Calum's Nursery

I realized I never posted pictures of Calum's nursery. I was happy with how it turned out. It has a firetruck theme.

This actually looks different now. There is a chair and ottoman where the swing is sitting.

My friend, Emily, gave me lots of hand-me-down clothes for Calum. I used this onesie she gave me for his hospital and nursery door wreath. It was a newborn size and I was guessing our little guy would be too big for it. I was right!
It is a bit to small to read in this picture. It is a baby footprint and says, "I am fearfully and wonderfully made." Ps. 139:14

Our NICU Experience

I have had people tell me that the condition Calum had is common. Well, common as it may be, I am pretty sure you won’t find a woman anywhere who would brush off her baby having to be in the NICU.

When I imagined the experience of having my baby, I never expected to spend two days in an empty room, with no baby to hold or show off to my friends and family. Other than the three minutes I had to hold him after he was born, it was days before I was able to hold him again.

The NICU nurses and doctors were wonderful! When we left Calum on Wednesday I wasn’t too worried because I knew he would be taken care of very well. He spent a few days in the NICU after we went home, but we visited him multiple times a day.

The main doctor that took care of Calum was Dr. Repetto. He was fabulous.

The first day we went in the NICU and were washing our hands (you wear a gown and wash for three minutes- with a timer!) I was noticing pictures on the walls. One picture in particular caught my eye. It was of Dr. Choi. Dr. Choi took care of ME when I was in the NICU 26 years ago! I was born with under-developed lungs and spent two months in the NICU at regional DCH. I could not believe my eyes- the man is in his 70s now and is still practicing! He is very passionate about helping those little babies. He was the doctor that ended up discharging Calum the day he got to go home with us. A funny fact is that I was not the only Mama (with a baby in the NICU) who had been treated by Dr. Choi. There was another mother with a little girl in the NICU who had been cared for by Dr. Choi when she was a baby too. It is amazing the impact he has had on so many generations of babies.

Calum had to wear an oxygen hood for several days after he was born. We called him our little astronaut because it looked like a space helmet. He also had an IV, various vitals monitors, and a tube down his throat, going into his stomach. Slowly, over the course of the next 6 days, these things were removed. Wednesday, we got to feed him for the first time- a very small amount. We couldn’t hold him while we fed him, but we were able to support his neck and head. A couple days later we finally were able to hold him! Early Friday morning he got to go in a well crib and Saturday morning we got to take him home! What an emotional- but exciting- day that was for me. I pretty much cried off and on all Friday night and Saturday. You just have to love those postpartum hormones!

Calum had his name on the NICU board (white helmet in the middle):

He loved his paci, and he loves his hands. He would try so hard to get his hands inside his oxygen hood. He accomplished that goal a few times.

The first time we fed him. Couldn't hold him completely, but this was huge for us!

No more oxygen hood!

This is the first time we truly were able to hold him.

What a sweet face!

In a well crib!!!

Wearing clothes for the first time:

I am in no way biased, but I think my little guy is adorable!

Getting ready to go home! It was game day, so appropriate attire had to be worn.

Calum Chance!!!

Here is the story of how my little man arrived in this world:

At my last doctor’s appointment, I was only 1 centimeter and there was little going on that would lead us to believe Calum was soon to appear. Of course, babies come when they want. That was Tuesday, September 4^th. I proceeded to work the rest of the week, waiting not so patiently for my little man to get motivated. I had one night of very regular Braxton Hicks contractions and a few days of feeling very sore and like something must be changing. I was just waiting for something big to occur. It was like waiting for a pot of water to boil- never seems to happen.

Saturday, September 8th, I woke up feeling different. I was having some pain low and in the middle of my stomach. It was an odd feeling, but rather faint. Throughout the day, the feeling got stronger. It became a sharper pain, but still concentrated in one area- low and in the middle. This was not a crampy feeling. It did not cause my back to hurt and it was not an all-over type pain. It did, however, come like contractions. It would hurt and then go away. Later in the day I decided to start timing them with the contraction timer on my phone, just to see if there was a pattern. Sure enough, they became closer together and regular- they also became more painful.

Damon was out of town that day. He was hunting in Fayette. My mom came over to watch the game with me. I didn’t tell her what was going on, nor did I tell Damon, because at that point it wasn’t too strong and I was determined I would not be that person who goes to the hospital with false labor. However, after she left things started getting stronger and more painful at a very fast rate. Finally it got to the point that I called Damon and told him to come home. I then proceeded to call him back about twenty minutes later and REALLY tell him to come home. He was loading up his three-wheeler and I let him know that I needed him in his truck and headed home immediately. I didn’t care if the three-wheeler was left on the side of the road. At this point I was nervous. I was having pains about every 4-5 minutes and they were hurting pretty good.

