The Ordeal

As many of you already know, I didn't exactly have a normal recovery from childbirth. There were lots of random little challenges (e.g. a useless right arm from the DTaP vaccine I got in the hospital, a urinary tract infection, and an episiotomy repair). There was also one big complication, one that reminded us to count our blessings instead of dwelling on the lack of sleep/stir craziness/etc.

Four weeks after delivering Grace, on a Wednesday while we were home alone, I started bleeding...a lot. It was pretty alarming; I honestly thought I was going to pass out and leave Grace all by herself. David was in Oklahoma so I called Jessica knowing she was the closest one to me. She rushed over with Reed, despite being in the midst of her own morning sickness. I called my doctor's office in the meantime and was advised to come in. I told them that wasn't really an option at the moment, so they gave me some instructions and told me to call back if it didn't stop. By the time Jessica got here, it had. I brushed it off as just a freak thing, so Jess helped me out until David got home and that was the end of it...or so I thought.

It happened again the following Sunday while David was here, along with a couple from our community group who'd brought us dinner. It eventually stopped like it had before and I promised I'd call my doctor's office first thing in the morning to go in. Well, it happened again while I was getting ready for my appointment, but this time it didn't stop. David called his mom to come watch Grace because he had a feeling we wouldn't be coming home...and he was right. The ultrasound tech was unusually quiet while she looked around, so it wasn't much of a surprise when Dr. Stevenson walked in and said we needed to do a D&C. Apparently there was a tiny bit of tissue still attached to my uterus that was causing me to hemorrhage; only the second time she'd seen this happen with a vaginal delivery. I was definitely relieved to know the problem and have a plan of action, but a little emotional at the thought of leaving Grace overnight. I called my mom to come back up to Dallas, thinking two grandmas (with a four week old used to nursing) would be better than one.

Things got hairier after the surgery. I was just coming out of anesthesia when my heart rate dropped into the 30's and they had to do a blood transfusion. I then had to stay in recovery until my blood pressure stabilized, which didn't happen until almost 3:00 in the morning. Due to the late hour, I had to be in the ICU recovery room...it was miserable. Especially since I went from 10:00 am to midnight without nursing or pumping! It also turned out that after scraping all they could, the bleeding still hadn't stopped, so they'd had to try a 'balloon' procedure (something my doctor had only read about up to that point). Lovely.

The next day was equally as bad due to all the blood counts they had to take. Not to mention that I started feeling like another UTI was coming on, so my nurse had to do a catheter to get a urine sample...not fun! When I found out that they may keep me another night if my blood counts didn't keep improving, and the nurse mentioned possibly doing another catheter, I went a bit hysterical. Dr. Stevenson came in not long after and said the nurse had described me as "tearful". She was incredibly sympathetic though and thankfully ended up sending me home within a few hours. I don't think I could've handled anymore pokes by the time I left! The only good thing about it all, I came home to this...


In all honesty, even after all the random things that happened, I don't have any negative feelings toward childbirth. It's really pretty crazy how quickly you forget all the bad stuff when the result is so great. Grace was definitely worth it.

Sleeping Grace

Ever since she came home, I have have been snapping pictures left and right of Grace while she sleeps. There is just something so sweet and innocent about a sleeping baby. Anyway, here is a little collection of my favorites...

Halloween

Halloween has gotten a whole lot cuter with our new addition. Grace was a pumpkin, which is fitting since that's what we often call her. Jessica and I took her and Reed to a nearby pumpkin patch and then we joined them at their house for trick-or-treating. I can't wait for next year when Grace can actually participate in the festivities!

David's 10 Year Reunion

Just barely three weeks after Grace was born, we went to Dave's 10 year high school reunion. DeeDee came over to stay with Grace and off we went to rejoin the land of the living. We had a good time; it was nice to hang out with friends we hadn't seen in a while. Although David initially had to be talked in to going, I think in the end he was glad he went.

More visitors...

Meeting Papa John

The grandmothers and great-grandmothers

Jason & Reed

Kimmie & her uber thoughtful "recovery basket"

Great Uncle Bruce & Great Aunt Candy

Cousin Natalie

Bringing Home Baby

Waiting to be discharged

Proud daddy

First car ride

GramB's announcement to the neighborhood

The big introduction

Our new little family

"Grace's Arrival" cont'd

After the epidural

Daddy putting on the first diaper

Meeting GramB

Meeting Jess

Grace & Mommy

Aunt Kimmie & Aunt Christine

JoJo, Sam, & Brookie

Grandpa, Granzie, Uncle Kyle, & Uncle Kody

Meeting Ashley L.

