Riley's Birthday - 4 Weeks Ago Today!

Saturday, August 21, 2010 - Friday night the nurse gave me an Ambien to help me sleep, which worked wonders. On Saturday morning, I woke up rested and ready to have a baby. They tested my blood again and this time we got the all clear! Our families got the hospital early and Mom began helping me get ready. Hair, makeup…I was going to look pretty when I met our baby boy or girl a few hours later. Chris was given his bunny suit and final preparations were made for me. The anesthesiologist came in to talk to me, and I was just thrilled when he walked in the room. We had taken a class earlier in the summer and had the opportunity to meet the head of O.B. anesthesiology. Being that I was terrified of having an epidural I was just over the moon the see that he was going to be my anesthesiologist that day.

The nurses informed us a few minutes before 9 that we would be going to the O.R. in just a few minutes. Our family and friends that were present surrounded us to pray and read a Bible verse over us. After a few tears and lots of hugs, we headed to the O.R. Our family headed to the waiting area where they anxiously awaited the news. Will little Baby Baker be a Boy or a Girl? And, what will his or her name be?

Within a few minutes my epidural was inserted and they began to prep me for surgery. At that point they brought Chris into the room where he sat by my side the entire time. A few minutes into the surgery I began to feel extremely nauseous. So, an anti-nausea medication was administered and I began to feel great again. Chris was pretty excited about the opportunity to see our baby enter the world. The anesthesiologist told Chris he would let him know when to stand. It felt like no time at all had passed since the doctors had started to when they told Chris to stand up and seconds later I head the first cry of our little baby. Other than hearing that first cry, one of the best moments of my life was hearing Chris say, “It’s a BOY!”

They immediately took Riley to complete all normal checks. He was doing great, weighing in at 6 lbs. and 9 oz. and 17 and ¾ inches long. He was screaming at the top of his lungs…one of the best sounds I have ever heard. They very quickly swaddled Riley and put him in my arms. That was quite a moment! After years of praying, our little miracle had finally arrived, and mom and Riley were both strong and healthy! Chris now could go and tell our family the wonderful news.

After telling the family of his arrival, Chris and Riley went back to the delivery room while the doctors completed my surgery. Shortly, I was wheeled back to the room, where Riley was placed on my chest for some skin to skin time. What a wonderful and amazingly special time! It wasn’t long before he was rooting around and showing those hunger cues. Let’s just say, Riley is a wonderful eater.

Just as we were getting ready to head to the postpartum room our family was let in to meet our special little boy! He was immediately surrounded by so much love. While in the hospital we were blessed to be surrounded by many of our family and friends.

What a wonderful experience and an answer to so many prayers. Riley…we love you little boy and feel so blessed to be your parents. The Lord could not have given us a more perfect gift!

Getting ready to go to the O.R.

First family picture

Riley's Surprise Arrival!

August 20, 2010 - Riley was due to be delivered on Tuesday, August 24th. So, Chris and I planned to have our last date day on Friday, August 20th before all the family arrived in town that weekend and Riley would make his grand arrival. We started the day off by going to our regular weekly doctor appointment at 9:30am and I gave myself a shot of Heparin at 10:00am just like I did everyday to thin my blood and prevent blood clots from forming. After our appointment Chris and I set out for our day. We went to Bread Winners for brunch and began to talk about our plans for the rest of the day. Chris suggested we go to Build-a-Bear to make a gift for Riley. If we felt like it, we planned to see a movie in the afternoon. Everything we planned had to be indoors since we were in the middle of an 18 day heat wave of temperatures 100 degrees or higher.

A short while after ordering our food I began to feel kind of off…I was having cramps in my lower abdomen and overall felt just awful. But, since this was a special day for Chris and me, I was determined to make the most of it and enjoy the day together. Once our food arrived I was beginning to feel particularly bad. I excused myself to the bathroom where I discovered I was bleeding! A little panicked and very much afraid, I went back to the table to let Chris know we needed to head back to the hospital. At this point in time it was about 11:15 and I hadn’t gotten to eat any of my food that had been delivered and it had just been a little over an hour since giving myself the Heparin shot. On our way back to the hospital I called my doctor who told us to go straight to Labor and Delivery and they would meet us there. We arrived and they immediately got us set up in a room, they gave me a gown to put on and hooked me up to all the machines.

It was very quickly revealed I was having contractions 5-7 minutes apart. Since I was scheduled to have a c-section the following Tuesday at just past 38 weeks the nurses began to prep me for surgery. Unfortunately, since I had given myself the shot at 10:00 not enough time had passed for me to get an epidural. We were informed that if they decided to proceed I would have to be given a general anesthesia and Chris would not be able to be in the OR. Fortunately, we had a wonderful nurse who became our advocate. She knew how desperately I wanted to be awake and Chris wanted to be present. She spoke with the anesthesiologist who said potentially I would be able to receive an epidural 6 hours past administration. At 4:00 they would do a blood test and if my levels were low enough we would proceed with the c-section. So, we called all the family and they began to make the journey to Plano.

4:00 o’clock arrived and blood was drawn. A short while later, my doctor returned to the room and I knew by the look on his face that it was not good news. The levels were still too high. He spoke with the anesthesiologist and they made the decision that since my labor was not progressing we could hold out. Since it was not an emergency situation it would be too risky to perform the surgery while my blood was thinner. They gave me a shot of Stadol to help me relax and slow the contractions. This allowed me to get a little relief and I was able to get some rest.

After a long, emotional day my doctor finally made the decision that we would deliver Riley on Saturday morning at 9:00. My contractions, while not slowing, were not speeding up. Riley was doing great and he was not concerned about the safety of the baby. So, the family all arrived and had plenty of time to get settled before our sweet little baby would make his or her arrival on Saturday morning.

Getting settled in Labor and Delivery

The last belly shot - 38 weeks!

Two Week Appointment

So, since Riley has been home we have been busy, busy, busy! We have been blessed to be surrounded by so many friends and family and it has truly been a joy introducing him to all our loved ones!

Today we had his two week appointment and our little man is growing! When we left the hospital two weeks ago Riley had gained back all the weight he lost and was back to has birth weight of 6 lbs. 9 oz. Today we went in for Riley's first pediatrician appointment and he has almost gained two pounds. Here are his latest stats:

Weight - 8 lbs 5 oz (25th percentile)

Height - 20 1/2 inches (50th percentile)

We are so proud of our growing boy! Here is a two week picture I took. We are just so in love...there are just not enough words to describe that feeling!