I called my doctor when Damon got home and told her what was going on. She informed me that she didn’t think I was in labor because my pain did not sound like labor pain. That was a horrible feeling. I about wanted to cry. She said we could head out to the hospital anyway and that they would check me out and give me something for the pain. Great!- I thought- She thinks I am a complete wimp!

When we got to the hospital they hooked me up to monitors. I was definitely having contractions, but when she checked me I was still only 1 centimeter! WHAT?!?! I could not believe it. After the week I had and the day I had it was almost impossible for me to believe that there was no change. They monitored me for an hour and in that time my pain became severe. No matter how I laid, I was in terrible pain. The pain was sharp and stabbing and still low and in the middle. The nurse called my doctor and my doctor told her to send me home. When I heard that I got really upset. The idea of going back home with such severe pain was unthinkable. They had given me Demerol and Tylox, but nothing had worked. Finally, before they sent me on my way, they gave me a small pill to stop my contractions. We got home about 11:00 and at 12:30 my contractions finally stopped- as did the pain- and I was able to go to sleep.

When I awoke Sunday morning I felt like I had been drugged. I felt really weak. I was not having any pain though and Damon and I managed to have a rather relaxing morning. I did decide to arrange for my maternity sub to go in for me the next day to start my leave. After the night I had I was in no hurry to go to work Monday. I felt pretty rundown.

Well, about 1:00 that afternoon I started feeling the pains again- faint at first. This made me very nervous- remembering the night I had before. I remember telling Damon that I didn’t understand why they chose to stop my contractions because I was 40 weeks and I knew when they started up again, so would my pain. Gee- I guess I am a rocket scientist!!!

This time it moved faster. By 9:30 that night I was on the phone with my doctor telling her I needed her to call something in or do something because my pain was severe. It was as painful as it had been at the hospital the night before. Within an hour I was on the phone with her telling her I was headed to the hospital and she had better have someone there to meet me and to take care of my pain. At that point- around 10:30pm- I could not sit or lay at all. All I could do is walk around. Unlike labor pains, when I would have a contraction I had to move. Staying still was painful. I paced our floor for hours that night and it was at the point that I was crying, moaning, yelling, etc. Poor Damon! I know he had no idea what to do to help me. I remember, at one point, having my face buried in the corner of our dining room wall and begging God to make the pain go away. No joke- it was that bad!

The drive to the hospital seemed like an eternity. When we got there- around 11pm- we had to go in through the emergency room because the Women’s Pavilion had already locked their doors. We went in and Damon nicely told the security guard that we needed to be seen. I chimed in with “I need to get to Labor and Delivery right now!” I was in no mood to play nice or to wait.

When we got to L&D they put me in a room and had me give a urine sample- something they failed to do the night before. I got in a gown, in the bed, and hooked up to monitors. The nurse checked me- 3 centimeters. I am pretty sure everyone on that hall heard me shout “Yes!” I immediately asked- “Does that mean I get to stay?” It did- thank God! By the time I got settled in, my IV started and some Demerol in my system, I was checked again- 5 centimeters. Music to my ears.

The Demerol helped take some of the edge off the pain, but it did not disappear by far. It was stronger in my IV than it was in pill form the night before. Once it started to wear off I got my epidural- around 3:30am. I really wasn’t hurting too badly at that point (compared to what I had been feeling), but the thought of the sharp pain coming back was scary. The man that did my epidural was fabulous. It didn’t hurt at all. In fact, of all sticks I got during my hospital stay, the one that hurt the most was when they took my blood the day after Calum was born. Clearly that woman didn’t know what she was doing. Anyway, the epidural took effect very quickly and I was able to get a little rest. I’ll admit that having my lower body numb and heavy like that wasn’t the best feeling. I didn’t overly like it- but I loved not having pain.

By 8:00 the next morning I was 8 centimeters. At that point, I had them turn my epidural drip off. I knew in the back of my mind that our little boy wasn’t going to be a small baby. In fear of having a C-section, or the doctor feeling the need to use forceps or a vacuum during delivery, I wanted to be able to feel my legs and lower half so I could be effective during delivery. They left the epidural in and gave me a pump that I could press every 20 minutes or so to get a small dose of medicine. Wow- 20 minutes takes forever!!! That epidural wore off quickly and the pump wasn’t nearly as potent. Lol!

