Ryan’s birth story can be found here. Read it first if you have time so you get the background story.  It was one of my first posts when I started my blog,  poor Aaron he never got a post.  Shhhhh don’t tell him.

In late 2004 I was working full-time, nursing, pumping at work still, and had a baby a little over a year old.  I was feeling very hormonal and thought I was starting to get my period back.  I felt awful and pumping hurt.  I was taking the mini-pill which is birth control for people who are nursing.  I felt like I knew the symptoms and they felt familiar.  I decided to test and I stupidly tested at work.  It was FREAKING positive.  What the fuck.  I worked in a small office as part of a huge law firm.  We sat very close together and we were very loose. Everyone kept asking me all afternoon, what’s wrong??  Finally I stood up and said, “No one has an accidental pregnancy at 39 except ME!!”  I had mixed feelings.  We wanted another but not this close together.  My dear friend, Cecily just lost her twins and how could I tell her I was having yet another mistake.  Later, I figured out Aaron was conceived the day she lost her boys, which has always struck me as just weird.

I told my reluctant father, husband  and he freaked out for about an hour.  He then said, hand me a beer, haha you can’t have one, and lets hope for a girl. When it came time for my ultrasound I was told that with 90% certainty I was having a girl and we decided to call her Erin.   I had a great pregnancy till about 32 weeks.

At 32 weeks my OB the amazing Dr. M, told me I had high protein in my urine.  I had perfect blood pressure just high protein in the urine.  They took a 24 hour urine test and I failed it as well.  They were concerned and sent me for a fetal non stress test.  I remember the morning like it was yesterday.  My husband was under huge groundbreaking project at work and I was alone.  I called Cecily and she came.  She held my hand, advocated for me, and got me answers.  The baby was not in distress, but I had unexplained high protein in the urine, and normal blood pressure. I remember the OB wanting me to see a kidney doctor and the first appointment I could get at the hospital where my OB practiced was 6 months later.  I sobbed and Cecily stepped in and helped me  get an OB from the practice to get me an appointment with a kidney specialist.  No one could figure out why this was happening but they told me if the baby or I were in distress they were inducing right away.

It was a long pregnancy full of doctor appointments from that point on.  I would go to the OB weekly and also see the perinatalist weekly for non stress tests.  My boss was very helpful and let me work through lunch or come in early to make up the time.  I was still nursing Ryan this whole time and I have memories of nursing him to sleep as Aaron squirmed inside me.  I can remember little Ryan crawling into bed with us and Aaron literally kicking Ryan’s butt through my belly.  I read up on tandem nursing and loved to read “Adventures in Tandem Nursing” on the bus with my tattoos out.  Now that stare worthy.

Finally I was about 38 weeks.  I have both doctor appointments in the same day and I took the bus downtown alone because my husband was still working in this huge project.  I saw the OB but they said they would not let me go late with this high protein thing. I saw the perinatologist and after the stress test they did an ultrasound.  At this ultrasound it was the first time I heard that the thought the baby **might** be a boy.  The doctor was not happy and wanted me to get over to labor and delivery and be monitored longer.  He thought all should be fine and I might be late for work.  After I was hooked up for a half hour they said look the baby is in some distress and you are going to be induced TODAY.   My first thought was, wow I took a bus to have a baby.  I called my husband and my sister.  My sister was taking the 20 month old Ryan and my husband had to go and pack me a bag because I was not ready.  Eventually he arrived and by evening they started the induction.  My evening I was starving and I kicked myself for not eating breakfast that day.  I labored and labored and never progressed.  The residents who I nicknamed the “C-Section Ghouls” would come in every hour and tell me most likely I was having a c-section.  My lovely Dr let me labor.  He knew I really did not want the c-section because I would have had no help caring for the very active older brother and the baby was tolerating labor only if I stayed on my right side.  Finally the time got later and my doctor was done.  The next OB on duty said she had an emergency c-section to do and it I had not progressed I was next.

Slowly my epidural was wearing off.  I told my husband I wanted to feel some pain to maybe help things along. I labored for about 15 -20 minutes until I could not take it anymore.  They decided to check and see if I had progressed, if I had not progressed they were going to get me ready for the c-section by getting me spinal block.   They checked and in less than an hour I went from 4cm to 7cm.  We celebrated the huge jump in such a short time and I seemed to be avoiding a c-section.  They topped off my epidural and I stayed on my side for about 10 minutes.  Suddenly I was on my side and I felt the baby’s head between my legs.  He was coming and coming fast.  The nursed FREAKED out.  She ran to get a resident and more people poured into the room because nothing was ready.  They assumed I was having a c-section not going from 4cm to birthing in less than 40 minutes.  My husband laughed at their assumption.  One push and the baby was out.  A BOY they yelled and my husband and I laughed even harder at the absurdity of the mistake.   Someone in passing said what were you going to name your daughter?  We replied, “Erin”.  A woman said, “well what about Aaron?”  We had a name. We probably would have never considered the name but we loved it instantly.

Stay tuned for the NICU antics and funny facts tomorrow………..