Introducing Tucker Ronald-Bruce Burgess

Tucker Ronald-Bruce Burgess
Born Sunday May 27^th, 2012 2:38pm
8.9lbs, 21.5 inches long

On Saturday May 26^th my husband and I headed out to the strawberry festival. I hadn’t had any labor symptoms, but joked that I was going to walk my baby out. We walked around the festival in the heat for about 4 hours, and then went to lunch at a Mexican grill. We got home around 6pm, rested, and then I fixed dinner. I took a nice long bath then got up and was walking around the house looking for batteries for the remote. It was 9:33pm when I walked back to the bedroom to put the batteries in the remote when I felt a trickle down my leg. Then more trickles. I knew it wasn’t pee, but I wasn’t sure it was my water breaking either. It was nothing like I had heard people describe. I wondered if it wasn’t just bath water that had somehow stayed inside of me and was now leaking out.

I walked around a little bit more and the trickles continued. I walked out to the living room and calmly told Nick “I think my water just broke.” He had a moment where he panicked. He was playing video games, so I told him he might as well finish the round. No reason to lose just because my water broke. He did finish, because apparently his team was winning, then he got my bags and took them out to the car. At some point he also put down towels in the passenger seat. He had joked earlier that if I went into labor while he was deployed to drive the truck to the hospital and if I had to drive the car to at least put down some newspaper.  I called my mom to get verification that it was my water. Talking to her, as it often does, made me cry. She agreed that it definitely could be my water and we should go to the hospital to be sure.

Nick and I headed out to the car and our dog, Haley, rushed out with us. The poor thing didn’t understand why we weren’t heading to bed. After all, it was past our 10pm bedtime. I called my only friend that was still in town due to the Memorial Day weekend. As luck would have it, she didn’t answer and I got nervous thinking she was also gone. I left her a message and told her my water had most likely broken and that it would great if she could swing by in the morning and take care of Haley. She called back a couple minutes later and said they had been in a movie that just let out. She was thrilled. 

After hanging up I realized we had left the house without my purse which contained my ID. Thankfully we were only a few miles down the road. Nick turned the car around and we headed back home. I went to grab my purse and Haley didn’t meet me at the door. I worried that she didn’t actually go back inside when we left the first time and was somewhere outside in the dark. I kept calling her name and eventually she came out of the bedroom. I hugged on her and told her to be good; she gave me a kiss and we got back on the road again.

We got to the hospital around 11pm. I’ve never been to the hospital that late so I was unaware I needed to enter through the emergency room doors. I really didn’t want to be there, but you are required to go in that door to check in with security then you are buzzed through to the other side of the hospital. As we were walking down the hall I started to feel silly because I was having no labor symptoms and was no longer leaking fluid. I was sure they were going to send me home and tell me to relax. We arrived at labor and delivery and I told them I thought my water had broken. A very bubbly nurse was assigned to me and said she would get that checked out. I filled out the necessary paperwork and was given a room. I changed into the gown and gave a urine sample. I had the foresight to put my wet panties in a Ziplock bag and bring them; I was concerned that once I changed panties and put on the pad I had stopped leaking. The nurse came in to check my pad, it said negative for amniotic fluid, but my panties said positive. She did an internal check which came out positive, I was officially admitted. She said I was unchanged from my Wednesday appointment, still 1cm/50% effaced/-1 station.

She called my doctor who advised her to give me an Ambien to sleep, and then he would assess the situation in the morning. 5am came quickly; before I knew it the nurse was back taking blood and checking my progress. I was still unchanged. She called the doctor again who suggested Pitocin. I was induced shortly thereafter. 

I had been on Pitocin for about 4 hours and had progressed to 4cm and 60% when I asked for a dose of IV pain medication. As soon as the medication hit my IV I felt like I was three sheets to the wind. I was very loopy, but able to rest between contractions. I would sleep and then wake up to breathe through the contraction and hold Nick’s hand. Nick was entertaining himself by watching the History Channel for most of the day. I was hooked up to a baby heartbeat monitor and a monitor that was intended to track my contractions, but that monitor kept slipping off. The nurse would come in and say “You aren’t getting any credit for your contractions.” 

