Birth Story Part Two

Hey everyone!  End of day two and I decided to take a turn on the blog.  I've been debating on whether to add more to Jack's Birth Story or not, but today I started thinking I should write out my end of his arrival while the details were still so fresh in my head.

So you already ready the summary of how his arrival went for Daddy.  Here's how things were from inside the OR.

It all started like Randy mentioned in the earlier post.  We had really only been on Pitocin for a few hours and I was sitting on a birthing ball watching Netflix with Randy.  Contractions were coming, but they were still really sporadic and I could talk through them and everything.  As far as my mind was concerned I was still hours away from meeting my baby.  Little did I know, things were about to change very quickly.  I had just looked over to watch a contraction on the monitor and noticed the numbers from Jack's heart monitor were lower than his usual 140's range.  Since I'm no medical professional, I just figured it was because of the contraction or the monitor not picking things up just right.  That's when our nurse and scrub nurse came in and asked me to change positions and go ahead and get back into bed.  She said she had noticed some drops in the baby's heart rate and wanted to do a quick cervical check to see how things were going.  When she went to check me, I could tell that something wasn't quite right.  You could tell she was trying to really feel around and make sense of what she was feeling.  That's when she told the scrub nurse to let them know at the desk that she was holding cord.  Since I'm somewhat of a pregnancy junkie, I knew that this was no good at all, but my mind just couldn't process all of the "what now?!" kind of stuff that was happening so quickly.  Once the nurses at the desk caught wind of the situation, the whole room was instantly filled with chaos.  People began pulling my robe and rings and anything extra like that right off of me.  They wrapped up Tracey's (my nurse) hair and started draping her, too.  That's when Tracey told me that I was going to need an emergency c-section and that she would have to go with me because she was literally holding my baby's prolapsed cord.  The pressure from his head was cutting off his lifeline so she was holding it basically protecting it with her own hand.  We were rushed to the OR in one of the most painful rides of my life.  Just picture bumpy hospital bed bouncing down the halls while someone has their hand inside you.  TMI, I know.  But it was just so crazy and terrifying, yet so amazing at the same time.  Tracey literally held my baby's life in her hand from the moment she noticed the cord, throughout my c-section, until they took him safely out of her hand.  When we got in the OR it was pure madness.  People were running around me and I was totally awake while they moved me onto the table and began prepping me for surgery.  There was lots of yelling and barking orders since they were not planning to do this surgery on me so fast.  The anesthesiologist was rushing to get his end of the deal ready while my Doctor was holding the scalpel in her hand waiting on the clear to begin cutting.  I was absolutely terrified.  First I was worried sick that my baby was dying and second I was completely aware that it was taking entirely too long to put me under and my Doctor was about to begin cutting the baby out whether I was awake or not.  I was so emotionally torn because I wanted them to do whatever it took to save Jack, but at the same time I was literally begging them not to start cutting until they put me under.  I started to totally panic!  The last thing I remember is hearing my Doctor say something to the anestheciologist about him running out of time and putting me out now because she was going to start.  Then I saw the mask coming my way and I gladly took the biggest breath I could.  That's the last thing I remember thank God because it was apparently a pretty close call and I fought back some when they got started.  I am so thankful that I don't remember any of that at all.  I just remember the mask as the last thing in the OR.  I remember feeling like I was having a really tense dream and then coming in and out to hearing Randy's voice.  I couldn't get myself to wake up enough to say much, but I was trying to ask if the baby was okay and I remember Randy putting him up to my face and just feeling his warm little face against my cheek.  Then I drifted in and out some more and woke up in recovery feeling like I had been hit by a semi truck.  Thankfully I had a great nurse who worked quickly to get my pain under control through my IV and once he had the pain level controlled and I was awake more, they took me to my room.  It was so hard to stay awake and I was super emotional, but once they wheeled me into the elevator to go up, my hubby came around the corner with Jack and all was well again.  They handed him over to me and I got to finally hold him.  That's the instant that makes it all so worth it.  But wow.  What a crazy experience.  I wanted to share his story with all of you because I think it's such an amazing reminder of how much God was there taking care of us.  So many details worked out just the way they needed to.  If the timing had been just even a little more off I probably would have been awake when they did my c-section.   Or if my nurse had been busy with another patient and unable to check my monitors it could have delayed everything.  There are so many details like that.  Not to mention the fact that I was in a very small hospital that didn't have a Doctor around for emergencies like this.  My OB office is literally across the parking lot from the hospital so it allowed my OB to get their very quickly.  It was something like 15 minutes from the time the prolapsed cord was discovered until the he was safely delivered.  That's so amazing.  Definitely a miracle that he is here and perfectly healthy.  We are so blessed and so very very thankful.


As for now, Jack and I are doing so well.  I have still been having a lot of pain, but today I was able to get up and move around some.  Jack is looking great and had his circumcision today which he handled really well.  We are all just so thankful that things did not end up any worse.

