Jake's Birthstory...boy was it a whirwind!

It was 2:45am on April 2.  I woke up dreaming of Criminal Minds episodes, I don’t really know why other than I love the show and watch it frequently in repeats. 

Easter was just two days earlier and all the family asked when the baby was coming.  I told them I probably wouldn’t make it to my due date but because I thought this- would probably be late.  Little did I know I was right.

After being awake I realized there was some *ahem* stuff going on, so I got up and went to the bathroom.  I came back to bed and again, needed to get up to go to the bathroom.  This time though it happened like it does in the movies…my water broke, all over the bathroom floor.

I was in shock.  Never did I think I would have this happen.  I just figured I was going in after my due date for another c-section.  As I’ve mentioned before I wanted to try for a VBAC (vaginal delivery after cesarean).  Well it looked like I was going to get my wish, though, after realizing it was in fact my water than at broken I wasn’t having any contractions.  I thought it was odd but quickly googled it on my phone to see it does happen and the contractions would probably start soon.

My husband was at work…of course because that’s how I knew it was going to happen if I went into labor at home.  Luckily I had already made a plan and called my mom, who was going to take me to the hospital then my mother-in-law who was coming to stay with Peyton.  I then tried to call Jeffrey, “no service to the party you are trying to reach’.  Ummm…what?!  Never had I ever gotten that before when I called him while at work.  I tried again, and again.  Same thing.  I was starting to freak…but then I remembered I made him give me the number to the station and the hotline number for dispatch to reach him if he were not at the station.  (sometimes I am brilliant…or I actually knew in the back of my mind this baby was coming early)

So I called the station where Jeffrey works and his co-worker literally hangs up on me frantically to go get him out of bed (an unusual night where he was on the tower and they weren’t on a call).  He calls me from his cell and I tell him head to the hospital because I am on my way.  He ends up getting there before we do haha.  He was flying!

Like I had read the contractions started.  Not too hard or too much but they were progressively getting harder.  With each contraction though, I felt more amniotic fluid.  Luckily I was sitting on a towel in my mom’s truck!

Got to the hospital and checked in around 5:30am.  Went to change into my gown and noticed when changing my pants the fluid had blood in it.  I asked the nurse setting up the room if that was normal and she said yes some blood was perfectly fine.  So I got in the bed, got all hooked up and waited for them to call my midwife.  She told them to call her when I got further along and to check to see how much progress I’d made.  As soon as she pulled back the sheet the look on her face was not good.  So I looked too.  The bed pad I was sitting on was filled with blood…not good.  She immediately went to call my midwife and get her to come in now.  The nurse came back and said that I was bleeding too heavily from what she had seen and wanted my midwife to check me just in case.  She asked if I had been told I had placenta previa and I told her no I had not.  I had several ultrasounds throughout and no one ever mentioned it, so I didn’t think so.  I was nervous but hoped Pat would bring good news when she got there.

Thirty minutes later the midwife arrived and check everything out.  She did check my cervix and I was 3cm.  She looked concerned but said she was going to let me go some more to see where that took us.  The monitor showed the baby's heart rate was fine and my contractions were progressing.  She said one of the doctors would be in for a c-section soon and she was going to get him to take a look at what was going on as well. 

One of the fears of trying a VBAC is bleeding from the previous incision and uterine rupture.  I could tell from the faces of the nurses and my midwife something was off, so I made one of the nurses tell me has she ever seen this before and was I probably going into surgery.  I didn’t want to play around I wanted to know what was going on.  She told me I was bleeding way too much and yes the doctor was probably going to say c-section.  By this time I had soaked two more bed pads. 

The doctor came in and immediately told them to prep me for surgery as soon as he saw the three blood soaked bed pads.  It was a whirlwind after that.  I was scared and devastated at the same time.  I really wanted to deliver this baby on my own but knew then what was best for both of us was the c-section. 

The whole time the baby was doing great…I was just losing a lot of blood and the doctor knew it wouldn’t be long before that affected Jake.  The nurses came in and did all the prep so fast I didn’t know what was going on.  I had seen the doctor at 6:45am and by 7am I was in the OR. 

