Saturday, July 18, 2009
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Loving our dogs....
As some of you may have heard, our beloved dog Jax was recently diagnosed with Hemangiosarcoma. We are truly heart broken as this is not a treatable cancer and we probably won't have much time with him. He is resting comfortably at home with us. And is being spoiled rotten. Lots of hugs and kisses. Lots of petting. And lots of his favorite food: chicken, rice and sweet potatoes. The only comfort we have right now is knowing that we have given Jax a loving home. I have so many fond memories of Jax. Having to carry him home when he was a puppy because we went too far on a walk. Him greeting us at the door the day we brought Jacob home from the hospital. The kids climbing all over him. I could go on and on. For now we are enjoying every possible moment with him.
My little climber....
It all starts out so innocently.....
HA! I made it!
Now, how do I get down from here?
Hmmmm.....wonder where she gets the idea from????
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Terrifying night....
Jay and I had our first medical emergency as parents on June 24th. It is a night that will be instilled in my head as much as I would like to forget about it.
Wednesday was a typical day. I worked in the morning and then came home to enjoy the kids in the afternoon. Shortly after nap time, my dad and sister came over for a brief visit with the kids. I notice Jaelyn starting to get a runny nose but her mood was typical of any other day: happy as a clam. Our bed time went smoothly for
the most part. I changed Jaelyn's sheets earlier in the day and in doing so I knocked the plug for the video monitor out of the wall. Of course I didn't find this out until after she went to sleep. So rather than risk waking her up by moving the crib, I set it up on her bedside table. And naturally I was a little too loud and ended up waking her up anyway. Fortunately she went back down fairly easy.
At around 10pm, Jay and I decided to go to bed. We heard Jaelyn starting to stir just before then and hoped that she would fall asleep without any issue. Shortly after turning the lights out, we heard her stir even more. It was a small cry. Nothing of great concern but what got my attention was the noise of her reaching for the monitor. She must have spotted the power light on her night stand and decided to check it out.
Jay went in to get her and a few moments later brought her into me and told me that she was shaking. I put my hand on her and didn't notice anything. I just assumed that maybe she was chilly since the fan was on high. So I took her and nursed her. That's when I felt her shaking. It was a weird shaking. Not a shiver. Not very noticeable. I could only feel it if I held her close to me and it seemed routed deep within her body. It's very eerie just thinking about it now.
Her forehead felt warm so I asked Jay to get the thermometer. Naturally she was a bit squirmy so taking her temperature was difficult but the reading that I did get was 100 degrees. I asked Jay to get the Tylenol because I knew that her temperature was most likely at least 2 degrees higher. Once Jay got back to the room, I handed her off to him and ran into the office to find out how much I could give to her. Before I knew it, I heard Jay yell, "Something’s not right. Something's not right." So I ran. I could hear the panic in his voice. I grabbed her out of his arms and immediately could tell something was wrong. She was almost unconscious and starting to convulse.
I ran in the bathroom and started splashing water on her head and yelled to Jay, "Call 911! Call 911!" I ran down into the kitchen and continued to splash water on her while Jay called. He then handed me the phone and I told him to call my parents. The 911 dispatcher told me to lay her down on the floor and not to touch her. That was the hardest thing to do because all I wanted to do was hold her. He then instructed me to get a cool wash cloth and put it under her arms so I relayed the instructions to Jay. I sat there and watched her seize for what seemed like hours. She looked so helpless. Her breathing was off and her eyes were only half open. My heart was breaking the entire time. There was nothing else I could do but to watch her until it was over.
I asked the dispatcher if it was normal for how long she was seizing and he said yes and that it could last 5 minutes. The seizure was likely caused by a sudden spike in her body temperature and she would likely seize until her body temperature dropped back down. She finally stopped a minute or two later and looked like she was almost unconscious. Sort of like she was drifting off to sleep. That terrified me but the dispatcher assured me it was normal.
I finally picked her up and hugged her just as a police officer arrived. Out of the corner of my eye I noticed he was carrying a breathing mask for CPR. He started taking our information down
and a minute or so later the ambulance arrived. The EMT checked her pulse and listened to her breathing while I held her. The fact that they let me hold her still was relief to me. I didn't want to let her go. By this time she was slowly starting to come around again but she was still far from the normal Jaelyn that we all know and love.
The EMT asked me which hospital we wanted to go to and we decided on Cooper Hospital. The ambulance did have a car seat but Jaelyn was too small for it so they had me sit on the gurney with her in my lap. As I was getting strapped onto the gurney Karen pulled up. It was sweet relief to see her especially with her training as an EMT. She is my backbone whenever I have a medical dilemma so I asked for her to ride in the ambulance with us while Jay waited for my dad and Katie to arrive.
As I was loaded into the ambulance I noticed a few neighbor's outside watching what was going on along with the paramedic’s vehicle. The paramedic finally joined us in the ambulance and told me they were getting Jaelyn's car seat from my car because they felt she was stable enough to ride in that. After they strapped the seat to the gurney, I buckled Jaelyn in. She was not happy at all. Especially once the paramedic started hooking her up to the monitors. I tried to comfort her as best as I could. Holding her hand. Rubbing her leg. Touching her cheek. They monitored her heart rate, blood pressure and oxygen saturation levels for the entire ride. The EMT also placed an oxygen mask next to her head.
The ride to the hospital was the longest ride I have ever taken. The only comfort I had was knowing that we were surrounded by medical professionals who knew what they were doing. I surprised myself with my composure. I held myself together quite well. Crying was not an option. I had to take control of the situation and be strong for my baby girl. I think the first time I felt emotional was when we arrived at the hospital and saw the look on stranger's faces as we were wheeled into the ER.
Once we got in the ER, they immediately weighed her. Her temperature upon arrival was 102.7 so they gave her Tylenol and began with the tests. The first thing Jaelyn had to endure was a catheter to collect a urine sample. It took them 2 tries before they got it in and she screamed the entire time. I just leaned over her and hugged her the entire time. The second thing they did was insert an IV for a blood sample. It took them 3 tries before they got it in and again, she screamed the entire time. I'm not sure if it was the pain of the needle or the fact that she was being held down. I did my best to comfort her by kissing her and holding her hand but nothing seemed to help. Finally they were done and I was able to hold her in my arms where she finally fell
asleep. Now it was just a waiting game so Jay and Karen decided to get something to drink while Katie waited with me.
Shortly after they left, the pediatrician came in and told me that because Jaelyn was under a year old, they had to run some other tests to rule out infection of the brain and spine such as meningitis. Ok, fine. What tests? A CAT scan and a spinal tap. She informed me that the spinal tap could take several attempts to do. It could take them a few tries to even get the needle into her spine and even if they did get it in, it didn't mean that they would be able to get any fluid. At this point I didn't know what to think and the only person in the room with me was my 14 year old sister. I needed my husband. I needed Karen. The spinal tap terrified me. I asked if I could be in the room and she assured me yes. At this point, that was my only concern. A few minutes later Jaelyn and I were wheeled off for the CAT scan. Katie was left to relay the news to Jay, Karen and my dad.
I stayed right by Jaelyn's side during the CAT scan. Fortunately she slept though it. I'm not sure what they would have done if she was awake. I even had to wear the lovely gown to protect myself from the radiation. I think that weighed more than me! Once finished, they wheeled us back down to the ER. We were probably gone for 15 minutes at the most.
Back in the ER, I discussed the spinal tap with Jay and Karen. Our main concern was whether it was necessary or not. The head pediatrician came into the room a short while later and told us that we could refuse the testing but this was the only way that we could rule out an infection of the brain. Meningitis is a serious infection that can lead to death. As such, we agreed that it was best to go forward with the spinal tap. The only issue now was that the pediatrician did not want me to be in the room for the procedure. She cited the issue of a sterile environment but I truly think it was because it's a delicate procedure and if I overreacted, it could distract the doctor who was doing it. I understood but was still upset.
A few minutes later, the room began to buzz with people as they prepared for the spinal tap. Jay and Karen left the room while I waited to hand over Jaelyn. Much to my surprise, I learned that they were allowing me to stay in the room. Sweet relief. Later on I found out it was because they thought I was refusing to leave. Not the case at all --- just waiting until they told me I had to leave!
It took 3 people to hold Jaelyn in position. They laid her on her side in a fetal position and put a flow of oxygen near her. I stood at the foot of the bed near the curtain and started swaying from side to side while saying a prayer as tears finally fell down my cheek. She screamed the entire time because she didn't like being held down and I reassured her that everything was okay. Two doctors were in the room for the procedure. One performed while the other supervised. They told me everything that was going on. After they numbed her back slightly, Jaelyn finally started to calm down. Soon after that the doctor told me they were almost done. They were able to retrieve fluid on the first attempt. By this point, Jaelyn finally had exhausted herself because she slept through the later part of the procedure.
The spinal fluid was sent to the lab shortly before 1am. We were told the results would be back within an hour. I think hospitals and doctor's offices must use a different way to keep track of time because at 2:30, we were still waiting. By 3:15, we finally managed to track one of the doctor's
down. Thankfully the test results came back negative for any infection as did the CAT scan. Her blood test came back with a slightly elevated white blood cell count and her urine sample came back with elevated nitrate levels. The doctor's thought Jaelyn possibly had a urinary tract infection and sent the urine sample off for further tests. In the meantime, they gave us an antibiotic as a precaution. By 4am, we were finally discharged. After all of the tests, it was confirmed that the seizure was a febrile seizure.
Our first day home from the ER was exhausting. Jaelyn only wanted her mommy and I was happy to oblige. The fever hung around for a few days even with alternating between Tylenol and Motrin. I think she was also uncomfortable from the spinal tap as a back ache and headache are common after the procedure. Going to bed at night was difficult for me. I was afraid to let her out of my sight but each day has gotten easier. The first night she slept in bed with us and for several days following that I slept on the floor in her bedroom.
We followed up with our pediatrician the following day and I learned just how common these seizures are. Jaelyn may never have another one again. But there is a 30% chance that she could. Most children outgrow them by the age of 5. Hopefully that was the first and last one so we won't have to outgrow anything.
Wednesday was a typical day. I worked in the morning and then came home to enjoy the kids in the afternoon. Shortly after nap time, my dad and sister came over for a brief visit with the kids. I notice Jaelyn starting to get a runny nose but her mood was typical of any other day: happy as a clam. Our bed time went smoothly for
the most part. I changed Jaelyn's sheets earlier in the day and in doing so I knocked the plug for the video monitor out of the wall. Of course I didn't find this out until after she went to sleep. So rather than risk waking her up by moving the crib, I set it up on her bedside table. And naturally I was a little too loud and ended up waking her up anyway. Fortunately she went back down fairly easy.At around 10pm, Jay and I decided to go to bed. We heard Jaelyn starting to stir just before then and hoped that she would fall asleep without any issue. Shortly after turning the lights out, we heard her stir even more. It was a small cry. Nothing of great concern but what got my attention was the noise of her reaching for the monitor. She must have spotted the power light on her night stand and decided to check it out.
Jay went in to get her and a few moments later brought her into me and told me that she was shaking. I put my hand on her and didn't notice anything. I just assumed that maybe she was chilly since the fan was on high. So I took her and nursed her. That's when I felt her shaking. It was a weird shaking. Not a shiver. Not very noticeable. I could only feel it if I held her close to me and it seemed routed deep within her body. It's very eerie just thinking about it now.
Her forehead felt warm so I asked Jay to get the thermometer. Naturally she was a bit squirmy so taking her temperature was difficult but the reading that I did get was 100 degrees. I asked Jay to get the Tylenol because I knew that her temperature was most likely at least 2 degrees higher. Once Jay got back to the room, I handed her off to him and ran into the office to find out how much I could give to her. Before I knew it, I heard Jay yell, "Something’s not right. Something's not right." So I ran. I could hear the panic in his voice. I grabbed her out of his arms and immediately could tell something was wrong. She was almost unconscious and starting to convulse.
I ran in the bathroom and started splashing water on her head and yelled to Jay, "Call 911! Call 911!" I ran down into the kitchen and continued to splash water on her while Jay called. He then handed me the phone and I told him to call my parents. The 911 dispatcher told me to lay her down on the floor and not to touch her. That was the hardest thing to do because all I wanted to do was hold her. He then instructed me to get a cool wash cloth and put it under her arms so I relayed the instructions to Jay. I sat there and watched her seize for what seemed like hours. She looked so helpless. Her breathing was off and her eyes were only half open. My heart was breaking the entire time. There was nothing else I could do but to watch her until it was over.
I asked the dispatcher if it was normal for how long she was seizing and he said yes and that it could last 5 minutes. The seizure was likely caused by a sudden spike in her body temperature and she would likely seize until her body temperature dropped back down. She finally stopped a minute or two later and looked like she was almost unconscious. Sort of like she was drifting off to sleep. That terrified me but the dispatcher assured me it was normal.
I finally picked her up and hugged her just as a police officer arrived. Out of the corner of my eye I noticed he was carrying a breathing mask for CPR. He started taking our information down
and a minute or so later the ambulance arrived. The EMT checked her pulse and listened to her breathing while I held her. The fact that they let me hold her still was relief to me. I didn't want to let her go. By this time she was slowly starting to come around again but she was still far from the normal Jaelyn that we all know and love. The EMT asked me which hospital we wanted to go to and we decided on Cooper Hospital. The ambulance did have a car seat but Jaelyn was too small for it so they had me sit on the gurney with her in my lap. As I was getting strapped onto the gurney Karen pulled up. It was sweet relief to see her especially with her training as an EMT. She is my backbone whenever I have a medical dilemma so I asked for her to ride in the ambulance with us while Jay waited for my dad and Katie to arrive.
