My Baby Tyce

So, here's my story. It might get a bit lengthy, we'll see...
I had had a restless night and felt like I was up every hour. I had a few things on my mind so I thought that was the reason I wasn't sleeping well. I did, however, notice that every time I woke up my stomach was tight and uncomfortable. But really, that wasn't anything too out of the ordinary since I'd been having very noticeable Braxton Hicks contractions throughout my pregnancy.
At about 5:30am I decided to just get out of bed and thought I may as well time my contractions. I was constantly telling myself it wasn't true labor since it was exactly 3 weeks before my due date but timing them gave me something to do. (And, I might mention, I had just been to the doctor two days before and I was only dilated to a one. I was sure I still had at least one more week.) For the next hour I timed a contraction every 3 minutes but still told myself it couldn't be. By 6:30 they seemed to slow down a bit, but really not by much, and I started to tell myself that this really could be for reals. At about 7:30 Kevin got out of bed and asked if he could take the car to work. I told him no, I needed it because I had a bunch of stuff to do to get ready for the baby shower I was having at my house for a friend on Saturday. It was the day for the grocery shopping and a few things to pick up for decorations. He asked why I was up so early so I confessed my pains and that's when he decided to just work from home. (When I was having contractions with Asher I sent Kevin to work (with his carpool) and he had to borrow a car from a co-worker to get to the hospital an hour later!!) I called my mom and she suggested I call my doctor to see what I should do. So I called the office just after 8:00 and no one answered. Thinking maybe it was Dr. Nance's hospital day I hoped I'd just see him there. It occurred to me later that I probably should have called the hospital and had them get Dr. Nance in. I really do like him so much that I wish he would have been there...
Still in denial and craving blueberry muffins, I went downstairs to make breakfast and pace the floors. I was determined to get Ry to preschool at 9:00 and thought I'd just wait it out until then and then go to the hospital. By 8:30 I was only having a minute or two between contractions and attempted a shower. I didn't get to shave my legs or even wash my hair I was in so much pain. Kevin had to help me get dressed and as I was trying to gather stuff to take to the hospital Kevin was trying to get the boys ready. He'd occasionally come upstairs with wide eyes and ask what he should do. I would curse his name and tell him to just get the boys ready. Okay, okay, there was no cursing of his name but he would have thought that was funny :) I was asking myself why in the world we weren't already at the hospital, but I'd waited this long I could wait another half hour.
Finally it was a few minutes before 9:00. We dropped Rylan off at preschool (where he got in Thomas' car to wait for his teacher. I'm pretty sure Kev told Thomas' mom what was going on!), and off we went to the hospital. I think Kevin hit every bump on the way and took every corner at lightening speed! We got off the freeway at Center Street and were stuck in construction traffic--nice. By this point there seriously was NO relief from contractions. Silly me, I was trying to put on some makeup but quickly gave up just trying to breath. I sure wish I had known the proper ways of breathing through contractions because my whole body was tense and my legs were starting ache. The whole way there Asher was trying to talk to me and I was trying my hardest to forget the pain and talk to him but I just couldn't do it. I'd try to get Kevin to talk to him to occupy him but I think Kevin's mind was somewhere else also so poor little Asher wasn't getting the good conversations he was looking for! Kacy called and Kevin answered my phone, telling Kacy I couldn't talk. "You know she's having contractions right? And we're on our way to the hospital?" No, she didn't know!
We finally made it to the hospital and just as we were turning in, I could tell I was bleeding. The nice valet guy quickly brought over a wheelchair and as soon as I stood up, I knew there was a good amount of blood. I asked for something to sit on and he kindly said they could clean the wheelchair :) Kevin quickly grabbed Asher, tossed the keys to the valet guy and whisked me inside where a nurse took over and pushed me into the elevator. After a sloooooow ride up we encountered an even slower check in process.
Kevin picked up the phone to ask for admittance but nobody answered. I'm sure we didn't have to wait too long, but it felt like forever until somebody let us in. Then the sweet looking old lady who could move no faster than a snail on a good day checked us in. Even the nurse who was pushing my wheelchair was getting impatient asking several times where she should take me. She apologized to me a few times and even gave me a little shoulder massage :)
Once in my room I quickly threw on the hospital gown and noticed the blood down the legs in my pants. Kevin stepped outside and said "My wife is in extreme pain. Can we get someone in here now?" The Labor and Delivery nurse (Christy, who was awesome!!) came right in and asked how much blood there was. She had me lay down so she could see how dilated I was (ha ha!) and gasped. She turned to the next nurse and said "We have a placental abruption here and she's fully dilated." Another nurse came over while Christy got me hooked up to this and that and put my info in the computer. This next nurse, after checking me said something like "we need to call a code Yellow, get a crash cart and an OB in here stat". Kevin doesn't believe me about the crash cart and maybe I watch too much 'House' but I really think she said that! (And after reading up on placental abruption and the danger it causes to both baby and mom, I'm even more convinced.)
From there on it was chaos. I almost felt like I was watching the scene from outside my body as nurses rushed around the room. Kevin was on the phone doing more check in stuff. Asher was calmly sitting on the chair just looking around and going through my purse looking for entertainment. (Later, another nurse came in and sat with him on a couch and gave him some cookies and crackers. He didn't make a peep the whole time--such a good little boy!) I jokingly asked for an epidural and the nurse said "You're not getting an epidural. You're getting a baby!" Kevin asked for clarification on time "Like...in an hour?" To which the nurse replied "No, like in 5 minutes." He noticed our video camera was dead and he'd left the good camera in the car so my little camera had to do. While he was doing that, a Dr. Thorpe was allowing me to squeeze his hand while he coached both me and the resident doctor (Doctor Welsh) who was delivering my baby. I told them I felt like pushing and they gave me the go ahead. I quickly realized that pushing hurt....really, really hurt. In fact I even said "I can't do this." Good ol' Dr. Thorpe said "Yes, you can do this. On this next contraction if you give one good push you'll have your baby." That's all the motivation I needed. Only one good push and I'd have my baby and no more pain? Done. The next contraction quickly came, I put my game face on and gave one big push, when out flew my little boy. Really, he did pretty much pop out. The doctor seriously almost didn't catch him! He was posterior and I was told by the nurse and the OB that had he been in the correct position he would have been born in the car!
After hearing the need for a crash cart (seriously, I really think that's what she said!), all the semi panicked talk of placental abruption (which I'm sure they deal with and I was the panicked one), and a teeny tiny blue baby, I had to ask several times before I was assured that my babe was okay! I sat there for a few minutes watching the nurses take care of my boy and I was in shock. I mean, did I really just have a baby? Without an epidural? Three weeks early? But I haven't even washed all the baby clothes. And we don't have the car seat ready. And I'm having Kristen's baby shower at my house on Saturday. I faintly heard the nurse announce his weight--4 pounds 10 ounces. She squeezed my shoulder and told me that 9:43 was the official time he was born. I was still in shock and a bit dazed.


