Michael Stephen Beverley

August 5, 1994

15 years old

Me and my boy.....Michael's birth was much different then David's birth. We were living in Baltimore City, we had no air condition and I was washing window fans, I was taking them apart and getting all the dust off the fan parts so we could use them. I brought one into my bedroom and when I did my water broke in a huge gush. I called the doctor and he said to head over to the hospital as soon as I could, as this was my second child and they didn't want me to stay home. David was sleeping so we had to find someone to watch him so we could go to the hospital. We asked our neighbor and can you believe they said NO. Then we called my in-laws and they came to Baltimore to pick up David from Anne Arundel County. Not to far away, about 20 minutes, It was about 10pm when my water broke and about 12am when we left for the hospital. I was not having any contractions.

We got to the hospital and they checked to be sure my water broke. At first they did not believe me, and said that the test was coming back negative for amniotic fluid. I proceeded to tell them it was most definitely my water that broke, so they tested again and it came back positive. They admitted me and began a pitocin drip since I was 37 weeks. We were there all night with no contractions on Pitocin, don't quite understand that, but none. They even raised the amount after a few hours. About 9:30 am my husband decided that he would go get some breakfast. I was not allowed to eat, so I told him to go, it wasn't like anything was going on.

He left to go eat and the nurse came in to see me and left. A few minutes later I got a contraction, a pretty strong one. I waited and a few minutes later another one and it hurt....I called the nurse. She came down and I told her the contractions were starting and if this is what they were going to feel like I might want an epidural. She left to call the anesthesiologist, had another huge contraction and felt like I needed to push. I called the nurse, she came and told me it was too soon, so she checked me. She said, oh my you are right and you are crowning (NEVER doudt the mother, geez) She ran out and called the doctor and paged my husband over the intercom system of the hospital to report immediatly to labor and delivery.

Next contraction, time to push, they are telling me not to push....no way I am pushing! Nurse caught Michael as the doctor walked in and my husband walked in. I did not know what I was having so my husband annoucned another boy! He was perfect! I had a small tear that they sewed up and everything was good.

I remember they moved me to my room, Michael was in with me and he slept for 11 hours! The nurse came in and said, "honey you need to wake him to eat...you can't let him sleep that long." That was new to me, because David didn't like to sleep in the beginning, he was colic for almost 3 months.

Michael was an easy baby from there forward. He was a good sleeper and a good nurser. We had some nursing complications, but a friend of my husbands got us back on track. Michael was such an easy baby, he was so easygoing about everything, and to this day he still is.

At that time they were promoting 24 hour discharge after birth, so home I went the next afternoon. David was excited to meet his brother for about 5 minutes and then was more interested in running up and down the hallways.

Great experience, great boy......next week is Katie! My only girl and as well a great birth experience. I look forward to sharing it.

P.S. : You will notice a trend in the next few birthstorys, whenever I start to think I need pain meds....I will be having a baby any minute....too funny.

Doctor Appointment Update.....I saw the doctor yesterday and everything seems the same. The only difference is he said I was a finger-tip dilated, but he did not seem impressed with that. He just said that I need to do what I am doing, which is stay off my feet.

It seems like forever, but I know it is only about 8 more weeks until my stiches come out and I am off bedrest. Full term is the goal here, no NICU.....so I must do the best I can to do what I am supposed to do. Of course there are not guarantees, but I need to do everything I can to keep him in there.

Most women get tired of pregnancy around 7 or 8 months, but it is so much more intense when you are on bedrest. What I do is look at Bryan and Patrick because they are little, or any of the children really and I say....."the baby you are pregnant with now, could have been them....."

If the baby was to be born from now forward he has an excellent change of a normal life now, however, he would be in NICU for about 2 months. I just don't want that so I must remain strong.

Well, I will now post my birth story and day late for Michael. I hope you enjoy that story. Next Doctor's appointment is February 8. I will be almost 30 weeks....

David Wayne Beverley 17
David means: Beloved
Date of Birth: December 5, 1992

David is my first born, my first teenager and my first and only difficult labor. I was 23 when I had David , and I must admit I had no idea what I had gotten myself into. Here is David's birth story I hope you enjoy it.