As I was loaded into the ambulance I noticed a few neighbor's outside watching what was going on along with the paramedic’s vehicle. The paramedic finally joined us in the ambulance and told me they were getting Jaelyn's car seat from my car because they felt she was stable enough to ride in that. After they strapped the seat to the gurney, I buckled Jaelyn in. She was not happy at all. Especially once the paramedic started hooking her up to the monitors. I tried to comfort her as best as I could. Holding her hand. Rubbing her leg. Touching her cheek. They monitored her heart rate, blood pressure and oxygen saturation levels for the entire ride. The EMT also placed an oxygen mask next to her head.
The ride to the hospital was the longest ride I have ever taken. The only comfort I had was knowing that we were surrounded by medical professionals who knew what they were doing. I surprised myself with my composure. I held myself together quite well. Crying was not an option. I had to take control of the situation and be strong for my baby girl. I think the first time I felt emotional was when we arrived at the hospital and saw the look on stranger's faces as we were wheeled into the ER.
Once we got in the ER, they immediately weighed her. Her temperature upon arrival was 102.7 so they gave her Tylenol and began with the tests. The first thing Jaelyn had to endure was a catheter to collect a urine sample. It took them 2 tries before they got it in and she screamed the entire time. I just leaned over her and hugged her the entire time. The second thing they did was insert an IV for a blood sample. It took them 3 tries before they got it in and again, she screamed the entire time. I'm not sure if it was the pain of the needle or the fact that she was being held down. I did my best to comfort her by kissing her and holding her hand but nothing seemed to help. Finally they were done and I was able to hold her in my arms where she finally fell
asleep. Now it was just a waiting game so Jay and Karen decided to get something to drink while Katie waited with me.Shortly after they left, the pediatrician came in and told me that because Jaelyn was under a year old, they had to run some other tests to rule out infection of the brain and spine such as meningitis. Ok, fine. What tests? A CAT scan and a spinal tap. She informed me that the spinal tap could take several attempts to do. It could take them a few tries to even get the needle into her spine and even if they did get it in, it didn't mean that they would be able to get any fluid. At this point I didn't know what to think and the only person in the room with me was my 14 year old sister. I needed my husband. I needed Karen. The spinal tap terrified me. I asked if I could be in the room and she assured me yes. At this point, that was my only concern. A few minutes later Jaelyn and I were wheeled off for the CAT scan. Katie was left to relay the news to Jay, Karen and my dad.
I stayed right by Jaelyn's side during the CAT scan. Fortunately she slept though it. I'm not sure what they would have done if she was awake. I even had to wear the lovely gown to protect myself from the radiation. I think that weighed more than me! Once finished, they wheeled us back down to the ER. We were probably gone for 15 minutes at the most.
Back in the ER, I discussed the spinal tap with Jay and Karen. Our main concern was whether it was necessary or not. The head pediatrician came into the room a short while later and told us that we could refuse the testing but this was the only way that we could rule out an infection of the brain. Meningitis is a serious infection that can lead to death. As such, we agreed that it was best to go forward with the spinal tap. The only issue now was that the pediatrician did not want me to be in the room for the procedure. She cited the issue of a sterile environment but I truly think it was because it's a delicate procedure and if I overreacted, it could distract the doctor who was doing it. I understood but was still upset.
A few minutes later, the room began to buzz with people as they prepared for the spinal tap. Jay and Karen left the room while I waited to hand over Jaelyn. Much to my surprise, I learned that they were allowing me to stay in the room. Sweet relief. Later on I found out it was because they thought I was refusing to leave. Not the case at all --- just waiting until they told me I had to leave!
It took 3 people to hold Jaelyn in position. They laid her on her side in a fetal position and put a flow of oxygen near her. I stood at the foot of the bed near the curtain and started swaying from side to side while saying a prayer as tears finally fell down my cheek. She screamed the entire time because she didn't like being held down and I reassured her that everything was okay. Two doctors were in the room for the procedure. One performed while the other supervised. They told me everything that was going on. After they numbed her back slightly, Jaelyn finally started to calm down. Soon after that the doctor told me they were almost done. They were able to retrieve fluid on the first attempt. By this point, Jaelyn finally had exhausted herself because she slept through the later part of the procedure.
The spinal fluid was sent to the lab shortly before 1am. We were told the results would be back within an hour. I think hospitals and doctor's offices must use a different way to keep track of time because at 2:30, we were still waiting. By 3:15, we finally managed to track one of the doctor's
down. Thankfully the test results came back negative for any infection as did the CAT scan. Her blood test came back with a slightly elevated white blood cell count and her urine sample came back with elevated nitrate levels. The doctor's thought Jaelyn possibly had a urinary tract infection and sent the urine sample off for further tests. In the meantime, they gave us an antibiotic as a precaution. By 4am, we were finally discharged. After all of the tests, it was confirmed that the seizure was a febrile seizure. Our first day home from the ER was exhausting. Jaelyn only wanted her mommy and I was happy to oblige. The fever hung around for a few days even with alternating between Tylenol and Motrin. I think she was also uncomfortable from the spinal tap as a back ache and headache are common after the procedure. Going to bed at night was difficult for me. I was afraid to let her out of my sight but each day has gotten easier. The first night she slept in bed with us and for several days following that I slept on the floor in her bedroom.
We followed up with our pediatrician the following day and I learned just how common these seizures are. Jaelyn may never have another one again. But there is a 30% chance that she could. Most children outgrow them by the age of 5. Hopefully that was the first and last one so we won't have to outgrow anything.
Friday, June 12, 2009
My baby boy is 2 today!
Wow! Two years ago today....
Dear Jacob,
I am quickly learning that as time goes by, memories seem to fade away. These days, it seems time is flying! It seems like you were born just the other day, not five months ago. And so that is why I figured to write down the story of your birth and the events that led up to it.
My due date was June 20 and I decided to work as close to my due date as possible so I could spend more time at home with you once you were born. That and the fact that I thought time would go by quicker if I was working!
My last day at work was Friday, June 8. Grandpop was given the house keys for Mrs. Tweedy’s shore house in Stone Harbor so we decided to drive down and spend the night with him, Grandmom and Aunt Katie. We spent Saturday relaxing on the beach and left after dinner to get home to Rusty and Jax.
On Sunday, Daddy and our neighbor Todd had a softball game. Todd’s wife, Jessica, and I decided to go and watch the game for a little bit. After the game, Mrs. Rowe came over to finish painting your nursery. Mommy decided to clean the floors upstairs while she painted. Little did I know this was the burst of energy before you arrived that everyone told me I would have! I made Mrs. Rowe so nervous but I kept saying to her that I was fine and that this was normal for me to be cleaning! Grandmom later told me that it would have been normal if I wasn’t 9 months pregnant!