Moving forward, you can pray that I stay infection free.  Because things were so rushed, they weren't done as efficiently and sterile as usual.  So now I'm at a really high risk for infection.  They have taken precautions and given me preventative antibiotics, but they will still be watching things very closely.  So hopefully that won't be an issue, but if you want a specific way to pray for me...there ya go!  Also, this is random and totally unrelated, but pray for Randy tomorrow.  Our van has been acting up and we thought it just needed new spark plugs...well turns out it was the transmission.  We are just trying to decide if it's worth putting the money into our van to replace it.  We were planning to replace the van soon because it has been close to death for awhile, but we really didn't plan on doing it the week our baby was born!  It's just going to be a stressful day for my hubby tomorrow trying to car shop and make some decisions about the van instead of being with me and Jack at the hospital.  But we know it will all work out.  The timing is terrible.  Our Accord just got finished being fixed and we were supposed to pick it up this week from the mechanic.  So we are not thrilled with the timing.  But at the same time, we refuse to let this trouble with the van distract us from all the good God has been doing in our life.  It will all work out and get taken care of!  But just be thinking of Randy and praying things go smoothly for him tomorrow so we can get this taken care of.  I will be going home either tomorrow late afternoon or Friday.  I'm a little anxious to get home to my other babies, but I'm also trying to be sure and follow all the instructions they give me because I'm so ready to not be in pain.  I don't want to make any of this harder on myself so I am trying really hard to make sure I don't over due.  Yesterday I was really discouraged about the amount of pain I had and feeling so helpless, but today was really encouraging.  I'm already feeling tons better so I'm hoping each day continues to improve.

Last one for the night

Hi there everyone. Whew!!! What a day!!! As we speak, little man is nursing and doing great. He's been sleeping most of the day and he literally could not be doing any better. I just keep saying, "He's perfect." And since I've been told by a few people that I didn't post stats, here ya go.

Jack was 7 pounds on the dot and 20 inches long. He was born at 11:07 this morning. His head is 14 inches around which continues the tradition of big heads in our family. All ten fingers and all ten toes.  He's got a couple of little stork bites in between his eye brows and one on his cheek. He's pretty awesome!

Momma has been sore all day. Coughing hurts. Moving hurts. Just about everything hurts. But, you know Laci. She's smiling and joyful. I love my wife so much!

God has been so good to us. And here's our rockstar nurse, Tracy. Extra bonus, Tracy also goes to New Community and has been attending for just a couple of months, basically the same amount of time as we've been there. Pretty cool how God works this stuff out.

Dolly brought the kiddos by to say hi to their new brother and it was pretty fun. Here's some pictures from the day.

So there you go. We're gonna call it a night. Thanks for sticking with us in prayer all day. Pray for a good night of sleep for everyone and for it to be a comfortable night for Laci. We love you guys. Talk to you tomorrow.

The Birth Story

Well, it has been a crazy last three hours! Here's how it all happened and where we're at.

First off, we have made a new friend for life. Our nurse Tracy is a rockstar and is instantly very special to us. Tracy came in to check how Laci has been doing. They had been having trouble all day with the monitors and getting good readings, but everything had been fine. They had seen a couple dips in Jack's heart rate though and she wanted to check just to see where we were at.

When she did, she felt cord, which I now know is very bad. She quickly began ordering around the scrub tech because she now couldn't move. She basically was keeping the cord off of Jack's neck and could not let go. It became time for an emergency C-section.

The next few minutes were a blur. They had to put Laci under to do the C-section because she hadn't had an epidural which made things a little more dicey. I called our moms and let them know. They didn't let me go back so I was in the hallway. It was only a couple of minutes but it felt like forever. I could here the doctor yelling at folks and all that craziness that goes with emergency stuff which you know is just normal, but when it's your family in there it all becomes different. Then I heard him cry and it was like a weight off my shoulders. A few minutes later the nursery doctor came out and told me Jack was fine and did great. Laci was still in the OR, but then they brought him to me. And he's perfect.

Laci was taken to recovery to come out of the anesthesia. As they were taking her to the room, she was just awake enough to meet her new baby.

I got to spend the next hour and a half with my new son and the nurses who checked him in. I even got to give him his first bath. And while I did that, our wonderful nurse Tracy grabbed my phone and snapped some pics. 

 This is my favorite picture so far, showing off for the camera while I'm washing his hair.

So now we're settled in our room. Hopefully that is as exciting as our day gets. God was so good to us. He prepared the perfect circumstances for Laci and Jack to be taken care of, gave us a fantastic nurse who came in to check things at the perfect time, and now we have this beautiful baby to constantly remind our family of God's goodness in our lives. We are so blessed and grateful right now. Thank you all for your prayers over the last couple of days. We feel very loved.

I'll be back in a little while with more pictures and updates. If you would now, please pray for Laci and her recovery over these next days and weeks. I know she'd appreciate that. Ww love y'all. Talk to you soon.

Let's play a game

I guess while we're in some good down time here, I guess we should play the guessing game. So.....

How much do you think he will weigh?

How long will he be?

And what time do you think he will be born?

GO!

