurse checked me I was still at 1.  Around 7:30am my doctor came to break my water and place an internal monitor.  She checked me and I was still at a 1.  I might have been completely effaced, I can’t remember and he was low and in a good position.  My doctor named my cervix “the cervix of steel” because it was so hard.  She said that it hurt her when she was checking me, ha ha.  She said it was like someone that has scar tissue and once it starts to dilate it will happen quickly.  I have never had any biopsy, cervical surgery, etc. to have scar tissue – guess I just have a hard cervix.  Once the internal monitor was placed, they saw that I was having contractions every minute and they were not completely relaxing in between.  My doctor stayed in the room for an hour watching the monitor and making adjustments.  They stopped the pitocin and were later able to start it back up again.  Around 9:30am I was starting to feel the contractions again.  I pressed my PCA button on my epidural but it was not providing any relief.  The CRNA came and gave me a bolus, which helped tremendously for about 2-3 hours.  Then the pain started to come back.  At 11:00am I was fully effaced and 4cm dilated.  Another anesthesiologist came and gave me another bolus dose.  This dose worked for about 2 hours.  I started to feel something leaking on my back.  They said there was some fluid under the epidural dressing.  The anesthesiologist thought that it was still in place just having some back flow :/.  I had called for the anesthesiologist again, but this time it seemed like it took him forever to come back.  I was having so much perineal pain/pressure/contractions and was not getting any relief between contractions.  My nurse checked me at 1:00pm and I was 10cm and ready to push.  My doctor came up and could not believe it!  She said “we broke through the cervix of steel!”  ha ha.  The anesthesiologist gave me something that he said would take longer to start working but was a longer acting medication.  I don’t know if I ever felt the effects of this medication, it did not seem like it provided any relief.  My doctor was there to check me and thought I was 7cm not 10, she said she could still feel some cervix and that he was really low.  They left the room and I called for them about 5 or 10 minutes later.  I felt so much pressure from his head I was feeling like a really needed to push.  My nurse checked me and said, “Okay I know you are a 10!”.  She called my doctor and we started pushing.  I actually felt some relief  when I would push, like I was doing something about the contractions.  The anesthesiologist came back since I was still in pain and said that he could take the epidural out and place another one.  My nurse said I probably had 20 minutes of pushing and he would be out.  With the pain I was having I did not think I could lay there and let him put in the epidural and then by the time it worked he would be out.  So we just decided to push.  My nurse was so sweet, after he was born she said “I am so sorry that you were hurting, I hated to see that”.  I think the epidural was providing some relief, but obviously was not doing what it was supposed to.  Every time I would push a golf ball size area of his head would come out, but it would not get past that.  My nurse said that I was really tight and that I might need an episiotomy.  Then they saw that I had a band inside that was not able to stretch and so he could not make it past that.  Once my doctor came up and cut the band it took a couple more pushes and he was out!  I pushed for 45 minutes.  He was born at 2:50pm.  There was a lot of fluid, she suctioned him but he was not crying at first.  She quickly cut the cord and passed him off to the nursery nurse at the incubator.  After a little stimulation he quickly started crying .  Mathis tolerated the labor very well, never having any problems during labor.  His Apgar score was 8.  They suctioned a lot of fluid out.  His color looked great but he was having some retractions and grunting, so they wanted to send him to the nursery to be evaluated.  I got to see him and hold for a minute then he was off.  My favorite moment was when he was placed in the incubator and watching Charlie tear up as he met him – the sweetest thing!  Makes me tear up just thinking about it again!  It was so sweet meeting and holding him for the 1st time!  I already loved him so much.  I am partial but I thought he was such a cute newborn!  My sisters were in the room to take pictures and video.  Thank goodness I was distracted with watching Mathis and everything that was going on around me, because I was feeling the sutures that I was getting.  I had a grade 2 tear.  My doctor noticed that I was flinching and said, “can you feel this?”, I said yes and she said “why did you not tell me!?!”  I just thought that it was normal to feel it.  She injected lidocaine for the rest of the sutures.  My doctor and nurses did such a great job!  I loved them and am so thankful for them.  And Charlie was a great advocate for me and Mathis!  He was great during labor with me and when Mathis went to the nursery he was back and forth checking on him – such a good daddy!} 

^{After delivery Mathis and I both had fevers, they said that this was probably related to a long labor.  From the placement of Cervadil till delivery was 27 hours and from when I started feeling the contractions to delivery was 22 hours.  They drew a CBC and blood culture on Mathis which both came back normal, so they did not give him any antibiotics and his fever resolved that night.  I received antibiotics through the night and my fever resolved that night as well.}

