Nolan's birth story - Part 1

It still surprises me that our sweet Nolan is already 6 weeks old, and technically I should still be pregnant! I thought for sure that I would have him close to his due date in September, but God had other plans!  Even though his arrival surprised us, my birth experience was so much better than I could have imagined.

On Tuesday, July 15, I woke up around 3:30 in the morning with some serious cramps. The day before had been a relatively normal day, with the exception that I had been to the vet with Maddie, and had to schedule her for surgery the next day. (She had pyrometra, an infection in her uterus.)  So, when I awoke at 3:30 am with cramps, I assumed that the culprit was stress, and that I needed to drink some water and relax. I took a long bath, and after an hour the bath turned into a shower, and yet the cramping continued. Around 5:30 am, I finally decided to call the OB ward at St Joseph-London. When I explained my symptoms, they told me I should come in and get checked. But the stubborn side of me still wasn't

convinced that the cramping was anything more than stress and dehydration. I didn't want to be one of those women who run to the hospital for every little pain.  So, I drank some more water and continued watching the 'Biggest Loser' on Hulu for another 30 or so minutes. Eventually, I went to the bathroom only to notice a tiny amount of blood, a undeniable ticket to the hospital. So, I woke Jake up and off we went. We still had not called our parents, because we "assumed" it was nothing.  After all, I was only 32 weeks, and all of the normal labor signs hadn't occurred. 

When we arrived at the hospital, we were quickly met by a sweet nurse named Emily. She started an IV, and got me somewhat settled into a bed. At the end of what seemed 200 questions, she checked me to see if I happened to be dilated. We were all shocked to discover that I was dilated to a 2, and 100% effaced! My doctor was out of town, so I saw one of the doctors on call who arrived within a few minutes of the nurses assessment.  She quickly confirmed what Emily had told us, and without hesitation said that they would be sending me to UKMC for preterm labor. To say that Jake and I were shocked is an understatement. I didn't have a bag packed, I didn't have all my freezer meals made, and all I could think was, "I have 20 pounds of peaches sitting on my counter to be canned today?!" I had never been in the hospital before, and now I was hooked up to an IV, had a catheter placed, and was being transported via an ambulance.  WHAT?

While they were prepping me to be transferred, Jake's Dad Moe, and I had to figure out how we were going to get Maddie to the vet, and back. It was imperative that she had the surgery that day, because we didn't want the infection to spread, or get worse. I was heartbroken that I couldn't be there for my little princess. I knew she would be scared, but my brother n law Caleb took excellent care of her. He made sure to give her lots of love, and she sailed through the procedure without complication.

Of course, the one day in my 31 years on this planet that I would need EMS transport, is also the day that I-75 was closed due to a hazardous chemical spill. So a drive that would normally take an hour, took over 2 hours traveling back roads at an alarmingly fast speed with lights, and sirens roaring the entire time. When we left the hospital, my contractions were 2-3 minutes apart, and varied in intensity. They had started me on a medication called Magnesium Sulfate to help stop the contractions, and the bolus of medicine instantly made me feel flush and hot. That combined with the pain from the contractions made for a miserable ride.  Emily, the nurse accompanied the all female EMS crew. They were so kind as we drove along, telling me stories about their own childbirth experiences, and trying to take my mind off what was actually happening. After a while, I inquired as to whether they always drive with lights, and sirens, and was told that they didn't want me to have a baby in the back of an ambulance...talk about putting things in perspective. Thankfully, the medicine started doing it's job, and by the time we arrived at UK my contractions has slowed down to one every 10 minutes or so.

