INTRODUCING...........

........for the first time on my blog, LeeAnna Marie Price, born Thursday November 17, 2011 at 8:20 am, weighing 7 pounds 3.5 ounces.

I checked into the hospital on Wednesday November 16, 2011, to give birth to our daughter the next day. As my husband and the hospital staff was helping me settle in, my doctor came by to see me. He then told me that my c-section would be done via an epidural. I went into shock, as I had more or less settled on having general anaesthesia, as this was what I had when I had my son. I told him how terrified I was of having an epidural as I had read about the risks. He wasted no time in telling me that 90% of his c-section surgeries are done via an epidural and it is really safer than having general anaesthesia. You also experience far less pain. I said to him, well that is why you are the doctor and I have to trust you.

After my husband left, I settled into bed and began pondering about the events that would unfold the next day. I also realised that I felt a sudden sense of calm and even some excitement. I figure it had to do with the fact that I would now be able to hear my baby cry, and would know right away that she is fine, something I did not have the privilege of with my son. 

I could hardly sleep that night as I kept checking the time quite anxious to begin the next day. I was happy when the nurse told me that I will be awaken at 5:30 am, to be prepared for surgery, as that made my night even shorter.

I was awaken at 5:30 Thursday morning as promised. I had what would be my last real bath for a couple of days and got dressed for surgery. My Anaesthesiologist came in shortly afterwards to brief me about  the epidural that will be administered to me. I told him my fears and he basically consoled me the same way my doctor did. I was by now even more comfortable with having this epidural done. Not long afterwards my doctor came in, he asked me what kind of music I liked and proceeded to select something that would be played in the background while the surgery was being done. He then instructed that I be wheeled into the OR. All members of his team were not present as yet, so he told me that my surgery would be a little late. I did not mind at all as by now I was feeling really calm and confident that all would be well.

My husband could not be there with me as he had to take our son to school and have him settle in until his teacher arrives. I was sad at that, but my doctor and his team made me feel at ease. I was administered the epidural and it took effect shortly afterwards. All I felt was some tingling in my legs, then gradual lost of feeling in the bottom half of my body. My surgery which was originally set for 7:00am that morning, got under-way at 8:00 am.

The OR was buzzing with laughter and jokes that I could hardly hear the background music. I find myself adding my little bit to these jokes when I could, as I was battling nausea and heaviness in my chest. At 8:20 am precisely, our daughter was born, and I heard her cry shortly thereafter. It was the most surreal experience I ever had. A relief swept over me as I wanted to hear that precious cry so much. I was even more relieved when they presented her to me and I saw that she was a normal, healthy beautiful child. God is so faithful.

No sooner had my doctor finished stitching me up, I began having the most unbearable pain. I guess I must have only received enough anaesthetic to last the duration of the surgery and by the time I was wheeled back to my room I was having shivers so much that I needed a blanket. I remember I kept asking the nurse that was looking after me for pain medication but she kept fussing over having my drips in place and said that my drips were more important than any pain medication. I thought t  myself, how cruel.

I received the pain medication at last but I did not take effect right away, I even had visitors who were anxious to meet the baby, but I could not be host to anyone at that time. I remember just shivering and asking my husband to hold me.

I drifted off into sleep, and the next thing I knew I woke up and the pain had subsided. I felt so much better and was even able to get out of bed, with help of course and have my supper in a chair. By this time I had more visitors and was able to be a good host, even though I felt very drugged up.

LeeAnna did not quite get the hang of breastfeeding right away, but with persistence and patience she eventually got it, and refused to do anything else but feed for the rest of our stay in the hospital.

By this time, I had received a roommate as I had opted to share room. She registered for a vaginal birth but when things took an awful turn, where her baby’s head was not engaging for birth and showed frightening signs of distress when they attempt to intensify labour, they had to perform an emergency c-section. Thank God, she and baby came through alright and when she was well enough, we had some bonding time.