^{We did not get Mathis back with us until around 6:30pm, it seemed like forever!  We got up to our post-partum suite (which was awesome) and then he joined us.  It was right at shift change.  They brought him in for me to feed him and gave me a few pointers, but we were on our own.  Thank goodness he was a natural and knew exactly what to do!  He latched right on and was nursing great!  He had a couple episodes of spitting up and choking so in the middle of the night we decided to send him to the nursery.  It made us a little nervous and since I had not slept in about 2 days we decided to send him to the nursery.  We got a couple hours of good sleep!  The next day was filled with visits from sweet family and friends.  We are so blessed and thankful to have our family so close and friends that love us so much!  Mathis had his hearing test the next morning which he passed and the rest of the day he basically slept and ate, just like a perfect little newborn!  The nurses and staff at Medical City were fabulous – we did not want to leave!}

^{So that is Mathis’ birth story, just wanted to make sure that I jotted it down, so that I could like back on it.  It is such a miracle!} 

It’s Almost Baby Time

Well as of today I will be 38 weeks and 3 days.  I am so excited to have made it to this point, but then again I feel like my pregnancy would last until 42+ weeks!  At my last appointment (37 weeks 4 days) I was not dilated or effaced.  She said he had dropped, but that was about it.  My blood pressure was still high in the office, so she decided to keep me for some lab work and we did a fetal non stress test – which were both good.  The fetal non stress test consisted of me laying in a chair with the monitors (fetal heart rate  & contraction) on me and I pushed a button every time I felt him move.  She mentioned that she was wanting to possibly induce on Monday 8/6/12 because I would be 38 weeks and with my blood pressure still high she did not want to wait much longer.  After talking to her about Charlie’s schedule (it is easier for him to miss a Friday because he can reschedule his Friday clinical vs. missing a full day of class) she put me on the schedule to be admitted Thursday 8/9/12 for cervical ripening.  When she came in and told me that I was on the schedule – inside I kind of freaked out, ha ha.  Just want to make sure that Mathis is ready and that my body is ready.  I trust that my doctor is doing what is best for us and I know that God is in control – thank goodness!  She told me to try some spicy food – so I have done that plus all the other things you can think of to move things along (pineapple juice, evening primrose oil, raspberry leaf tea, sex).  I can’t do any walking, so that does not really help things.  I would of course like to avoid a c-section, but again we want whatever is best for Mathis and me.  So please be praying for a safe labor, delivery, and of course a healthy baby boy! 

This past weekend was our last weekend just the 2 of us!  It is crazy to think how quickly your life can change!  We enjoyed it as much as we could, while not being able to go anywhere.  Charlie got us Pei Wei for dinner Saturday night and we watched We Bought A Zoo (really cute movie).  We slept in and just enjoyed doing nothing together!  He has been soooooooo helpful with me on bed rest.  I get frustrated sometimes - with my type A personality – but he totally gets me and does whatever he can to help.  Charlie is such a good husband and I can’t wait to see him in his next role as a Dad!  Love him so much!

Well here is the baby bump at 38 weeks 2 days…

Surviving Bed Rest

I can’t believe that I have already been on bed rest for 3 weeks.  Part of me feels like I am counting down the days of my pregnancy but then you also start to lose track of time.  It has not been too bad.  Some days are better than others.  The most frustrating things for me are feeling lazy and not being able to do things for myself.  But doing what it best for Mathis and me is well worth it!  So here are some things that have helped me survive bed rest.

Get a good set-up

Thank goodness we have a comfy couch, so I can spend time during the day on it and not in bed all day and night.  The 1st thing my mom went out and got me was a bed rest pillow.  I have never owned one of these pillows and it has been awesome – a must!  She also got me a TV tray, also a must.  Sticky Notes – perfect for making To Do Lists.  A Lap Desk.  Thank you notes – the perfect time to catch up on writing thank you notes from showers.  Storage Bucket – good for keeping things close at hand, since you can’t run around the house every time you need something.

[Bed Rest Pillow] [TV tray] [Sticky Notes] [Lap Desk] [Thank You Notes] [Fabric Storage Bucket]

And of course the electronics (computer, DVD’s, thank goodness for DVR, etc.) will provide a lot of entertainment.  Especially with Facebook, Pinterest, etc.  The Olympics have provided a lot of entertainment as well!  I have also completed 20 hours of continuing education – that I need for my nursing license – so glad that is done!  Since I can’t go to church I have really enjoyed watching the podcasts at http://clifec.com/sermons/.  I have enjoyed the app on my iPhone to read through the Bible in a year, reading my bible and great worship music.  I finished reading Catching Fire (the 2nd Hunger Games book) and also finished Baby Wise.