When I first saw him I was a bit surprised that he didn't look like my other two babies. When Asher was born I remember thinking he looked just like Rylan. So much so I was wondering how we could name him anything but "Rylan the Second"! So I just assumed this little boy would be identical to his brothers. Not the case! He really didn't look like either of them and I was anxious to look him over and see all of him. When they brought him over to me all cleaned up I thought "Okay, he looks a little like Rylan." And then I found that each time he was brought to me he looked a bit different, sometimes like Rylan, sometimes like Asher, sometimes like neither, just his own little self. Isn't it so fun to see what our babies look like? Of course I was already in love with this little boy and thought he was the cutest little thing ever :)

Just a few minutes went by before people started showing up. Tami had called to say she was close and Kev informed her our sweet boy was already born. He had to hold the phone up to a crying baby before Tami believed him. She arrived shortly after and after seeing my baby she looked at me surprised and mouthed "4, 10?" when I nodded and thought to myself "Wow, that really is tiny. Is that really what he weighed?" I felt like I was slowly coming to myself and just now realizing what the heck was going on. I HAD A BABY?!?! WHAT?!?!



My mom came just minutes later followed by my dad. We all talked and marveled at my perfect baby and threw out lots of "we should have"s. Deborah came by not long later as well as Kacy (with Dear Lizzie cupcakes...really the only reason I had a baby :) and Amy. Talk about an amazing, supportive family!! (My doctor, Dr. Nance, came by as well. I honestly was sad that he wasn't there for the birth because he really is such a great doctor. I guess there's always next time!)


Sometime in there they took my baby to the nursery to do whatever it is they do in the nursery. And Kevin followed. He later told me they spent like 5 minutes styling my baby's hair--probably because he has so much of it!



Several hours later they transferred me to a different, much smaller, room. We still gladly took visitors over the next few days, grabbing chairs from the hallway when necessary. Kevin stayed with me at the hospital that night even though we both knew he wouldn't get a good night's rest, which he didn't. My mom stayed at our house with Rylan and Asher and she didn't get a good night's rest either. So Thursday night there was no question...Kevin was going home! I really didn't mind, in fact I felt better about him being home with the boys. I had lots of nurses to help anyways!
Tyce's blood sugar levels were low so the nurses suggested I supplement with formula to get his levels straightened out while waiting for my milk to come in. I guess it's pretty common with small babies. They were having to test him every couple of hours and the poor little guy had so many pricks on his heels. Every time I nursed him a nurse would come in to help. She would fill a syringe (that had a small tube attached) with formula and put the tube in his mouth (while he was nursing). It was a lot of work--and it took a long time, too! It all worked out though because his blood sugar levels were good enough to take him home.


Kevin brought the boys on Thursday. Asher wanted to hold Tyce right away. Rylan looked at him now and again but was mostly interested in the iTouch. My mom was there and Tami stopped by, too. She got suckered into taking Ry and Asher. They just love her so much!! Shortly after Tami and my boys left, Kevin's parents came down with Lily and Oakley. It was fun showing off my baby :) I'd close my eyes and rest whenever possible. Really, my hospital time flew by. I was surprised when Friday morning came and I was packing up to go home.


Kevin took Ry to preschool at 9:00 on Friday morning and then brought Asher to the hospital to pick me up. I was so nervous about going home! Taking care of a newborn (especially since he wasn't great at nursing) on top of two crazy boys?! Could I really do it? And then I'd get all emotional, looking at my little tiny baby and then looking at my big boys...they grow up too fast.



I had to call my dad to pick up Rylan from preschool because we were running just a bit late. I didn't quite know what to do when I got home but we tried our best to get settled in. Kevin set up the pack n play in our room and moved the rocking chair from Asher's room into our room. Are we ready for this new little baby? Ready or not, he's here! And my heart is filled and overflowing with love for my three boys. I know my Heavenly Father has blessed me and our home with this sweet little spirit. He's fitting right in with our family! With each baby I've been filled with more and more joy and just knowing this little one is fresh from Heaven brings a warmth to my soul. We have an adventure ahead of us and I'm excited to see what life brings us all.

Welcome, Baby Tyce :)