the story

Where do I start. It seems so much happened in so little time, and I am still supposed to be bored and just waiting 'til it was the best time for our little one to come.

After being admitted earlt Tuesday morning and going through 48 hours of magnesium, penicillin, steroids, and continuous monitoring, I was moved to an anti-pardum room where I hung out for a couple days taking oral meds to suppress the contractions. Ryan and Haylie brough in pizza and we hung out Friday night, it felt semi normal.
Saturday morning I was having some contractions according to the monitors (they put me on twice a day for an hour) even though I wan't feeling anything so no worries really. I noticed some bleeding shortly after that and the combination of the two had me stuck on monitors continuously again. No showers and no using the real potty. I wan't happy but I sat there and did it, it being NOTHING.
In the early hours of Sunday morning my nurse came in, waking me up because I was completely asleep, telling me I was having 6 to 8 contractions an hour and the OB on call wanted me checked for further dilation and to take more meds to stop the contractions.
The contractions mellowed but the bleeding continued and eventually got heavier. The nurse checked me again and pressure cause me to be dilated to an 8 with a descended amniotic sac. They told me I was having a baby and to call Ryan as the wheeled my bed into a labor and delivery room.
After the OB arrived, he also checked me and I was down to a 5 and he made the nurse check me again because of the discrepency. So I was at a 5, the nurse said it had changed since she checked me before and stuck in L&D on monitors overnight. At some point during it all I juat wanted to have the baby and end the ups and downs even tho I really didn't want to have a premature baby stuck in the NICU. I continued to bleed kind of a lot because I had been checked 80 billion times in 1 day but I didn't feel any contractions and they weren't going to stop me if I did.
Monday morning I met with my OB and was given regular bedrest privileges, shower, restroom, chair, couch and being able to via wheelchair ride go visit my mom who had surgery and was in a room on another floor. The nurses weren't to call the OB unless I registered more than 10 contractions per hour while being monitored or I was actually feeling contractions. I went back to my old room and the rest of the day was normal with no events.
After 1am Tuesday morning when I was trying to go to sleep I had 3 really hard contractions. I didn't want to acknowledge them because of the ordeal I had just been through over the weekend. There was enough pressure and the baby was going crazy that I called my nurse who put me on a monitor but couldn't get the baby on the monitor because she was being so active. My OB happened to be in the hospital and wanted me checked for further dilation. I was at a 9 and my amniotic sac was descended. My doc came in and I asked her if it would just change again like it had the night before, she said no and checked me her self and in the process broke my water. She couldn't feel the head but the baby had been head down for weeks, when we got to L&D she checked again for the head and found feet. I called Ryan and he took Haylie to our friends the Lensch's. I was then rushed to the OR where I got a spinal and Ryan got there is time for the c-section. When Dr Mystie
went to pull the baby out my uterus contracted and she had to cut it a second time to get her out. At 2:44am on October 21st our baby girl was born. She came out breathing on her own, no fussing until they messed with her. I remember just wanting to hear her cry because I could see that she was ok. I was able to kiss her as they took her to the nursery and Ryan went with her. I didn't get to see her again for a couple hours when they wheeled me into the NICU. I would be able to go back 6-8 hours after delivery when I would take my first walk.

We didn't have a name for her until later in the day. I wanted to see and really look at her first.
12 hours after birth Ashtyn was breathing with no help at all. At first she had pressurized room air helping her lungs stay open to ease her effort to breathe. I helped bathe her and was able to hold her for the first time.

We are so lucky she came so healthy even as early as she was. This isn't how I would have planned it but I am glad that part is over and we can just concentrate on helping Ashtyn to grow and develop so she can come home. Our hope is that maybe she will be home for mommy's birthday... exactly 1 month after hers. I guess we shall see. For now we just split our time between home and hospital. I am feeling a little divided between my two girls and feel like I don't enough time with Ryan, but I enjoy the alone time I am getting with Haylie before I bring her sister home and I also enjoy the sweet moments I get to share with Ashtyn even though I have to leave her each night.

I am so grateful for my family. It is so special to me. I have a wonderful husband, who has dealt with so much lately but remains strong and caring and so good to me, and two beautiful daughters who brighten my days.