Austin's Story - Part 1

I have sat down to write this post a few times over the last couple of days, and each time I do, it feels like an overwhelming task.  How much do I share?  Where do I start?  How do I tell the story without sounding over dramatic, while feeling so much love and gratitude?

Here goes -

After my last post, we saw my Dr. again.  At that appointment we found the baby to still be breech.  This time he appeared to be completely bottom first, whereas the time before, his back and bottom were both laying across my pelvis.  My Dr. told us we could still wait til 41 wks, but that he would call the hospital and try
to set a date for a c-section.  At that point Trav spoke up and asked if there was any chance of trying to turn the baby manually.   Our Dr. told us that is called an External Cephalic Version. He also said they aren't very successful, and could cause some complications with the baby, but if I was at the hospital and totally prepped for a c-section, he would be willing to try it. If the baby showed any signs of stress, he would start the c-section immediately.  So, we gave him the go ahead to get us scheduled and we went home.  That night and all the next day, I hung upside down in the recliner again, I walked on my hands and knees all over the hall way, I prayed and I stressed.  I just knew that my Dr. would be calling soon with a date, and I was desperate to get our baby to turn on his own.  I even went as far as calling a friend who does foot zoning and gave that a try. (That is a story in and of itself!) The afternoon of the 13th, the phone rang.  As I answered, my Doc. was on the other line with the news that he had us scheduled for the following morning, (my due date - 14th), at 9 a.m. My heart sank a little.  I only had a few hours left to get that little boy to turn.  Trav and I quickly called family and friends to make arrangements for our kids, packed our bags, and cleaned up the house.  I couldn't sleep.  There was still a little head in my ribs and I was just hours away from what most likely would be my last pregnancy, coming to a close.

My sweet Dad was at our home at 6:30 in order for us to make it up to McKay Dee by 7.  Before we left, I asked Trav and my Dad to give me a blessing.  As I prayed on my own over the days before, I told the Lord what I had hoped would happen and asked for His help in allowing us to have the baby turn.  During the blessing Trav told me that "the Lord knew and understood the desires of my heart and that all would be well."  Although there was a lot of excitement and a little fear of the unknown, I was mostly at peace as we drove to the hospital.  After we registered, they took me to the labor and delivery surgery area where I got in a gown, and was taken to a little curtained off area with a bed.  Enter Nurse Debbie into this story.  We loved her from the very beginning.  We joked, laughed, answered medical questions, drank the "c-section medicine," filled her in on what was going to happen as soon as our Dr. got there, and got hooked up to all of the monitors.  I was already in labor on my own, with contractions coming about every 15 mins. Once we were all ready and knew our Doc. was there, the anesthesiologist came and told Debbie he wanted to move me to a Labor and Delivery room to administer the epidural rather than in that little cubicle area.  As Debbie walked us to that room, she said, "Maybe this will be good luck to have you in one of these rooms.  Who Knows?  Maybe we won't have to move you out of there!"  We all crossed our fingers.

I was given a shot in my arm to stop labor and relax the uterus, and the epidural was administered. My Dr. came in and did an ultrasound to see what position the baby was in right at that moment. Another nurse was called in to help assist our nurse and Doc. with the procedure, and the anesthesiologist asked if he could stay to watch how it was done. After checking everything with the baby, our Dr. looked at us kind of grim and said, "I think I'm feeling a foot coming first now, rather than a bottom.  Footling Breech's are harder to turn and are usually not successful."  He then left the room for a minute.  When he came back in, he said, "Let's give this a shot!"  He placed one of his hands up by my ribs on the baby's head and the other toward the bottom of my stomach and began to push and maneuver the baby.  Oh how I wish we would have recorded that whole thing.  It was truly incredible to watch and the feeling in the room was amazing.  Everyone was silent as my Dr. concentrated on moving the baby.  Within just about 2 minutes the silence was broken with him saying, "I think we've got a head down!"  He then told the nurse to hold and push on the head so the baby wouldn't rebound back into breech position while he broke my water.  After another minute or so, another ultrasound was done to make sure everything was how it should be and our Dr. excitedly said, "Baby is in position!  Let's get her on the Pitocin and get this labor going!!" Trav and I immediately became emotional.  Our nurse said, "I'm so excited now, I can't stand it!!  I was supposed to assist in another c-section, but I've got to stay now and witness this!"  She then went and got another nurse to fill in for her so she could stay with us.  The anesthesiologist congratulated and thanked us for letting him witness that as well.  The other nurse told us that we must have had someone looking out for us because our Dr. met her out in the hall before and told her he didn't think it was going to happen because of the way the baby was positioned.  The words from Trav's blessing immediately came to my mind, "the Lord knows the desires of your heart, and all will be well."  I know without a doubt that Mom was the "someone looking out for us", and that the Lord had answered our prayer. All was definitely well!