Aside from getting up to go to the bathroom I wasn’t allowed to walk around because my membranes had been ruptured for over 12 hours. Nick was very sweet and would change the bed pad every time I would get up. Sometime around 1pm I asked for another dose of pain meds because the contractions were coming on top of each other. I had been told I wouldn’t be able to have pain meds once I reached 8cm. The nurse checked me I was 6cm and 70%. She came back in a few minutes later to tell me that the pharmacy was bringing more Nubain and it would be a feel minutes. I’m not exactly sure how much time passed, but the nurse did not check me again before administering the medication. She offered me a popsicle at that time, according to Nick I would fall asleep and nearly drop the popsicle between contractions so he had to keep taking it from me.

A short 15 minutes later I was paging the nurse saying I needed to have a bowel movement. Clearly this is code for “baby is on its way!” I had progressed from 6cm and 70% to fully dilated and ready to push in 15 minutes. The room immediately filled with nurses. The doctor came in and talked to me for a minute then went to go to do something else. The nurse was doing an internal check and told him not to go far. The doctor asked what my guess was on the baby’s weight, I told him I had no idea but had always measured a few days behind with my fundal height. He guessed 7lbs 5oz. 

Nick had originally said, over and over, that he didn’t want to see the birth and wanted to stand up near my head. A nurse was holding my right leg but the other nurse was still running around, so they told Nick to grab my left leg. He did so without complaint but did say “I hope I don’t pass out” The doctor came in and so the process began.

My nurse told me to push when I felt a contraction, but all I was feeling was pressure so I would just push until I couldn’t anymore. The baby kept slipping backwards due to my tipped uterus. I did 2 sets of pushes when the doctor told me to do a half push and hold it. He performed an episiotomy at that time. I finished that push, pushed once more, and at 2:38pm Tucker was born weighing 8lbs 10oz, 21.5 inches, 13.5 inch head circumference. The doctor was shocked.

The doctor waited until the cord stopped pulsing to make the cut. Then I was allowed to hold Tucker skin to skin for a short moment. The doctor and nurses didn’t alert me to any issues at the time, just took Tucker over to the warming table and began the assessment. Meanwhile I was being stitched up. The doctor’s phone kept ringing and ringing, apparently there was a lady in labor with twins and he was supposed to be the doctor. He didn’t rush at all, just allowed his phone to ring as he took his time sewing me up. Nick took the opportunity to text some family to make the big announcement.

The nurses wrapped Tucker up and gave him to me to attempt to breastfeed. They told me he was tongue-tied so they positioned him in the football hold. He would kick his feet against the bed and pull himself off my breast. It was very frustrating for the both of us. I attempted to calm him by stroking his back when a nurse scolded me and said breastfeeding should be all business. 

Tucker was taken to the nursery shortly thereafter. I was brought a meal of roast beef, mashed potatoes, veggies and banana cream pie. It was definitely the best cafeteria food I had ever tasted. After eating the nurses helped me out of bed and into the shower. They offered me a chair, but I felt fine at that time and declined it. When in the shower I began to get very lightheaded, so much that I needed to crouch down and focus on breathing. I hurried the rest of my shower then called for the nurse. They immediately sat me down and helped get me dressed. They insisted on pushing me in a wheelchair to my recovery room.

Nick helped me get settled in then decided he would go home for a few hours to check on Haley, take a shower, and get something to eat. The nurses brought Tucker back to my room. He began to cry so I attempted to nurse him again. One of the nursery nurses came in and told me he had severe blood sugar issues and would need to be tested before and after every feeding. She stuck his heel and took the blood sugar reading, then allowed me to continue nursing. His levels were very low, and then he crashed and became lethargic. The nurse took him back to the nursery and said he would need to be given formula to get his levels up to a normal level.

As if worrying about my baby wasn’t enough, then my nurse came in and explained that Tucker and I did have an incompatible rH factor. I lost a lot of blood during the delivery due to how fast he came down the birthing canal. My temperature dropped to 95.1 and my blood pressure was higher than I had seen it my entire pregnancy. I was immediately put on iron to assist in getting my levels back up.