First David was supposed to be a November baby. He was due around Thanksgiving, so as you can see he was late. I believe I was going on 42 weeks and I was so miserable. I would go on rides down bumpy roads, long walks you name it. Around 40 weeks or so they did something called "stripping the membranes", I don't even know if they do it anymore, but I will tell you I will never allow someone to do that to me again. They used a tool and speculum and went in a separated the membranes from the uterus, I guess to stimulate labor. A few days later I thought I might be leaking fluid, but I didn't know for sure. Then on December 4, 1992 I was taking a nap, I woke around dinner time with a horrible back ache. It would come and go and the pain was getting worse each time. I pulled out my handy dandy "What to Expect When You are Expecting" Book and realized, this could be labor.

I called Labor and Delivery and they told me to go for a walk, because if I came in and was less then 2 cm dilated they would send me home. My husband decided, lets go for a walk and look at the Christmas lights that are up. So walk we did, I didn't make it very far because the contractions were getting worse and now radiating to my abdomen so we headed home, called my mom and went to the hospital.

After I was admitted (no they did not send me, thank goodness) they did an Ultrasound to check the size and date of the baby. The kicker is, we did not have insurance then, so I was a "clinic" patient, they had a student do my ultrasound nice a slow while I was having contractions. Come to find out, baby had a large head for delivery and they were concerned that I would not be able to deliver vaginally. Wow, you think, I was two weeks overdue!

Labor progressed with some painful contractions. I decided to have the epidural, they placed a needle like catheter in my back that provided the medication. They placed it between contractions. The medication worked very quickly and soon I was numb from the waste down. The nurse would tell my husband and I to get some rest and stop joking around all night because I was going to need my energy. We did not listen, I was feeling great!

Then I made the mistake, when they did a cervix check I was about 6cm, close to the cut off for additional pain medication. After 7cm they usually won't give it to you because your at your final stages of labor. The nurse said are you having any pain? My answer, just some pressure, but not pain. Would you like more medication through you epidural? My answer, sure! I should of never have done that. I went to full dilation quickly and they told me I needed to start pushing when I had a contraction. What contractions? I didn't feel them at all! I had to watch the monitor and when I saw a peak I had to push. I was so numb I didn't know how to push. I couldn't feel to push. It took four hours for me to push David out, they had to use forceps to grab him finally.

He came out wide eyed and it was so cute! We didn't know what I was having so we were surprised to find out we had a baby boy! David looked all around the room his eyes were so big and he didn't cry, he just made the cutest "o" shape with his mouth and looked everywhere. They took him from me to clean him up, and then he had to go to NICU. Yes my 7 lb 14oz baby had to go to NICU because I had a low grade fever when I arrived at the hospital. I had IV antibiotics, so he had to remain on IV antibiotics for three days. You think that had to do with "stripping the membranes and leaving me pregnant up to 42 weeks"?

Well due to the horrible time I had pushing David out I had a lot of bleeding and I had internal and external tears along with my episiotomy. It took them a bit to sew me up, by tears were third and fourth degree tears. I was in so much pain from that. They did give me percocet, and that was great, but they would ring me on the phone when David wanted to nurse so I could come to NICU. I had to walk to NICU leaning on the hospital wall because I was drugged from the percocet.

I did go home with David, they allowed me the additional day that he needed to stay that I didn't to sleep in a room they were not using with supplies in it. No phone, t.v. or nurse available to me, but I could stay at the hospital.

One funny thing, we had no insurance like I said earlier, so the hospital charged us a flat $900 hospital fee that had to be paid at discharge. I did not have the money, so my mother paid to get us out of the hospital. Is that hysterical, I remember them saying "In order to be discharged you must pay this $900 hospital bill". What were they going to do, hold us hostage, keep my baby...LOL too funny.

David's birth experience was difficult, but still a miracle. There were was so much in hind site that could have been done differently. I should have never had that second dose of medication, I needed to feel something in order to know what to do. I think if I had a doula or mid wife I would have mad it through much better then I did. I have learned through experience now that the pain of labor and the sensations our body has is natural and normal and by letting our body do what it needs to do, labor will progress quicker, birth will go smoother and mom will feel so much better afterwards. Now let me make a statement.....If you need medication then you take medication, that does not make you a failure or anything. Just let your body guide you to what is right for you. Just don't let the hospital over medicate, take the edge off, but feel your baby being born.

To my friends who will have C-Sections, don't ever feel that you did no experience birth, You did! You had the birth experience that was right for you. Thank God we have the medical knowledge to do successful C-Sections or there are a lot of mommies who would not have their babies today.

