Ashton's Arrival

August 24, 2011 about 6:15 a.m.
The feeling of wetness woke me up. I was involuntarily wetting my pj's. The first thought I had was "blood". I didn't see red. Then I thought I was really loosing control of my bladder. I stood up to go to the bathroom. Hyrum woke and asked me what was happening and I said, "My water broke." He got up fast and asked, "What?!" He followed me to the bathroom. We were both trying to determine if it was urine or amniotic fluid. He talked me into thinking it was pee so I changed into dry clothes and decided to go back to bed for a few minutes till the girls got up. I layed there, feeling the baby jump. A few minutes later I started feeling like I was leaking again. I could hear Ella talking in her bed already. I got up and started to leak everywhere. I was dripping on my way back to the bathroom. I never knew what to expect. It wasn't like the movies. My 'water breaking' wasn't a big gush it was actually a small gush and then another small gush, over and over. I felt like I had a little bit of time before rushing to the hospital so I got the remainder of my things in my hospital bag. (I was so glad I had already started packing.)
I was also trying to get through to my mom so I could find out where she was and if she could come. She had just started to drive out to Oregon the night before and I thought she might have been at a hotel for the night but found out later they drove through the night and got to my brother's house in Oregon just a couple hours earlier and were passed out at their house. I couldn't get through to her and I was panicking. I wanted her to be there so bad but knew, inside, that she wasn't going to make it in time. She actually didn't make it for another week, sadly.
Hyrum called his mom to stay with the kids but she wasn't quite on her way yet and I needed to get to the hospital. I left Hyrum with the kids and kissed them good-bye. It was weird abandoning them like that and that things would never be the same for them again.
It was weird going to the hospital by myself. I was a wreck! Not only was I by myself but I was calling my mom over and over and hoping I wouldn't leak all over Hyrum's truck. I walked slowly to the doors and through the hospital. I checked myself in and got to a room. They were busy that day so I got a corner room. I was a admitted at about 8:15. I made a few phone calls while I waited for the Doctor to give orders to my nurse and for Hyrum to get there. The nurse started me on antibiotic but no pitosin till about 3 hours later. Dr. Nikki didn't want me to start to quickly since she wanted the antibiotic to take effect.
Short version:
11:00 a.m. They started me on Pit
1:00 I was dilated to 3
2:15 got epidural
3:15 dilated to 4
3:45 dilated to 6
in between somewhere: I was complete. That included nausea and light-headedness. I felt like I was going to pass out; somewhere in my partial consciousness I heard the baby's heart rate drop considerably. I can still remember the feeling of panic that aroused me out of my own daze and I yelled at Hyrum to get a nurse. At the same time that he opened the door to get someone he overheard the nurses say that I was complete. I guess that is a possible side-effect of completing quickly. I wasn't getting enough oxygen and then had to be given a mask for the remainder of delivery.
4:39 p.m. Baby Boy was delivered...and then passed on to a team of NICU respiratory professionals who checked him out. He had labored breathing and were going to take him right away but waited a few minutes and decided he would be okay. I got to hold him at that point and nurse him. An error I made was unwrapping him and nursing skin-to-skin. I had always known that was a good thing to do for bonding and for the baby's benefit in the first hour of life but I hadn't ever had a month premature baby before and didn't think about the decreased temperature's effect on his blood sugar. It may have happened anyway, I don't know, but once he got to the nursery and they did a blood sugar test on him they found that his levels were really low. They gave him a bottle (AND didn't wait for it to settle in him, unfortunately because he would've been fine) and they tested his levels again and they were still low. They reacted too quickly and wheeled him off to the NICU. Once I was taken care of and wheeled down to Mother-Baby I waited for Hyrum to come back from checking on the girls at home and we went up to the NICU and found that he wasn't even hooked up to any machines. The NICU nurses were surprised he was even there since they tested his blood sugar and it was fine at that point. But as standard procedure he needed to have 24-hr higher levels in order to be released from their care.
Patricia brought the girls to the hospital. They weren't allowed to hold him or even come into the NICU area so we had a nurse bring him out of the door, where they were able to see him. Hyrum took them home and stayed the night with them. I stayed there and nursed Ashton. They had to give him about 10 mL's of formula (which is less than 1/2 oz.) after I fed him and even that small amount helped increase his blood sugar level. But at least that way I was still trying to get my milk to come in and he was getting what he needed, too. We did this through the night. They would call me room when he would wake up hungry and I would go upstairs to the NICU unit and start over. But it didn't last long. His nurses followed me downstairs to stay with me around 3:00 a.m. and he got to stay with me but have his levels tested by the Nursery nurses. I kept him in my room and he did great. Hyrum and the girls came early to see me. Ella was having a hard time over-night without me. They stayed for a while, till nap time and came again later. Patricia took the girls home that evening and Hyrum spent a little time with just me and baby boy. It was nice to have a little time just the three of us. We had dinner together. The hospital food was so good this time. They set up a room service style dining. You order your food from a menu and allow 45 minutes to be served. You can order one entree and as many other things as you want. I was starving all the time! It was so nice to be able to order a bunch of things to keep on hand for later snacking. You can also order a spouse plate one time during the hospital stay so Hyrum and I each had our own entrees and sat and ate together. Since I had the girls visit so much throughout my time in the hospital, I was unable to sleep while the baby was sleeping and I was exhausted. It didn't really hit me till the middle of the second night and Ashton wouldn't stay asleep. I would get him asleep, put him down and then he'd wake up-over and over. At one point the PCT came in and asked if I'd like her to take him to the Nursery so I could sleep and I desperately agreed. He slept in there for 3 hours and I was able to sleep finally. I usually have my babies room-in but I was so fatigued and drowsy. I was grateful for the PCT and her taking him.
The girls and daddy came again the next morning but a little later and we had breakfast together. They hung out till I was discharged after lunch. It was nice to go home with the girls this time. Here are a few pictures of baby boy and our days in the hospital.