Later that night we went to Jess and Todd’s house for a BBQ. Jess’s cousin Tracey was there with her 12 week old baby so we did the pregnancy/new mommy talk. I kept saying how I didn’t think I was even close to going into labor because I was certain that you were going to be late. First babies, especially boys, tend to be late!
The next day, Monday, was my first official home-on-maternity-leave weekday. I spent the morning lounging around the house thinking about how bored I was. I even wondered what I was going to do to keep myself busy until you came! I decided to visit my old work place in the afternoon. Just before I left, I felt a sharp pain down my side. I thought I had just been overdoing it and jumped in the car to go for my visit.
During my visit, everyone kept asking me how I was doing and I kept saying how bored I was already and that I didn’t think I was going to go into labor soon. My doctor even said she would see me later on that week for my next appointment --- she didn’t even think I was going to go into labor! Who would have guessed that 24 hours later I would be sitting in the hospital holding you in my arms!
After dinner, I went for a walk with Jess as I had done a few nights a week since January. During out walk, the sharp pain I had down my side came back again. I was craving some water ice also so I decided to cut the walk short and go for water ice at Rita’s with Daddy.
Later that night, I noticed a little blood in the toilet and that my shirt was wet around my chest. I didn’t pay much attention to the wetness because I thought that maybe I spilled something on myself. After I was admitted into the hospital, I realized that it was my milk starting to come in!
It was the blood in the toilet that got my attention. I immediately read the "What to Expect When You’re Expecting book" because I thought it might have been the start of the bloody show. I was a little worried but not too much because I read that the bloody show didn't mean that I was going into labor. I convinced myself that it was because of my walk with Jess and because I had an exam the previous week. I told Daddy about it and went to the bathroom a few more times to check if there was anything else before heading off to bed.
Looking back, I must have known that I was going to have you because I asked Daddy to get a clock with a seconds hand in case we needed to time my contractions. He searched the house and after no luck in finding one, ran to CVS to get a wind up clock.
At around 12:45 a.m., I woke up to a little gush of water in my pants. I got up and went to the bathroom, changed pants and noticed some more blood in the toilet. I wasn’t sure if the gush was my water breaking so I woke up Daddy and started to read the book again. I read that when your water breaks, it might smell sweat so Daddy and I took turns smelling my sweat pants to see! We couldn’t smell anything so I thought that maybe I might have wet myself. I asked Daddy if I should call Grandmom to ask her but he said I should call the doctor. I didn’t want to bother the doctor if it was nothing so I decided to go back to bed!
After a few minutes of thinking, I asked Daddy to get me the doctor’s phone number. Even then it wasn’t until the second time on the phone that I selected to speak to a doctor.
The doctor who called back was not my regular doctor. I went to a female practice and a male doctor was on call for them. I explained to him about the gush and the blood but that I wasn’t sure because I didn’t feel any contractions. He advised me to go to the hospital to be safe and get checked out.
While I changed out of my pajama’s, I called Grandmom to let her know that we were going to the hospital She asked if she should follow but I told her no and that we would call because I thought they were going to send me home anyway!
Meanwhile, Daddy was running around like a mad man, gathering the last few items for my hospital bag. Luckily, we had it mostly packed from our trip to Stone Harbor! I kept telling him to relax because this was probably just a false alarm. But as we walked out the door, I said to Daddy, "Wouldn’t it be funny if this was actually it?" I even looked at Jax and said, "Maybe we’ll be back with the baby next time!"
On our way to the hospital, I called Mom-Mom to let her know and Daddy call Grandma and Grandpa to let them know. We kept stressing the fact that we thought it was a false alarm!
There was no one on the road but us. We listened to the same Dave Matthew’s Band CD that I had listed to everyday on my way to work while pregnant with you. At one point, I thought I might have felt a tiny contraction so I kept my eye on the clock. I felt another contraction a few minutes later but was convinced that it was just my imagination!
Because it was after normal hospital hours, Daddy and I had to go in through the emergency room. Boy, was it busy in there! We told the security officer that we were there for Labor and Delivery because we thought my water broke. Just like that, the security officer got up, brought me a wheel chair, and wheeled me over to admissions. I will never forget the people looking at me wondering if I was in labor!
Someone finally came and took us up to labor and delivery at around 1:45 a.m. where a couple of friendly nurses greeted us. I told them that I thought my water might have broken but I wasn’t feeling any contractions. In turn, they handed me a gown and told me to get changed in the bathroom.
Naturally, I had to pee while I was in there! Once again, there was some blood in the toilet. I mentioned it to the nurse who was now joined by the resident doctor on call. The doctor then had me get into bed, hooked me up to some monitors and proceeded to check me. She told me if my water did break, I would be admitted.
A few seconds later, she looked up at me and said, "You’ve ruptured and you’re between 2 to 3 centimeters dilated!" This shocked Daddy and I! I can still remember the look of excitement on Daddy’s face! We looked at one another and said, "I guess this is it. There’s no going back now!" It wasn’t until the nurse said, "Today is your baby’s birthday!" that the reality really set in!
The doctor also informed us that you had a bowel movement when my water broke. This meant that once you were delivered, they would hand you off immediately to the neonatal nurses to suction the fluids out of your nose and mouth. It was very important that you not breathe in any of the fluids or you could get very sick.
The nurse asked me if I was feeling any of contractions and I told her no. She seemed a little surprised and told me that the monitor was showing that I was having them.
While the nurse started the admittance procedures and administered an I.V., Daddy called Grandmom and Mom-Mom to let them know. Grandmom decided to head up right away and left Grandpop at home with Aunt Katie to sleep a little. We were certain that it would be several hours before you arrived!
Mom-Mom decided to deliver the newspapers before coming up. Again, we were certain that it would be several hours before you arrived and we knew she would be up to the hospital by 7 a.m. at the latest. And by several hours, we thought maybe by the evening if we were lucky!
Grandmom arrived around 3 a.m. with coffee in hand. My contractions were getting stronger but they really didn’t seem that bad yet. We were all excited with the anticipation of your arrival so sleeping was hard to do. In all of the rush with leaving the house that night, I forgot to put a deck of cards in my back so we just sat around talking about the events of the past few days. At one point, I remember laughing so hard that the monitors on my belly started to go off!
I learned that I was one of three patients in labor that night and it was first pregnancies for all of us. At one point, the nurse had told us that one of the women was ready to deliver and they couldn’t believe how fast she had progressed. I remember hearing the baby’s first cry since the room was near to mine. After the baby was born, they even played "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" over the PA system.
Grandmom, Daddy and I all joked that the likelihood of me delivering quickly was slim especially since there was already a quick delivery next door! As my contractions continued to get stronger, I decided that I should probably try to close my eyes and get some rest because I thought I had a long haul ahead of me.