A very tired, and somewhat medicated selfie

When we finally arrived at UK, it was so awkward being pushing through the hospital. I'm used to being on the employee side of healthcare, and this was a totally new experience. We finally arrived at the OB ward, and as soon as we turned the corner to the triage area, there stood my Mom asking if I had arrived. It was a relief to see her, and I had to laugh at the impeccable timing. Not long after we arrived, Jake and his Dad, my Dad, and Kally all arrived. Jake's Mom was on vacation in the Dominican Republic, and was beside herself to get home. I definitely felt loved having so many people there! At first they didn't have a labor and delivery room available. So, while we were waiting, they had us in the triage area that was the equivalent size of a broom closet. I was only allowed 1 visitor at a time, so it was a constant stream of family going in and out. What stands out the most, was Kally and I laughing uncontrollably about lots of random things. We kept joking that they were going to kick me out, because I was laughing to much to "be in labor."

Where all the medicine action happened

Finally, our amazing nurse Mollee came and took us back to our labor and delivery room. It felt like a palace compared to the broom closet we had been in. Then we settled in for the long haul. They told me early on, that I would be in the hospital until I had him, because my "bag of water" was bulging, and could be felt when they checked me. Our goal was for me to hold off going into labor for 48 hours, mostly so I could have two rounds of steroids to help Nolan's lungs develop. So, I spent the day in bed hooked up to an IV of constant medicine that made me feel increasingly "loopy," as the day progressed. That evening we were blessed with so many awesome visitors...Dave and Kayla, Jon and Joe, Dustin and Rebecca, and of course our family camped out for the long haul. 

The view from my L &D room.

The next day, was basically a repeat of the first, except they took me off the Magnesium sulfate. I was finally able to eat, but was still mostly confined to my bed. Throughout the day, I would have a random contraction here and there, but the medicine had done it's job, and my labor had stopped. I was hopeful that I might be able to make it a few days before my water broke, but oh man was I wrong.

At 2:00 am on July 17, I was asleep, and woke up just enough to roll over in bed and think, "Oh man, that was a strong contraction," then BAM my water broke. It was undeniable, and in abundance. Jake was asleep in the recliner next to my bed, and the room was dark and quiet. I laid there for a few minutes taking in the fact that I would have a baby that day. And said a huge prayer of protection for Nolan and I. Overall, I wasn't nervous at all, just preparing myself for what was to come. I woke Jake up, who immediately set to pacing the floor, and calling our parents. It was go time!

More tomorrow!

The first month learning curve....

In honor of Nolan being a month old, I thought I'd write a list of all the new things I've learned, and a few I'm still learning...

1. How to do almost anything 1 handed....including, but not limited to, eating, changing out laundry, cooking, opening mail, you name it. I'm excited to start using our new Boba wrap to be more hands free! 

2. How to walk across our bedroom floor without causing the hardwood to creak. It's true that Nolan isn't bothered by most noise, but I think trying to tip-toe around a sleeping baby is innate. 

3. Pumping while...feeding the baby, rocking the baby, sleeping sitting up, blow drying my hair, putting makeup on, and surfing the internet (Ha!) 

4. How to quickly eat breakfast, brush my teeth, and pump before the baby wakes up. I call this a trifecta, and it makes me super happy. 

5. How to enjoy even an hour of quality, no interruption sleep. So rare, but so glorious. Thanks to my hubby Jake this usually happens for a few hours every night. He takes the first part of the night shift while I sleep. So appreciative!

Now, for fun...some things I have yet to master.....

1. How to keep my house somewhat organized. I swear the living room can go from clean, to having baby crap everywhere in no time. Dirty baby clothes (I swear he only spits up when I put clean clothes on him), blankets, bottles, binkies, and general clutter all over the place! Aahh! (So thankful for my Mama visiting and helping me get back on track!)

2. How to protect myself from being umm..."showered" during diaper changes. Just when I think it's safe....BAM, he gets me. Hilarious, and accurate everytime.

3. How to get back into a cooking routine. Pre-baby I always enjoyed cooking meals from scratch. Post baby, I'll happily settle for grilled chicken from Bojangles. We've eaten there an alarming number of times in the last two weeks. (Including tonight.)

4. How to keep myself hydrated. I swear I drink a gallon of water a day. Breastfeeding makes you thirsty! More thirsty than you've ever been every. single. day!  Thank goodness for my hydro flask! 