I was by now missing my son so much, because children under a certain age are not allowed in the hospital. I sent for him and when he arrived I was told that I could wheel the baby out in the lobby to him. I was excited and he was too when he saw myself and his sister. We spent some quality time together and when he was ready to leave he began wheeling the baby to the door and saying, come mommy come, let’s take the baby home. When I told him not just yet, he said, but she is my baby. I was so overcome with joy knowing that he had accepted his sister and was ready to have her home.

The next day, Sat. November 19, 2011, I began packing to leave the hospital as soon as I learnt that I would be going home, and sure enough my doctor came and officially discharged me. I was so eager to get home to see how things would change from then on with our family. Things did not change much that first evening but the next day, our son began acting up.  I guess the reality of this little person that he wanted to take home so badly, taking up so much of mommy’s time must have now reached him. I remember later that day, putting the baby to bed so that I could get some much needed sleep. He barged into the room almost waking the baby. I was so mad I shouted at him, which had his father rushing to us to find out what was wrong. When I told him, he scolded our son again and immediately removed him from the room. I heard that he withdrew to a quiet place in the house and cried. I began crying too, feeling so sorry for him, but that cry was also for something more as well, I had fought a long difficult battle with infertility for more than a decade long and have finally won, with three beautiful children to show for it, one God wanted for himself and the other two, he has so graciously allowed us to keep. God is truly amazing.


I know it helps and I have been advised over and over again to involve our son in taking care of the baby as much as we can, He has even assumed the role of putting the soiled diapers into the bin and because newborns change so many diapers in a day, each time he comes to the room and see another soiled diaper, he would say, “another poopy diaper, oh man.” I guess you can involve them as much as possible, but they will act up from time to time. This is just a transitional moment for everyone and so we take comfort in that.

Things have not quite settled yet, but we are doing better with each passing day. We are looking forward to when the baby settles into a routine so that we can at least feel some sense of normalcy again. In the mean time, we continue to take things a day at a time, giving God thanks for his blessings and his continued favour on our lives.

THOSE DREAMS........

Pregnant women are known to have dreams and some of these dreams are very unpleasant and frightening. I know I must have had these dreams when I was pregnant with my son because my anxiety level for that pregnancy was very high.

Recently I had two dreams, one was that I went to my doctor for what was supposed to be a routine prenatal visit and learned that my baby had died. I was, as anyone can well imagined, very devastated and having already had a shower and has purchased everything and is now ready for our new addition, this is not a reality I want to relive.

The other dream was that I had checked into the hospital and was awaiting my c-section surgery. I waited for a while and my doctor, nor any nurse, did not show up to prepare me for my surgery, I later saw one of my sisters and she refused to look at me. Fearing that this was an indication that something was wrong, I hesitantly asked her, what’s the matter, to which she replied, there is something terribly wrong with your baby. It felt like someone had taken a knife and stabbed me in my heart. I quickly awoke and was relieved that this was only a dream. I was still rather disturbed.

Have you been pregnant or are you pregnant and can relate. Please see a link below to an article about why pregnant women have these dreams and what they are actually telling us about this very special time in our lives.

http://dreamhawk.com/dream-encyclopedia/pregnancy-and-dreams/

From the article:

“ Pregnancy is one of the most powerful experiences any woman can face. A woman’s body changes enormously during childhood and adolescence, but to meet such enormous physical, personal and social changes as an adult is a huge challenge. A woman’s dreams at such a time not only show some of the detailed events that are occurring physically, but also comment on psychological and relationship events and subtleties too.

It is also very common for women to dream about actually having the baby, and these dreams are often bizarre or even disturbing to the dreamer. Winget and Kapp found that a high percentage of dreams showed this theme of anxiety, and by following their research through, they were able to observe that the more anxiety dreams a mother-to-be had, the easier the birth was. They conjectured that the anxiety dreams release a lot of tension and fear, and the mother is therefore more relaxed at the time of the birth – usually less than ten hours."