Meeting Ashley C.

The lady who helped it happen

Grace's Arrival

So, Grace's due date from the very beginning was September 1st. However, around week 24 my doctor started started seeing some potential signs of early labor, so we just knew she was going to be an August baby. Well, lo and behold if the whole month didn't drag by with no real indication of her wanting to come out! I tried to be patient, particularly since being induced wasn't my first choice, but by that last week I just had to start asking what my options were. So we came up with a plan:

Tuesday, 9/1 - Would go to the hospital to try the cervical ripening gel

Wednesday, 9/2 - Would go in for my regular weekly appointment to see if anything was happening

Thursday, 9/3 - Would do the ripening one more time

Saturday, 9/5 - Would be induced (assuming nothing had happened before then)

Well, we went in that Tuesday expecting nothing, but secretly hoping for an outcome like our best friends (The Blakelys) who had their son within four hours of doing the gel...not the norm! We didn't have such luck. Unbeknownst to me I was having minor contractions when we got there; they picked up after the gel was applied, but not really enough to be admitted. The staff seemed conflicted about what to do with me given that we live a ways from downtown, especially in traffic. I guess ultimately they thought it made more sense for me to wait it out at home versus the hospital, so home we went.

Well, around 9:00 that night I had my first take-your-breath-away contraction. We started getting a bit excited and David began the timing. I was determined not to get sent home again and refused to call until those contractions were exactly as advised by the hospital's prepared childbirth class...one minute long, every five minutes, for a period of one hour. But by 2:00 in the morning they were still seven to eight minutes apart and the sharpness of the pain was making me slightly panicky! We decided to go ahead and call the answering service, and after talking with Dr. Stevenson's partner I was instructed to head back to the hospital. I had been 2 centimeters when they sent me home and now I was only at a 3. They like you to be 4 before they'll admit you, but luckily the nurse plead my case to the doctor and they decided to take a chance on me. It was 4:00 in the morning and FINALLY the day we'd meet our daughter!

The contractions were pretty intense by this point and making me quite nauseous. For some reason I had it in my head that I was going to hold out as long as possible on the epidural, but around 6:00 my very smart nurse convinced me to go ahead and get it. She said unless I was going to try and go all natural then there was no sense in waiting any longer...best decision ever! I was feeling great after that. When my doctor rounded at 8:00 she went ahead and broke my water and by noon I was complete. They let me labor down for a while until she was able to make it back to the hospital. At 1:00 they cleared the room (except David, of course) and it was time to start pushing; at 1:53 Grace Lynley Dercks entered this big old world. They put her on my chest and I just stared at her thinking "who are you?!?"...it was so surreal. I think the whole day after that was like an out of body experience!

I just have to brag on David for a minute. He absolutely blew me away. He was so encouraging and told me over and over how great I was doing and how proud of me he was. I could not have asked for a more calm, supportive partner through it all...and he's truly stayed that way ever since. I love him so much for that, and even more for giving me Grace.

A little history...

Since it's impossible to find a place to start, I thought I'd just put together a timeline of sorts to sum it all up. Here are some pictures capturing the major highlights of our 7+ years together:

September 14, 2002 - We decide we're officially a couple after several months of "talking"

October 8, 2004 - David buys me a dog, Annabelle, to help me through my last few months of college (and our long-distance relationship)

July 3, 2006 - David proposes overlooking the cliffs of Possum Kingdom...I say yes, of course

August 18, 2007 - We say our vows at Perkins Chapel and then dance the night away at the Belo Mansion


August 19-26, 2007 - We honeymoon at Hermitage Bay in Antigua (still our one and only vacation alone)

April 4, 2008 - We close on our first house after seven months in my teeny tiny apartment

June 21, 2008 - Upon learning that Annabelle's parents have had their last litter, we decide we must have one more...hence Shiloh

December 30, 2008 - We get the surprise of our lives when we find out we're pregnant with our first child

March 31, 2009 - Our hunch is confirmed that the little one a brewin' is a girl

September 2, 2009 - The sweet bundle of joy arrives...TO BE CONTINUED IN FOLLOWING POST