5. How to keep myself from pulling my hair back into a "crack Mom" pony tail every single day. I'm sure my hubby loves coming home to that! Hahaha. :P

This last month has been one of the best months of my life. Adjusting to our new normal has definitely been challanging at times, but it's also been the most rewarding experience of my life. Just seeing my little peanut look up at me, smile with that gummy grin, or grab my finger instantly makes everything worth while. I've said so many prayers of gratitude in the last month. Being a parent rocks my socks off! 

PS...I promise Nolan's birth story is coming next. Stay tuned! 

National Trail day!

Hiking is one of our FAVORITE activities. Last summer we did quite a bit of hiking, and decided we liked it so much, that we wanted to give backpacking a try. Let just say we were instantly hooked!

All winter long I researched gear, and read books on the Appalachian Trail (AT) like it was my job! Some would say I became mildly obsessed with hiking the AT. I honestly think Jake got tired of hearing me talk about it endlessly for weeks on end. I tend to be one of those people who will start researching something, and end up diving in head first, and reading for hours on the same topic. OOPS! 
I read people's trail journals (trailjournals.com), joined White Blaze (whiteblaze.net) which is a network where you can discuss gear, section hikes, and just about anything concerning the AT, and even kept up with the daily weather report on top of my favorite mountain in GSMNP Mt Leconte. (http://www.highonleconte.com/daily-posts).

After some convincing, Jake and I decided that we would spend our summer vacation hiking the 80 miles of the AT that runs through the Smokies. We had just finished obtaining the majority of our gear when I found out I was pregnant. We knew we would have to postpone our big trip, because hiking 80 miles with 30 pounds of gear while your 6 months pregnant just wasn't an option. And unfortunately, complications early in my pregnancy has resulted in me sitting out from any hiking until after our sweet Nolan is born. But honestly, I can't think of a better reason to be sitting out a season! haha.

Anyway, the point to this lengthy post is simply to say,

GET OUT AND HIKE!

There is some absolutely amazing sites to be seen in the woods, or deep in the backcountry! It's healthy, stress relieving, and energizing!  You can hike in any state, or all over the world! It's such a fun hobby! I'll leave you with some pictures of us hiking!

HAPPY NATIONAL TRAILS DAY! 

 

 

Long overdue pregnancy update!

Yes, I've been dragging my feet about writing this post. I write in my journal almost daily, but keeping up with this blog is a different story. Blah. As of today I'm 26 weeks, and 3 days pregnant. And man alive, I can feel it! My belly is growing by the day, and my poor belly button looks so strange. (Although, it hasn't "popped" yet...thankfully!)

Let me start where I left off last time...I followed up with the hem/onc doctor at UK, and he was exceptional! We ended up getting stuck in traffic on I-75 for two hours, and the doctor still saw us without a problem. We were so thankful! It was 3 weeks in between the colposcopy, and the follow-up appointment. I spent most of my time at home taking it easy, and working on projects like knitting during those weeks. And when the hem/onc doctor did the exam, he was astonished to report that the vein appeared to be healing, and looked like a discolored area on my cervix! Talk about a answered prayer! I went from having a vein the size of a quarter, to healed cervix. Let me just pause to say that  

WE SERVE AN AWESOME GOD!

 

I went from having an unexplained medical abnormality that could possibly be cancer...to completely healed in 3 weeks!  The doc repeated the pap test, and all came back negative. No cancer, no pre-cancer...normal! NORMAL!

After we jumped that hurtle, we excitedly awaited our gender ultrasound. Jake went with me to the ultrasound, and I can't explain how incredibly cool it was to see this tiny baby moving around! We decided to not find out the gender until a few days later, so we had to close our eyes a few times, because we didn't want to ruin the surprise, but other than those few minutes Jake and I were both glued to the monitor! Everything with the baby looked perfect! We even got to see all 4 chambers of the heart in action! We were both so thankful that the baby was healthy, and that I wasn't bleeding anymore! 

