Ambry Eileen Baker entered the world at 10:22am on Wednesday August 25, 2010. She weighed 7lbs 12oz. and was 19 inches long. She was born with a head full of dark brown hair, bright alert eyes and a beautiful sweet smile. Here is her birth story:
After going to work on Tuesday the 24th, I was completely frustrated. Our oldest son, Taylor, had come a week early and I was losing my patience. Doctors had estimated Ambry's due date on either the 24th or 25th and I was beginning to think she would never come! I had already had pretty bad back labor for nearly a month and I had honestly never envisioned myself starting the first day of school with my new students. Well, it's a good thing God is in control and knew what was best for us.
On the evening of the 24th, I had a complete break down. Brandon was gone at a church meeting and after putting Taylor to bed, I began to sob. I prayed and prayed that I would have the strength and patience to continue for as long as I needed to ensure we had a happy, healthy baby. One hour later, the contractions started.
At first I wasn't sure it was really labor. The contractions didn't feel the same as they did with Taylor. They were very low and the pain was sharp and specific (not all over). When I went to bed that night, contractions were coming every 30-35 minutes and were more annoying than anything. (I was still assuming this wasn't labor and was my payback for crying)
Around 11:30pm, I woke up in extreme discomfort. I started to get a little excited, but didn't want to over-analyze the situation. As much as I wanted to start my relaxation and breathing, I didn't want to wake Brandon up with my music, so I headed for the couch. I spent several hours going back and forth between the couch, the bathroom floor and warm baths. I just couldn't relax. However, I knew I was going to need as much sleep as possible.
At 4:30am Brandon woke up and checked on me. Contractions were around 7 minutes apart. He was wonderful! We brought me music, pillows and water. He even massaged my back. At that point things got very real and more intense. Brandon knew it was probably labor and started to clean our house with all the last minute duties (emptied the trash, packed Taylor's overnight bag, rinsed the dishes, prepared food for the animals, got dressed, etc.) Meanwhile, I fought to find a sense of deep relaxation, despite my back pain. It was at this point, that I starting to throw up with nearly every contraction. Yet again, Brandon was my knight in shining armor and sat by me (bowl in hand) and combed my hair with his hand. This helped immensely.
At 5:30am, we called Brandon's parents and asked if they could pick up Taylor in about an hour. Contractions and back pain continued. Brandon loaded the car for the hospital. Neither one of us wanted to leave "too soon" since our doctor had counseled us not to come until I was 4 minutes apart.
When George and Judy arrived, I could barely speak. George and Brandon gave me an incredible priesthood blessing that finally helped me to relax. Taylor was so sweet and kissed mommy and baby goodbye. He said "good luck mommy. I can't wait to see my baby sister." He even said a prayer for us. It was a precious moment. Right after that- I threw up!
Around 7:30am, we tried to get in the car. However I was so sick, I was scared to leave. I didn't want to throw up while having contractions in the car. Plus, my back hurt so bad, I didn't want Brandon to drive. That meant he couldn't put counter pressure on my spine. For a short moment, I wondered if we were going to have this baby at home.
Thirty minutes later we were driving. Brandon had downloaded all my hypnobirthing music to our I-pod. I was trying to relax and not panic in the car. With every contraction, I would yell "back" and Brandon would calmly release one hand from the steering wheel to help me through the pain. At one point, he was on the phone with the hospital, holding my back and driving with his knees. (I'm very grateful my eyes were closed) Contractions were now 2-3 minutes apart.
When we got to the hospital, I could barely walk. It was 8:15am. However, my back pain was so bad I didn't want to sit in a wheelchair either. Thus, we braved our way up the elevator to the nurse check-in station. No one was there! By the time we walked all the way around to the secondary check-in counter, I was exhausted. I nearly cussed when the nurse said "hi. Are you here to be induced?" Hello! Could she not see I was in labor? She sent us back to the original nurse's check-in for a preliminary evaluation. You know, just to make SURE....Arrr....
At this point, no one really seemed to care that I was having deep contractions every 2 minutes. I'm not sure they believed me. I guess I was calmer than most patients. They proceeded to have me pee in a cup (yeah right lady!) and check my blood pressure. I was taking deep breaths and slowly fighting each contractions. Finally the brilliant young nurse says, "you know, I think you might be in labor. I should probably check you before the doctor gets here" (You think?)
After the exam, I could tell she had a little faster sense of urgency. I was dilated to a NINE. They called the doctor, prepped the room and brought me back. The only problem was that everyone kept wanting me to lay down. I just wanted to stand! Once our doula got there, she was great to support me. They brought cool rags for my head, turned the lights down low and kept the bathroom door open just in case I had to throw up again.
