40w5d--Kane's Birthday!!!

Hello Everyone! Kane has finally arrived!!! If you haven't already heard from friends, family or Facebook, here are the stats. Born October 26th, 2009 at 9:38pm. He was 21 inches long, 8 pounds 4 ounces. He's got some blond hair on his tiny little head and blue eyes! So here's our birth story, brace yourself it's a long one! By the way, let me apologize to those who have been checking the blog, only to find no recent updates :( I thought for sure I'd be able to update sooner, but between the pain killers and my sweet little boy, Ive been delayed :)

THE BIRTH STORY:

I was up Monday morning around 5am with strong contractions. I tried to change my position as well as go from the bed to the couch to see if they would die down. More time passed and I began to time these killer contractions and they were VERY consistent, about 4 minutes apart. I was very upset and crying because as most of you know, i've had some false alarms, 3 to be exact. I told Chip "If these people don't keep me, in all this pain, PAST DUE, I'M GUNNA HURT SOMEONE!!!!" Chip calmed me down and we were off to the hospital and checked into a room by 11:30am.

Our nurse checked my cervix, and much to my dismay I was STILL only 2cm. Lucky for us our Dr. was delivering a baby when I came in, so we were able to wait 2 hours till she was able to check us, which gave me that extra time to make progress. Finally at 2pm Dr. Wright came in to check me and I had progressed to 3cm! This was my ticket to FINALLY BEING ADMITTED TO HAVE A BABY!!!!! These words were music to my ears, they weren't sending me home, I was having my baby THAT day...wow...reality sets in! Dr. Wright wasted no time in breaking my water to get the ball rolling, and BOY did it! Breaking my water felt so great, it released TONS of pressure, but it was quite odd to have this "peeing" sensation for a few hours! You'll find that I say this a few times during our "birth story", I had many weird first times to experience! Over the next 6 hours I labored up to 4 cm, this not only took FOREVER, but they were concerned about how my contractions were showing up on the monitors that they kept coming in to adjust the sensor on my belly because they felt like it wasn't reading my contractions correctly. I told the nurses how the contractions were concentrated in my lower back which was AWFUL, but may also be a reason they weren't reading correctly. Then the bottom fell out, I had what the Dr. said was refereed to as a "Titanic Contraction". Now a typical contraction at its strongest usually lasts between 50 sec to 1 minute and 30 seconds. A Titanic contraction can last anywhere from 2-5 minutes LONG! Holy Crap this was absolutely the worst. I could totally deal with a minute long contraction, but once I was hitting the 2 minute mark and beyond I was crying like a baby and begging Chip to put me out of my misery! During those six hours I was able to have some I.V. pain medicine, they gave me 2 doses of Nubain which were great! haha, Chip said I looked VERY happy! But around 7:30 Dr. Wright came to talk to me about my contractions. I was having a 3 minute one followed by a 25 second one. This was a problem since it wasn't progressing in dilation, and to help progress me they would need to give me Pitocin. Also during these Titanic contractions Kane's heart rate would drop after about 1 minute and 30 seconds into it so they couldn't risk making them last any longer than they already were. This is when we had "The Talk".

"The C-Section Talk" was a very easy one I thought. She explained how Kane was distressing through those rough contractions and they didn't want him at risk. I absolutely agreed with her that OF COURSE we would be doing ANYTHING that would keep him out of harms way. She suggested that we go ahead with the C-Section rather than labor any further. With that the epidural was ordered! 20 minutes later the anesthesiologist came, and thank goodness because I had hit my pain threshold BIG TIME. The epidural was easy to get, and it felt soooo weird! It was like someone was pouring a bucket of ice cold water down my back! It took about 20 minutes for the epidural to take effect, again, another weird sensation with lack of feeling in my legs! Then once it was in effect they put in my catheter in....sooooo weird to see a pee bag dangling on the side of my bed knowing that at any moment I could just be peeing and not know it! haha By that time, all we needed to do was wait for the next C-section to clear the O.R. and it was go time!!

I had a few visitors just before I went in for the operation. My Mom, Dad and brother were all there rooting me on along with Chips Mom & brother Jamie. Also our preacher Jonathan and his wife Eileen made it just in time to say "Good Luck" to me! My Uncle Danny & Aunt Susan, and dear friends Amanda & Christina were there to help calm the nerves of the first time grandparents that were surely pacing the floor in anticipation! It was great to have all of these close people to us by our side during one of the most exciting times in our lives. Chip and I also could feel the overwhelming support of our friends and family who were rooting us on from a distance. Tons of e-mails, text messages, voice-mails, and Facebook comments were pouring in during the time of Labor and Delivery and it was so great to feel that love and support.