It was right after the ultrasound that it really started to sink in that we were having a baby. Up until this point I had so many complications, that I think subconsciously I didn't want to get "too excited," in fear that something dreadful could happen. But, driving away from the office that day, I felt a huge weight lift, and a growing excitement take it's place!

A few days after the ultrasound, we had a gender reveal party with our families. It was a low key cookout, and we were thankful to be surrounded by so many people that love us! I even had some family travel all the way from Chester, WV for the big reveal. (Thanks again Uncle Mitch, and Aunt Amy!)

 

I have several more pictures also, but I need to get them from my Mom and Gram's camera. I ran around in an flurry of excitement, and didn't take any pictures! But, without further ado...here's the video of us cutting the cake to find out if the baby was a boy or girl!

  

I was so surprised! I thought for sure the baby was a girl, but God had another thing in mind. We had already decided on a boy's name, so we announced at the party that we would be naming him David Nolan Mosley. We will call him Nolan, but when it came to deciding a name, we came up with it just days after finding out we were pregnant!

Since the party, everything has been smooth sailing. I've had two routine checkups, and Nolan is measuring exactly where he should be. Yesterday, I had to take the dreaded glucose test. It wasn't as bad as I thought, the drink they give you tasted like flat orange soda. I was thankful that I passed, and didn't have to take the longer 3 hour test. The comical thing, is that after only a few sips, Nolan went crazy! He was flipping, and dancing all over the place. While we were listening to his heart beat with the doppler, he was kicking it with force! It definitely made me laugh. He's been so active lately, and I absolutely love it! It's such a neat feeling to feel him moving. At first it felt like butterflies, but now it's full on karate.

Despite not having any more problems with the vein, I'm still not allowed to go back to work. My doctor fears that putting the same pressure on the cervix that caused the initial bleeding, would make the bleeding start again, and could potentially send me into pre-term labor. Something we definitely don't want! But, the summer will pass by so quickly, and I'm thankful for the quiet time to prepare for one of the biggest life changes we'll face! Jake and I are so ready to snuggle him!

In the next few days, I'll post about our progress on the baby's room, and the fun preparations we've been making. I never thought I would get so excited about things like a stroller! haha.

My pregnancy so far...

Hello again!
I thought I would take a few minutes to write about my pregnancy thus far. As of today, I am 16 weeks, and 2 days pregnant. My waistline is starting to grow, and thanks to maternity pants (greatest invention ever!) getting dressed for the day is comfortable again.

We found out we were pregnant on the morning of New Years Eve. I had suspected I might be pregnant, and took a pregnancy test first thing that morning. It only took 30 seconds or so to turn positive, and the first thing that popped into my head was 1 Samuel 1:27, which is "For this child I prayed, and the Lord grated me my petition that I asked of him." We had been praying for a little one since our honeymoon, and this scripture always gave me comfort during the years, and months of waiting. In a matter of a few seconds it took to thank Heavenly Father, I screamed "JAKE" from the bathroom. Waking him up from a NyQuil induced sleep (he had been sick), and alarming him to the point where he thought someone had broken into the house. I ran into our bedroom, and told him the good news, practically knocking him over with my hug, and waving the pregnancy test around like a loon.

The weeks that followed were textbook 1st trimester. I experienced all the "normal" symptoms...exhaustion...nausea...vomiting...food aversion. You name it. I discovered very quickly, that I couldn't eat some of my favorite foods, including bananas, scrambled eggs, and shrimp. And I have a very nice list of all the random places I've puked. But I'll spare you the gory details.