I started to get a little nervous when there was a problem with Ambry's heart beat. It wasn't registering on the monitor properly. It was only indicating 80 beats per minute-when it should have been more like 150-160. Thus, I was quickly hooked up to the monitors and moved to all sorts of crazy positions to try and find an accurate beat. It never came. At this point, I caved and asked if I could please have a small amount of medicine to relieve my back pain. I had already said no to the epidural.
The doctor explained that if she gave me the relaxer, there was a possibility it would cause the baby's heart to stop and they would have to revive her after she was born. I panicked when I watched them bring in the oxygen equipment. I didn't know what to do. Her head was facing the wrong way and I couldn't bare the back pain anymore. (Ever tried to relax with a baby in your butt?) Thankfully, our doula spoke up and calmly said "Amy, the only reason this baby hasn’t come yet is because your muscles aren’t relaxed enough to let her through.” She assured us that a very small amount of the relaxer would not take away the pain, but would help me relax enough to begin the birthing process. Thus, with a prayer in our hearts we agreed. We are grateful that it was the right decision.
Thirty minutes later the nurse came in to break my water. Five minutes after that I began pushing. Never in my life have I had such a strong desire to push. It was VERY clearly this baby was ready to come. Although I was still a little nervous since I had to push for nearly forty-five minutes with Taylor. However, this time around, once the urge to push came there was no stopping it. Brandon yelled for the doctor and once she was ready- we pushed. It was amazing how easy it was. After the first push, we saw her hair. With the second push, the head came out. The third push brought our precious, healthy new baby into the world. (2 hours after entering the hospital)
Ambry was immediately placed in my arms and we both started to cry. It was a miracle and true gift from God. She was alert and wide-eyed. She had a full head of dark brown hair and was as calm as can be. We were in love! One of my favorite moments of the whole experience was when the nurses left the room and allowed us to have a full hour alone with our baby before they performed the regular routine (bathing, weighing, tests, etc.) It was a quiet hour filled with thanks and gratitude.
It’s amazing how quickly your pain fades once you are holding your baby. Other than a few stitches and the normal swelling, I felt great. I was much more prepared this time around for the recovery and after-birth. I knew what to expect and was able to stay calm and happy. My back pain was immediately lifted and I understood the changes that would happen to my body now that the difficult part was over. It was true bliss.
After our alone time, everyone came back into the room to care for her. I loved that all of the tests (and even the bath) were done right in front of us in the delivery room. It was so cute watching Brandon help sponge bath her. He was very nervous about getting the umbilical cord wet. Ambry was eventually swaddled and they ever turned her hospital-issued hat into a cute bow.
We were elated to find out that we would be staying in one of four VIP recovery rooms, since we were private insurance patients. Of course, it didn’t hurt that Brandon also had connections with one of the hospital VP’s. J The room was large and spacious with lots of windows. We had great food and even got to special order our first meal. We received several vases of flowers to decorate (from Judy and George, Jim Johnson and United Blood Services) and had short visits from our close friends and family.
It was so exciting to watch Taylor walk into the room for the first time. He instantly loved his new baby sister. He immediately wanted to hold and kiss her. In fact, he was pretty frustrated that she wouldn’t open her eyes. I also laughed when he asked to “see the hole in my tummy and see all my blood”. He was pretty confused when there was no hole. It was so sweet the way he looked at her. He was very careful when he held her and was sure to wash his hand extra times. We are so happy that the new princess has her own little guardian and protector.
Over the course of the next day and a half, we received many annoying visits from doctors and nurses who came to conduct their mandatory tests. Every two hours, they came to take my blood pressure and temperature. At one point, they even woke me up at 3am to draw blood. I was pretty upset. Why can’t they just leave you alone and let you sleep? We were discouraged to learn that Ambry failed her hearing test in her right ear. Although they assured us that due to fluid build-up, a lot of infants don’t pass the first time. (We will go back again this week for a re-test. We are pretty confident she’ll pass)
The most challenging aspect of the tests was learning that Ambry’s irregular breathing pattern during labor was still present. Even though it wasn’t an urgent emergency and Ambry still got to stay in the room with us, we started to get worried when they ordered an EKG and Echo test for her heart. No one wants their new fragile child to undergo tests that you know will be miserable and uncomfortable. The pediatrician also called for a pediatric cardiologist to perform an exam and analysis. We ended up waiting an extra 6-7 hours before we could be cleared to leave the hospital, while we waited for this appointment.
