Andrew's Birth

Here it is.  THE STORY OF ANDREW’S BIRTH!  It is all here, maybe in too much detail!  Pour yourself a cup of coffee before you start reading…seriously.  Oh, and all the details are for me.  I’m sure there are spelling and grammatical errors, but I have a sweet little Andrew {#1 priority} to take care of right now so I literally wrote it down and didn't edit it at all.

I feel like a lot of birth stories are beautiful.  I think Andrew’s birth was absolutely beautiful, but you should also know that many things went “wrong.”  I hope that someone reads this and realizes that birth can be so very different from what you wanted, imagined, or planned for and that is OK.  Becoming a mother is a beautiful, challenging, painful, overwhelming thing!

So…..

Lee made a masterpiece in our back yard {I need to take a picture}.  He spelled Andrew in pansies!  I married the sweetest man ever.  I walked outside to see what he had been working on and thought I peed my pants.  I had never really done this before, so I wasn’t sure.  I had always heard about it, but I had only had very minor issues with that, nothing like this.  I didn’t say anything to Lee because, um, well it is a little embarrassing {even to tell your husband} to pee on yourself.  I checked things out and decided that IF it was urine, it was quite a bit.  I let Lee know what happened and we decided to call my doctor’s on-call number {it was Sunday, remember} to see what they said.  I was Group B Strep positive, so if it was my water breaking, I needed to get some antibiotics to protect Andrew from getting a bacterial infection at birth.  Well, they said to come in to the hospital to get checked out.  This is where things started to get dicey. 

There is one physician out of the 8 or so in my doctor’s practice that I am not fond of {actually I can’t stand him…at all…he is one of those people who talks AT you instead of WITH you, and I’m not an idiot} and GUESS WHO was on call?  Yep.  HIM.  We’ll call him Dr. C.  Total A-hole.  I saw him at one of my prenatal visits.  I had gained 7 pounds that month after consistently losing weight to the tune of 15 pounds.  I was approximately 28 weeks pregnant at the time.  He, without any hesitation, told me to “stop eating pasta, bread, and ice cream so you don’t gain too much weight.  It is bad for the baby.”  When I let him know I wasn’t able to eat those things and thought the weight gain was a positive thing since I had lost so much previously he replied “well, I am just trying to help you get back into your jeans after you have the baby” and then he blurted out my weight, in front of my parents, at the only appointment they were able to come to.  RUINED IT.  Now you see why I think he is an ass?  OK I’m done ranting about him {not really}.  Oh, and by the way, I gained less than 10lbs. TOTAL my entire pregnancy.  EAT IT Dr. C. 

I sent a text to the charge nurse {Becky} that I was going to go get checked out, and to my bestie, Taylor.  If this had happened earlier she probably would have come to the hospital with me instead of going to work, but it is probably better she wasn’t there for the night.  My water broke around 5:30PM and we got to the hospital around 7.  I {of course} had to take a shower before going to the hospital; I knew I might not get one for a while.  We drove to Harris Methodist Southwest and called my Mom and Shelley while driving.  My Dad was at the house and knew we would be going to the hospital, but he had to go pick up my Mom and Shelley from Southlake.  They called everyone else {Natalee first, of course!} to let them know this was probably IT.  When I arrived at the hospital they checked me in pretty quickly and asked if I was having contractions.  I said I thought I was but they didn’t really hurt.  They got me in a gown/room and checked to make sure my water had broken {it had} and then Dr. C came in.  Good old Dr. C.  I wasn’t even hooked up to a monitor yet, and he started talking about Pictocin.  Lee and I {very nicely} let him know that was not in our plan and shared what we wanted with him.  He kind of scoffed at us and let me know that since I was a first time Mom with a BIG baby that my body wouldn’t be able to labor effectively.  WOW.  Two things pissed me off instantly.  #1 don’t call my baby BIG when you really mean FAT {remember he basically called me a fat ass}.  #2 I need everyone on MY team believing in me.  My body is capable of having a baby!  It grew one for the last 39 weeks & 3 days and…well….dammit I can do ANYTHING!  At that point I decided I was going to wait until my doctor got there to do anything except receive antibiotics.  ANYTHING.  The race for 0700 began.  He also did a breast exam.  I thought it was odd at the time but I was so nervous I didn’t say anything.  Now I think it was REALLY odd. 