At around 6:15 a.m. the doctor came in to check how I was progressing. I was between 5 and 6 centimeters dilated and my contractions weren’t consistent. The nurse had called my doctor and they decided to start me on Pitocin at 6:45 a.m. to regulate my contractions. I’m still not sure why they had me on Pitocin since I was dilating at what I thought was a good pace.
Mom-Mom arrived just before the administered the Pitocin. Up until this point, I was very calm. As soon as Mom-Mom walked in the room, I could see that she had been crying. Obviously, they were tears of joy! As soon as she saw me, she started to cry again. She was so nervous for me! It wasn’t until she hugged me that I started to cry. It was such an overwhelming feeling!
Now that it was getting to be daylight, Daddy decided that it was time to make some phone calls to tell people that you would be arriving that day. There were only 2 points during the night that I got a little annoyed with Daddy and this was one of them. Both times occurred when Daddy tried talking to me in the middle of a contraction. I remember telling him, "I don’t care who the hell you call!"
Up until this point, I was able to handle the pain of the contractions. Once the Pitocin was administered, they definitely became a little more intense but not excruciating. From the moment I was admitted into the hospital, I told the nurses that I was going to get an epidural. I was not about to go through labor and delivery thinking I was tough and I could handle pain. No way, not me. If pain was not necessary, why go through it?
I had heard of horror stories about not being able to get the epidural in time for delivery. I had also heard of stories about pain while waiting for the epidural. Just because I might have asked for an epidural didn’t mean I would get it right that very minute so I wanted to make certain I allotted myself enough time before I really needed some pain medicine.
At about 7:15 a.m., I started to get worried that my contractions were going to get very painful, very fast and I would have to wait for the anesthesiologist. The contractions were bearable but I was afraid that if I waited much longer they would be unbearable so I asked the nurse to call the doctor for my epidural. By around 8:15 a.m. the anesthesiologist arrived and was ready to administer my epidural. Since getting an epidural is a delicate procedure involving a large needle going into my spine, only the nurse was allowed to be in the room with me. Daddy, Mom-Mom and Grandmom all had to leave the room while this was being done so they decided to get breakfast in the cafeteria.
I was a little nervous about the epidural but the nurse who started my I.V. earlier that morning had told me that getting the I.V. started was much worse that the epidural. And she was definitely right! In order to give the epidural, I had to sit with my legs over the side of the bed, hunched over. The nurse was very nice and held my hands as I hugged her. All of the sudden, the curtain to my room opened and there stood Grandpop and Aunt Katie! They had arrived just in time for my epidural! I said hello and the nurse quickly told them they had to leave while I was getting the epidural.
The act of having the needle inserted in my spine did not hurt. Surprisingly, it was when the pain medicine was released into the catheter that bothered me. It felt like a shot of freezing water shooting down my spine. Very uncomfortable but not anywhere near the pain of when they started my I.V.!
It took about an hour from start to finish for the epidural. I had a slight issue in the fact that the medicine seemed only to affect the left side of my body. The right side didn’t seem to be as numb which was why it took as long as it did. After they had me set up with my epidural, the nurse had me lay on my right side in hopes that the medicine would drip over from the left side to the right. Luckily this did work!
My vision of what the epidural would do versus what it actually did was two completely different things. I thought the epidural would take away all, if not most of the pain. Unfortunately, there were two types of pain: pain from contractions and pain from the pressure on my cervix. It did take the edge of the pain from the contractions but it didn’t take any of the pressure away. I kept telling the nurse and the anesthesiologist that it felt like I had to have a bowel movement!
After the epidural was done, Daddy, Mom-Mom, Grandmom, Grandpop and Aunt Katie came back into the room to visit. Grandpop kept pointing at the monitors and telling me that another contraction was on the way. Even though I had the epidural, the pressure was getting worse and worse.
After a few minutes of Grandpop’s antics, I told him in a serious voice, "I know they are coming. I can feel them just fine. You don’t need to point them out!" Your Grandpop, the man that he is, stopped pointing them out and started to make faces instead. I finally had to yell at him to stop. The pain was really starting to hit me.
Grandpop, Grandmom and Mom-Mom decided to go to the waiting room to make some phone calls a short while later. We figured that it was still going to be a while before I was ready to push. The pressure was getting stronger and stronger so I finally asked Daddy to go get the nurse to check me. The nurse came in and had the resident doctor check me at around 9:15. I overheard the nurse tell the doctor that I had passed my mucous plug.
I think we were all surprised when the doctor told us I was 9 centimeters dilated and that they were calling my doctor to have her come to the hospital for delivery! Daddy quickly ran down to the waiting room to tell
everyone the news. Grandmom and Mom-Mom decided to come back to the room and keep me company. They kept saying how they couldn’t believe how fast I had progressed.
Looking back now, I don’t think we realized how close to delivery I was. It wasn’t long after they arrived back that I was asking the nurse to check me again. The pressure was the worst that it had been and I felt like I wanted to start pushing!
By this time, I was 10 centimeters dilated and ready to push. The only thing was that my doctor was not at the hospital yet and they wanted me to wait for her. After every contraction, I told the nurse that it hurt and I needed to push. She finally got the resident doctor to come in and start to set up the room for delivery.
Luckily, just as the doctor started to set up the stirrups, my doctor walked into the room. Dr. Nevins greeted my with a hello while I greeted her with, "I need to push!" Dr. Nevins told me to start to push while she got her gloves on. It was 9:42 a.m.
As I mentioned before, Mom-Mom was a nervous wreck. When it came time for me to start pushing, Mom-Mom propped herself behind me between a chair and the nightstand. She didn’t want to watch and was afraid she was going to pass out! She only looked down once and never looked back until you were born!
The next 12 minutes really did go by fast. In the beginning, Daddy held one of my legs while the nurse held the other leg. I pushed with each contraction as hard as I could but I couldn’t feel anything other than extreme pressure. I kept trying to focus on my spot on the ceiling but I lost my concentration. Daddy said I apologized at one point to Dr. Nevins because I thought I
messed up on pushing because I didn’t take a deep breath!
Shortly after pushing, the nurse had to get Dr. Nevins something so Grandmom, after making sure Mom-Mom was ok, grabbed my leg. Towards the end, I began to scream with each push. The pain was a ten! At one point, I thought the hard part was over but apparently this is when you crowned.
Before I knew it, Dr. Nevins was asking for the vacuum to assist in getting you out. Apparently, your heart rate started to drop and the doctor felt that using the vacuum was necessary. With the next push, you were born. It was 9:54 a.m. I had only pushed for 12 minutes!
As soon as you were born, Dr. Nevins handed you over to the neonatal nurses so they could suction you out. I remember Grandmom saying, "He’s here! You did it Jamie!" Once I heard you cry, I finally spoke, "My baby. Oh, my baby is here!" I, as everyone else in the room, was in tears. To this day, my eyes still fill with tears as I remember the moment.