The doctor came in to check on me. He told me I had an incredible placenta which had been filtering my blood to keep Tucker healthy. He was born larger than expected also because of our blood incompatibility issues, his system required extra sugar. He suspected that my tipped uterus contributed to my fundal height consistently measuring a few days behind. He said even though first babies usually are unaffected by the rH factor, he was shocked that one of us hadn’t ended up with rH disease. I was advised to be very vocal about the issue should I plan to get pregnant again. He did not say that I couldn’t get pregnant again, but that the baby and I would need to be monitored frequently.

The nursery brought Tucker back to me and instructed me to page them before feeding him so they could come take a heel stick, then try him at the breast before supplementing with formula. Afterwards I was to page them again so they could do another heel stick and recording his eating habits. I was advised to call the nursery immediately if I noticed Tucker acting lethargic in anyway. After Nick returned and I shared with him everything I had been told, neither of us did much sleeping that night.

The following morning Tucker was scheduled to be circumcised. However, due to his blood sugar issues he hadn’t had a wet diaper since being born so the procedure had to be put off until the next day. Nick and I spent that day feeding Tucker, watching him get stuck in the heel, and relaxing. My friend Liz stopped by and met Tucker. Shortly after, Nick went home again to check on Haley and shower. He refused to shower at the hospital, claiming it was too weird. While Nick was gone my friends CW and Ashley came by. Everyone who met Tucker was instantly enamored. I was having some serious hormone surges while talking about his birth; I would shake uncontrollably and cry.

Sometime that morning Tucker had his first wet diaper. My doctor said he would perform the circumcision first thing the following morning. He said I was healthy enough to be discharged, but he wouldn’t separate us. Later that afternoon Tucker’s levels regulated enough that he only needed to have his levels checked after eating. Awhile later two nurses came into my room and asked if Tucker could be the baby model during a demonstration on how to bathe a newborn for a mommy-to-be class. I agreed and was told he did an excellent job and everyone thought he was adorable.

Tucker spent most of that night with us. The nursery nurse came to take him at 2:30am for his 36 hour hearing test. The next morning Tucker had his circumcision. I was administered my Rhogam shot for our rH incompatibility. As well I needed some booster shots. The nurse said my body metabolizes the mumps shot far too quickly, which made sense to me since less than 4 years ago I was diagnosed with the mumps and received a booster shot at that time.

The lactation consultant came to talk to me while Tucker was recovering in the nursery. I talked to her about his tongue issue, latch issue, and the position issues. She said I sounded like I knew what I was talking about. I told her I took her class and her response was “Oh that’s why” It was comical. She gave me the name of an ENT that she uses whenever a baby needs his frenula clipped. She also asked that I page her when Tucker returned from the nursery.

Nick had left earlier that morning to go check out on leave at the naval base and pick up my Grandma from the airport. She had taken a red-eye flight into town. She was hungry upon arrival so Nick took her down to the cafeteria to eat. Meanwhile Tucker had been brought back to my room, so I paged the lactation consultant. She helped me with the holds and said that I had a good position, but that he was definitely tongue tied and it was affecting his latch. We also discussed my options for Tucker’s pediatrician. She made some comments and a suggestion about a doctor in Franklin who had interned with her. (Side note, I did take her advice and chose the pediatrician she recommended. I am very pleased!) Tucker was very sleepy from his circumcision and didn’t nurse well. 

The doctor came in once more and requested that I make a follow up appointment with him at the office for two weeks. He asked how I was feeling and talked about my blood count. He said Tucker was very strong and kept breaking out of the Velcro holds during the circumcision. He seemed very amused. He said that Tucker and I had both recovered well from the ordeal, but to call if anything out of the ordinary came up. He discharged me and said the nurse would be in to have me sign paperwork and go over any special instructions. The pediatrician came in and discharged Tucker. Both the nursery nurse and my nurse came and talked about discharge instructions. 

Then we waited and waited. Lunchtime came and went and I seriously regretted telling the cafeteria that I wouldn’t need lunch because I was being discharged. Labor and delivery became very busy and I think my nurse forgot about me. She had already advised Nick to go pull the car around and get the air conditioning running. Nearly 40 minutes later I paged the front desk and asked if I could have a Motrin since I hadn’t been allowed to leave yet. They came to give me the pain medication and said it wouldn’t be much longer. I was concerned that Tucker would soon be getting hungry as he had been strapped into his car seat for nearly an hour. 