Well next week is Michael...good story you will like it. So much different then David. Thanks for reading, let me know if you have any questions.

P.S. I gained 60 lbs with David, you heard me 60!!!!

I never posted from my Doctor's visit Thursday, so here is the update. Cervix is a little over 1cm and there is a small bit of funneling, which is not bad, but not great either. Our little guys weights 2.6lbs which is great for his gestational age. The results, not much different.....continued bed rest until the end, making sure not to get up too much to include not sitting directly up to much either.

I really am not enjoying bedrest at all, but I remind myself that I don't want to watch my son struggle in NICU for a couple of months, so I must pick my battle and that battle will be bedrest for the sake of my little guy.

Although bed rest has been boring and frustrating, there have been some positive things. I have made some great friends on "Sidelines". This is a support group for women with difficult pregnancies on bedrest. There are women from all over the USA and out of the country. I was able chat with someone from China who was in the hospital on bedrest with twins. My other sideline buddies are from places like New Jersey, California and even Maryland. There are forums to post on and every Thursday and Sunday there are chat sessions which are great. We laugh a lot and let out our complaints. Some of us are close in gestation too, most of us at this time are due within weeks of each other. It really gives you an opportunity to see outside of your situation and realize there are others just like you with the same feelings. Some have worse situations and it helps you to put things is perspective.

My next Doctor's appointment is Monday, January 25th so I will let you all know how myself and my little guy are doing. Gilbert is doing okay, this is very hard for him to manage. Some days we have good days and some are bad. It is just normal there is a lot of emotion flying around. The other children are doing well, the older ones don't care much for the new house duties they have been given, but they are managing. The little guys, well I hope they are adjusting. They spend a lot of time being tossed between their grandmothers, aunts, daycare and such when Gilbert is working. I really don't like when they are not home.

Also, after this post, I will post the first of 6 birth stories. Yes 6, because I have had 6 children already even though one is watching over us from heaven. I am doing this for a few reasons.
I have a special sidelines buddy that would like to read them (makes me feel important). You may find them entertaining as they all have their own special story. Also, if I post one a story a week, I will be 32 weeks when I am done....which will only leave me 3 weeks of bedrest...woo hoo! So I hope you enjoy them. After this is all over...my blog will be a wonderful keepsake for my children to look back on.

Take care..hope you are all doing well. Oh, and post to the blog....so I know I am not writing for my health. Well maybe I am writing for my health. My mental health!

I will update more on Thursday, I have an appointment with the "Peri". This is a doctor who specializes in high risk pregnancy for the mom and for the baby. So I will have his input after then. Hopefully it will be some good news. I should have an ultrasound, so I will get to see the baby. That is the best part.

Friday, is 26 weeks, great milestone as during the next few weeks, the baby has up to a 90% survivability. Again I don't want him here that soon. I will admit the weeks drag on and the stress in this house can be cut with a knife, but I want to come home with a full term baby boy.....healthy and strong.

Hope everyone is having a good week...

Bed Rest Wouldn't Be So Bad If........................

I was just thinking, as I sit here bored, listening to Gilbert snore, what could make bed rest better? If you could do you time on bed rest at the Cambridge Hyatt with a water view room and room service, that would be nice. Maybe, in Miami at the Ritz Carlton with your own personal care giver to wheel you down to the beach chair that has been set up for you with an umbrella. A book, computer and cold drinks (even though they would not have alcohol, they could still put pretty pink umbrellas in them).

Okay back to reality....that is not happening. This week seems to be dragging on, but the good news is tomorrow is week 25 and a new week (for me anyway) starts. Next Friday will be 26 weeks which is great news, because the survivability for the baby goes up to over 80%. However; we don't want a baby yet.

Bryan today told me that he wants to name his brother Nicholas. He also told me that he is going to give his favorite color changing hot wheels car to his new brother as well. Bryan will be 5 in February and he is the most excited about the baby. Every day he talks to my belly and kisses my belly and tells the baby "I can't wait until you come out to play". It is adorable.

We had a purchase close at work so that was good news. I believe we also got two new orders so that is more good news. Not sure where the market trend is going, but I sure hope it is up!

Continue to keep us in your thoughts and prayers, bed rest sounds fun, but it really is not. Thank God I can work from home and do my online college, because if not I really would go nuts.