With all of the excitement of me starting to push, no one had told Grandpop or Aunt Katie that I was ready to deliver you. They had been in the waiting room and decided to go get something to eat in the cafeteria but before they went down they decided to stop by and let us know. They got to my door just in time to hear me screaming as I pushed. Grandpop looked at Aunt Katie and said, "Oh, my God! Katie, she’s pushing!" After hearing me scream he looked at Aunt Katie and asked, "Are you ok listening to this?" Katie noticed tears in Grandpop’s eye and replied, "I’m doing better than you are!" Before they knew it, they heard Jacob cry and me say, "My baby. Oh, my baby is here!"
And so there you have it. The story of when you were born. I still get tears in my eyes just thinking about it. That was the most amazing day of my life. About a week after you were born, Grandpop asked me a question. He asked me if I could give one word that described how I felt being finally being a mom. My answer to him: I felt fulfilled. Jacob, you have fulfilled my life in a way that I could never imagine and for that, I am thankful. If nothing else happens to me in my life, I don’t care because I have you in my life, I don’t need anything else.
All my love,
Mommy
My due date was June 20 and I decided to work as close to my due date as possible so I could spend more time at home with you once you were born. That and the fact that I thought time would go by quicker if I was working!
My last day at work was Friday, June 8. Grandpop was given the house keys for Mrs. Tweedy’s shore house in Stone Harbor so we decided to drive down and spend the night with him, Grandmom and Aunt Katie. We spent Saturday relaxing on the beach and left after dinner to get home to Rusty and Jax.
On Sunday, Daddy and our neighbor Todd had a softball game. Todd’s wife, Jessica, and I decided to go and watch the game for a little bit. After the game, Mrs. Rowe came over to finish painting your nursery. Mommy decided to clean the floors upstairs while she painted. Little did I know this was the burst of energy before you arrived that everyone told me I would have! I made Mrs. Rowe so nervous but I kept saying to her that I was fine and that this was normal for me to be cleaning! Grandmom later told me that it would have been normal if I wasn’t 9 months pregnant!
Later that night we went to Jess and Todd’s house for a BBQ. Jess’s cousin Tracey was there with her 12 week old baby so we did the pregnancy/new mommy talk. I kept saying how I didn’t think I was even close to going into labor because I was certain that you were going to be late. First babies, especially boys, tend to be late!
The next day, Monday, was my first official home-on-maternity-leave weekday. I spent the morning lounging around the house thinking about how bored I was. I even wondered what I was going to do to keep myself busy until you came! I decided to visit my old work place in the afternoon. Just before I left, I felt a sharp pain down my side. I thought I had just been overdoing it and jumped in the car to go for my visit.
During my visit, everyone kept asking me how I was doing and I kept saying how bored I was already and that I didn’t think I was going to go into labor soon. My doctor even said she would see me later on that week for my next appointment --- she didn’t even think I was going to go into labor! Who would have guessed that 24 hours later I would be sitting in the hospital holding you in my arms!
After dinner, I went for a walk with Jess as I had done a few nights a week since January. During out walk, the sharp pain I had down my side came back again. I was craving some water ice also so I decided to cut the walk short and go for water ice at Rita’s with Daddy.
Later that night, I noticed a little blood in the toilet and that my shirt was wet around my chest. I didn’t pay much attention to the wetness because I thought that maybe I spilled something on myself. After I was admitted into the hospital, I realized that it was my milk starting to come in!
It was the blood in the toilet that got my attention. I immediately read the "What to Expect When You’re Expecting book" because I thought it might have been the start of the bloody show. I was a little worried but not too much because I read that the bloody show didn't mean that I was going into labor. I convinced myself that it was because of my walk with Jess and because I had an exam the previous week. I told Daddy about it and went to the bathroom a few more times to check if there was anything else before heading off to bed.
Looking back, I must have known that I was going to have you because I asked Daddy to get a clock with a seconds hand in case we needed to time my contractions. He searched the house and after no luck in finding one, ran to CVS to get a wind up clock.
At around 12:45 a.m., I woke up to a little gush of water in my pants. I got up and went to the bathroom, changed pants and noticed some more blood in the toilet. I wasn’t sure if the gush was my water breaking so I woke up Daddy and started to read the book again. I read that when your water breaks, it might smell sweat so Daddy and I took turns smelling my sweat pants to see! We couldn’t smell anything so I thought that maybe I might have wet myself. I asked Daddy if I should call Grandmom to ask her but he said I should call the doctor. I didn’t want to bother the doctor if it was nothing so I decided to go back to bed!
After a few minutes of thinking, I asked Daddy to get me the doctor’s phone number. Even then it wasn’t until the second time on the phone that I selected to speak to a doctor.The doctor who called back was not my regular doctor. I went to a female practice and a male doctor was on call for them. I explained to him about the gush and the blood but that I wasn’t sure because I didn’t feel any contractions. He advised me to go to the hospital to be safe and get checked out.
While I changed out of my pajama’s, I called Grandmom to let her know that we were going to the hospital She asked if she should follow but I told her no and that we would call because I thought they were going to send me home anyway!
Meanwhile, Daddy was running around like a mad man, gathering the last few items for my hospital bag. Luckily, we had it mostly packed from our trip to Stone Harbor! I kept telling him to relax because this was probably just a false alarm. But as we walked out the door, I said to Daddy, "Wouldn’t it be funny if this was actually it?" I even looked at Jax and said, "Maybe we’ll be back with the baby next time!"
On our way to the hospital, I called Mom-Mom to let her know and Daddy call Grandma and Grandpa to let them know. We kept stressing the fact that we thought it was a false alarm!
There was no one on the road but us. We listened to the same Dave Matthew’s Band CD that I had listed to everyday on my way to work while pregnant with you. At one point, I thought I might have felt a tiny contraction so I kept my eye on the clock. I felt another contraction a few minutes later but was convinced that it was just my imagination!
Because it was after normal hospital hours, Daddy and I had to go in through the emergency room. Boy, was it busy in there! We told the security officer that we were there for Labor and Delivery because we thought my water broke. Just like that, the security officer got up, brought me a wheel chair, and wheeled me over to admissions. I will never forget the people looking at me wondering if I was in labor!
Someone finally came and took us up to labor and delivery at around 1:45 a.m. where a couple of friendly nurses greeted us. I told them that I thought my water might have broken but I wasn’t feeling any contractions. In turn, they handed me a gown and told me to get changed in the bathroom.
Naturally, I had to pee while I was in there! Once again, there was some blood in the toilet. I mentioned it to the nurse who was now joined by the resident doctor on call. The doctor then had me get into bed, hooked me up to some monitors and proceeded to check me. She told me if my water did break, I would be admitted.
A few seconds later, she looked up at me and said, "You’ve ruptured and you’re between 2 to 3 centimeters dilated!" This shocked Daddy and I! I can still remember the look of excitement on Daddy’s face! We looked at one another and said, "I guess this is it. There’s no going back now!" It wasn’t until the nurse said, "Today is your baby’s birthday!" that the reality really set in!