Ambry has what is known as a heart Arrhythmia. Apparently this condition is present in roughly 15-20% of newborns. The doctor indicated that most children grow out of it or show no adverse effects due to the condition. However, the tests showed that she also has three leaky heart valves. Again, two of these leaky valves are very common, even in adults.
This news was emotionally very difficult for me and I immediately prepared for the worst. The doctor scheduled a follow-up appointment (for September27th) and gave us counsel to “treat her as normal”. He said we shouldn’t do anything differently and that I should continue to nurse, hold and comfort her as if nothing was wrong. Despite my fear, Brandon reassured me that if it was something urgent, they would not have let us take her home. We are still praying.
After we received clearance from the cardiologist, OBGYN and nurses we began the discharge papers. I still think it’s funny; I had to attend a parenting class before I could leave, but I understood. Thus, with the help of our good friend Leslie Eyerly, we loaded Ambry, Taylor, 3 bags, 3 large flower arrangements and all our hospital “incidentals” into the car and headed home as a new family.
The last three weeks have been sweet, tiring and filled with life’s simple pleasures. Ambry is a good sleeper, a decent eater and a wonderful little sister. We love dressing her, bathing her and cuddling with her. Despite the fact that my body is not recovering as fast as I would like (I am ready to run, scrub and play soccer again); this time at home has been precious. I am actually starting to panic that I am already halfway through my maternity leave. I love my family so much and am blessed every moment I get to spend with them!
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Baby Time!
It has once again been some time since we have posted. A lot has happened in the last 6 months. We were the recipients of a true and everlasting miracle on December 17th, 2009 when Amy discovered she was finally pregnant. All of the tears, patience and humility finally paid off. The frustration and sadness melted away. After a nearly 4-year journey of praying and pleading we were HAVING ANOTHER BABY! I cannot express the gratitude we felt to the Lord during that time. It was as if we would finally see and understand his plan for us.
However, due to some intial skepticism, Amy did take 4 pregnancy tests just to be sure-one of each brand of course. I still can't believe I waited a full day to tell Brandon. My heart was about to burst. But, I wanted to be sure. At that time Brandon's 30th birthday was drawing near and I wanted to do something special. I kept pestering him about whether or not he wanted to open his present early. He knew I was up to something, but I guess he thought I was being my usual dramatic self. He doesn't like early surprises. I had to be persistent. I finally emailed him a short poem to read. It was cheesy of course (he won't let me post it on the blog), but it sealed the deal. You see, Brandon had wanted a handgun for some time. However since we had been saving money for potential fertility treatments, I did not think it was a worthy expense and kept saying no. The poem talked about how two of his wishes were coming true. (I had to sneak in a few corny lines...)
"You asked for a gun, and I said maybe,
But now you need one to protect your baby"
"I hope you’re excited to share your life,
With a brand new gun and a pregnant wife"
Needless to say, he was thrilled. It was a calm and reflective moment for both of us. We both cried. We had planned to start fertility next month! Despite the fear and anxiety that new mothers feel about potentially losing their baby during the early stages of pregnancy, we knew everything would be okay. The only question was "how soon do we tell Taylor?" Five-year olds are not famous for their ability to keep secrets. It wasn't long. We just couldn't wait. We told him a week later. We were expecting fireworks and obsessive dancing as his response, but happily settled when we got a calm "yeah". He made a short Christmas video to announce the news to family and friends another week later. It was super cute.
As pregnancy continued, things became increasingly difficult. I was still recovering from my endometriosis surgery in September and the stretching pains became very hurtful. Additionally, there were major issues with my gallbladder due to intense nausea and sickness. My doctors put me on a great medicine (that they give to chemo patients) but my gallbladder attacks continued. In short, I was stuck eating nothing but bread, chicken and mashed potatoes with water for the first 16 weeks. I lost 8 lbs. I thought things would never end. However, my joy in being pregnant overshadowed the misery. It was more frustrating and embarassing than anything. I hated throwing up at school in the middle of class. Those poor students.
At 20 weeks, the pain subsided. It was another miracle. I thought for sure I would be sick the entire pregnancy. The Lord has had a great hand in our adventure. I finally had more energy, more excitment and quickly geared up for my "nesting phase". It was around this same time, we learned (what we knew all along), that this sweet precious baby was going to be A GIRL! I think we all had a sense of it, but did not want to jinx anything. We kept telling everyone we thought it was a boy (we lied) so that we wouldn't be disappointed. Even Taylor was confident it was a girl. He told us every night he was having a sister. When we gently explained, he might have a baby brother, he would scream and say "no, I'm not. It's a sister! It's a sister!"
