What We've All Been Praying For

Brooklyn Hope Crouse is here! Here's a little bit of the story:

First thing Monday morning (April 11th), Jaime and I headed over to ETMC for our scheduled induction. After months of bedrest and two weeks in the hospital fighting off preterm labor, who would have ever thought that we would make it to over 38 weeks. I know I sure didn't! We arrived at the hospital bright and early and by about 6:15, I was in a room and completely hooked up to my IV and all necessary medications (including pitocin). Since, I had contracted so hard for so long, it certainly took no time at all for the pitocin to really kick in and establish a good contraction pattern once again. I knew that I wanted an epidural and plans were already in the works as soon as I was uncomfortable enough. By about 8:30, I had received my epidural and my water had been broke. I was comfortable once again though this epidural felt differently than my one with Maddie in that I could actually move my legs. Nonetheless, I wasn't in any real pain so I didn't care! My parents showed up with Maddie along with a friend of mine and things were moving forward nicely. Sometime around 9:30 and 10 (Im guessing), I began to hurt on my left side. I knew I shouldn't feel that way with my epidural. My nurse had me lay on my left side and pumped some additional medicine through. Typically this helps, but for some reason it did not this time. The pain increased drastically and very quickly. It was the most intense pain I've ever felt before and I wasn't getting a break. I began shaking and feeling very nausated along with unrelenting pain. My nurse checked me again (though she had just checked me not long before that) and I had quickly jumped up to 10 centimeters and was very ready to push. I had transitioned so quickly that that is why I began hurting like I was. They were having trouble getting control of my pain. That's when things got very scary and very crazy for a moment. I hurried everyone out of the room as they began setting up. My nurse quickly called the doctor and the anesthesiologist and told them both to hurry. Thankfully, the anesthesiologist was able to pump some lidocaine through me, which numbed me again, eliminating my pain completely and only allowing me to feel a little necessary pressure. Praise the Lord! I was finally able to relax. Then, my doctor literally ran into the room (out of breath), proclaiming that she was not about to miss this delivery! Within a few minutes I was pushing and at 10:46, Brooklyn was born (only about 4.5 hours after even getting to the hospital)! Looking down to see her sweet face and then having her placed on my stomach was the greatest feeling. She was finally here and completely healthy too! We've since been home for almost two weeks now and completely adore our newest little girl. She is doing well and we are all adjusting to being a family of four! Thanks to everyone that followed our story and prayed for us and this baby. It was a crazy, scary, and often times-painful ride, but the ending was wonderful!

Brooklyn Hope Crouse
4-11-11 @ 10:46 am
7 lbs. 2 oz.
18.5 inches long

A Birthday

Tomorrow is suppose to be the day! We've officially made it over 38 weeks and our doctor has set an induction up first thing in the morning. We will post more as it happens but please be in prayer for us as we finish out this long journey. We are about to meet our baby girl!

Greetings From My Hospital Bed

Please forgive the horrible appearance but this past week has been rough.

Last Tuesday, (while still on at-home bedrest) I began to experience a lot of left side and back pain. I had a kidney stone in November and the pain felt very familiar to me. I called my doctor to touch base with her. She advised me to go into the hospital since I am being watched so closely for preterm labor. I reluctantly went and did as she said. I still haven't returned home! They immediately admitted me to labor and delivery where I spent the next few days. They began treating me for a kidney stone (though a rare x-ray for being pregnant didn't offically show one) and closely watching the preterm labor. What they quickly discovered was that I was contracting very regularly and was in a great deal of pain. My doctor changed my contraction medication but it didn't seem to make a difference. Last night, she was called in to review the status of my contractions again and to check my cervix. Unfortunately, I am 50% effaced and dilated between a 1 and 2. :( I was devastated and scared. I was at ETMC but she told me that considering the significant change, I would have to be immediately transported to Mother Francis in case delivery was imminent and they had the NICU. It was fast, furious and completely overwhelming. Jaime was in Hallsville coaching a soccer game. Luckily, my parents were there to help me stay calm...or atleast try. They changed my medicine again to something called magnesium sulfate.This is the last drug they can give me in hopes of slowing down the contractions and they can only give it to me for a 24 hour span. This medicine is of the devil! It immediately made me feel awful. I felt a very warm sensation start in the core of my stomach and before I knew it, my whole body literally felt like it was on fire. My parents fanned me and placed cold rags all over me but it didn't make much difference. I laid on that bed burning, contracting and scared....waiting on an ambulance to take me over to Mother Francis. The ambulance finally came and the ride was short but not fun. Luckily the two paramedics were nice guys and made me feel as comfortable as possible. I was grateful for that. I am now at TMF and trying to settle in, getting to know a whole new environment and set of nurses. I am still on the magnesium through tomorrow morning and then we will proceed to the next step. I assume my doctor will make her rounds in the morning and we will know more then. So far, Brooklyn seems to be tolerating things well (as I listen to her sweet little heartbeat now). She has received steroid shots to help mature her lungs at a faster rate, just in case. If she was to be born preterm, we've taken all precautions up to this point to make sure her arrival is as smooth and safe as possible. But everything is still up in the air. I have NO idea what is going to happen and can't plan anything. That stresses me to no end. My prayer is that God shows himself in a mighty way through this all! Thanks for all the support, prayers, gifts and help that has been offered. Our world is completely turned up-side down right now, so all things are appreciated.