Peyton was breech so I knew weeks before that she would come via c-section.  It was scheduled and everything went smoothly.  I was nervous because I’d never had any surgery or even stitches before but other than that I was at peace with the whole idea.  This time I was scared to death.  The doctor and midwife didn’t know why I was bleeding and if it were my uterus they had to act fast because it could have meant bad things for both me and the baby. 

It just seemed like everything went wrong.  My spinal did not numb me as much as it did with Peyton.  I still had sensation in my feet and though I felt no sharp pain of the knife cutting me I felt the tug of every layer of skin they went through.  It was very surreal.  The anesthesiologist and doctor assured me that it was ok and I wouldn’t know there was a gaping hole in my abdomen.  But I was in a panic.  What felt like an hour had only been minutes. 

Jeffrey had not been allowed back yet and I begged for them to get him to come in…I was certain he was going to miss the birth and I needed him because I was freaking out.  My nurse was so wonderful though she held my hands during the spinal, stayed by me head until Jeffrey got there and was the one who was straight up with me about what was going on.  I cried the whole time…my hormones and just being scared that something was wrong with Jake even though the monitor showed him to be fine. 

Because my spinal was spotty and not as strong as with Peyton the pressure of them pulling him out was unreal.  I felt every tug and pull and push.  And they were working so fast.  But as soon as he emerged I heard that little cry.

Jacob David Holt was born April 2 at 7:26am weighing 5lbs 6oz and 19in long.  A tiny little fella who came three weeks early and entered the world unscathed.  After they brought him to me to see and touch I saw the anesthesiologist go to push something in my IV.  I was told later it was some valium to settle me down because they had to work on me after they pulled Jake out.

Now what happened you ask?  Well it wasn’t my incision or my uterus; everything had set up perfect to do a VBAC.  What it was, was something very strange and something no one can explain. 

My placenta had torn.  Actually it had formed very differently.  There were 3 lobes all attached together, two small and one large.  The large one had infarction away from the other two and that’s what was bleeding.  Then on top of that the other two lobes were black, actually dead tissue.  They sent my placenta off to the lab for tests which came back inconclusive.  No one knows why my placenta formed into 3 pieces, nor do they know why it tore.  But my water broke because the sack had filled so much with blood it just broke.  Thankfully this did not affect Jake at all, so he wasn’t swimming in blood for too long that it would have gotten in his lungs. Also, iron levels are supposed to be at a 12 or around there and the lowest on the scale should be a 7…well I was at a 7.  They still are in shock I did not pass out prior to or during surgery.  I had been taking my prenatal vitamins along with an iron supplement because each baby had made me anemic, but had stopped for a week because I came down with a stomach virus for a week prior to having Jake.  They were making my virus even worse. And add to that, that I had lost a lot of blood.

Whew!  After all that by the Grace of God we were both fine…not a single issue afterward.  I attribute that to God of course and to Jeffrey’s Papaw in heaven, who’s birthday Jake was born on and is named after (middle name, same as Jeffrey’s also).  He took care of us and made sure God didn’t let anything happen.  And I thank them both everyday!

32 Week Bumpdate

How Far Along?: 32 weeks
Boy or Girl:  BOY!! Jacob David :)
Weight Gain: 32lbs

Doctor's Appointments: Admitted to hospital Friday, February 22 for contractions and what I believed to be my water slowly leaking.  Thank God both the amniotic fluid test and the pre-term labor test came back negative.  However, I was there for 6hrs being monitored drinking lots of fluids and ending up with 2 IV bags, one of which had contractions stopping meds in it.  We are fine but it definitely was scary.  Luckily, my regularly scheduled appointment was the following Monday.  My midwife said she really could not explain the "real" contractions I was having and of course to call immediately if they happen again before March 15.  Yes, she told me she can't guarantee when I will have this baby but that if he decides come after March 15 she will not stop labor.  I will be 35 weeks then...which is 2.5 weeks from now.  No Baby Jake...stay put until our due date please.  Momma is not ready.
What's Going on with Momma?: Lots of Braxton Hicks, back and hip ache.  Sleeping is almost non existent.