Post image by: http://blogs.babiesonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/sleep-positions-during-pregnancy.jpg

D and Cs AND INFERTILITY

image by: http://static.howstuffworks.com

During my struggles with infertility, I had one D&C (Dilation and Curettage) and I had fears that this could further add to my infertility issues. Fortunately, it did not. When I had my last miscarriage two years ago, I was so relieved  when my doctor opted that I allow my body to expel the pregnancy naturally, as this same fear was once again present.

Turns out my fear is justified as D&C’s can lead to infertility or if you are already suffering with infertility, could further compromise your chances to get pregnant, due to scarring in the womb following such surgery.

A fellow blogger is kind enough to do a post on this subject.  Why not check it out.

http://infertility-fertility.blogspot.com/2011/04/how-d-and-cs-may-leave-you-infertile.html

A RIGHT TO LIFE

image by: http://a57.foxnews.com

A Canadian couple is currently fighting for their son’s right to life. Their son is being kept alive on life support due to a neurodegenerative disease where he is suffocating on his secretions.

The Canadian government wants to take the child off life support because they think this is better for the child.  The parents however ,wants to take the child home and have him die in a comfortable environment, and has asked that they perform a surgery to open up the child’s trachea so that he can be removed from life support and taken home, but the doctors refused.

The couple has identified an hospital in the States who are willing to grant them their wish, but the Canadian Government seem to be bent on preventing this and has even suggested that they use a Guardian to remove the child’s life support if they do not want to do it themselves.

This is a heartbreaking story and I am pretty sure I would want what this couple wants too, to spend every moment with my sick child until he passes, wouldn't you?

Read complete story:-

http://www.foxnews.com/health/2011/02/23/giving-little-joseph-maraachli-fighting-chance/

ARE CESEAREN SECTIONS NOW A FAD MORE THAN A MEDICAL MUST DO?

Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from him.

Children born to a young man are like sharp arrows in a warrior’s hand

Psalm 127: 3 & 4

“HOPE MAKES ALL THE DIFFERENCE"

When I was pregnant with my son, very early on in the pregnancy, I somehow knew I would have a c-section. There were no medical reasons for me to think so, but I do consider myself as having a sixth sense, and my husband is quite scared of my thoughts because of this, as about eighty percent of the things I think might happen, really do happen. As a result of this, I made sure that I had monies secured to do this surgery.


There was nothing throughout the pregnancy that indicated that I would have had to do a c-section, and my doctor was quite prepared for me to have a normal birth. I soon began thinking that maybe, just maybe, I would do a normal birth and became so excited at the monies that I would have saved in this regard, that I began making plans of how I would spend it. Somewhere around the 39th week of my pregnancy, my son was breached and my doctor quickly told me that by the end of the week, he should assume position for a normal birth. She did mention that she did not want to cut me at all, and so she had motivation for saying this as well. He had assumed position for a normal birth by the end of that week, and so I reported to the maternity centre to give birth, even though there were hardly any indications that I was in labor.

I had to do a labor induction, but still no labor resulted. My midwives employed other induction procedures (warm showers, walks, bouncing on a ball), but still nothing happened, and after hours of stress and frustration, I begged my doctor to do a c-section, because I was afraid that my baby would have been affected by all the stress.

It was at the time of my surgery, that my doctor discovered that I had an inverted pelvis. My pelvic bones were narrower than was normal and so my son’s head could not pass through and this was what prevented labor from happening. It did not help however, that my son has a big head (smile).

I know many women have no choice but to do a c-section, as was my case. Some even emergency, because of critical medical conditions, but there are others who opt for this because of casual reasons. Some do not want the hassle of pushing and some want to have complete control over when their children are born, to fit into their lifestyles.