On Becoming Baby Wise

Try to stay healthy.  Which sounds impossible when you are bed rest and I have not done a good job of this!  It is super easy to eat junk food since I can’t cook, so it is important to have healthy snacks on hand.  Lots of fruits and vegetables!  We have been blessed to have a CareCalendar set up for us – Thanks Tricia – this has been awesome!  She was going to set this up for us once Mathis arrived, but since I am not able to cook and Charlie has started paramedic school we started it early.  So are friends and family have signed up to bring us meals twice a week.  I even found some bed rest exercises that you can do – found HERE.    This might be TMI but I wish I would have started this sooner than later – a stool softener/gentle laxative.  Whatever your doctor says you can have.  The decrease in mobility definitely had an affect on my body, so Miralax and Colace are my new friends, ha ha.  Another must is an insulated cup – I would recommend a large one so you don’t have to fill it up as often. Very important to drink lots of water (for several reasons) so this is great.

[Insulated Cup]

And of course a huge encouragement are calls, texts and visits from friends and family.  Whether they are coming to visit, texting/calling, sending care packages (thank you KA – this made my day), running errands for you, bringing meals, or praying for you.  This is the best!  We have the best family and friends – they have been so helpful!  Thanks everyone!  This blog also has some good tips for bed rest – check out her post – The Control Freak’s Guide to Surviving Bed Rest.

Madison – my bed rest buddy …Love when this little baby visits!  This picture of her cracks me up!  ha ha

Bags are Packed!

Around 36 weeks I had our hospital list made up and our bags as packed as they could be.  Here’s what is in Mathis’ bag…

I am also bringing the Boppy.  My friend that works in the nursery at Medical City recommended bringing something cute to hang on his bassinet when he is in the nursery so that if we have visitors come while he is down there they will know which one he is – so I threw the cute octopus in his bag. 

These are the possible going home outfits for Mathis.  They are all newborn size, hopefully one of them will work!  The middle one has an orange beanie to go with it – my mom is embroidery his name on it .

My bags are as packed as they can be – there is more to pack at the last minute.  The black and white bag is the bag I am taking to labor & delivery and then my suitcase has my stuff for staying overnight.

Here is our hospital packing list – it will be nice to have so I don’t forget the last minute things.  There are a few things that I am not taking anymore (I never came up with a contact list – should be fine with my phone).  I have stroller on there just to remind me to leave it in our car because we have no room for it in our house .

His Name

I saw the name Mathis as someone’s last name and thought it would make a great first name.  We wanted something unique and uncommon.  It was our top boy name.  When we actually found out that it was a boy I all of sudden was not 100% on the name, ha ha.  Charlie was sold and was going around calling him Mathis, but I would say “we are not sure yet, it could change!”  One day I decided to look up what it meant and saw that the meaning was “Gift of God”.  I loved that and it solidified the name for me.  The minute I found out I was pregnant I felt like I had been given a gift from God.  I know Mathis will be a gift that keeps on giving! 

For his middle name we went with Wylie.  This is Charlie’s middle name and he was named after his Great Uncle Wylie (his paternal Grandfathers brother).

Mathis’ Room

This is the smallest room in our house – which makes for a perfect nursery.  You can’t over-do-it because there is no room!  It is right across from our bedroom where as the other bedrooms are on the other side of the house.  There is really no theme to the room just a bunch of random stuff thrown together.  Here it is…

Since we had just painted the room when we found out that I was pregnant we left the walls that color.  It is a grey/beige color – very neutral.  When you walk in the first thing you see is this Gentleman Print from Etsy.  I love what it says!  We got it framed at Hobby Lobby.  The 3 hooks are from Hobby Lobby and I just hung 2 vintage hats (Charlie found – they were being thrown out as trash) and 1 new hat.

Here is a look at the room from the door.  It is hard to get pictures of this room, because again there is so little room.

The Rhino and Zebra animal heads are from Anthropologie and the antlers are from West Elm.  They are paper mache, so they are really light. 

The Jenny Lind crib we found down the street.  Charlie came home one day (before I even knew I was pregnant) and said “I think someone is selling the kind of crib that you like.”  I love the vintage look of the Jenny Lind crib!  When he said this I doubted that it was actually a Jenny Lind crib but it was!  It was out in front of this house with a sign on it that said “$10 place in mailbox” – so after making sure all the pieces were there – that’s what we did!  It was white, so Charlie just painted it black.  It does have the one side that drops down, but that side is up against the wall.