My nurse was brand new and it was her last shift on orientation.  She was sweet, but not very smart {my expert opinion} and her preceptor was a total crazy.  I am trying to keep the language to a minimum here FYI, but she was a witch with a capital B.  New Nurse checked me and said I was dilated to about a 3 and 70% effaced.  I got hooked up to the monitors and sure enough I was having contractions, but they weren’t very strong or very regular.  I told New Nurse I was going to get up and walk around after she started my IV and she said that was fine {I wasn’t asking for permission}.  Capital B walked in and asked her if Andrew’s head was engaged, and New Nurse said she didn’t know.  Capital B told me that I couldn’t get up and walk around because it might cause the cord to come out before Andrew’s head.  She was EXCEPTIONALLY rude about it and argued with me when I told her I wanted to naturally stimulate labor.  She brought up Pitocin again.  I got to the hospital at 7pm.  It was MAYBE 8PM at this time.  WOW people really LOVE Pitocin.  I told her that I WOULD be walking around and that I didn’t want to be checked by 50 people, so they needed to do their jobs right the first time {more cervical checks + bacteria = more risk of infection}.  We all know your cervix dilates during labor.  You don’t need to check it 50,000 times to see this.  I told her what I should have told Dr. C {see #2 above} and I firmly let her know that if she wasn’t on board she shouldn’t come back in the room and should find me a nurse that was willing to help me.  Guess what?  I didn’t see her for the rest of the night.  NO JOKE!

New Nurse blew 2 of my forearm veins and stuck me bevel down the first time {I kid you not}.  She got a more experienced nurse who blew my intern vein on the right {side of your wrist for you non-medical readers}, that more experienced nurse got an even more experienced nurse who blew my other intern vein {we are up to the FOURTH stick/blown vein for those of you counting}, and all the while I was begging them to start the IV in my AC {bend of your arm} and they refused.  My Dad had arrived by then and told them they needed to get someone in there that knew what they were doing and that they had one more chance before he started one in my AC.  For the record, I have BEAUTIFUL veins.  FINALLY a nurse came in and confidently started my IV.  I begged her to start an 18 in my AC, but she refused as well and put a 20 {success FINALLY} in my hand that didn’t work when I bent my wrist.  FANTASTIC {sarcasm}.  Little did I know things would go like this all night long. 

I walked, squatted, used the birthing ball, bounced, moved, and did everything you see when you Google: natural labor induction.  EVERYTHING people.  I did this all night.  Dr. C came in multiple times {probably 5 total} to check me and tried to get me to start Pitocin.  I had made some progress and was having stronger, more regular contractions at around 4AM according to New Nurse.  I was super excited that I might not have to use Pitocin.  I was exhausted by this time, so I tried to take a bit of a nap, interrupted by Dr. C.  He tried to convince me to start Pitocin again, and I told him that I wouldn’t be starting it tonight and that I was going to wait for Dr. Butler to arrive.  He sort of scoffed at me again, let me know that I wasn’t making a good decision, told me that my body wasn’t capable of having effective contractions with such a big baby, and left the room.  Lee and I said a prayer that we were making the right decision.  We both felt at peace with using Pitocin, if my labor hadn’t progressed, AFTER Dr. Butler arrived.

My day shift nurse came in with a nursing student.  They were both ROCKING AWESOME.  New Nurse {sweet, but will probably kill someone because she isn’t very smart} had made sure to get me a super positive nurse that was willing to help me have Andrew as naturally as possible.  What a blessing!  Prayers answered!  She was awesome, especially compared to what I had been dealing with all night.  She wasn’t perfect, but who is?  Oh, and come to find out, I was one of two patients in ALL of L&D.  There must have been 8 nurses there that night and I couldn’t get better care??  The other patient in L&D was being induced the next morning and had just checked in early for some reason.  SERIOUSLY??!?  I digress…

Nursing student came in the room super excited……..she heard I was a nurse in the ICU and will be my co-worker in January.  AWESOME.  No offense sweet girl {because you were awesome} but it is a little awkward to know you will be working with the nurse you just met.  She was going to see me naked, at my very worst.  Just sayin.  Little bit awkward.  Taylor had arrived by this time.  She is an ANGEL.  She came straight from working all night in the ICU, in her scrubs, with no sleep, to be with me.  Finally, something, anything, going according to plan.  We chatted about the night and I got my “let’s rock this delivery” attitude back.  I had also talked to my sweet friend {also a nurse} Amanda who has FIVE beautiful kids.  She had one in the hospital with lots of interventions she didn’t want, 3 at home naturally, and her last in the hospital naturally {although she had to fight for it a bit}.  Everyone agreed with my decision to hold out on starting Pitocin until Dr Butler arrived.