We took Taylor to the sonogram with us. It was such a precious moment. We were relieved to know the baby was growing well and was healthy, but when the nurse asked us if we wanted to know the baby's sex, we all held our breaths. (Taylor yelled, "I already know it's a girl"). I started to cry. I didn't know how I was going to explain it to him if he was wrong. The nurse assured him that he was right! I cried some more. I had had some very strong dreams and spiritual impressions about a baby girl over the last 4 years while waiting, but now it was coming true. I asked the nurse if she was SURE. Of course she replied, "we can't ever be 100% sure". I felt a small pain of discouragement. "But, I'm 99% percent" confident. "Go home and paint that baby's room." Hooray!!!
The nesting phase consisted mostly of shopping and obsessing. I would stare at our daughter's room every day. I would envision her crying as a baby, playing as a little girl, and trying to sneak out her window as a teenager. Whew! Was I really ready for all of this?
I quickly made plans for how we would design the nursery and we finally agreed on green and purple with butterflies. I continued to shop like a maniac and bought tons of cute clothes for a bargain. What can I say, I waited so long to shop for a little girl, I just couldn't help myself. Once I spent $45 buying outfits from a lady off of craigslist ($1 each). Brandon finally said it was time to cut me off. Although I did manage to sneak in a few more purchases after that.
The most recent dilema was in regards to our daughter's name. Even before the sonogram, we had two names we really liked. Brandon had randomly come up with the name "Ambry" by combining our two names together and Taylor declared he had a vision (yes, he used that word) and we were suppose to name our baby "Sedriano". This later changed into his obsession with the name "Catie". We're still not sure were Sedriano came from. We both had clarity that her name would be either Catie or Ambry. Yet we (mostly Brandon) were still having a hard time committing to a final decision.
Ever since I had attended the temple back in March, I knew what her name should be. It was reaffirmed to me again during the sonogram that our baby's name was Ambry.... but now we had a problem. Taylor was convinced I was wrong. He called her Catie every day and would cry (literally sob) if I talked any differently. On two seperate occassions, I tried to explain things to him, but his eyes would simply swell up with giant legitimate tears. I felt stuck. Could I be wrong? Did the name really matter that much? Thus, I resorted to the tactics of a sneaky mother. I told Taylor that every time he said the word Ambry, his sister would start to kick. He got such pleasure in thinking every time he said her name, I would get punched in the stomach. (although on many occassions this was in fact true).
It took about two months of this continual game to help him relax and get use to the idea
of a different name. Now, it is simply second nature for him. I love the way it sounds when he says "Ammm...breee" in his cute little Texas accent. There is something very special about this baby. She has brought us all together as a family. We love her so much already! It is as if she is meant to be a part of us.
Despite the small occasional panic attack (how will we afford this, will I keep working, will she be born healthy, will labor be okay, etc.) we are so blessed. We are so thankful for our friends and family who have supported us during this journey. May your prayers continue to bless our lives as we feel of your love and grow as a family. Thank you for everything.
(Yes, I'm still planning on a hypnobirthing labor- just in case you were wondering) :)
However, due to some intial skepticism, Amy did take 4 pregnancy tests just to be sure-one of each brand of course. I still can't believe I waited a full day to tell Brandon. My heart was about to burst. But, I wanted to be sure. At that time Brandon's 30th birthday was drawing near and I wanted to do something special. I kept pestering him about whether or not he wanted to open his present early. He knew I was up to something, but I guess he thought I was being my usual dramatic self. He doesn't like early surprises. I had to be persistent. I finally emailed him a short poem to read. It was cheesy of course (he won't let me post it on the blog), but it sealed the deal. You see, Brandon had wanted a handgun for some time. However since we had been saving money for potential fertility treatments, I did not think it was a worthy expense and kept saying no. The poem talked about how two of his wishes were coming true. (I had to sneak in a few corny lines...)
"You asked for a gun, and I said maybe,
But now you need one to protect your baby"
"I hope you’re excited to share your life,
With a brand new gun and a pregnant wife"
Needless to say, he was thrilled. It was a calm and reflective moment for both of us. We both cried. We had planned to start fertility next month! Despite the fear and anxiety that new mothers feel about potentially losing their baby during the early stages of pregnancy, we knew everything would be okay. The only question was "how soon do we tell Taylor?" Five-year olds are not famous for their ability to keep secrets. It wasn't long. We just couldn't wait. We told him a week later. We were expecting fireworks and obsessive dancing as his response, but happily settled when we got a calm "yeah". He made a short Christmas video to announce the news to family and friends another week later. It was super cute.