The doctor also informed us that you had a bowel movement when my water broke. This meant that once you were delivered, they would hand you off immediately to the neonatal nurses to suction the fluids out of your nose and mouth. It was very important that you not breathe in any of the fluids or you could get very sick.
The nurse asked me if I was feeling any of contractions and I told her no. She seemed a little surprised and told me that the monitor was showing that I was having them.
While the nurse started the admittance procedures and administered an I.V., Daddy called Grandmom and Mom-Mom to let them know. Grandmom decided to head up right away and left Grandpop at home with Aunt Katie to sleep a little. We were certain that it would be several hours before you arrived!Mom-Mom decided to deliver the newspapers before coming up. Again, we were certain that it would be several hours before you arrived and we knew she would be up to the hospital by 7 a.m. at the latest. And by several hours, we thought maybe by the evening if we were lucky!
Grandmom arrived around 3 a.m. with coffee in hand. My contractions were getting stronger but they really didn’t seem that bad yet. We were all excited with the anticipation of your arrival so sleeping was hard to do. In all of the rush with leaving the house that night, I forgot to put a deck of cards in my back so we just sat around talking about the events of the past few days. At one point, I remember laughing so hard that the monitors on my belly started to go off!
I learned that I was one of three patients in labor that night and it was first pregnancies for all of us. At one point, the nurse had told us that one of the women was ready to deliver and they couldn’t believe how fast she had progressed. I remember hearing the baby’s first cry since the room was near to mine. After the baby was born, they even played "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" over the PA system.
Grandmom, Daddy and I all joked that the likelihood of me delivering quickly was slim especially since there was already a quick delivery next door! As my contractions continued to get stronger, I decided that I should probably try to close my eyes and get some rest because I thought I had a long haul ahead of me.
At around 6:15 a.m. the doctor came in to check how I was progressing. I was between 5 and 6 centimeters dilated and my contractions weren’t consistent. The nurse had called my doctor and they decided to start me on Pitocin at 6:45 a.m. to regulate my contractions. I’m still not sure why they had me on Pitocin since I was dilating at what I thought was a good pace.
Mom-Mom arrived just before the administered the Pitocin. Up until this point, I was very calm. As soon as Mom-Mom walked in the room, I could see that she had been crying. Obviously, they were tears of joy! As soon as she saw me, she started to cry again. She was so nervous for me! It wasn’t until she hugged me that I started to cry. It was such an overwhelming feeling!
Now that it was getting to be daylight, Daddy decided that it was time to make some phone calls to tell people that you would be arriving that day. There were only 2 points during the night that I got a little annoyed with Daddy and this was one of them. Both times occurred when Daddy tried talking to me in the middle of a contraction. I remember telling him, "I don’t care who the hell you call!"
Up until this point, I was able to handle the pain of the contractions. Once the Pitocin was administered, they definitely became a little more intense but not excruciating. From the moment I was admitted into the hospital, I told the nurses that I was going to get an epidural. I was not about to go through labor and delivery thinking I was tough and I could handle pain. No way, not me. If pain was not necessary, why go through it?
I had heard of horror stories about not being able to get the epidural in time for delivery. I had also heard of stories about pain while waiting for the epidural. Just because I might have asked for an epidural didn’t mean I would get it right that very minute so I wanted to make certain I allotted myself enough time before I really needed some pain medicine.
At about 7:15 a.m., I started to get worried that my contractions were going to get very painful, very fast and I would have to wait for the anesthesiologist. The contractions were bearable but I was afraid that if I waited much longer they would be unbearable so I asked the nurse to call the doctor for my epidural. By around 8:15 a.m. the anesthesiologist arrived and was ready to administer my epidural. Since getting an epidural is a delicate procedure involving a large needle going into my spine, only the nurse was allowed to be in the room with me. Daddy, Mom-Mom and Grandmom all had to leave the room while this was being done so they decided to get breakfast in the cafeteria.
I was a little nervous about the epidural but the nurse who started my I.V. earlier that morning had told me that getting the I.V. started was much worse that the epidural. And she was definitely right! In order to give the epidural, I had to sit with my legs over the side of the bed, hunched over. The nurse was very nice and held my hands as I hugged her. All of the sudden, the curtain to my room opened and there stood Grandpop and Aunt Katie! They had arrived just in time for my epidural! I said hello and the nurse quickly told them they had to leave while I was getting the epidural.
The act of having the needle inserted in my spine did not hurt. Surprisingly, it was when the pain medicine was released into the catheter that bothered me. It felt like a shot of freezing water shooting down my spine. Very uncomfortable but not anywhere near the pain of when they started my I.V.!
It took about an hour from start to finish for the epidural. I had a slight issue in the fact that the medicine seemed only to affect the left side of my body. The right side didn’t seem to be as numb which was why it took as long as it did. After they had me set up with my epidural, the nurse had me lay on my right side in hopes that the medicine would drip over from the left side to the right. Luckily this did work!
My vision of what the epidural would do versus what it actually did was two completely different things. I thought the epidural would take away all, if not most of the pain. Unfortunately, there were two types of pain: pain from contractions and pain from the pressure on my cervix. It did take the edge of the pain from the contractions but it didn’t take any of the pressure away. I kept telling the nurse and the anesthesiologist that it felt like I had to have a bowel movement!
After the epidural was done, Daddy, Mom-Mom, Grandmom, Grandpop and Aunt Katie came back into the room to visit. Grandpop kept pointing at the monitors and telling me that another contraction was on the way. Even though I had the epidural, the pressure was getting worse and worse.
After a few minutes of Grandpop’s antics, I told him in a serious voice, "I know they are coming. I can feel them just fine. You don’t need to point them out!" Your Grandpop, the man that he is, stopped pointing them out and started to make faces instead. I finally had to yell at him to stop. The pain was really starting to hit me.
Grandpop, Grandmom and Mom-Mom decided to go to the waiting room to make some phone calls a short while later. We figured that it was still going to be a while before I was ready to push. The pressure was getting stronger and stronger so I finally asked Daddy to go get the nurse to check me. The nurse came in and had the resident doctor check me at around 9:15. I overheard the nurse tell the doctor that I had passed my mucous plug.
I think we were all surprised when the doctor told us I was 9 centimeters dilated and that they were calling my doctor to have her come to the hospital for delivery! Daddy quickly ran down to the waiting room to tell
everyone the news. Grandmom and Mom-Mom decided to come back to the room and keep me company. They kept saying how they couldn’t believe how fast I had progressed.Looking back now, I don’t think we realized how close to delivery I was. It wasn’t long after they arrived back that I was asking the nurse to check me again. The pressure was the worst that it had been and I felt like I wanted to start pushing!