In Hollywood, it is found that many women are opting for an elective c-section as against a normal birth. See who these women are and why they are making this decision:-

“Reports say that 80% of American women get some form of medical pain relief during childbirth. A growing number of women are requesting delivery by elective cesarean section. This trend is due in part to celebrities such as Victoria Beckham, Eilzabeth Hurley, Britney Spears, Claudia Schiffer and Christina Aguilera, making the elective C-section the "it" activity of the decade……..”


Read more:-
 http://www.celebritybabyscoop.com/2010/04/16/celebrities-who-chose-natural-vs-c-section-births

ARE OUR DOCTORS COLD AND CALLOUS???

“Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from him.
Children born to a young man are like sharp arrows in a warrior’s hand.”
Psalm 127: 3 & 4

This post is written with due respect to our doctors and their profession.

Recently this has been on my mind, how can a doctor tell a woman that she will never be able to have children or that she should never get pregnant or try to have any more children.

A friend of mine was told by a doctor that she should never get pregnant. She said this was so hard to hear and she could never picture her life without children. As I sat and listened to her, something came over me, something so familiar because for many years, I was forced to picture my life without children and it was really one of the most difficult things I ever had to do. Today this friend is very pregnant, a difficult pregnancy of course but she is an ardent Christian and is totally relying on God to see her through this pregnancy. She should give birth in a couple of days.

There is someone else I know who had one child at the time and wanted another, her doctor told her she should not try to get pregnant again. Of course, she had her second child and both are doing fine up to this day and I am sure there are many other such stories out there.

I know these doctors are advising their patients against pregnancy because of medical issues that could endanger their lives and the lives of their babies, should they get pregnant, but I still think this is a cold and callous thing to do. Maybe they could find some other way of telling their patients news like this and have them involved in the process as much as possible. I am also thinking that probably, many doctors who are guilty of this are male and therefore will never be able to know what it feels like when a woman finds out she can never have children. I know this affects men too, but not in the same way as it affects women. For women, the pain is more raw and more personal. I guess it is because it is women who carry the pregnancies.

Another thing that doctors do is put timeline on people’s lives. When there is a diagnosis of a terminal illness, doctors tell their patients how much time they have left to live. As a Christian, who believes that God gives life and takes it away, this is one thing that I have a problem accepting. Senator Ted Kennedy was told he was lucky if he lived for six months after his brain tumor diagnosis and he lived fifteen months. The story was told at church on Sunday of a gentleman, a former pastor who was told he had five years to live after a surgery many years ago, and he lived twenty more years and I could go on and on with stories like these.

I cannot help but wonder if a doctor’s program of study trains them to be outright with people in such a callous way. I am all for honesty but I have a hard time dealing with honesty of this nature. I cannot imagine a doctor telling me how much time I have left to live because either I would die before the time the doctor give me from just mere fretting, or I turn the situation completely over to my Heavenly Physician. I am really hoping I would do the latter as one cannot say for sure what they would really do, until they are faced with the situation.

I was watching a television pastor once and he was telling a story that he recently went to his doctor for a check-up. His doctor took a chart and began calling out the names of some diseases and asked him if he had them in his family. Each time the pastor replied yes, the doctor ticked off a disease that he would most likely have to face in his life. The Pastor got angry, took the chart from the doctor and began going down the same list of diseases and ticking off as the doctor replied yes to them. The Pastor then said, well doc, I am just giving you an idea of how it feels to be putting timeline on people’s lives. He was simply saying, doc, you do not have that right, my Almighty God has the right to decide what diseases I get and how long a life he has afforded me here on earth. That story left an impression on me, as it happened many years ago and I am still able to relate it.