I started pushing at 10:00am and our precious Calum Chance arrived at 11:06. I got to hold him immediately. He was crying- but I think I was crying harder. It was an experience unlike anything I could have imagined. I remember how warm and soft he was in my arms. I held him for about three minutes, then they took him to weigh him and such. That is when things changed.

They kept poking at him and checking his breathing. He was turning bluish gray. They kept saying he was fine, that everything was fine, but after several minutes and more and more people checking him out, I knew that wasn’t the case. He had stopped crying and wasn’t breathing well. He was holding his breath and grunting. They couldn’t get him to cry again. They called someone in to check him out. Then they took him away. They said they would be back within half an hour to update us. That half hour turned into almost an hour and a half!

Basically, Calum had a collapsed lung and a respiratory infection. The way the doctor explained it made it sound horrible. She really scared us. Thank goodness he was going to make a full recovery. He spent Monday through Saturday in the NICU. There was another baby girl in there with the same issues as Calum, but she had to have a chest tube and was put on a respirator. We felt so blessed that Calum was making fast improvements and did not require advanced procedures. I’m sure it helped that he was a 40 week baby and had some weight on him.

Calum weighed 8lbs. 15.8oz. So, at two tenths of an ounce away from 9 pounds, we just called him 9. He was 21.25 inches long. And- not being biased or anything- he is one beautiful little boy. I could never fathom the love that I feel for him. It really is an amazing feeling.

Oh- the sharp stabbing pain…. bladder stones! Yep- every time I had a contraction, Calum would be pushed down into my bladder, which was highly inflamed. I had never even heard of those. I don’t really know what labor pains feel like because they were overtaken by the different pain I experienced.  If the nurse had gotten a urine sample on Saturday night, they would have known before we had the repeat experience on Sunday. Also, I feel certain if they had not stopped my contractions on Saturday night, Calum would have been born on his due date, instead of the day after.

We are so glad that Calum is finally here. We are two very proud parents!

I was crying so hard when I held him for the first time:

Our first family picture:

Another Appointment Come and Gone

I had a baby appointment yesterday morning- Sept 4th. I had only gained one pound. Yea! My blood pressure looked good too. They hooked me up to a monitor to see if I was having any contractions and to see how Calum would handle them. It took Tammy, Dr. Bolton's nurse, forever to get me situated, because Calum refused to be still so we could get his heartbeat consistently. She informed me that SHE gets to give him his first spanking when he arrives. Lol! I'm telling you, he acts up for her- like he knows who she is. It's rather amusing really! Anyway- no contractions- of course! Dr. Bolton checked me- just a little progress. One centimeter, 25% effaced, -1 station. Something is better than nothing I suppose, but my patience is running short. I'm ready to meet him! I have an appointment next Monday- AFTER my due date has come and gone. We will talk induction then. Will we make it to that appointment? We'll see! I'm guessing- yes! Calum seems quite content where he is.

A Few Random Pictures

Here I am, 37 weeks pregnant. My sweet friend, Erin, got married that day and I was her matron of honor. I will post more about her wedding later, when I have more pictures.

Here is our crib- finally! We got the nursery furniture last Friday- 8/24. Nothing like last minute! I'll post more pictures of the nursery later- after I take some :-)

Here is our Sugar baby! Her new favorite toy is a pacifier. She snitched it from the baby’s room (I think she is a bit jealous of all the baby stuff) and I’ll admit it is quite hilarious watching her carry it around and fetching it when thrown. She loves it. We may never buy another dog toy again!

Baby Appointments

I have had four baby appointments since I last blogged. I am so glad I am updating before Calum gets here!

On July 31^st, I had a typical baby check-up. My blood pressure was good, like usual (don’t get me wrong- I know how blessed I am to have had good blood pressure throughout this pregnancy). His heart rate was 168bpm- high as always! He was measuring big but, in true Dr. Bolton form, she didn’t share any specific numbers with me. I had gained quite a few pounds in those two weeks- mainly fluid. This is around the time I first really started swelling- especially in my feet. We had been moving in those past days, so my feet weren’t their happiest. I had another two week wait before my weekly appointments would begin.

On August 13^th I had a surprising appointment- but in a good way. I went in. My blood pressure looked great and I had gained only two pounds! Yea! Finally it seemed I got it right! Only two pounds in two weeks! Believe me- if you had to listen to my doctor’s lectures about weight gain you would have been ecstatic about this too! That wasn’t even the surprising part though.

Calum’s heart rate was 134bpm. This was a shocker! That is the lowest heart rate I have ever had for him. I thought this meant his heart rate was slowing down, as most babies’ do near the end of pregnancy. Nah! Just a fluke. This wasn’t the surprising part either!