By this time, I was 10 centimeters dilated and ready to push. The only thing was that my doctor was not at the hospital yet and they wanted me to wait for her. After every contraction, I told the nurse that it hurt and I needed to push. She finally got the resident doctor to come in and start to set up the room for delivery.
Luckily, just as the doctor started to set up the stirrups, my doctor walked into the room. Dr. Nevins greeted my with a hello while I greeted her with, "I need to push!" Dr. Nevins told me to start to push while she got her gloves on. It was 9:42 a.m.
As I mentioned before, Mom-Mom was a nervous wreck. When it came time for me to start pushing, Mom-Mom propped herself behind me between a chair and the nightstand. She didn’t want to watch and was afraid she was going to pass out! She only looked down once and never looked back until you were born!
The next 12 minutes really did go by fast. In the beginning, Daddy held one of my legs while the nurse held the other leg. I pushed with each contraction as hard as I could but I couldn’t feel anything other than extreme pressure. I kept trying to focus on my spot on the ceiling but I lost my concentration. Daddy said I apologized at one point to Dr. Nevins because I thought I
messed up on pushing because I didn’t take a deep breath!Shortly after pushing, the nurse had to get Dr. Nevins something so Grandmom, after making sure Mom-Mom was ok, grabbed my leg. Towards the end, I began to scream with each push. The pain was a ten! At one point, I thought the hard part was over but apparently this is when you crowned.
Before I knew it, Dr. Nevins was asking for the vacuum to assist in getting you out. Apparently, your heart rate started to drop and the doctor felt that using the vacuum was necessary. With the next push, you were born. It was 9:54 a.m. I had only pushed for 12 minutes!
As soon as you were born, Dr. Nevins handed you over to the neonatal nurses so they could suction you out. I remember Grandmom saying, "He’s here! You did it Jamie!" Once I heard you cry, I finally spoke, "My baby. Oh, my baby is here!" I, as everyone else in the room, was in tears. To this day, my eyes still fill with tears as I remember the moment.
With all of the excitement of me starting to push, no one had told Grandpop or Aunt Katie that I was ready to deliver you. They had been in the waiting room and decided to go get something to eat in the cafeteria but before they went down they decided to stop by and let us know. They got to my door just in time to hear me screaming as I pushed. Grandpop looked at Aunt Katie and said, "Oh, my God! Katie, she’s pushing!" After hearing me scream he looked at Aunt Katie and asked, "Are you ok listening to this?" Katie noticed tears in Grandpop’s eye and replied, "I’m doing better than you are!" Before they knew it, they heard Jacob cry and me say, "My baby. Oh, my baby is here!"
And so there you have it. The story of when you were born. I still get tears in my eyes just thinking about it. That was the most amazing day of my life. About a week after you were born, Grandpop asked me a question. He asked me if I could give one word that described how I felt being finally being a mom. My answer to him: I felt fulfilled. Jacob, you have fulfilled my life in a way that I could never imagine and for that, I am thankful. If nothing else happens to me in my life, I don’t care because I have you in my life, I don’t need anything else.
All my love,
Mommy
Thursday, June 4, 2009
My soapbox....
Everyone has things that they are passionate about with their kids. Vaccinations. Breastfeeding. Sleeping. Well, mine is car seat safety. More specifically, extended rear-facing. And it's something I find that not many people know about. So let me tell you about it!
Years ago, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) set guidelines for when it is considered safe to turn a baby from facing the rear of the vehicle to the front of the vehicle. Those guidelines are when a child reaches a minimum of 20 lbs. AND 1 year old. No 20lbs or 1 year old. It's 20lbs AND 1 year old. And that is the minimum. Just because a baby turns 1 and weighs 20lbs doesn't mean you have to turn them around to forward facing in the car. Turning a child forward facing is not mandatory.
Here's some comment reasons people turn their car seats around.
- She needs to look out the window.
- My baby is uncomfortable rear-facing because her legs are too long.
- It's dangerous for their legs to touch the back of the seat because they'll break.
They don't need to "see" anything and once they are big enough, they can still see out the window while rear-facing. A mirror attached to the back seat allows them to see what is going on in the front of the vehicle anyway.
Children sit very comfortable with their legs folded, so their legs being too long is not an issue. A child is usually more uncomfortable with their legs dangling over the edge or close to the edge of the seat than if they are all "squished" up. All children go through a kicking, screaming and yelling phase regardless of which way they are facing because they are active and would prefer to do something other than harnessed in their seat. In fact, children who have never sat facing forward know nothing different.
And yes, there is a risk of a broken leg in a car accident. However, it's important to remember that in a crash severe enough to break a child's legs, there would also be enough force to cause severe neck injuries if the child was forward facing. But broken legs heal. Broken necks don't. And truthfully, there are no documented cases of a child's legs being broken in crashes. There is lots of documentation of children with spinal injuries.
The AAP now says that it is 5 times safer to rear-face your toddler until at least age 2. When a child is rear-facing, the back of the car seat takes the brunt of the crash force. In a forward-facing seat, the child takes the brunt of the crash force. You can see it for yourself in this video.
In Sweden, it is standard practice to keep children rear-facing up to the age of 5 or 55lbs. In a 5 year period, only 9 children that were properly restrained rear-facing died in crashes. All of these crashes were catastrophic and had few survivors. In the US, motor vehicle accidents are the number 1 cause of death in children.
Some people question accidents from behind and rear-facing seats. Frontal and side impacts account for 96% of all crashes and are the most deadly type of crashes. In a rear impact crash, the force is much different. In a frontal impact, the forces are greater because the vehicles are usually traveling in opposite directions. When you are struck in a rear impact, the vehicles involved are traveling in the same direction and the vehicle that is hit from behind has room to move forward. Furthermore, the majority of rear impacts are at low speeds.
Do you still need some convincing? Check out this video for some inspiration. Or this video about one family's personal experience in a car accident with a toddler. Or research it yourself at these websites:
http://www.carsafety4kids.com/rearfacing.html
http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/stayrearfacing.aspx
http://www.car-safety.org/rearface.html
I honestly could go on and on about this. I didn't even get into the issue of how the spine develops in a child and what happens to the spine in an accident. The forces applied to the neck of a child who is forward-facing can cause the spinal cord to stretch up to 2 inches. The spinal cord only needs to stretch 1/4 of an inch to break.
So there you have it.
Saturday, May 23, 2009
Splish! Splash!
Memorial Day weekend is finally here. After nap time, we headed over to Grandmom and Grandpop's house for a yummy dinner of hamburgers and hot dogs. And since the weather was finally warm enough, Grandmom got out the pool for the kids. At first, Jacob didn't want to go in. But after Jaelyn showed an interest in it, things quickly changed. I'm not sure who had more fun: the kids or the adults that watched them! Jaelyn giggled every time Jacob splashed water in her direction. And soon enough Jacob was asking us to dump water on his head. So it looks like Mommy will be headed to the store tomorrow to pick us up a new pool for our house!
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