Memorable Moment: Definitely being admitted in the hospital so early.  Never did anything happen like that with Peyton.  I'll say it again, completely different pregnancy.  You would think I had never had a baby before the way new things are being thrown at me.

Movement:  He literally never sleeps...except at night, which I guess is a good thing.  But he is always stretching, punching and kicking.
What I Miss: Good sleep.
Nursery:  Everything is packed away and all furniture is ready to go, just need to paint and that is happening this Saturday!!
The Big Sister: My poor first born has been so sick for the last week and a half.  Crazy, fever only virus then an ear infection on top of it.  She stayed out of school and day care a whole week and went back to school on Monday.  Jeffrey had to go get her though due to the new sickness of an ear ache.  We are all exhausted: Peyton being sick, Jeffrey not being home at night for 2 weeks, me working and nursing a sick child.  Definitely another reason I went to the hospital.  But Peyton is on the mend finally and is back to my spunky big girl :)

30 Week Bumpdate - The Countdown is on!

How Far Along?: 30 weeks!  Let the countdown begin...10 weeks!!

Boy or Girl:  Proud of the little boy growing big and strong in my belly!

Weight Gain: 23lbs

Doctor's Appointments: Had my 28week check up where I did the 1-hour glucose test.  I passed!  Yay!  Though, I never thought I wouldn't.  It wasn't an issue with Peyton either.  However, I am anemic again.  But other than that we are both doing perfect!  I am measuring 2 weeks behind, but I'm tiny, I'm not going to get but so big.  The baby measures right on point though, he just has very little room to move around...probably why he kicks and punches a lot ;)

What's Going on with Momma?: Getting really tired all over again like the 1st trimester.  That's to be expected in the 3rd but I was hoping it wouldn't happen at the beginning.  I am anemic as well so that also has something to do with it, taking iron supplement now. 

Memeroable Moment: Peyton still loves to talk to Baby Jake and rub my belly.  She now says she has a baby Elmo in her belly and I need to rub her's as well.  Probably the cutest thing in the world.  He is so active now that Jeffrey and Peyton can feel him moving.  It's so special to lay down with Jeffrey and put his hand on my belly and let him feel the boxing match going on in there! :) 

Movement:  Oh the movement.  I will say it again...I NEVER felt this much with Peyton.  I guess she was just so restricted with her umbilical cord and being breech.  As far as I know he is still head down.  I feel I am right on this because I can play with his feet as he stretches and they poke out.  I love doing that...just tickling his tiny foot. 

What I Miss: Alcohol.  Let's just face it.  It's true.  I'd like a glass of wine...or 12.  And a margarita on the rocks would be wonderful.  Go ahead.  Judge if you must.  But you better belive when the kiddies go to bed this spring/summer I will be indulging lol!

Nursery:  I really need to start on this, like yesterday!  Cleaning out the room has been the biggest pain and what is holding up the process.  The changing table, crib, rocking chair and dresser are all in there set up we just need to move the junk and paint.  Luckily I've got several volunteers to help and hopefully make it a one day process!

The Big Sister: She is growing up y'all.  We've gone from toddler to kid.  No turning back.  I'm ready to go on maternity leave not just to welcome our baby boy but to spend time with her too.  To see her with Jake.  She is absolutely, hands down going to be the BEST BIG SISTER there is!

24week Bumpdate

How far along? 24.5 weeks

What I'm craving?: Still want chocolate milk on the regular - every.day

Funny/Memorable Story Of The Week: Peyton went with me to my last appointment.  While waiting in the room she started "checking" the baby's "beatheart" with her imaginary stethoscope   She was also telling me to lay down and trying to put my feet in the stirrups haha!  She was right in the middle of my actual check-up.  Pat let her pull out the tape to measure my fundus and even squirt the jelly on the Doppler   We all listened to the heartbeat and she got just as excited as she normally does.  After I was done Pat asked her if she wanted to hear her heartbeat.  So Peyton got on the table and laid down and got to hear her heart over the Doppler   Pat even recorded it and sent it to me like she did the baby's the first time we heard his.  Peyton had a blast and now says she wants to go with me to the doctor every time ;)

Weight Gain: 18lbs

Doctor Appointments: Just a normal check-up.

