The Story of Olivia

I will try to play catch up here. On Wednesday, 12-1-10, I started having lower back pain and slight cramping. I thought nothing of it and used a heating pad to ease the back pain. It worked. I was up all night with cramps and contraction like pain. I finally got up at 4 am Thursday and did a little research on contractions. I put them off as Braxton Hicks. At 8 am, Danny and I started timing the contractions. They were 4 minutes apart lasting 30 seconds. I called my mom and then the doctor. I had to go get checked out at Shawnee Mission Hospital. Luckily, my doctor was the one on duty that day. I was checked out and found out I was dilated to a one. I was put on magnesium and given a steroid shot to help the babys lungs progress, just in case I was in active labor. Around noon, I noticed I felt like I was "leaking" 2 test confirmed that my water was leaking. I was then transferred to Saint Lukes due to their fantastic NICU department. Due to my water leaking, I was told that I would be staying at the hospital until I delivered. It could be hours, days, weeks and even months.

10:00 pm on Thursday, I got to ride in a fast ambulance to Saint Lukes, I was looking forward to seeing the Plaza lights... well the ride was so bumpy, I didn't have time to try and look, as I was hanging on for dear life. By Friday morning my contractions started slowing down and they were able to lower my dose of Magnesium. I was also given another steroid shot for the baby. Friday night, the contracts had returned. I was still dilated to a one. They turned the dose of magnesium back up. The nurse gave me some good drugs to help me relax. I dreamed of fuzzy purple bunnies, monkeys and marshmellows. I was told that I even had conversations with these animals.

On Saturday 12-4-10 the contractions started to slow back down, again. By noon I was taken off the Magnesium. Things started to take a change around 4 pm. The contractions were getting harder and longer. I got another dose of the good drugs. I refer to it as the "bunny drugs". This time I dreamed of short little men with big afros. Mom and Dad can tell some good stories with this one. Around 5:00-5:30 I was beating on the bed in pain and pushing the nurse button. The doctors were paged, in the mean time, I had mom call Danny and have him come straight from work, I wasn't sure what was going on, but I knew I needed him. I was checked out and was dilated to a 4. They couldn't give me any more magnesium to stop the labor, I had already had all they could give me. A quick sonogram showed that baby Olivia was head down and in the right position. They asked if I wanted an epidural and I didn't hesitate. The nurse was very helpful, she taught me how to breathe through my contractions and helped hold me still while I got the epidural. It works wonders, I don't see how people don't want one! Around 10:00 pm, I was dilated to a 9+ and they wheeled me down to the Operating Room. A few hard pushes and Baby Olivia was born at 10:17 p.m. She weighed 2 pounds and 12 ounces. She was 14 inches long and her head circumfrence was 26.5 cm. We had to deliver in the Operating Room because of Olivia being so early, they needed to have all their neonatal specialist and nurses in there. There were about 15 people in the room. Danny and I were able to touch Olivia's tiny hand in the Operating room while they were cleaning her. I got wheeled back to my room and waited and waited. Danny was able to take a few people back to the NICU department to get their first peek at our beautiful princess. Olivia was visited by her Grandma & Grandpa, Her Uncle Jimmy, her Great Uncle Dave and Great Aunt Jennifer and her cousins Marie, Barbara & Stephanie. Finally at 2:00 am Sunday morning, my nurse was able to wheel me down so I could look at my baby. She is so precious. We got moved moved to a new room at 2:30 and slept like a baby. I had a good labor, I didn't have to have stitches and I was up walking around the next day.