Changing with the Seasons: July 2009

Well, after waiting 5 more days after my due date,Charlotte made her way into our lives on Friday, July 3, 2009. Her poor little face was all bruised, but, of course, all of that has dissipated.

I began having contractions early that morning around 1am.They were 20 minutes apart up until about 5am. They then were anywhere between 10-15 minutes apart until 7am. I called my midwife, Connie, and said," Can we have a baby today?" and she said, "Sure! Are you in labor?" I told her what our status was and said that we were going to hang out at home for a little while longer until I felt that I needed to come to the birth center. From 7 until 8am they got closer and closer. I kept asking Craig or Jade,(my clock watchers), "What time is it now?", or, " How far apart was that one?",or, "How long did that one last?". They went from 5minutes apart, to 4, and then to 2 minutes apart. I finally called her when they were 2 minutes apart. I told her that I wasn't in my panic mode or even felt like,"Hey I need to get somewhere", but, MY CONTRACTIONS ARE 2 MINUTES APART! and we are just going to come on over anyway. Earlier in the morning,I asked Craig to get the camcorder out and video tape our morning...

He said,"Okay, but it is going to be on the back end of our Grand Canyon tape".

Now, everyone has to have a "story" to tell about their labor day, well, this is where ours comes in....I had reminded Craig several times in the weeks prior to this day, to go and get more tape for our camcorder for this occasion. I was reassured "several" times that I shouldn't worry and that he would take care of it. Now back to the story...

Michelle: "Where is the tape that you were suppose to buy?"
Craig: "I just thought that I would pick it up on the way to the birthing center"
Michelle: "WHAT??!!! You mean we have to go to the store while I'm having these contractions? Are you crazy?"
Craig: "No, we don't have to go to the store if you don't want to. We can just video tape the birth on our Grand Canyon tape."
Michelle: "No we can not video tape on our Grand Canyon tape! We're going to the store!" *I'm the crazy one* "Well, we better hurry up and leave now before I have this baby in the car!" *sheesh! Of all times to be going to Walmart!*

Now, thinking back on this whole scenario, it is quite funny.In fact, reading it here is hilarious. Craig and I always have something like this going on, during a time when it isn't very convenient. It makes our life story quite interesting though.

So, there we are, rushing to get out the door with the children around 8:30am. Craig and Sebastian are sitting in front, Matthea is in the middle and Jade and Oliver are in the very back with me. I wanted to be in the back so that I could lean over the back of the seat during my contractions. For some reason, I just felt better in that position. The drive to Walmart is about 10 minutes, maybe, from our house. During that time, my contractions became a minute apart, lasting 60-90 seconds and I had a few that were right on top of each other without any break in between! I thought for sure we were not going to make it on time.... Craig finally gets to Walmart and runs in and runs out with a tape! And we were on the road again, to the birthing center. We get to the center at 9am. My midwife and her assistants are at the door waiting for me. We all get in and settled. They already have the birthing tub filled and ready for us. I was checked for dilation and I was already at 6cm.I labored in the tub until about 10:20am and had to have a bathroom break, of all times. I couldn't make it all of the way to the bathroom since my contractions were so close together. So, we had to make use of the birthing stool in the room and a bucket. (too much info, huh?) Well, my midwife asked me if I wanted her to break my bag after I was done and before we would get back into the birthing tub and I told her "yes, go ahead". My bag of waters was bulging this whole time and causing a lot of pressure and this would provide some relief. Well, at 10:43 she broke my water and as we were preparing to move back into the tub, I said, " No, I can't go, the baby is coming!" Everyone was kind of thrown off a bit. I was having trouble sitting on the birthing stool to begin with because it was a bit large and Craig was trying to hold me up so I wouldn't slip through and Connie,my midwife, looked to see if the baby was coming and said, "yes the baby's head is crowning! I need gloves!" So we have, Craig struggling to hold me up, the assistants scrambling for gloves, Connie gets one glove on and is struggling to get the other one on and doesn't have time to....the baby is making her way out and so Connie just lays the second glove on top of her hand just in time to catch the baby. She removed the cord from around her neck and we noticed a knot in the cord, they had to move me straight to the bed to cut the cord right away. Our initial "plan" was to deliver the baby in the water, bring in the children so they can see her come up out of the water, and Matthea wanted to be the one to cut the umbilical cord. Obviously, that didn't happen because of the circumstances. The knot, we were told, was a rare occurrence and was usually only found in still births. Our midwife had only seen about 3 or 4 in her whole career, which were all still births. What a miracle to have our baby born alive! She said that the knot was "loose" enough to oxygenate and nourish her apparently. As soon as we cut the cord and I got comfortable on the bed, the children were able to come in to see their new sister. Charlotte Geneva Faith. They were there for the weighing and measuring: 7 lbs. 6 oz. and 19 1/2 inches long.