The peanut

Doc just came in and checked on the baby and he's still trying to hide. Too high still so they brought out this crazy looking birthing ball. It looks like a giant peanut. Kinda cool though. Takes the balancing part out of it to make it a little easier on momma. And as always, my wife is smiling beautifully. She's good at this birthing stuff.

Game Day

Hey there everyone! Recap of our night and how the morning is going.

Last night, we got to rest up and that's a pretty awesome blessing. Of course Laci was up super early, but at the same time, I think given the option to rest up or deliver through the night, I think the rest will serve her well. We watched some Michael Jr. on Youtube and called it a night.

This morning, Laci was up at 4:45. I.....was not. They started Piton around 5:45 and have been bumping it up through the morning. She just started getting some good contractions here within the last half an hour to so. Baby is still really high so we still have a ways to go. Of course with how Laci delivers, that could all change in ten minutes so who knows?

We'll keep you updated as we go, but for now, off to Contraction Land!

-Randy

Good Morning!

Hey friends!  I thought I might take a second to say hi and thank you all for your encouragement and love!  It's been a crazy last few days since I have been having contraction almost non stop since Thursday.  My body has been trying and trying to get this kids out with out any progress.  I wasn't very happy to hear I was only a 2 after all that work at home.  But, now that we know his position is so high, it makes sense.  Last night we just relaxed and the nurses eventually gave me a sleeping pill to knock me out for awhile to I could get some rest.  I have no clue how I managed to break it's spell and be awake now....but I did get a good 6 or so hours of uninterrupted sleep.  So that's great!  Any minute now they will be coming in to start my Pitocin.  Contractions have been coming all night, but they aren't significant enough to really move things along.  We have been just stuck for days so hopefully a small dose of pit. can help pick up the pace.  For those of you who have followed our other births...I'm not sure what to tell you as far as the level of excitement this one will hold.  I was originally planning to have a natural (minus the pit) birth again like I have with the other boys....but after such an exhausting week I have been considering taking it easy this time and accepting an epidural.  I keep changing my mind, but I also found out last night that that because of many factors (being group B and having my water break so long ago mainly) they aren't sure that they will be willing to let me in the tub.  That's a pretty big deal breaker for me because it leaves me very few options to cope with the pain.  Still, my plan is to just take things one contraction at a time and see what I decide.  I may just tough it out.....or you may see a post of me sitting smiling in a couple of hours in numbed bliss.  Only time will tell.......either way...there will be snuggly newborn pictures so I think that still makes for some excitement!

I doubt you'll hear anymore from me today!  Thanks for your prayers and love.  Please pray for strength and that my fears will be eased.  It's always easy for me to get a little nervous at the start of all this.  Just praying everything goes well and no complications for me or Jack.  Pray for my mom as she is caring for our other babies and that is an exhausting task in itself and for her work as they try and help cover for her so that she can help us as long as possible today.  (She was scheduled to work 8 hours today, but they are trying to accommodate her being able to stick around for Jack's arrival)  So hopefully that will all work out and we wont have to change around babysitter mid labor.  My mom always makes this time so special for him so I'm really praying God just works out all the details for her to be with them.

Alright....I'm leaving for real this time....I'm sure Randy will be updating often once he wakes and they get the meds started...

~Laci~

Hold up!!!

Ok, so we may not be having baby Jack tonight after all unless stuff starts progressing on it's own. Here's the run down...

Jack is really high still. In fact, they had to do an ultrasound real quick to make sure he wasn't breach. He's not, just not wanting to come down. Laci is also group B positive. I have no idea what that means (even though Laci has explained it to me a couple times), but it means they have to get her on antibiotics. Doc wants us to get a couple of doses in before they get aggressive with the eviction.

So, unless he decides he's ready and things move on their own (which is still entirely possible), looks like Jack is going to be born tomorrow. Doc said they'll start the eviction drugs tomorrow around 4 in the morning and we'll take it from there.

Until then, we get a date night at Hotel Hospital! Looks like take out from somewhere and some Netflix for us. I'll keep you updated if there's anything to share. But for now.......

Lets get the party started!

Here's the All-Pro momma getting ready for the night ahead and our first nurse, Terry. Dr. just walked in so we're checking out baby boy. Back in a bit.

A New Beginning

Please pardon the cheesy name, but the title has a few meanings today. First off, welcome to the new Strickland Blog. And second.......

Baby Jack is on the way!!!!!!! Time to live blog!

Background story is that this all kind of happened pretty quick and we didn't have Laci's laptop, which is where she's done her blogging for the last 7 years. So, we tried to use mine to sign in. Well, we all know what happens when you don't use it.....you lose it. We can't remember our logins.

So, to keep on with the tradition of live blogging our children's arrivals, Jack shall be no different. Plus, Laci wanted a new blog address anyway because, well, we're not exactly Strickland x 3 anymore are we??

Haha!! Let's do this! Baby #4 in route. Time to meet Jack!

-Happy Dad

**UPDATE: Now that we are all settled we were able to log in and merge the two blogs.  Woo hoo!**