Shortly after 9:00 p.m. they wheeled me into the operating room, and I waved "See you soon!!" to all of my visitors. IT WAS GO TIME!!! The nurses prepped me for surgery, while Chip anxiously waited in his "HAZMAT" suit back in my room. Dr. Wright and the anesthesiologist were great at explaining what was going to happen and exactly what to expect. Lying on the operating table was pretty funny. I was in this room with about 7-8 people all running around manning their posts, and there I was BUTT NAKED lying on this table in the shape of a cross. There was a blanket covering my chest and arms, but it was just odd that my entire body chest down was completely numb! The Dr.s pinched me all over asking "Can you feel this?" about 20 different times, which was very reassuring to me! I was about 20 minutes to prep, then they began to cut. 10 minutes into the cutting, they called Chip in. I was told later on that Chip was freaking out waiting to be called in. He didn't realize it would take that long to prep and poor Chippy thought they had started without him and he had missed the birth :( aww he's soo sweet! I felt tons of pressure and I swear it felt like they were digging around in my rib cage! I was crying the entire time, I was so eager I meet my little man, my child, it was just sooo crazy to think about becoming a parent. After what seemed like tons of tugging and pulling I heard what felt like the best music to my ears, the first cry........

KANE PARKER SCHNABEL: Born October 26th, 2009 at 9:38pm 21 inches 8 pounds 4 ounces

40w2d--Check up--Schedule Induction

Hello Everyone! So this morning Chip and I went to our appointment all bright eyed and bushy tailed. Why you may ask?? Well being the eternal optimist that I am, I thought there maybe a chance that the Dr. would say "Ya know what Mrs. Schnabel, you've been pregnant Loooooong enough, head nextdoor to the hospital, we're inducing you TODAY!".....yeah right.....But just in case, Chip and I cleaned the house top to bottom last night, and I made lists of everything "last minute" that I would need in the hospital because I knew for sure that I'd be going to the hospital and Chip could run home and get our things and come back to join me....Well none of that happened. Here's what DID happen.

We got to the office around 10am to be taken right back for a sonogram. They scheduled this to check the amniotic fluid levels to make sure there was plenty for him. Fluid levels were great! The sonogram tech. was very vocal about what was on the screen, which is nice since not all tech.'s are as friendly and willing to educate you on what you're looking at. It was great to see him again since we hadn't had a sonogram since 20 weeks! When she got to his face, she switched it from a regular sonogram to the 3D which was an awesome surprise! Of course being my child, he was stubborn and uncooperative! She kept the 3D on for about a minute, hoping that he'd move his hands from his face, but no such luck :( Oh well, soon enough we'll see that face in person!

Next we went into one of the rooms to have the Non Stress Test. The point of the test is to get the babies heart-rate for about 20 minutes straight, measuring it's rise and fall in pattern form as it compares to his own movement and my contractions. This may sound easy, but when you've just had Chick-fil-a sweet tea, baby tends to be a little on the active side, and when he moves, the monitor drops his heart rate if it's not in the perfect place to pick it up! So for about a half hour I was busy chasing his heart rate all over my HUGE belly, getting that nasty gel everywhere, yelling at Chip saying "This is your fault, tell your child to sit still!!" haha! Well anyways, even though the patterns weren't as cohesive as they typically like, they could clearly tell that this past due baby was having no troubles with lack in movement!

Next Dr. Wright checked my cervix, which was still the same 2cm and 60-75% effaced. She said since I was already contracting and had some progress that most likely the induction would just be them breaking my water, thinking Pitocin would not be needed, but we shall see! She said most likely I'd have an induction scheduled between Wednesday & Friday of next week...WHAT?!!? This upset me since just on Monday, the other doctor told us that I'd be delivered BY WEDNESDAY....Oh well, what can you do now, it was up to the Surgery Scheduler, and off to her we went. She called us in her office, we sat, she picked up the phone and spoke to the L&D desk and said "I'm scheduling Mrs. Schnabel for an induction on Thursday 10/29 at 7:30am." Apparently there was to be no conversation with this woman on "Well what's a good day for you guys??!" hahaha Of course I thought that we'd have some sort of say in the matter, but, wrong again! We were handed a list of what to do on induction morning such as calling L&D to make sure the bed that was reserved for me was still available, and if it wasn't, every hour we'd have to keep calling back to check in. So that's all folks! We have our induction scheduled for Thursday the 29th, at which time I'll be 41w1d. Hopefully we will go into labor before then....but at this point, I'm not holding my breath! :)

Sincerely,

Painfully Pregnant!

40 weeks--Due Date--10.21.09

~The Over Due Blues~

Dear Baby Boy, it's time you come out.
You have us tossing and turning, you're all we can think about.

At eight weeks along we knew a certain test needed to be taken,
Signs of nausea and dizziness I'd turn green from the smell of bacon.

Fifteen weeks came with surprising shock and joy,
The ultrasound proved we'd soon have a "big ol' boy!"