Well, husband is snoring up a storm, I can't sleep so now I move on to computer games...wish me luck!

Doctor's Appointment and Such

Well Monday I visited the Doctor, good news is my cervix is still short and thin, but no change from two weeks ago. As well he thinks the stitch I have is doing more then he thought it was (that is the Cervical Cerclage) He said he was impressed at how far I have come and that I have no given him a glimmer of hope. (Is that good news, what did he have before no hope???) He wants to see me back in two weeks unless there are any changes (which there better not be!) So good report!

I asked him if I could go off bedrest, he asked "Are you Joking, you owe me another 10 weeks" UGH, you have no idea! I know this is the best thing for me and my little guy, but the days are very long and time goes so slow. One minute you are in a good mood and the next you want to bite somebodies head off, and it is usually a child or husband.

I find that although I feel lonely and isolated, yet I don't want company very much. That is hard to explain, not sure why that is?

Tonight it was Pizza for dinner, David's car wouldn't start so there was a lot of craziness around the house and it took until about 9:00pm to figure out what was wrong with it. He was driving on the dirt roads and hit a large pot hole and apparently this truck has a fuel shut off switch. All is well with the world now. Well at least David's world for now.

I hope that the Christmas Tree comes down before the baby is born. I'll keep you posted on that, I decided to keep my mouth shut and see how long it takes. Anyone willing to make a wager is welcome.

Tomorrow is Gilbert's shift and the Bryan and Patrick go to their Grandmom's house for the night. I miss them when they are gone very much and I feel so horrible. Not only to the poor little guys go to daycare, but they are shipped off twice a week to the Grandmom's house and I feel bad. Gilbert leaves for work between 4:30 and 5:00am so they have to be moved to a car that early in the morning in the cold......does not make me happy!

Last night Katie used Veet on her legs; for those who do not know that is like Nair to take the hair off your legs. Poor little thing had a reaction to it, she had red bumps and burns all over her legs. She was up until the wee hours crying and I felt horrible. She stayed home from school today and is doing much better.

Well there you go...update from the bed! Things I have been doing to keep myself from going crazy....Facebook, Farmville, Cafeworld! Solitaire and Bookworm Games on computer. Cross Stich that Mom bought me. College work online and of course WORK! Yes I am working from my bed, it is very interesting the things you can do from bed.

Thanks for reading! Keep in touch!

Christine

24 Weeks and Viability Begins

It has been about 3 and half weeks on bedrest and I will say that this is one of the most difficult things I have had to do. We have entered viability, which is the magic word you wait to hear from the Doctor. Now, God forbid we have to deliver the hospital will try and save our preemie, any time before that the baby goes to hospice as too young to survive. This is why I waited to start my blog until now.

I hope that you will follow along and help keep me entertained during this trip. It is a hard adjustment on my family and I hope when it is all over and they look into their brother's eyes they will truly understand the sacrifice.

As for Gilbert, he struggles day to day to try and be sure to meet every one's needs. With a family as large as ours, you can imagine how hard that is. The first week or two was rough for him, but he seems to gaining more patience day to day. I know he is tired, because it is a lot of work, but again, when he looks into his son's eyes it will all be worth the trouble.

A quick understanding of how I managed to land on bedrest. In April of 2009 we lost a baby girl (Kimberly Grace) at 4 months pregnant, due to what they call "Incompetent Cervix". My body just did not hold her in and she game out to early. In this pregnancy I had what is called a "Cervical Cerclage" to strengthen my cervix at 13 weeks pregnant. All has been okay until about 21 weeks when my cervix seemed to be getting dangerously short. At 22 weeks we were measuring at .88cm when a normal cervix would be around 3.5cm. The condition I have is a painless dilation of the cervix, so there is not much warning that you are dilating and preparing to go into labor. This makes you a candidate for preterm delivery. That is the short version.

It is very hard to watch my family from a distance and hear all the commotion. I am working from my bed on my laptop during the week, which is stressful. It is so hard for the little ones to understand. My "soon to be 5 year old" amazes me as he understands so much more then I give him credit for. He already talks to his baby brother! Today he told him "When you come out, I will take you to Chuckie Cheese in your car seat."

I will hopefully entertain you with funny stories, need your encouragement during the bad days and keep you posted through the next 10 to 12 weeks. (Please tell me that sounds like a short time to you, because it sounds like forever to me)

Say your prayers for Baby Boy Wagner and our family.