Dr. Butler came in and sat down in the rocking chair.  I could tell she thought she was going to have to hard sell me on Pitocin.  I let her say what she wanted to.  She talked WITH me about risks v. benefits and was still very on board with a natural delivery.  She included Lee and Taylor in the conversation.  She was very positive about everything.  She didn’t know that Lee and I had already decided to start Pitocin once she arrived, and seemed pretty surprised that she didn’t have to convince me.  I had been in half labor half weird tiny contractions labor {all in my back} for 14 hours and I was exhausted.  I lost it in front of everyone {I had small cry fests all night with Lee} and Dr. Butler grabbed me, gave me a big hug, and said, “you can do this.  I know you feel like a failure because of the Pitocin, but you’re not.  Your body just needs a little push in the right direction.  You are going to do this.”  I was so thankful for that.  She was right.  I felt like a HUGE failure.  I still feel like a little bit of a failure now.  I get big old tears in my eyes just typing this.  I wanted a NATURAL labor and delivery and I knew I wouldn’t be getting that.  I felt like Pitocin would make my contractions stronger than I could handle and I felt like I was going down the intervention spiral of doom.  My gut was right….

Pitocin started around 7:30 and I began to have hard core contractions very regularly by about 9AM.  We’re talking can’t talk, focused on breathing, contractions at least every 2 minutes, very intense labor.  9AM.  I labored on the birthing ball until about 11AM when Day Nurse says Andrew’s heart rate is having early decels {head compression} due to the ball and I should labor in bed.  Well, I didn’t want to lay on my back in bed {the most ineffective way to labor} so I decided to stand, squat, and pace.  I couldn’t really walk very far because once you start Pitocin they want to continuously monitor the baby and your contractions.  {Can someone please upgrade to wireless monitors already?!} That’s when shit got real.  I felt like I could handle it on the ball, but as soon as I stood up I started to question my ability to take the pain.  Dr. Butler only checked me twice from 7AM until about 1PM.  SHE ROCKS. 

I made it to 6cm dilated and 100% effaced and then craziness ensued.  I had back labor the entire time.  Day Nurse put me in all sorts of crazy positions face down on the bed because they thought the baby was turned sunny side up {face forward instead of back} and we were trying to help him turn naturally.  I couldn’t take the pain like that, so I stood back up.  I doubled over and put my ENTIRE body weight on Lee every single time I had a contraction.  Lee had to go to the bathroom at one point and Taylor took over.  She didn’t realize I was putting my entire weight on Lee!  Lee and Taylor were amazing.  Both of them kept telling me that I could do it.  Taylor kept cracking jokes in between contractions, which helped me try to relax.  I felt like the pain never stopped in between contractions and I couldn’t catch my breath {stupid Pitocin}.  I really tried to use the breathing techniques I had practiced, and then I started puking.  I was holding on to Lee and Taylor, doubled over in pain, puking into a blue bag held by Taylor {true friend}.  That was the final straw.  I demanded an epidural around 130 or 2PM.  Day nurse had just started my last dose of antibiotics, which burned like fire.  It burned SO BAD that I clamped off the IV tubing in the middle of a contraction and told her I wouldn’t take it anymore {thankfully the med was almost finished}.  My entire arm was red from the antibiotic, yet NOBODY, night shift or day shift, would run it in with fluids to dilute it and help the stinging.  They were seriously not the brightest crayons in the box.  I NEVER let my patients complain that much about a medication and refuse to do something about it.  NEVER.  Well, that is when Taylor stepped in.  We both used some choice language, Day Nurse said I was going to blow my vein, Taylor educated her that clamping off IV tubing wouldn’t blow my vein.  I continued to demand an epidural.  Keep in mind I had not wanted this, so Lee and Taylor questioned me repeatedly.  After some choice language, tears, and more vomiting, I spotted the anesthesiologist outside the door. 