Because I was positive for Strep B, I had to be on antibiotics for 4 hours, which they had started right when I got there, so any time after Noon I could have the baby.  Our last 2 deliveries were over within 4 hours, so we thought for sure he'd be here right around noon.  So, Dad checked the kids out of school, and Trav's Mom came up.  Little did we know.....our baby once again had his own plan!  Because we had to turn him, his little head wasn't completely down where it should be, so labor was a little longer than expected. Around 3, they placed a monitor in with the baby to make sure he was handling the contractions ok, and when they saw he was, they cranked the pitocin up a bit.  Within a few minutes the nurse said we were close and called our Dr.  He had another girl ready to deliver at Davis, but because it was her first and this was my 4th, he came to me knowing I'd go faster!  Thank heavens I won that one!

Our sweet little boy was born at 4:06  p.m. weighing in at 8 lbs. 3 oz and 21 inches long.  He had a head of hair and the cutest little face. Finally, he was here. What a great finale to a long 3 1/2 year journey.  Our Doctor was our hero that day.....and it seemed that our story was a hot topic throughout the postpartum floor.  Several of the nurses and CNA's that we had would start their shift by saying....."so this is the little guy that got turned!"   I quickly realized that the likelihood of a Dr. being able to turn a baby must be extremely low and because of that, I felt an amazing amount of gratitude.   See why I absolutely love, trust and adore my Dr.?!!!

With the kids being so involved in football and school right now, Trav spent the nights at home with them.  Besides, we always feel like they are going through an adjustment too, and need one of us home with them during that time.  That meant it was just me and my little buddy alone through the nights.  The first night it seemed that every time I got him fed and asleep, a nurse would come in to check our vitals, so neither of us were getting much sleep.  Around 2 a.m. he was wide awake.  I laid him next to me on the bed, turned on the reading light so I could see his face, and the two of us just laid there looking each other over.  I sang I Am a Child of God to him through a few tears and when I finished, he fell asleep.  Talk about pure heaven.

I am so in love with this little guy, I can't seem to get enough.  A couple of times, I have set him in his swing, and sat on the couch thinking I'd get a little rest too.  As I watch him swing, it seems silly that I'm letting it do the job for me, and have gotten up to get him out to rock him myself. 

We finally gave him a name the night before we left the hospital.  Austin was a name we have had on our list since the very beginning with Garrett.  It was the only name we have agreed on this entire pregnancy.  So, as we talked things over, we decided that was our favorite.  Then, it came time to think of a middle name.  I like our kids to have a name with a meaning or a purpose.  We threw a few names around and then Trav said, "What do you want?  I can tell you already have something you're hoping for......just say!" Sometimes I hate that he knows me so well, he can read my thoughts, and other times, I love that he knows me so well that he can read my thoughts! There actually was a name I was hoping for, and it's not necessarily a name you'd think of for a middle name, but to me, it was the perfect choice. I have shared several thoughts on here before about my wonderful grandparents.  They mean the world to me, and have done so much for Me, Trav and our little family, that it only seemed fitting that Austin be named after them.  Using their last name was a way to honor both at the same time.  Trav agreed almost immediately, which made it seem even more right.  The Birth Certificate paper work was filled out and it was official -  

Austin Davies Burke

When Grandma found out, she was so touched.  When she shared the news with Grandpa, he cried.  He couldn't remember coming to see the baby the day before, but he knew enough to know that we were honoring his good name. 

I feel like the luckiest girl in the world to have the children and husband that I do.  The Lord has greatly blessed me with many miracles throughout my life, and Austin.....you are the most recent.  I love you with all my heart little boy.  We all love you, very much! Welcome to our family.