Work-Out Regimen: Keeping up with my 3 year old, does that count?  And walking up stairs several times at work, and back and forth to other offices?

What's Going On With Momma?:  Got some Braxton hicks going on.  I felt my first one at 17/18weeks and they have been sporadic.  But I guess with all the hustle and bustle of the holidays they have increased in frequency and intensity.  Though, they are not of concern.  Thank goodness!!!  Some can just put me a a pause while they happen, and this is all new to me because I felt hardly any with Peyton.

Boy or Girl:  Still a boy ;)

Sleep:  So so.

Movement: So much movement.  I can definitley tell a sleep/wake pattern with him.  

What I Miss:  Sleeping on my stomach and being able to walk a ways without getting short of breath.  And a dang margarita!

What I'm Looking Forward To: Decorating the nursery and getting it ready.

How Baby’s Growing: I assume good because no one has told me otherwise.  And my belly is all him, he's bigger than what you can see from the outside.   

The Big Sister: Understanding a little better what all this baby business is about.  She has felt him kick and that was a weird expression on her face when it happened haha.

What's in a name?

Well since we have concretely decided on a name, I thought I'd share.  I'm not one to keep the baby's name a secret, though I wanted to be sure we weren't going to change our minds before we told the world. 

So here it is...our baby boy's name...

JACOB

DAVID

We will call him Jake.  I just love it!  It was what I had picked if we had a boy the first time around so I'm glad my husband likes it too. 

Daddy's initials are JDH and so will Jakes.  I wanted to keep the same initials without having a Jr.  You see my father's name is Jeffrey too, it was get confusing, and that's just too many Jeffrey's.  Jeffrey's middle name is David too, which was his grandfather's name.  I really wanted to keep the family name.  Also, I did not want to call him David because someone would inevidibly shorten it to Dave or Davey and I can't stand that (sorry if that's your or your son's name).  Jacob is also a strong bibical name, I really like that. 

So there you have it folks...our SON'S name (still can't get used to the fact I will have a son, eeek)!

19 Week Bumpdate

How far along? 19 weeks (really 19.5)

What I'm craving?: Still want chocolate milk on the regular.

Funny/Memorable Story Of The Week: Finding out the baby’s gender.  I had my husband, Peyton and my best friend Sarah in the room the Wednesday before Thanksgiving.  So fun to have them all involved.  And Peyton thought it was so neat to see the baby on the screen!

Weight Gain: 16lbs

Doctor Appointments: Normal quick check-up, one gender ultrasound, then the anatomy scan and another quick check-up.  And I’m a full moon again because as soon as I stepped through the door of the office my midwife rushed to the hospital for a delivery.  Though I didn’t have to wait long for her return and we had the anatomy scan first to fill up time. 

Work-Out Regimen: Keeping up with my 3 year old, does that count?

What's Going On With Momma?:  I FINALLY am over morning(all day) sickness.  Been vomit free for 3 weeks now, though I still get queasy each day for a bit it’s nothing compared to what I was going through.

Boy or Girl:  The baby was cooperative and we are having A BOY!  It’s a dream come true…because if I’m being honest I always dreamed of having one of each.  Though, I always saw myself as a mother of two girls I couldn’t be more happy we are having a boy.  Of course my husband is ecstatic!  And my mother-in-law and cousins dreams were right on point.  (I’m signing my MIL up for the Psychic Network by the way ha!)

Sleep:  Awful…I’m exhausted and preg-somnia has set in.

Movement: Goodness gracious does this baby move!  He is head down, which never happened with Peyton she was always breech, and I feel so much more movement with him.  I even felt him turn head down.  So here’s hoping he can stay that way and we can have a VBAC.  He is becoming more active at different times during the day so I’m hoping the trend continues and he sleeps good at night because I never feel him when I get up, and he hasn’t woke me up yet. 

What I Miss:  Sleeping on my stomach and being able to walk a ways without getting short of breath.

What I'm Looking Forward To: Decorating the nursery.  But before that of course CHRISTMAS!!

How Baby’s Growing: 10oz according to the anatomy scan.  He is measuring and looking perfect.  Everything is where it’s supposed to be, in working order, and that makes me more relieved than anything.    Gender is one thing but knowing the baby is healthy warms this momma’s heart.  Because I stress over that until that day. 