Dr. Bolton, came in, measured my tummy and then told me I was going to get an ultrasound! This was the surprising part. I hadn’t seen my baby boy in four months. I was very excited- but felt horrible that Damon wasn’t there with me.

Calum had been measuring two weeks ahead. So, at that point- 36 weeks- he was measuring 38 weeks. My doctor was concerned and wanted to know why he was measuring so large. She wanted to do the ultrasound to check on fluid levels and to measure him more accurately. After measuring his head, abdomen, and legs multiple times each, she came to the same conclusion as the measuring tape- he was measuring consistently at 38 weeks. She said he looked great and healthy- just a big healthy.

He was moving his mouth during the ultrasound and sticking his tongue out. Cutie-pie! I also saw him practicing his breathing- with his tummy going in and out with each “breath”.

After the ultrasound she mentioned that she was not likely to let me go to 40 weeks and that she might even induce me. This got me very excited as I was ready to meet my little man after seeing him on the ultrasound. Although she didn’t point it out herself, I was nosey and saw that the ultrasound predicted my due date to be August 29^th. Well, I guess that didn’t happen!

My next appointment, on the 20^th was the first time she checked me for progress. No progress, and he had slowed down his growing. He didn’t gain a week in a week’s time. His heart rate was back up to 153bpm too. She didn’t mention anything more about inducing.

This week I went back on Tuesday (8/28). I had made minimal progress (but something at least)- nothing much to speak of- and he still hadn’t grown his usual amount. So, no induction after all. I may even go the full 40 weeks, but hopefully not past that! Calum’s heart rate was 152bpm- my little wiggle worm! My blood pressure was good too. I have gained every week- I’ll spare you all the numbers… for my own sake.

My next scheduled appointment is Tuesday, September 4^th.

How I have been feeling:

It has been so long since I have updated that I guess I need to update all my pregnancy symptoms. I guess the biggest complaint I have had- which makes my entire pregnancy amount to a very blessed, easy one- is my feet! My feet got really swollen for the first time during the days we moved and got settled into our new house. After that they didn’t really swell for a couple weeks. Then, around 36 weeks they really started swelling on a daily basis. They swell daily now (horrible swelling) and I have been wearing compression stockings when I can to help. My ankles feel bruised and my feet are just plain unhappy. But- like I said- if that is the biggest complaint I have had, then I have had a breezy pregnancy.

Luckily, my blood pressure has remained at fabulous levels. My weight gain could be less, but I feel like it is pretty much all tummy, so that isn’t so bad. I am ready to have my body back though. I literally feel like I am occupying someone else’s body because it is now so difficult to maneuver. When people say you feel uncomfortable at the end of pregnancy, they are right. I do have aches and pains, but overall I just don’t feel like me anymore.

I have battled a head cold this past week. It is still hanging on for dear life. I am stubborn and won’t take anything for it, so I have just been waiting it out. It is waiting me out too! I just hope it clears up before hospital time. I would like to be able to breathe properly during that time and I don’t really feel like sharing my cold with my little guy.

So, I guess my next baby update will either be baby pictures and a story, or it will be an update from my next baby appointment. Hmmm…. I wonder which it will be!

Baby Showers!

I have had three baby showers since I last updated this blog!

On July 21^st I had my second baby shower! My aunt, Brenda, and her daughters hosted this shower for us and it was so sweet and thoughtful. We received wonderful gifts- many things we still really needed.

On August 11^th, Damon’s work family gave us a huge shower! He is clearly well-loved by his DCH co-workers. I knew some of the people there, but I didn’t know everyone. It was so nice to meet many of the people Damon works with. They gave us everything from clothes and books to a Nap Nanny, necessity items, and gift cards, to name just a few. Their thoughtfulness and generosity was tremendous!

Here is a picture of the cake from that shower:

On August 17^th, my work family, at Buhl Elementary, gave me a shower. I got a couple individual gifts, but as a whole, my school came together and gave us a huge Visa gift card. This was fabulous because it helped us purchase many of the things we still needed for Calum, such as bottles, a crib mattress, etc.

I must admit in awe that after four amazing showers, I hardly had any duplicate items to return! Last week, my mom and I went shopping and purchased all the items Damon and I still needed for Calum. I used our gift cards and after two days of shopping I only spent about $35 dollars out of pocket for many hundreds of dollars worth of products. Damon, Calum, and I have been so incredibly blessed by our family and friends. We are so appreciative.