Everything was progressing nicely, until the beginning of week 12. I was at work, and experienced an episode of bleeding that scared the living daylights out of me. Thankfully, I work at a hospital, so I went and found a good friend I was working with, and she walked with me to the ER. I wasn't having any abdominal pain, or cramping, so the PA was optimistic that I wasn't miscarrying.  I was still so scared, and we prayed that by some miracle the baby would be okay. When the ultrasound machine rolled into the room, Jake and I took a collective deep breath, knowing this would tell us how our baby was. The  minute it took the tech to find the baby, was probably one of the longest minutes of my life. But, when we saw that sweet little peanut moving his/her arms and legs around, I can't begin to express the relief that washed over me. We got a good report on all sides from the ER, and was discharged home, with instructions to follow up with my doctor the next day. Nobody could explain the bleeding, but knowing our baby was okay was all that mattered.  As the week progressed, I had two more intense, and unexplainable episodes of bleeding. Each time, I followed up at my doctor's office, where they would listen to the baby's heartbeat, ask me a few questions, then send me home to rest. It wasn't until the end of that week, after two visits to the office, that they finally decided to do a full exam, and make sure nothing was wrong with my cervix. And it was then that we discovered what was causing the bleeding...what appeared to be a varicose vein on my cervix. My doctor immediately scheduled me for a colposcopy, which is where they use a microscope to have a closer look at your cervix. (Usually, they do a biopsy, but because I'm pregnant they didn't biopsy anything.)

During the colposcopy, I was able to see exactly what the doctors saw, and it does indeed look like a weird purple vein. My doctor told me that in 20 years of practicing, he's never seen or heard of anything like this. We have almost entirely ruled out cervical cancer, or a pre-cancerous lesion, because this wasn't present in January for my first appt, and all my tests came back perfect. BUT- because nobody can give me any answers about what this is, or why it's suddenly present, I'm scheduled to follow up with a women's hematologist/oncologist next week at the University of Kentucky. I'm praying that this doctor will be able to give us an overview of what the next 6 months are going to entail, and answer a few of the hundreds of questions I have. 

Like any normal person, I googled "cervical varices," and came up with some interesting case study reports. Miraculously, the baby isn't affected by any this. He or she is progressing perfectly, and getting bigger daily. As for me, I'm home. I can't work, because the pressure of sitting at a desk for 12 hours, causes the dreaded bleeding. I've joked that it's like being on house arrest, because for the next 6 months, I'm taking it easy, and staying off my feet. The bleeding can happen at anytime, without any warning, and is always in the back of my mind. I'm slowly learning how to deal with this added stress, and lots of prayer has left me with an indescribable peace. Knowing my Heavenly Father is in control, gives me a feeling of stability, in a situation that I have zero control over. Anyone who knows me, knows I'm a "go and do" kind of person, but right now I have to focus on the tiny growing person inside me, and being as healthy as possible.

I want to thank all my dear family, and friends for all the love, support, and prayer they have given us over the last month! It's an incredible feeling to know that you are being lifted up in prayer. I thank God daily for this little blessing, and I'll do whatever it takes to bring this blessing into the world. I already feel fortunate that God has chosen Jake and I to be this sweet child's parents.

Hopefully, the next time I have a pregnancy update, I'll have some answers to important questions. In the meantime, I'll be sitting on the couch knitting, or hand sewing if you need me! :D

Love,
Kristen

We have a very special announcement!

We are beyond excited!

Breaking the silence....

Hello all.

I decided that I wanted to dust some of the cobwebs off this blog, and start actually using it to document our lives. I fear that in the blink of an eye, years will flash before us, and I'll forget all the fun little details of our lives.

We are currently in the middle of one of the coldest, and snowiest winters I've experienced since I was a kid. The average temps have been in the teens (or lower some weeks), with wind chill making the temperature feel even more frigid. I've heard a lot of people complain about snow, and road conditions, but honestly I'm thankful for it. Winter is supposed to be cold, and snowy. We will have less pests in our garden, and hopefully less ticks to deal with this summer. (I swear, those things could survive an atomic bomb!) I'm enjoying the cold, and I know it will make me even more appreciative of the deliciously warm spring, and the beautiful awaking of nature. Today in Walmart, I got a little more excited than I should looking at all the seed starting stuff.

Well, I'm going to end this post with a little tidbit I found on pinterest that I thought was awesome. God really does hear our prayers...we just have to be patient! :D

Good night!
Kristen