The Big Sister: Getting used the idea that yes the baby is a boy and she will have a brother.  Also, learning his name.  Right now we are consumed with everything Christmas, and I love it.  She is following in my footsteps and adoring it as much as me!

Big Changes

I live in Southeastern Virginia, before you get to the traffic hazard that is Hampton Roads area.  We are rural – country.  Actually, I live on a farm, a farmer’s daughter.  I was born and raised on this farm just as my dad was, and his dad, and his dad before him.  It’s been in our family for more than 100yrs and is registered as a Century Farm.  You can kinda say I’m attached to this land, to this place.  “There’s No Place Like Home” a quote from my all-time favorite movie has no truer meaning than for this place here in small town USA, what we call Cedar Lawn Farms.

My husband and I built our cozy little home at the back of one of my dad’s fields.  In our simpleton mind, we have the life.  A house you can’t see from the road, acres and acres of woods around us to hunt (for my husband’s sake), and a little pond down our lane that when we stock it back, our children will fish in during summer break.  My grandparent’s house is a row of trees and a field over, and beyond that is another row of trees and a field then my parent’s house.  Yes two minuets are all it takes to get to my childhood home. 

My dad farms cotton, wheat and soy beans.  He has fields all down our road and around on the next country block.  Even on the highway that runs through the small town that our farm is outside of.  And that highway gets me to the point of this post.

VDOT has decided that they need a faster way to transport cargo from Richmond to the ports in Portsmouth.  Going down the existing highway called Rt. 460 just isn’t fast enough.  Because scattered all along this highway which stretches from Blacksburg to Suffolk (across the whole state) are small towns with stop lights.  And you know stopping for a stop light every 60miles is such a hassle for truck drivers. 

So VDOT has, with influence from the manufactures that are shipping this cargo, put into effect to create a whole new Rt. 460.  One only for cargo trucks and tractor trailers, to bypass the small towns only to have the cargo arrive, here it is, HALF A DAY sooner than it was before.  HALF A DAY!, or a whole day depending.  Also, truckers will have to pay a toll, a mandatory toll because they have to use this new highway or be fined, each way…out of their pockets in hopes to get reimbursed (or given a stipend beforehand).  Virginia does not have the money to build this highway or the man power so they have contracted this work out to a private company and hence the toll. 

There will only be interchanges every so often and regular traffic will be prohibited from taking this road unless there are certain conditions that I can’t remember. 

Building a new highway means taking private land and claiming imminent domain.  Well that folks is what’s happening to part of our farm.  The new 460 is passing right through our farm.  In fact it will be taking the house I grew up in, my parent’s house.  That’s how close I will now have a highway to me and my cozy little paradise.  And not only will they take the house but the grain bins, shelters and old peanut drying shelter.  Of course the state will have to pay my dad big bucks for all of this because it is affecting his living, takes away acreage that produces our family’s means.  But who cares about money when you are talking about family?!

Luckily, my grandparent’s house (big, beautiful pre-Civil War plantation-esque house) will not be affected.  Both of my grandparents have passed and the house was left to my dad, so they will be remolding (since the electrical wiring is so old and it needs a face-lift) and moving there.  I thank God that that house and fence and red barns will still be there.  But it breaks my heart that my kids won’t really know my childhood home, and that I won’t be able to go “back home”.

This process started in 2004.  Archeologists came looking for anything that could prohibit building there: Native American burial grounds, endangered animals, precious rock, etc.  But found nothing.  It doesn’t matter that a cemetery behind my parent’s house, where relatives from over 200yrs ago are buried, will be dug up and moved.  The state doesn’t care about that. 

I am so angry.  And I am so sad.  I have been mad about this since they first announced the proposal.  I do not understand why they need a service road just for cargo, when the outcome does not produce that big of a difference time-wise.  Why are we a world that has to have things in a split second?  Why can’t we just slow down?  I believe America and the world would be a better place if we just took time to take life in.  But yet this is all in the name of progress.

I could just scream.

Construction starts December 2014.  I have two years to cherish everything that is Cedar Lawn Farms right now.