Twenty-eight weeks along, with so many Braxton-Hicks,
No matter the time of day you were active with punches and kicks.

Thirty-eight weeks and doctor's appointments galore,
With no progress each time, they were disappointing, such a bore.

False alarms here and there. Is it time? How do we know?
Better to be safe then sorry, to the hospital we go!

Aches and pains getting worse with each passing day,
None of the Wives-tales have worked, no matter what people say!!!

Nine months have gone, you're time is past due,
All systems go, we're ready to meet you!!

-Love Mommy & Daddy

39 week Appt.--Another False Alarm--Due in 2 days

So I had another false alarm on Saturday. I was having constant contractions that wouldn't allow me to sleep Friday night so Saturday morning at 7, Chip and I made another trip to Labor & Delivery. Once we got there we were given a very bratty nurse, lucky for us the contractions died down and we were able to leave since there was still no progress, still 2cm 75% effaced. It would have been quite a bad situation if we would have been stuck with that woman!

We had a great weekend with Chip's Mom, brother Peter and his fiance Mary. We were hoping we'd have a baby to introduce to them by now, but Kane had other plans! It was nice to be able to spend one last quiet weekend with them though before the baby rocks our world! They will all be back to celebrate Thanksgiving with us.

Chip and I went in for our 39 week appointment today. We met Dr. Bell for the first time and we liked him a lot. So far we've met 5 of the 6 doctors that I could have for the delivery and for the most part I'd be happy with any of them, which I feel is pretty good. Since I had my cervix checked on Saturday I requested that they not check me again today, it's very uncomfortable and I'd just rather not deal with the cramps and bleeding for the rest of the day on top of the normal pregnancy pains! He listened to the heart beat which was strong, and then we went to talk in his office. He said that once we go over due they monitor more closely since you become higher risk. They scheduled us for a Non-stress Test as well as an ultrasound to measure the amniotic fluid on Friday at 10am. Dr. Bell said he hoped to see me in the hospital before Friday, but if not we would have the appointment at the end of the week, and at that point they would schedule my induction for sometime next week. Well that's all folks! So I'm now officially at "Ticking Time Bomb" status. If you don't see an update during the week you can safely assume that you'll get one on Friday. We'll have our computer in the hospital either way since they have free Wi-Fi, so I'll be updating as we know more! **PRAY MY WATER BREAKS!!!!**

39 weeks, OHHHH 39 weeks

Doctor's appointment on Monday, will update then! Pray for Progress!!!

38 weeks--Weekly Appt. & Pictures!

38 Week Check-up!

This afternoon Chip and I went in for our weekly visit. This was the first time we actually didn't have to wait at all which was very exciting! HaHa, it's the little things! I hit a milestone today....I knew it was coming.....but it's now officially here....What you might ask?? Well it all started when the nurse uttered 4 simple words that cut me like knives.....LETS GET YOUR WEIGHT!!!!! I stepped on the scale the lower notch was set at 150, then she gently flicked the top notch, then some more, then some more......ugh.....kill me now....I closed one eye tightly and just said "Just do it, just move it!" The nurse nicely smiled at me and it was like in slow motion, she reached for the bottom notch and kerplunk, she moved the notch to 200 pounds. No need to move the top notch, I've hit the mark, 200 lbs. even, for those of you wondering, that is a total weight gain of 41 lbs. for the entire pregnancy. While this number bothers me, it doesn't bother my doctor. Kane is growing right on target and both his and my health have been perfect throughout the 9 months knock on wood.

In other news, they did another internal exam, and I'm now 2cm dilated and 75% effaced (Effacement is the thinning of the cervix, while dilation is the widening of the cervix). I had mentioned to Dr. George that he wasn't moving as much as he usually did so she hooked me up to the Non-Stress Test machine where they have me sit in a recliner and monitor the fetal heart rate along with my contractions. This was very similar to what they did in the hospital except every time I felt Kane move I pressed a button, like the little button that contestants press on Jeopardy! They monitored me for about 30 minutes and said everything looked fine! My next appointment will be Monday October 19th (I don't have an appt. next week since they're going through a major computer shift and have limited hours and are completely booked)....I will be 39 weeks & 5 days, this is when we will discuss, dun dun duuuuunn INDUCTIONS! Dr. George explained to me today that they would like all of their patients to be delivered by 41 weeks, so this means we're almost 99% sure we'll have this baby before Halloween, unless there are scheduling conflicts that take me slightly over that 41 weeks mark. But lets cross our fingers for no induction!!

After the appointment, we went to pick out some pumpkins for our flower bed! Also we took our infant carrier & base to the local fire station to make sure Chip had installed it correctly and it was just fine! The firefighters were impressed that Chip had the base installed perfectly, since some parents come to the station with the seat in the box still!! He's winning the Greatest Dad Award already!