As pregnancy continued, things became increasingly difficult. I was still recovering from my endometriosis surgery in September and the stretching pains became very hurtful. Additionally, there were major issues with my gallbladder due to intense nausea and sickness. My doctors put me on a great medicine (that they give to chemo patients) but my gallbladder attacks continued. In short, I was stuck eating nothing but bread, chicken and mashed potatoes with water for the first 16 weeks. I lost 8 lbs. I thought things would never end. However, my joy in being pregnant overshadowed the misery. It was more frustrating and embarassing than anything. I hated throwing up at school in the middle of class. Those poor students.
At 20 weeks, the pain subsided. It was another miracle. I thought for sure I would be sick the entire pregnancy. The Lord has had a great hand in our adventure. I finally had more energy, more excitment and quickly geared up for my "nesting phase". It was around this same time, we learned (what we knew all along), that this sweet precious baby was going to be A GIRL! I think we all had a sense of it, but did not want to jinx anything. We kept telling everyone we thought it was a boy (we lied) so that we wouldn't be disappointed. Even Taylor was confident it was a girl. He told us every night he was having a sister. When we gently explained, he might have a baby brother, he would scream and say "no, I'm not. It's a sister! It's a sister!"
We took Taylor to the sonogram with us. It was such a precious moment. We were relieved to know the baby was growing well and was healthy, but when the nurse asked us if we wanted to know the baby's sex, we all held our breaths. (Taylor yelled, "I already know it's a girl"). I started to cry. I didn't know how I was going to explain it to him if he was wrong. The nurse assured him that he was right! I cried some more. I had had some very strong dreams and spiritual impressions about a baby girl over the last 4 years while waiting, but now it was coming true. I asked the nurse if she was SURE. Of course she replied, "we can't ever be 100% sure". I felt a small pain of discouragement. "But, I'm 99% percent" confident. "Go home and paint that baby's room." Hooray!!!
The nesting phase consisted mostly of shopping and obsessing. I would stare at our daughter's room every day. I would envision her crying as a baby, playing as a little girl, and trying to sneak out her window as a teenager. Whew! Was I really ready for all of this?
I quickly made plans for how we would design the nursery and we finally agreed on green and purple with butterflies. I continued to shop like a maniac and bought tons of cute clothes for a bargain. What can I say, I waited so long to shop for a little girl, I just couldn't help myself. Once I spent $45 buying outfits from a lady off of craigslist ($1 each). Brandon finally said it was time to cut me off. Although I did manage to sneak in a few more purchases after that.
The most recent dilema was in regards to our daughter's name. Even before the sonogram, we had two names we really liked. Brandon had randomly come up with the name "Ambry" by combining our two names together and Taylor declared he had a vision (yes, he used that word) and we were suppose to name our baby "Sedriano". This later changed into his obsession with the name "Catie". We're still not sure were Sedriano came from. We both had clarity that her name would be either Catie or Ambry. Yet we (mostly Brandon) were still having a hard time committing to a final decision.
Ever since I had attended the temple back in March, I knew what her name should be. It was reaffirmed to me again during the sonogram that our baby's name was Ambry.... but now we had a problem. Taylor was convinced I was wrong. He called her Catie every day and would cry (literally sob) if I talked any differently. On two seperate occassions, I tried to explain things to him, but his eyes would simply swell up with giant legitimate tears. I felt stuck. Could I be wrong? Did the name really matter that much? Thus, I resorted to the tactics of a sneaky mother. I told Taylor that every time he said the word Ambry, his sister would start to kick. He got such pleasure in thinking every time he said her name, I would get punched in the stomach. (although on many occassions this was in fact true).
It took about two months of this continual game to help him relax and get use to the idea
of a different name. Now, it is simply second nature for him. I love the way it sounds when he says "Ammm...breee" in his cute little Texas accent. There is something very special about this baby. She has brought us all together as a family. We love her so much already! It is as if she is meant to be a part of us.
Despite the small occasional panic attack (how will we afford this, will I keep working, will she be born healthy, will labor be okay, etc.) we are so blessed. We are so thankful for our friends and family who have supported us during this journey. May your prayers continue to bless our lives as we feel of your love and grow as a family. Thank you for everything.
(Yes, I'm still planning on a hypnobirthing labor- just in case you were wondering) :)
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