Dean's Birth Story

Monday we painted Baby boy's room. I also become very congested by the end of the night.

Tuesday I hit my 34 week mark in my pregnancy. Six weeks to go (or so I thought)!

Wednesday I took pictures of my neighbors newborn baby. She asked if I had heard of pre-eclampsia. I'm a self diagnosed hypochondriac, so when I got home I opened up my "What to expect when you're expecting" book and read about pre-eclampsia.

Three main symptoms of pre-eclampsia: swollen feet, high blood pressure, protein in your urine.

That night we went to Kohler's grocery store to take my blood pressure. And it was high.

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Thursday morning I called my doctor to see if I could come in and get checked. By 10 am I was at my doctors, the checked my blood pressure several times and did a urine sample test. My Doctor informed me that I most likely had severe pre-eclampsia and that I would either be delivering my baby today or have to go on bedrest and expect to deliver a few weeks early. We did an ultra sound to make sure the fluid levels weren't too high and as far as they could tell baby was looking good and was head down. They gave me a steroid shot in my bum and sent me to the hospital to get further blood tests.

I called Ryon and asked him to meet me at the hospital. On the I phone cried, but not because I was scared I think it was more out of shock.

Ryon arrived at the hospital and we sent texts and made calls to our parents. The blood test confirmed that I had severe pre-eclampsia and that would need to deliver my baby today. Even though this was all so unexpected both of us felt so much peace. My nurse checked me and I was dilated to a 3 and 80% effaced. They moved us to a delivery room on the 3rd floor with huge nice windows. They induced me with pitocin and had me on magnesium as well to keep my blood pressure low. Although I had been hoping to have a natural birth without an epidural, the doctor suggested that I get one so that the stress and pain of labor didn't bring my blood pressure even higher. I was still pretty apprehensive (I had just watched a documentary a couple days earlier whose whole agenda was too convince me that doctors are evil and they want you to have the most unnatural birth possible and give you every drug possible, I'm exaggerating, but you get the picture) but I talked to my nurse who said that she gave birth to all of her children without epidurals, so she was on my side, but said in this case she would suggest an epidural as well.

It was all kind of a blur after that.

Induced around 3

Epidural. Ouch.

"she's at a 3"

"still at a 3"

"still at a 3"

10:30 ish

"woah you're complete"

"Really?"

"what number is that?"

"10!"

"what does that mean?"

"His head is right here, you're going to have a baby in your arms in 10 minutes."