When I did my laparoscopy (surgery for PCOS) in 2002, I was so nervous and anxious. It was a minor surgery but there was nothing minor about the anxieties I was feeling. The mere fact that I had to go under anesthetic was enough to drive me crazy, that a few days after the surgery I broke out into a rash, which was later diagnosed as a type of eczema brought on by stress. I remember when I walked into the hospital lobby the morning of the surgery, a picture of a doctor with God bent over his shoulders, apparently giving him some instructions, caught my eye and that was the image I took with me into surgery. This gave me the reassurance I needed that I would have made it out of that surgery because I knew God was in charge, I trusted my doctor but I trust God more. I still use that image today whenever I find myself in situations like these. Let me say also that I was given a timeline after this surgery within which to get pregnant and when this timeline expired I was told that only invitro-fertilization could help me at this point. Well here I am today, I did not do invitro-fertilization and my husband and I are the proud parents of a vibrant and healthy two year old. Is'nt our God good.

Wow, a big mouthful indeed, but what I am really saying is that our doctors can only do for us what Almighty God entrusts them with and when they give us news that is difficult to hear, before we think it is the end, and especially if we are Christians, we should look to our Great Physician, our Head Physician and turn the situation over to him. I know in each of the cases above, these persons called on their Heavenly doctor for a second opinion and I strongly believe that, that is how they were able to rise above their conditions.

Be encouraged therefore and until next time, keep clinging to hope.

My Infertility Story – Dealing with miscarriages cont'd.

“I felt as if someone was playing a cruel joke on us and I was not amused. What did we ever do to deserve this, I thought.”

We were only halfway into our experience with miscarriages, with the worst still to come.

Approximately two years after doing my surgery and ten months after we had seen the female doctor, we realized we were pregnant again. We were on the brink of giving up hope as this was about four years after our previous miscarriages.
I was at Church one Sunday and realized that I was feeling terribly hungry and I had eaten breakfast that morning. I could not wait for communion to be served, as I thought even that little morsel of bread could indeed help this terrible hunger that was gnawing at my stomach walls.
I was expecting a period as well and it had not turned up as yet. Could I be pregnant? I thought, as I was also feeling a little bit queasy. I waited a few days to see if the period would show just to ensure that I was not setting myself up for anymore disappointment. That, I was certainly not in any hurry for. The period did not show, the queasiness continued and so believing that something was indeed happening, I did the test. I was pregnant and there was no doubt about it. The joy again was overwhelming and something about this one told me that it would stick around. I was however still very cautious.
I called my doctor the next day but did not get him and so I left a message, he returned my call after a few days and set an appointment to see him. I went promptly and he confirmed the pregnancy. He also did a scan saying he was not sure he would see anything, but as luck would have it, the scan showed the pregnancy with the fetus and even a heartbeat. We were so excited, and my doctor was too. The end to my struggle with infertility was surely in sight.
Having learnt from previous experience, we did not break the news to our family until I was about three months pregnant and ofcourse, they were overjoyed, especially my in-laws.
Each month that we went for our prenatal check-up was a triumph in itself, as the news was always good. We were having a girl, and we were even more excited.
Then round about the seventh month of my pregnancy, everything changed. Our baby was sick, she had developed a lot of fluid (a condition known as Hydrops Fetalis) in her little body and was given only a twenty percent chance of living.
We were crushed. It is confirmed, we are doomed to remain childless. We must have in fact done something to deserve this punishment, as this cannot be happening and not at this stage when I was already thrown a shower and had all my cute pink things to welcome my baby girl.
My doctor wanted to give us hope and so he told us that he was focusing on the twenty percent chance of life that our little angel had, and challenged us to remain positive. Bless his heart. I was put into the public system as he could not monitor my pregnancy anymore and on my first appointment, the doctor discovered that the baby had died. I did not know life as it were anymore. I was walking around like I was seeing ghosts. I was totally devastated and needed to know why this was happening to us.
I was admitted to the hospital the next day and things got worse the day after I had given birth to our daughter, as there was this terrible feeling of emptiness that made me cry and could not stop. I never cried so much in my entire life.

In the next post, I will tell you, (and I know you are eager to read it), how we made it through this very trying and dark time.