I decided to not go with any bumper pads, bed skirt, etc. – just wanted to keep it simple.  I bought some pillows to have in the crib for decoration when he is not in it.  The crib sheet is from Target.  The chevron pillow is from Marshalls, Fox pillow from Etsy, and Mischika gave me the cowhide pillow (she found at an estate sale).  Natalie made the quilt.

The rug is from Marshalls.

I love the back of the Fox pillow!

Charlie and I found the alphabet print at an estate sale and got a simple black frame from Hobby Lobby.  The red arrow is from Hobby Lobby.  The silver frame is from Ikea and I just made some temporary prints until we have some pictures to put in them.  The black & white “M” was our 1st purchase after we decided on the name Mathis.  We bought it from Junkadoodle in Dallas.  It is actually a Washington Mutual “W” that we turned the other way.  The vintage flash cards are Mischika’s that she is letting me borrow – they were in Maggie & Mollie’s nursery (almost 14 years ago).  I bought the clear acrylic shelves HERE.  The Radio Flyer Wagon was left in the shed when we moved into this house.   I will probably use it to hold books, toys, etc..

The white curtains are from Ikea and are hung on a solid black rod that I had.  The lamp is from Marshalls.  The vintage rocking chair was given to us by Charlie’s parents.  We had a couple of the spindles fixed that were broken.  Charlie painted it black and recovered the seat.  The seat does not look good and he is going to fix it but will have to wait until after Paramedic school is over.  The “Dallas” pillow is from Marshalls.  Black & white blanket from Ikea.  My mom bought the Sock Monkey for Mathis when we went on a little family getaway to the Gaylord Texan. 

We have had the dresser – just changed out the knobs.  The knobs are from Hobby Lobby.  The shelves are high gloss white from Ikea.  The “Mathis” banner is from a gift shop in Lake Highlands called T-Hee.  They have the whole alphabet in all different patterns and then you just string them on a ribbon.  Charlie & I found a lot of this stuff randomly in our friends grandparents garage (I know, random) – books, dinosaur piggy bank, baby shoe, baby shoes and the deer and bowler trophy which we just spray painted.  We had the baseballs and the glass jar.  The frames are from Ikea and I just made those prints on the computer.  The tin was $1 at an estate sale and the vintage clock was $2 from a garage sale.

The closet like the room is small but it works.  Charlie put in two shelves and an extra bar.  I really like the closet organizer from Babies R Us that hangs on the inside of the door – perfect for extra storage.

Baby Mathis Pregnancy

I did not do a great job of documenting my pregnancy so I am going to to do a little summary – so I have something to look back on.  I was able to gather up some baby bump pictures along the way…

Sonograms of Mathis along the way…

1st sono at 6 weeks…18 weeks – It’s a Boy!

22 Weeks 3D sonogram.  So glad we did this – it was a really cool experience.  We went to the Dallas Pregnancy Resource Center – click HERE for their website.  They assist women who have needs related to unplanned pregnancies.  The women that was doing the sonogram was a nurse and explained to us that it is run by volunteers.  You could tell how much she enjoyed it and genuinely cared about people.  She spent about 45 minutes with us and was determined to get some good pictures of Mathis.  No insurance is needed to come – the 3D sonograms are free.  They provide the 3D sonograms so that people can see their baby and choose against abortion.  I was feeling bad that we were there just to get a free 3D sonogram but the women reassured us that anyone can come and they like to get their name out their so that more people know about them.  The more the merrier!  Our friends Lauren & Casey told us about it because their doctor volunteers there and they had one done with Sawyer.

Sweet Face

Body, face and arm

Body parts

At my 31 week appointment I was measuring at 34 weeks so my doctor wanted to get a sonogram.  My amniotic fluid level was measuring on the high end (24) and he was measuring about a week ahead.  The pictures are kind of crazy looking – his face takes up the whole screen.

When I went back at 33 weeks she wanted another sonogram to make sure that my amniotic fluid level had gone down.  And it had it was 18 and he was measuring right on schedule.  I was measuring right on schedule as well.

31 Weeks – Face…33 Weeks Profile of his head

At my 35 week appointment the sonographer was not there that day and my doctor asked me if I wanted to do a 3D sonogram (for fun!).  She was wanting some practice with the 3D – trying to get good pictures of the face.

He was sleeping and did not want to be disturbed, ha ha.  Love his hand in front of his face.