I was able to nurse her right away and then she was off to be passed around to her father and siblings while I rested for a bit. We were at the birthing center from 9am - 4pm and then we were headed back home for family time. It felt very awkward to be leaving after only about 5 hours after giving birth. But the experience was great! An all natural childbirth without the drugs, hospital staff and interventions etc... was definitely an eye opener for me.If we are blessed with another child, we are hoping to be able to give birth at home with the next one.

The first night home with Charlotte, I noticed her becoming a little jaundiced around 2am. Connie, our midwife, was coming over in the morning (Sat./4th) to check on me and Charlotte to see how we were doing, so I would mention the jaundice to her then.
When she came in the morning, she said that Charlotte did look a little jaundiced and she wanted us to go over to the lab and have her blood drawn for a Bili level check. Craig and I went over to the lab at the hospital and had the results within an hour. Her Bili level was an 11. Which is high for an infant who is only a day old. So we had a Bili blanket ordered to use at home, supplemented the breastfeeding with formula every other feeding and we would have her levels checked again in the morning...The next day (Sun./5th) her Bili level was at 15! Our midwife, and a pediatrician that she was consulting with, decided that Charlotte needed to be in the NICU with an IV and under some stronger lights to get this under control. They admitted Charlotte that afternoon and started her on an IV and got her under the Bili lights. I stayed over night with her in a recliner and Craig went home to be with the other children. Charlotte's Bili levels were checked throughout the night and the next morning. They slowly came down from 15, 13, 11 and then it was a 10 by the afternoon and they released her.(Mon./6th) We were to continue using the Bili blanket at home and have her levels checked on Tues. the 7th.
We went on Tues.,had her levels checked and they were at 9.The pediatrician told us to discontinue the Bili blanket and bring her in the following day,(Wed.,8th). On the 8th they officially said that she no longer was in danger, was looking good and pink and the jaundice was resolved! Everything has been going great with her,the breastfeeding,the sleeping, the waking etc...She is a very "good" baby. We all felt as if we really didn't get to "know" Charlotte until the 8th,when she was home and there were not any more trips to the hospital.Everything was a little crazy until that was all over with. Thankfully Craig was able to be at home with us during this time.

Then, just 6 days later on the 14th, Oliver starts to have diarrhea. By Thursday the 16th we decided to take him to the doctor, he hadn't had diarrhea that day but he had other symptoms that came up.He was falling asleep just about anywhere and all the time, poor appetite,very fussy, and he was falling down a lot. It was kind of like, when a baby just learns how to walk and they loose their balance and fall back on their behind. He just seemed to be getting real weak. Well, the doctor said was that whatever was in his system is making it's way out and the sleeping and balance issues are probably a result of low sugar from not eating a lot and the diarrhea. He wasn't dehydrated otherwise they would have wanted to admit him and hook him up to an IV. The Doctor said that we should bring him back if things don't clear up or if they get worse.Well the diarrhea started up again Friday the 17th,it's not as bad as it was,but it is still enough to make anyone cranky. His appetite has returned slightly,he's not as sleepy as he was but he's still very fussy and falling down still. This all has been within the last week. So, we will be heading back to see the doctor . Hopefully they will have an answer.

So much has happened and I wanted to have baby announcements made up and sent out to everyone by this time. But,it looks as if I may be late. I also need to send the thank you cards for the "shower" of gifts Charlotte has received.
When it rains it pours....other minor things that have happened:Garage door broke, washing machine broke($800+ to fix/might as well buy a new one huh?),garbage disposal broke, Craig's Bronco was towed to the house and the top flew off and broke the windshield, one of our bucklings, "Independence", died from a pallet falling over on him and crushing him, oh! and the transmission is going out in the van! YEAH!!!

With all of the trials that God sends my way, I need to be reminded that:

2Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, ³because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. ⁴Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. ⁵If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. ⁶But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. ⁷That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; ⁸he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.

⁹The brother in humble circumstances ought to take pride in his high position. ¹⁰But the one who is rich should take pride in his low position, because he will pass away like a wild flower. ¹¹For the sun rises with scorching heat and withers the plant; its blossom falls and its beauty is destroyed. In the same way, the rich man will fade away even while he goes about his business.

¹²Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.

James 1: 2-12

With all of that said....we are still living life. Craig is back to work, the kids have been faithfully taking care of the animals and their chores,the Llamas get out sometimes and head down the street to visit the neighbors(without permission of course!), we have sold some chickens, Craig, Sebastian and Matthea have been butchering roosters, the kids and I have been working in the garden (I will post pictures of the garden soon), we are preparing to start our school year on August 1st (I am praying that that will come together smoothly) and Craig will be taking some more vacation time in a couple of weeks to finish working on the trailer in Jackpot in order to sell it before the cold weather hits.

Thank you God for this life you have given me.... blessing me with a wonderful husband and the restoration of a fruitful womb.