Here are some updated pictures. My 38 week bump picture with the pumpkins & Tank! Also updated nursery pictures, all set and ready for Kane! You'll notice that by his amount of clothing he takes after me already :) Also there's a picture of Chip holding the swaddled bunny we've been carrying around the house in an attempt to prepare the dogs for Kane's arrival!

***As a side note: If you know someone with a newborn, someone expecting a baby, or someone caring for a baby like a grandparent, listen closely! Chip and I were given the book "The Happiest Baby on the Block" by Dr. Harvey Karp, by my cousin Jenny. I've been reading the book, and last week Chip and I checked out the DVD that goes with it from the library. The DVD was amazing! It's for soothing crying babies, with the 5 S's method: Swaddle, Side, Shushing, Swing, & Suck. The book/DVD goes into how you should view the 1st 3 months of the babies life as the "4th trimester" where the baby needs to have the securities of the womb still. Also along with the instinct to cry and suck, they've realized that baby also has the instinct to sooth, and the 5 S's help you find that "soothing sweet spot". Anyways if you don't believe me, or think it's crazy talk, or better yet, if you know or have known a baby with "Colic" check this quick 30 min. DVD out from the library and see for yourself!!***








**By the way...For all of those interested, we've tried ALL of the wives tales to induce labor...as you can tell, no baby yet!**

37 weeks.....Ugh.....False Alarm & Weekly Appt.

Lets start at the very beginning, a very good place to starrrrrt!!!!! Sorry I was channeling Fraulein Maria for a moment!

FALSE ALARM:

Tuesday at 10pm Contractions begin. Finally I fell asleep around 4am. Wednesday was a smooth day, a few contractions throughout the day, nothing too bad. Couldn't fall asleep Wednesday night. Thursday morning around 3am, still awake and starting to have contractions. Chip suggests that I start to time them with my handy dandy iPhone that has an application on it that records the contraction so I can track the duration and length between them. We started to time contractions at 4am. They were 5-3 minutes apart and were lasting from 50 seconds to a minute and 15 seconds. I called the Dr. and they had a recorded message that instructed you to go to the hospital if you were having these EXACT symptoms.

Once my bag was packed (had already started collecting things over the past few weeks) and we had both showered we were off to the hospital! We got there around 8:30am Thursday morning and they got me into a room up in Labor & Delivery. Blood Pressure cuff, check, Kane's heart rate monitor, check, my contraction monitor, check! I was in my little smock and all hooked up! They examined me and I was still 1cm dilated from last week's appointment!!!! ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!??! I'VE BEEN CONTRACTING SINCE 3AM AND I'M ONLY 1CM......deep breath in....out.....don't be upset with the nurse......all better. They asked me a million questions and told me they would monitor my contractions for 2 hours, and then reexamine me to see if there was any progression. 2 hours goes by, Chip and I watched the Today Show and who wants to be a millionaire. They came back to examine me....and whatdaya know.....STILL 1CM.......Defeated I crawl back into my clothes, since the last internal exam hurt like crap! I swear some internals are fine, others you feel like they are reaching inside there to grab onto your nostrils!! They said that you can be in "latent" labor, contracting at a regular pace but it have no effect on your cervix, for days! This lovely tid-bit of information made me sooooo happy. ::note sarcasm:: Feeling silly, they wheeled me downstairs, with a Vera Bradley in my lap, not baby Kane, and sent me on my way waving "See you soon!!".............

37 WEEK APPOINTMENT:

Chip and I went in on Friday at 2:30 to meet with Dr. Ruetzel for our weekly appointment. We discussed my Group B Strep results which I came up negative for, yay, just one more thing not to worry about at delivery time. We also discussed Flu and Swine Flu. They gave me the seasonal flu shot, and will give me the swine flu shot once it becomes available whether I've gone into labor yet or not. Since I was given 2 internal exams at the hospital they did not do another one, which I had mixed feelings on. On one hand I wanted to see if I had progressed ANY from the day prior. But on the other hand, I'm pretty sure there would have been no progression, and there's just this "disappointed funk" that you go into once the internal exams start, and you're continually told, "Well looks like we'll see you next week. He sure is cozy in there!". So the Dr. tells us, "I could care less if you're dilated or not, the baby will come when he's ready. All I care about is if he's head down or not." And since he is head down, no internal exam. We listened to the heartbeat, took my BP, all was well, they sent us on our way!

Chip begins his work with the Navy Reserves tomorrow morning...well actually this morning...I'm up right now, contracting & blogging to try to tire my eyes and fall asleep. Until then, I'm drinking a Canada Dry watching The 1st Wives Club! Until next time, see you next Friday. OH! I almost forgot, Sunday 10/4 is a Full Moon, we all know what that means!!! PRAY FOR DILATION!!!!!