Till we know more....

31 weeks and counting

I am now officially over 31 weeks and moving right along! I have been on bedrest for almost three weeks now and it seems to be helping some. I still have contractions and some of them can be painful, but between the medicine and resting-they seem to be controlled. I see my doctor again tomorrow and she will re-do the preterm labor test. It will basically tell them if I have 2 more weeks of being pregnant or not. It's only a rough estimate. Fingers crossed that Brooklyn still comes at the most perfect time!

My glucose test came back normal. Thankfully no gestational diabetes-which means one less thing to worry about!

Swelling has finally kicked it. My feet, hands and face are all swollen. I really hate that aspect of pregnanct but there just isn't much that can be done. Just another one of those things that you deal with, only to get a great and rewarding outcome!

I have been working on small projects while on bed rest and will try to post pictures of those soon!

Till next time~

The Most Recent

Yesterday was miserable! I spent ALL DAY at the doctor's office. Unfortunately, I failed my one hour glucose test so now had to do the three hour test. I began drinking the glucose drink about 9am yesterday and by about 9:01 I thought I was going to throw up everywhere. It was awful! I finally got it all down and kept it down. I spent the next 3 hours getting blood drawn a total of 5 times, before I was released to go eat lunch. I wasn't feeling well from the test and I was starving because I had fasted since the night before. After lunch, I was tired but started feeling a little better from eating. I met up with Jaime at this point and headed back to the doctor for my actually visit with my OB. I was hooked up to the fetal monitors for a while before I saw the doctor. During that time, I had a couple of contractions (which have started to become slightly uncomfortable) and watched Brooklyn's heart rate go down each time I had one. The doctor finally came in and spoke with me along with checking my cervical length. The length averages about 3cm until I have a contraction and then it immediately gets shortened down to only about 1cm, which is not a lot. To hopefully keep me from going into labor any further, I have begun to take medication every 4 hours to lessen the contractions. I hate taking the medicine because it makes my hands shake and my heart race, but I've absolutely been taking it to help the tightness and pain. She's also placed me on permanent bed rest until delivery. I was really not expecting such shocking news from her. I was surprised to say the least! My doctor really wants to try and get me to atleast 36 weeks, which is about 6.5 weeks away. It's a long time and seems like something that is almost impossible, but we want to do our best to keep Brooklyn inside as long as possible. Every day that she can mature inside is better for her. This news has provided a whole new set of worries and stresses. I worry about her getting here safely (first and foremost). I also worry about my job, and Jaime being gone so much right now because he is in the heart of highscool soccer season. I am having to rely on family and friends for a great deal of help. BUT-God has been so good to us and we've always had every need met. I trust that that isn't going to stop now! I know that He is ultimately in control of all things and is taking care of my whole family.

Keep praying specifically for:

1. Brooklyn's growth and well-being. We just want a safe delivery.
2. For the contractions to be at a minimum
3. For us to remain calm and not let things stress us out too much

Bed Rest....For Now

We had our sonogram scheduled today in order to check in on Brooklyn. She looked great and showed, that even though the umbilical cord condition is the same, she is growing and putting on adequate weight! This is great news! She showed of for us while we enjoyed watching her kick, move and even stick out her tongue! Her heart rate was around 153. However, one thing that the tech noticed was that my cervix is beginning to shorten. She asked me if I had been feeling contractions and oddly enough-I have been. Especially yesterday. I made several comments to multiple people that my stomach was tightening up quite a bit through out the day. It wasn't necessarily painful, but many times it would take my breath away. Obviously, something is going on. She's put me on temporary bedrest until atleast next week, pending some test results. Those results will determine what the next course of action is.

Keep praying that Brooklyn continues to grow and be safe though this whole process. We are so ready to meet this little girl but want her arrival to be at the best possible time!

Mom's Gone Shopping

Secretly, (well, actually not so secretly) I really wanted another girl and was ecstatic when the sonogram confirmed it! I had envisoned Maddie having a sister for the longest time and really wanted her to experience that relationship. One of my favorite things about having a girl is the clothes! They are so fun to shop for and dress up! Now, that I have two girls, I immediately knew I wanted to rack up on Big Sister/Little Sister outfits. I already have plans of some great photo opportunities at the hospital after Brooklyn is born. And this is most likely what my two girls will be wearing:

Cute, right?!?!?!? Im sure Im not near done with my shopping ventures, but I think Im off to a good start!