My Grandma wasn’t going to wait around anymore. She walked out to the front desk and asked if I could be taken down. A nurse I had never seen came to the room and apologized, she said she would take us down. We had to stop at the front desk to have Tucker’s security device removed. Another nurse asked the nurse that was wheeling me down to do something. They had a little spat, but my nurse was firm that whatever needed to be done could wait until she returned from taking me downstairs. As she was wheeling us down everyone was smiling at Tucker and me.

Finally we arrived at the main entrance and got settled into the car. I was starving so I had Nick stop at Burger King to get me a sandwich and a smoothie. I must say it tasted fabulous for being such a late lunch. Tucker slept the entire way home, as did my Grandma for part of the way. Finally we arrived home around 3pm. Haley barked at Tucker, but wasn’t aggressive just slightly jealous.

Now nearly 2 weeks since delivery things are going great. We all seem to have adjusted without any real complications.

Sunny Disposition

Throughout my pregnancy I have been told on numerous occasions how quickly the weeks are ticking by. I think a lot of that has to do with my attitude, I am not one to complain or wallow in misery. Sure there are a select few of you who have to listen to me complain from time to time, but overall I try to keep a very sunny disposition. 

Sure, it would have been easy for me to complain during this entire pregnancy. I found out I was pregnant while my husband was out to sea for a month. I said goodbye to him for 6 months through horrible spells of morning sickness, and have kept him in the loop via strict email communication...but where would the complaining have gotten me? Nowhere and nothing would have changed, except me having a bad attitude. I don't like myself when I get pissy. During my teenage years my brother use to tell me "Pissy is on the bus" and believe me, that's where I have sent it.

I had a coworker recently tell me that my baby is going to be the happiest baby ever because all it has heard me do is laugh. If there is any truth to that, I will be thrilled. I think you just have to make the best out of the situation at hand. Change what is within your power to change, and roll with the punches on things out of your control.

I have thoroughly enjoyed being pregnant. I've missed sharing the day by day things with Nick and my family, but that is something that is out of my control. So I have found creative ways to share the weekly developments of my pregnancy with my out of state family; which has been a much better way to use social networking than a complaint department.

Perhaps daily complaining is just a pregnancy symptom I didn't have, I also didn't have crazy cravings...unless you count a short spell of wanting every flavor of Starbursts and a one time craving for popsicles and ranch sunflower seeds. If that is all I missed out on to soon have such a blessing in my life, I'll take it. 

Here's to 4ish more weeks of a sunny, positive pregnancy :)

Time marches on

Time is always such an interesting thing. A minute is always composed of 60 seconds, an hour always composed of 60 minutes, but some days it feels like time can truly fly, while other days it seems to drag its hands through the mud. I have 7 weeks left until my due date and Nick is scheduled to be home before then. 

The last few weeks of a deployment always seem to take the longest. I thought I was seeing the light at the end of the tunnel then someone went and posted that we "only" have 26% left of the deployment. Then it seemed I lost the light. I guess it is all about perspective. Over the years I have tricked myself into making deployments seem shorter whether I count them in "only months", "single digit weeks", or just start shopping early for my homecoming outfit one piece at a time.

This time around, however, I have been counting up to something. The estimated due date of our first baby. It has definitely been a new experience all around. The weeks did seem to pass quicker while counting up in the pregnancy and simultaneously counting down until Nick's return. Going through the pregnancy mostly alone has been quite the experience. 

I've always thought I was a fairly upbeat and positive person who was strong enough to stand on her own, and I am happy to say I think I truly believe that now. I think I may have had less deployment mental breakdowns this time than any of the four times prior. Yes, there was the time right before my birthday when I dropped the garbage can on my toe and proceeded to sit down on my kitchen floor and cry, BUT for the record my toe nail is still black and blue so some of those tears were warranted. I have gone to all but two doctor's appointments alone, dealt with the discovery of another dermoid cyst, found out some interesting things about my blood antibodies, and all the normal pregnancy ailments on my own. I'm not sure I ever want to be pregnant during a deployment again, but I know I could if that were the situation at hand.

Baby B is doing great, in fact the doctor called him perfect last week at my prenatal appointment. Here he is at 30 weeks, looking great albeit shy. 

He is not a fan of the ultrasound machine. No paparazzi for him, please. I call him SuperBaby because he always has one hand or arm up near his face as if he is ready for flight take off. He is adorable. Just a few weeks and the pictures will no longer be via ultrasound. I am very excited.

Just for fun I thought I would post a few pics to show my growing belly

From looking a little green and probably acting "witchy" (1 week past conception)

To feeling the joy of the season aside from the tossing of the Christmas cookies (15 weeks pregnant)

 To finally feeling the pregnancy glow (26 weeks pregnant)

To most recently, no denying it now (32 weeks pregnant)

 

 I feel very blessed to have had such a healthy pregnancy as far as the baby is concerned. I have been healthy as well, any issues I have encountered have been part of what my Grandpa coined "the strangest things" that has always been my normal. Happy Easter one and all. 

The power of 7 and life plan #1

Monday February 27th I will be 27 weeks pregnant and entering my 7th month of pregnancy. On top of that Haley will be turning 7 in human years. As we know approximately 1 human year equals 7 for dogs. So Haley will be 49 in dog years, square root of 49 is 7. Seven doesn't have any specific meaning to me, but I thought this 7 coincidence was pretty cool.

I can't believe I have had Haley for nearly 7 years. I remember going out to the farm and sitting down on the lady's floor. Haley was the first dog to waddle over and crawl in my lap. How could I choose any other dog? We drove about 10 miles down the road and she started chomping her teeth at me. I thought she was possessed! She has always had a very unique personality. She is great company, I don't think I could have picked a better dog.

Nick and I have had a life plan all laid out since we were dating. We used to daydream about our hopes for the future. From the beginning of our marriage we had agreed that when we both turned 25 we would start trying to have a baby. As it turned out we both turned 25 while he was deployed. Upon his return we tried, low and behold we were successful. However, as luck would have it Nick's job with the Navy was in jeopardy due to budget cuts. Basically upon his return from this current deployment he would be jobless. It was a bleak time. While brushing his teeth on the ship he was informed that upon his final-final look he was approved and would be allowed to reenlist. This has officially put us back on Life Plan #1. I feel like we are both flexible people, but we have both strived very hard to make this lifestyle work for us. When it all felt as if it were crumbling under our feet the past 7 (oh lookie there, another 7 snuck into this blog entry) years of Navy life seemed hardly worth the struggle.

Nick's reenlistment should occur sometime in early March. He will be signing a 6 year contract. At the end of that contract he will have served 14 years and will only have one reenlistment left before he reaches his 20 year mark and can retire. Also on the life plan. I just feel so blessed that things are falling into place as they are.

Baby B is doing well, he is quite the wiggle worm. I have a 3D ultrasound in a week at the doctor's office, then I plan to do another 4D/3D ultrasound in a couple weeks to see how he is looking. My baby shower plans are in the works, so stay tuned.

Granola

So in the words of the people on the Palouse, I have become a granola. Before getting pregnant I wasn't one for concerning myself with consuming all natural products or anything of that nature. Now, suddenly I want to do everything for my baby all natural.

I plan to cloth diaper from homemade diapers courtesy of my Mama and Grandma. I also have plans to use SunBaby Diapers. They are a unique reusable cloth diaper that snaps and grows with the child.

 

I then stumbled upon a great website that uses cloth wipes in a homemade solution and alternately how you can make disposable baby wipes from paper towels for on the go use. The solution is a mixture of water, baby shampoo, and baby oil (organic/natural if possible) You pour the mixture over a roll of paper towels, after it soaks through you pop out the cardboard roll and the wipes will pull out like tissues in a box. Very cool! http://babies411.com/babies411/baby-tips/making-homemade-baby-wipes-new.html I just love the idea of controlling what substances touch my baby's body. Now, I am in no way a germaphobe, but if I can save money and protect my baby's sensitive skin I am all for it!