At my 35 week appointment was when I was sent to L&D for the 2nd time and officially put on bed rest, details HERE.  My last appointment (36 weeks) went well.  My blood pressure was still high (150/101 then 132/90) in the office, but she did not send me to L&D again because they have been great at home (on bed rest).  No protein in my urine.  My cervix was still completely closed and not ripe.  She mentioned inducing between 38 and 39 weeks and is thinking I will need something to ripen my cervix at that time.  She wants to get another sonogram at my next appointment to see how big he is – I will be 37 weeks  and 4 days.  Just taking it one day at a time – he will be here before we know it!

Charlie at one of our appointments.  We were just waiting to see the doctor.

1st Trimester

- 1st appointment at 6 weeks, had vaginal sonogram, fetal heart rate 122

- 2nd appointment at 10 weeks, fetal heart rate 174.  Charlie was at every appointment – thanks to his flexible work schedule.

- Symptoms: Fatigue – I remember one weekend (around week 6 or 7) I literally laid/slept on the couch all weekend.  I had zero energy, but it started to improve.  I would feel okay in the morning but by the afternoon I was exhausted.  Nausea from week 7 to week 13, worse before meals and in the evening.

- Did not really have any cravings.  I would hear/think about something that sounded good and have to have it!  Love fruits and anything citrus.

- Read a general Pregnancy book that my doctors office gave me.

2nd Trimester

- Pros: hair & nails growing fast and boobs getting big, ha ha.  Getting to feel him move!  Cons: having to cut back on drinking diet coke during pregnancy.

- Fetal heart rate usually 140’s-150’s.  Monthly doctor appointments, Charlie got to come to all of the appointments.

- Feeling good – no complaints.

- Got to find out the gender!  Decided on a name Mathis Wylie Rickerson.

- Registering for baby stuff – fun and overwhelming.  My friend Amanda Williams (has 2 little boys) helped me register.  Charlie skipped out on the registering – definitely was a good thing!

3rd Trimester

- Feeling good.  Did have a little more discomfort/harder to breath when my amniotic fluid levels were high.  Did not pass my 1 hour glucose test (probably because I had peanut M&Ms and a root beer for dinner the night before .  I failed by 1 point (I believe it was 141).  Had to come back and do the 3 hour test and passed.  The drink was not bad at all!  Diagnosed with Gestational Hypertension at 35 weeks. 

- Started every 2 week appointments at 31 weeks and weekly appointments at 35 weeks.  Fetal heart rate in the 140’s.

- Charlie started Paramedic school.  He got to come to all the appointments up until week 31.

- Baby Showers!

- Since I work for Medical City we got to go to the Childbirth Class for free and Charlie went to a Daddy Boot Camp Class (put on by veteran dads).  Supposed to go to a Breastfeeding class that I signed up for but had to cancel since I am on bed rest.

- People always saying my stomach looks small – I have a super long torso – so I guess he has plenty of room to stretch out.  I don’t think he will be a little baby.  I don’t know how much Charlie weighed when he was born, but I was 9lb 4oz.

- Finished the nursery.  NB and some 0-3 months clothes washed and bags packed at 36 weeks.

 

So I guess that was a little bit of blog “nesting”, ha ha.  I feel like I  needed to jot a few things down, so that I have something to look back at.  We feel so blessed to have had a happy and healthy (besides high BP, it could be worse) pregnancy so far.  We are so excited to meet Mathis!

Brunch Baby Shower

As you can see I have the most creative friends EVER!  And it’s not over yet – we had another shower this past weekend – and once again I was blown away by how fabulous everything was!  My friends Natalie, Lauren, and Vickie hosted this shower.  These girls are always inspiring me with their creativity!  We had a lot of friends from our church and Community Group – such a great group of supportive friends!  The shower was at Vickie’s beautiful home.

The cuteness started with the invitation…that they made!  I was so impressed (but not surprised at all)!!!

Jenna, Melina & Amanda…Carmen…Kellen, Laura, Rhonda, & Beverly

Although I am on bed rest my doctor said that I could go to the shower as long as it was a “restful” shower.  So instead having me run around and play games Lauren & Natalie told funny mom stories – it was sweet – loved hearing their stories.  They are great moms!

We got a lot of great gifts for Mathis!  We have our necessities (and more!) so we are ready for him anytime now! 

Natalie made this adorable quilt for Mathis!!  I love it!

With the hostesses – Lauren, Natalie, & Vickie

Thanks everyone for the all the fabulous showers!  I loved every single one and they were such a blessing to our family of soon-to-be 3!!