He was actually going to another patient’s room.  My nurse said she had to bolus me with a liter of LR {fluids} before I got my epidural.  She turned the IV pump all the way up using the same antibiotics tubing, and I LOST IT on her.  I used all kinds of language.  Thankfully my sweet sweet Taylor stepped in.  Taylor told her to get a new IV in my AC and to get all new tubing.  Well, she didn’t start a new IV, but she did get a new bag of fluids and tubing.  I told the nurse my pressure would hold without the bolus, I promised her it would, but she wouldn’t budge.  I waived the anesthesiologist.  I believe I pointed to him, motioned him over, and pointed to my bed.  Quite the solicitation!  He didn’t walk into the room, so I told Taylor to “grab that man by the balls and drag him in here if you have to!”  That did the trick.  He came in to do my epidural without me having received a bolus {and my blood pressure stayed fine, as promised}.  He did the epidural FAST.  2 minutes fast.  He told the nurse to chart 3 minutes because 2 minutes was too fast.  FAST.  I wasn’t numb when he stuck me {because he did it so fast} so I yelled SOB {not abbreviated}!!!!  He didn’t skip a beat and said “I’ve been called worse!”  Oh, and my labor was SO intense during the epidural.  I had THREE contractions while he was doing the epidural.  THREE.  That is too many.  They should come every 1.5 to 2 minutes.

SWEET EPIDURAL.  They helped me lie down in the bed and for the first couple of minutes my left side was numb, but I could feel the contractions FULL STRENGTH on my right side.  I was terrified that both sides wouldn’t get numb and that getting an epidural was useless, but thank God that didn’t happen.  I completely passed out in bed.  The nurses started the intervention spiral {if you can’t feel the urge to pee and can’t get up to pee you need a foley catheter} while I completely passed out.  My family came in and out of the room while I snoozed, but the nurses stayed in the room and turned me back and forth a million times.  Dr. Butler came in and MAJORLY broke my water {it was only leaking all night}.  She said we were going in the right direction and would have Andrew here in a couple of hours.  Andrew had other plans.  The nurses kept flipping me back and forth in the bed because they would lose the monitor on Andrew’s heart with every contraction.  When they did keep the monitor, his heart rate would drop at the end of the contraction {late decelerations} which signals cord compression, which means lack of oxygen to Andrew, which is BAD.  I knew that he was having some late decals, but I thought his heart rate was still OK and we were still good.  WRONG!  Dr. Butler came in and said we were still OK, but that she was going to put a scalp monitor on Andrew {a small screw that goes into his scalp and monitors his heart rate…I know….screwing something into my baby’s head….not cool}.  It wasn’t really an optional thing, so we did it.  I had enough time to close my eyes and then I was being flipped from side to side again.  I opened my eyes again and my room was full.  Dr. Butler, the anesthesiologist, a CRNA, and multiple nurses surrounded my bed.  Dr. Butler told me Andrew’s heart rate was too low and that he needed to get out now.  I asked what his heart rate was dropping to {I was thinking 100, 110} and she said 60.  I’m pretty sure I hit the ceiling.  I had a major freak out.  Holy WOW.  60 is NOT OK.  I was quickly prepped and whisked away for my emergency c-section.  You can tell in the pictures that I was not a happy Haley.  Oh, and I was still super nauseated and puking.  At this point I asked for another dose of Zofran from the CRNA {he ROCKED hard core} and I’m pretty sure I got some Phenergan but I was so loopy from the drugs I don’t remember.  I do remember that Lee, my family, and Taylor were telling me that everything was going to be OK, and that one of my sisters told me that having  a C-section was better because I would be able to jump on the trampoline without peeing on myself…HA!

I tried so hard to keep my eyes open during the C-section.  I kept feeling like I couldn’t stay awake and my eyes were rolling back in my head {they were according to Lee}.  I remember asking for my vitals at one point because I was CERTAIN I was going to die on the table due to all of the suctioning I heard and because of the way I felt.

At 3:32 PM on Monday, November 26, 2012, Andrew Charles DeLaGarza was born.  He weighed 8 pounds, 12.7 ounces and was 21.5 inches long.  Dr. Butler said “he has strawberry blonde hair” and I immediately started crying.  Lee stood up and looked over the curtain {something he immediately regretted when he saw my open tummy} and they let Andrew peek at me really quickly before the NICU staff whisked him away.  I cried the second I heard him.  His cry was strong and perfect.  I knew he was going to be OK.  At that very moment, I didn’t care if I was going to be OK, all I cared about was that Andrew was out.  I asked for his APGARs {yes, even though I felt like I was dying}.  The NICU doctor or nurse {I can’t remember} came and told me that Andrew was healthy and from that point forward I only have blips of memory.  I remember Dr. Butler coming around and saying that I was being stitched up {soooo much better than staples} by the PA.  I remember her holding Andrew and trying to tell me what had happened and not being able to keep my eyes open.  I felt them rolling back in my head.  I remember Dr. Butler asking about my blood pressure and asking if the Pitocin was wide open {it was, and they had the coolest bolus bags}.  I remember the nurse holding Andrew up to my cheek and Lee holding him so that I could see him while they finished my surgery.  I remember touching his sweet little checks.  I remember not being able to contain my emotion.  I cried tears of joy, happiness, and relief.  I remember trying desperately to keep my eyes open, and failing repeatedly.  I remember asking the CRNA to make me stop shaking.  It really bothered me that I was uncontrollably shaking.  My jaw and shoulders hurt because I was shaking so badly.  I remember worrying about the line on Andrew’s head from the contractions/his position/not being able to come down.