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This is soon after getting to the hospital and being hooked up to everything. You'll always remember the excitement and anxiousness involved in these moments.Ashton being weighed. (it reads 5 lb. 11.8 oz.) but let's just say 5 lb. 12 oz. & 19 in.Finally in my arms. Even though I knew that the respiratory team needed to look him over, I was still anxious to have him in my arms and look at him and love him.
while he was in NICU
this was just after birth, when we finally got to hold him. These were taken with my phone on Thursday so I could text them to all my family. to show him with hair

to show a comparison of size

Mommy with Ashton

Livvy already loves her little brother

our favorite visitors

Daddy with his baby boy

Big sister Livvy asked to hold him a lot

some pictures of the little man

Ella didn't have a hard time with "baby broder" like I thought she would.

The beginning of many kisses

our family shot as we are leaving the hospital

The days after going home were so crazy. We spent the first week without any help and it was super chaotic. At least Hyrum was inbetween semesters of classes and was able to spend the days with us and help but still three kids were too much for the two of us with a newborn and the first days adjusting. My house was a wreck since Ashton came unexpectedly and Hyrum was only home long enough to make messes with the girls and leave again for the hospital. I was exhausted and Hyrum was too. We were not the most patient, either, since we were both so tired. I definately saw things happening differently when I thought about it before. I expected to have my mom around to help and I missed her greatly. She did come the next Thursday, on Sept. 1st and stayed a couple days. When she left, she took Olivia and Ella with her till Sunday, when I followed them up there to stay for almost a week. Hyrum and I were home alone with Ashton on Sunday, the 4th and that was nice. It was also really nice to spend time at my mom's house. I didn't have to care about the condition of my home since I wasn't there and she was so generous to let me sleep-in in the mornings and take a nap while Ella and Ashton were sleeping.

There will be more updated pictures to come. It took me long enough to post this. Life will never be the same. 3 is definately a whirlwind of change for our household. But instead of sharing my overwhelming feelings of chaous that I feel daily I want to say that we are so grateful that Ashton is here. We are grateful that he is healthy and growing well. He had jaundice and was pretty lathargic but after just one day of testing he was fine. Since then I have stopped supplementing with formula and my milk came in earlier, the day I came home. The girls adore their little brother and always ask to hold him. Every time he cries, they start to scream that "baby's crying", as if I didn't know. Having a little boy is so different and I'm loving it!