Our Newest Addition- may have too much information for some!

So I am obviously not very good at keeping a blog, as the last time I posted, I wasn't even pregnant with our newest family member.  I will try to be better about it in the future- especially with all the extra time I'll have on my hands with 3 kids!

Anneke Petrine joined our family this past weekend on October 23, 2010 at 5:25 am.  It was another exciting birth for us!  I woke up at 5 am feeling some lower back pain and cramps along my lower belly.  I figured I just had to use the restroom and all would be ok.  Finished up in the bathroom and wasn't tired, so I decided to head downstairs and maybe go online.  Well, in the next 10 minutes, I had like 6 contractions.  They still were kind of iffy, but I was pretty sure we should head to the hospital.

I went back upstairs and Jason asked if my water had broken.  I told him no, but I was having a ton of contractions and thought maybe we should go to the hospital.  I went to the bathroom again and had a couple contractions while in there.  When I came out, Jason was getting ready and I told him I was calling my mom.  After telling her to come right over, I told Jason I was going to jump in the shower and we would head out as soon as my mom got there in about 15-20 minutes.

I am going to head into the realm of a little too much information here.  While completely normal for childbirth, most people aren't going to admit to the following- childbirth and having a bowel movement can feel remarkably like the same thing.  In fact, a lot of times, during childbirth, it is completely normal to empty the bowels while in the process of giving birth.

So, while in the shower, I felt like I had to have a BM.  I pushed a couple times and heard a pop and I'm pretty sure that there was a gush of water from the amniotic sac rupturing.  (I wasn't positive about this, since the shower was still running at this time.)  That's when I realized that maybe we weren't going to make it a second time.  I called out to Jason to call someone, asap!  He asked for the Dr's number and I told him to just call 911.  There was no time for a doctor who wouldn't be able to help us.  He got on the phone and gave the critical information.  I kept yelling, from the shower, to tell them to hurry, that I could already feel the head.

I turned off the water and as soon as Jason got off the phone, yelled for him to unlock the doors for the EMT's.  Then I was yelling at him to hurry because he needed to catch the baby.  By the time he got back, he could see the baby's head and he rushed over, threw a towel under me, and guided the baby out.  We immediately put her on my chest and wrapped her in another towel and then I patiently waited for the EMT's to show up about 3-4 minutes later.  While waiting, Jason ran to find our emergency birth kit to get the bulb to suction the baby, then he ran to find the camera, and at one point, I made sure he looked at a clock so we'd know what time the baby had been born.  (Just want to point out that she was born 25! minutes after I first woke up to contractions!)

When the EMT's got there, we got ready to transport.  The boys were woken up to see their sister before we left.  We decided that it was easiest to leave the baby attached to the umbilical cord until we reached the hospital.  The baby nursed on the way to the hospital in the ambulance.  Jason came along with me.

 In our downstairs hallway, getting ready to head outside.

The birth ended up being the easiest part of Anneke's arrival.  Once we got to the hospital, the staff went into full swing, culturing and doing blood work on our contaminated by the outside world baby.  She weighed in at 8 pounds 4 ounces and 20 inches long.  I was looked at by a midwife, placenta was finally delivered, and I was stitched up for a couple of small tears.

 Getting looked at by the on-call pedi and getting cultures done

We decided to stay overnight to make sure things were ok, since the white count in Anneke's initial CBC was elevated.  But by Sunday afternoon, we were ready to leave.  The OB on call was fine with me leaving and even had all the paperwork filled out ready to be signed.  Then the on-call pediatrician showed up. 

~I can't let her leave until after her 36 hour testing is done.  -Ok, then we can be discharged at 6?
~Well, I can't let here leave until her blood cultures come back at 48 hours.  -Why?  The cultures were pretty much done to make sure she isn't contaminating the other new babies.
~Well, there's too much that we're watching her for, she lost 8% of her body weight (10% is typical for nursing newborns), she was cold when she got here (but had kept her body temp steady for the past 24 hours), it would be AMA (against medical advise) and really, I just can't let you leave, even AMA....Blah, blah, blah...

So, we stayed another night and I bitched and moaned to Jason and my mom about it.  And let me tell you, the beds on the maternity floor are hard as a rock and killed my back.  Plus, the hospital has no access to the internet, so I wasn't even able to borrow a laptop to pass the time.

Plus, I had the day nurse that no one wants.  When having a baby, especially for the 3rd time, I want a nurse who comes and checks in with me every hour or 2 during the day, asks me if I need anything, chats amicably, but kind of stays out of things.  The nurse I had, both Saturday and Sunday, was the kind that made you feel like a 2 year old.  She was in and out of the room so many times, it was slightly ridiculous.  And in order to do something for me, it required at least 3 trips in and out of the room.  First she'd come in to tell me she was getting me towels to take a shower.  Then she'd bring them in and tell me exactly where she was going to leave them in the bathroom (which was about 4X4).  Then she'd come back in again to find out if I needed anything else for my shower.  All while talking in the voice I'd ask my toddler questions and leaning in so that she was 2 feet from my face.  She was just very intrusive and slightly condescending, especially when I made my wishes known Sunday morning that we wanted to go home.  (Well, dearie, that is entirely up to the pediatrician, you can't leave until after the 36 hour labs, you know, etc.)

Well, we made it to Monday morning and when our awesome pediatrician came and sprang us, it was awesome.  We love our doctor!  He came in, asked if I had any concerns, and told me to make an appt for a little later this week to make sure nursing and keeping jaundice at bay were working.  I told him we were ready and just waiting for the policies for the baby being born out of the hospital to expire so we could go.  He went into a whole thing about being born at home being a fine thing and how he was born at home and how it's too bad it has become so abnormal that hospitals have to put policies like the ones at this one had in place.  He told me he was born at home and so were his siblings and there was nothing wrong with it, etc.  I am just so sad he wasn't on call this weekend because I am pretty sure he would have released us on Sunday when we wanted and let us follow up with him on Monday in the office- just like I requested of the on call ped.

 Finally coming home!

Well, even with the hospital stuff, Anneke's birth was a fantastic experience.  One I hope won't be repeated if we decide to have another one, but a good experience to have and be able to share with others. 

Anneke is settling in well here at home.  The boys absolutely love her.  Gilbey told us at the hospital- You know, Mom, you were right, girl's are cuter than boys.  He tells us all the time that she loves for him to kiss her and is constantly walking by her and kissing her head.  He wants to hold her all the time too.  Dillon came home from school today excited to take a surprise picture to school with him tomorrow to share with his teacher and friends.  He picked out a picture of himself holding the baby and we printed it and it is now in his backpack to take to school.

So, that is the story of how our newest family member joined us.  She is an easy going baby so far and everyone is so happy that she is ours.