And in other news, we are 26 weeks along today! :)

A Praise

As planned, we had an OB appointment and it went much better than expected! Surprisingly, we did not have a sonogram today. She checked the growth of Amanda's belly, listened to Brooklyn's heartbeat, and answered a bunch of questions. To sum it up:

-she continues to tell us to not be overly concerened, stating that in the past-they never knew about this condition until delivery. we are already one step ahead with our doctor knowing about it and treating it.

-it is not guaranteed that we will have to have a c-section at this point, meaning that Amanda may be able to deliver just as she did with Maddie. she said that a c-section is still in the back of her mind, but we just won't know if it's necessary until a little closer to time. and as a side note, there is no indication that our condition has been made worse by another condition called vasa previa. (remember when we mentioned that way back at the very beginning?) this is a huge, huge blessing!

-she's scheduled a sonogram for 3 weeks from now (at the same visit where Amanda will also be doing her routine glucose test) to check Brooklyn's weight gain and growth, the insertion of the umbilical cord, and amniotic fluid levels. we want all of these things to check out A-OK!

-she will also start hooking Amanda up to the fetal monitors to do non-stress test. all in an effort to get a glimpse of Brooklyn's life inside her mom's belly and to make sure she is never in any kind of distress. today her heartrate was a healthy 143.

-there are no restrictions for now, but that is always subject to change over these next several weeks.

So, as you can tell...it really was a good visit and it always helps to have a calm and collected doctor! I think for Amanda, there will always be a sense of uneasiness, until she's holding this baby in her arms. But today was great until then.

PLEASE keep praying all those prayers that we know your sending up. They are paying off in leaps and bounds and God is remaining faithful through this whole journey. We are getting closer and closer to receiving another huge blessing, wrapped up and packaged nicely all in the color PINK!

A New Week and A Blog From Mom

I love Saturdays (for many reasons) but primarily because it's the day that I start a new week of pregnancy! Any woman knows what it's like to literally "count down the days" when you are awaiting the arrival of your little one. Trust me though, it's 10 times worse when you have some fear and uncertainty associated with that pregnancy. Every day that Brooklyn is thriving inside of me and growing bigger is a good day. And every day that passes is one day closer to us finally getting to see her on the outside.

Today, marked 25 weeks (or 6 1/2 months) and I am so excited to have reached this point. At the end of this month, I will be in my third and final trimester. What an exciting feeling to know that she is almost here!

In conclusion, here are some specific prayer requests:

1. Monday morning is our next OB appointment. I am specifically praying for answers to a ton of questions (yes we have written them down) along with a specific plan as to what these next few weeks hold in regards to doctor's visits and a delivery plan.

2. Hormones! They are starting to get the best of me. I seriously almost cried on the way home from the grocery store last night. And for NO reason at all.

3. Stress in general. Anyone who knows me, knows I worry A LOT and about everything. Please pray that I don't sweat the small stuff or worry about things that just don't matter. 

4. Mine and Jaime's job. We are looking at having many, many doctor's appointments over these next several weeks which will require us to be gone from time to time, and possibly with short notice. Pray that nothing gets overly stressful, if and when that situation arises.

5. And of course-pray for Brooklyn's growth and safety!!!

Hope for 2011

A new year is upon us now!

2010 was great for many reasons! For the most part, our family was healthy, jobs were secure, and we were even able to purchase our first home which we completely love. Maddie turned 2 years old and started the IMPOSSIBLE task of potty training! Our church gained a new pastor along with a new vision and Amanda joined me in serving on the student ministry team. We've really been very blessed! But this past year we also experienced another miscarriage (our third), went through the stressful ordeal of having genetic testing done on both of us in an attempt to find an answer, and got the "news" about our most recent pregnancy that we thought was going 100% perfectly. It's been a roller coaster to say the least.

At the end of the year, on December 30th, we celebrated our 4th wedding anniversary. At our special dinner that evening, we agreed that what we want to see most in 2011 (the year our baby is due) is for both of our girls to be happy and healthy. I can picture the day (or night!) that Brooklyn finally joins our family. After the time of trying for and wanting a second baby, and the many months that you wait for a baby to actually grow inside of it's mother's tummy-it's safe to say that we are both so ready to finally hold this baby. A sense of relief will be shared by all when she actually gets here safely and the ordeal of feeling a little unceratin about her growth each and every day can be over.

For now, all we know is that Maddie is embracing the idea of being a big sister more and more every day! She speaks OF Brooklyn and TO her, constantly! Just ask her who is in her mommmy's tummy and she is quick to tell you! And for the baby: she jumps, kicks and rolls! If you are patient, you can even see her shake Amanda's entire belly. Each one of those movement gives us hope all over again. The hope that she is growing and thriving just like her Creator intends for her to do, that He is still in control of it all, and that very soon-she will join her dad, mom and sister!

Here is a quick picture of mom's belly. She's into her 6th month now: