Introducing Katelyn Jean :)

I realize I haven’t put anything on here about Katelyn! So here goes the recap of how this family of 4 became a family of 5 …

Throughout February my home blood pressure (BP) readings (I have a BP cuff machine) started getting higher & higher despite my efforts to take it easy & rest as often as possible. I went in on March 8th for my regular appointment (35 weeks) & while at the clinic my reading was also elevated (using the clinic’s BP machine) and I was showing slightly elevated levels of protein. So I was sent home on bed rest with a 24hr protein test. Thankfully the protein test came back in the safe/normal range yet so I was told to remain on bed rest taking it as easy as possible but given special permission to go to a few special events. At my 37 week appointment then nurse manually (no machine) took my BP and it had significantly dropped (the lowest reading I’ve ever had, pregnant or not) which was sort of amazing but I was still registering protein again. So I had to go home & take another 24hr protein test :( (not fun) but at least it appeared that the bed rest was helping my BP! That test also came back within the safe range. Now all I had was to get through my 38 week appointment and I’d be home free to make it to my scheduled c-section date!

This whole time I was still taking my pressure readings at home and even while laying down constantly they were still going up…and I was starting to feel worse & worse. I went in for my 38 weeks appointment early on Thursday morning. I was so nauseous I couldn’t stop throwing up, I had a massive headache and was slightly dizzy. I felt like the place was incredibly hot despite not having a fever. However, my BP reading done manually by the nurse was still in the safe range - and this time I was only showing a trace of protein, so I thankfully didn’t have another protein test. They did my blood work and sent me home, telling me that my doctor would call me to check in the next morning.

Well the next morning came & I still wasn’t feeling any better. When my Doctor called she said that she’d ordered a non-stress test for me & that I need to go into the hospital that morning to have it done, but unlike ones I’d had before, she was going to require at least 6 BP readings each a half hour apart. That meant I’d be at the hospital for at least 3 hours. My mother-in-law had already kindly picked the kids up that morning as she had multiple times that week and had taken them back to her house to play for the day. So I changed my clothes, set out all our pre-packed stuff (I’d packed the kids essentials & my stuff weeks ago knowing bed rest and early issues were distinct possibilities, as well as hoping that by doing so I’d be able to make it to my scheduled date) and then I headed to the hospital.

I spent the next 3 hours laying on my left side, watching TV, and trying to crochet a hat for Kate (which is not easy laying on one’s left side while a BP cuff goes on & off on the other arm!) My readings were high. Similar to and even higher than they were at home and definitely much higher than the readings at the clinic ever were. By 2 pm I was almost done. They had me have additional blood work again and told me to lay there until they got ahold of the doctor who after looking at my results and my blood tests would let me know if I could leave or what would happen next. When after almost another hour the nurse came back in and told me that my doctor had talked to her & was going to come in and talk to me in just a bit I knew I wasn’t going to go home. 

I called Micah & asked him to come so we could decide how to go forward together. (I hate making decisions on my own & if faced with a here or there, today or later type choice I wanted his opinion) By 3:30 we were all in the OB room together and my doctor was explaining that although we had the option of admitting me for hospitalized bed rest, she thought it would be best for me and safe for the baby to go ahead and take the her out that night. I was already further along than I had been with both Alexa & Logan, and we knew this baby was a girl so she would hopefully be strong enough to not need a trip to the NICU. So we decided that if I had to be in the hospital anyway, we would be best off going ahead with the c-section.

So after 3 weeks on bed rest and all that happened that day, on Friday night, March 29th at 5:29pm Katelyn Jean was born! She weighed 6lbs, 4oz (same as Logan) and was perfect in every way. She had strong lungs from the get-go and was doing great! I went off to recovery and Micah took her upstairs to get weighed and checked out. All in all it was a great way to spend Good Friday and the rest of Easter Weekend - cuddling with our new bundle of joy! We couldn’t be happier!

Here’s a few pictures (after my wordy recap of that long experience!)

Thank you - just doesn’t seem enough…

I started trying to write thank you’s tonight, and I struggled, BIG TIME! How is it that those 2 little words supposedly encompass so many thoughts, feelings, and emotions? They just don’t seem enough. My mind races with the enormous amount of words and ways I want to express have incredibly grateful I am and my family is for the love, care, generosity, selflessness, kindness, consideration and thoughtfulness of our families, friends, church family and friends, neighbors, and mere acquaintances who we have only recently met or still have yet to get to really know that have blessed our family over the past month and even throughout the length of my pregnancy with Katelyn. It never ceases to surprise and amaze me how many wonderful people have touched our lives!

For example, my mother-in-law has been so amazing and mere words can’t express how much we’ve appreciated her help in general and especially over the last 4 weeks. There were days where she simply came over, took the kids (which required getting them dressed, fed, and ready to go outside (in winter weather) walked them back to her house and spent the morning entertaining them, giving them play time outside (something THEY BEG & LOVE but I was unable to do late in this pregnancy and especially once on bed rest) and keeping them through lunch before bringing them back and getting them put down for naps. I can’t begin to describe how amazing it is to have them given a taste of normal life with a touch of special (being with Oma) throughout a time when life was anything but normal. This was just one small way she helped us out in addition to making us countless meals and such!

I have so many people who say to me “bed rest” what’s so bad about that, could be worse!?! To that I challenge them to give it a try. I used to be one of those people. I still remember how stupidly unaware I was when I was pregnant with Alexa and my boss at that time was put on bed rest towards the end of her pregnancy. I thought to myself, “wow that sounds fabulous!” Note: around that time I was starting to swell making all forms of movement uncomfortable as well as being exhausted with the normal side effects of pregnancy. How foolish I was! Even with Alexa (my first pregnancy) bed rest was anything but pleasant and relaxing. Its uncomfortable, its hard, and its anything but easy knowing if you think of something that needs to be done you have to rely COMPLETELY on those around you to get things done. From everything as simply as getting something to drink to eat to everything else you need, you are completely relying on others. Then add in other children and it’s a hard pill to swallow. Especially if you’re anything like me who happens to prefer to do things herself in a particular way…it makes it difficult to even let others help much less having to ask for help and allow others to do things for you! One of the harder moments of my marriage was entrusting my husband to do the laundry during my bedrest..and that was just the washing and drying parts as he thankfully brought it to me to fold yet! (yes I know I’m strange but laundry is MY thing)

As hard as it is to ask for help and to let others help, it is amazing to see the willingness, love, and consideration in the family, friends, and people in our lives who so generously stepped up and helped us out during my bed rest, hospital stay for surgery and even now as we recover and adjust to life at home, longing for the days when it will return to normal (aka being able to lift Logan up to comfort him would be great as he doesn’t seem to understand that Mommy can’t lift him)

For all of those of you who have prayed for us, brought us meals, snacks, and gifts, visited us, spent time with us, helped out with our kids, done what seems like small things for us, and helped us in other various ways -- THANK YOU -- as inadequate as those words seem and feel to me, they’re unfortunately all I have to give at this point -- and I truly mean them! We could not have made it through the past month without all of you and we will forever be grateful to each and every one of you!