Lastly, in addition to hopefully being able to successfully breastfeed I plan to make my own baby's food. Again, controlling what my baby comes into contact with. Lastly, and this may be old fashioned, but I plan to use glass baby bottles. From working in the food industry I know that glass is the easiest type of container to ensure sterilization. They have really neat baby bottle covers to protect the bottle when dropped. 

That is my master baby plan. My Mama will also say that keeping my baby boy in until 41 weeks is also part the of plan. If that does indeed happen he will be born on my late Grandpa's birthday which would be very special. Regardless of his birthday his middle name will be Ronald-Bruce after my late Grandpa and Nick's late dad. We are still discussing first names, but I think we are close.

Here's to 20 weeks, and 20 (or 21 more)!

The last day of 2011

Here we are, the last day of 2011. This year has been one for the record books. The year started off with me celebrating the new year somewhere on Highway 58 with Ashley and CW. Over this year they have turned into two of my very best friends.

Nick and I were separated by a deployment that began November 2010. It was our first where he was traveling west. It was quite the experience. He returned home in May. It is like deja vu because he deployed again this November and will return May 2012.

The biggest surprise of this year has been finding out we are expecting our first child, a baby boy, also due to make his appearance in May 2012. I just hope Nick's appearance happens before the baby's.

I managed to stay very busy working as the DSD  Manager at Food Lion, starting my own Pure Romance business, and volunteering with the Franklin Junior Woman's Club. Not to mention I have made a great group of friends who have the same idea of fun as I do. We have enjoyed pool parties, cook-outs, beach trips, dinners and movies, and just hanging out. It has been a true blessing.

As far as baby news, we are both doing great. The Cyster seems to be minding her manners and not growing too quickly or invading the baby's space. I have an ultrasound in mid-January to check everything out. On Christmas Day I felt the baby from the outside for the first time. It was a great Christmas gift. Another great Christmas gift was having my mom visit. We spent most of our time checking out the local joints and did some shopping. I was blessed to find out the gender of my baby with her. It was such a great experience. She also helped me set up the baby's nursery. I am so lucky to have such an amazing mom.

Tonight I have plans to meet up with my friends, play games, and enjoy some sparkling grape juice. I probably won't make it until midnight (the only time I see midnight anymore is when I wake up and have to pee) but it will be a good night nevertheless.

Here's to 2012, the year Nick and I will meet our son. We will be surrounded by family and love. I am blessed to be living this life. Happy New Year, everyone!
Cheers (non-alcholic drinks for all my pregnant friends out there!)

Counting weeks

Nick deployed a week ago. I find myself currently living week by week. I am counting weeks completed of this deployment (currently 1) and weeks with my baby's development (currently 15) Mostly I am hoping to stop counting deployment weeks before I stop counting baby development weeks.

Things are going well, considering. I do get sad on occasion. Nick and I both feel we really didn't give one another a proper 6 month g'bye. I was so sick that day, as in pulling off the highway sick. We were sitting in the military airport parking lot and Nick said "I really need to go, can you give me a hug?" It was pretty terrible. Crying certainly wasn't helping me feel any better. We barely kissed, but definitely hugged. He felt horrible having to go, but of course I understood. I ended up taking that day off work and spending it on the couch with Haley.

The hardest thing is staying strong when others can be so judgmental. I constantly hear "I couldn't do what you do" Well, thankfully I'm not asking you to! I try to just brush it off, but when you're emotional that is hard to do!

My friends and family, near and far, have been great. I definitely do have a wonderful support system. I have faith that all will be fine in the end. Stressing and worrying about the "what-ifs" isn't good for the baby or me. If nothing else, I will have the doctor and nurses to get me through the labor. Nick is going to try and fly home when they arrive in port in Pearl Harbor, if possible. That will buy us about a week, if we're lucky. Which without knowing a return date that may or may not be helpful.

Basically everything is up in the air, but as I said I have faith. Haley is an amazing personal pregnancy trainer. She makes sure to get me to eat (mostly because her treats are kept in the kitchen, since Nick isn't here to gain the sympathy weight she has taken up the responsibilty) as well she barks to remind me to get off my butt and go for our daily walk.

Here's to the next 25 weeks.

**I apologize to having no pics, but I have vowed not to take any belly bump pics until I pick up my mama at the airport in a week and a half. I want to surprise here with my growth. LOL