I lost a LOT of blood during surgery.  For my friends who know what this means, my hemoglobin went from 12 something to 7.0.  I felt horrible for a number of weeks just due to that!  Lee, Andrew, and I stayed in the hospital for 5 days.  Andrew was healthy from the very beginning.  He passed all of his tests the first time.  He really did a lot better than me!  I was in some pretty bad pain for about 5 weeks.  Maybe I will go into it at a later date, but I felt very incapable for many weeks after Andrew was born.  I believe a lot of it was hormonal, but a significant portion of it was the fact that I felt like a failure because Andrew was born via C-section.  I realize it is ridiculous, but it is the truth.  I felt like, still sort of feel like, I didn’t do enough.  I relive the situation and wonder if I could have done something better or differently to alter the outcome.  I was really traumatized by the whole experience.  Dr. Butler completely refutes that idea.  She said that I worked harder than anyone she has ever seen to have Andrew naturally.  She said that it would have been IMPOSSIBLE {and she doesn’t use absolutes a lot} for me to have him any other way.  I still have my own personal doubts. 

You’ll see that I am missing a lot of photos.  I have NO photos of my parents with Andrew for the first time.  I have NO photos of Lee, me, and Andrew.  I didn’t change Andrew’s diaper for the first 3 days in the hospital.  I physically couldn’t.  I was so weak and in so much pain.  I was deliriously tired.  I began having auditory and visual hallucinations in the hospital.  We think it was because of the pain medication and exhaustion.  Dr. Butler said that I shouldn’t take Demerol again.  The hallucinations were so real that I was having conversations with people that I saw standing in my room.  Lee was the only one that knew about this; I begged him not to tell anyone because I thought they would take away my pain medication and I was in so much pain.  After I got home, I almost passed out while trying to get in the shower.  I also got very confused and did not know who Lee was.  I kept asking him to get my husband and he would tell me that he was my husband.  He’d say “Haley, I am Lee.  I am your husband.  Your son is right here.  Your parents are in the next room.”  I would yell for him to get my husband and he would calmly repeat himself.  This happened about 5 or 6 times before I finally snapped out of it and told him that I was just very confused.  I can’t imagine how people with memory problems feel; I only had one major incident and I wouldn’t wish the way I felt at that moment on anyone.

Andrew is beautiful.  He is perfect in every way.  I remember, when I first saw him, thinking he looked exactly like Lee but with my hair color.  He was born with such big strong hands and feet.  I cannot believe how much I instantly loved Andrew.  We loved him long before his birth, but the moment he was born I felt like my heart would explode.  I love seeing Lee with Andrew.  He loves him so much and is so gentle with him.  Andrew has made our entire lives better than we could have ever imagined.

Now that you’ve made it to the end of this ridiculously long account, I’ll share another little miracle.  Another little something that God planned for Andrew.  Remember how Andrew got his name?  Remember my great uncle George ANDREW Glass?  Well, guess what?  George’s birthday was November 26 too!  Coincidence?  Absolutely not.  Andrew was divinely planned.

Andrew is a very sweet little boy.  Harper loves him dearly; she gets upset and shakes when he cries!  He is so very loved by his parents, grandparents, great-grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends.  We love you Andrew Charles, with all of our hearts.  We cannot imagine our lives without you.  Each day is more special because of you.  We thank God for blessing us with you and for planning your life so perfectly.

Andrew in Mommy's tummy right before heading to the hospital

Happily contracting Sunday night on the birthing ball

I've made progress!  Approximately 3AM.

Laboring away. Sometime after 9AM Monday

Happy Haley in between contractions.  Sometime after 9AM Monday

Lee and me as I was being whisked away to surgery.  You can see Andrew's heart rate and the decels on the computer in the background.  The look on my face is so candid.  I was unhappy, exhausted, and scared.

Being wheeled to the OR.  Yah I know.  Gross, but REAL!

Lee waiting to be brought into the OR.

The first non-naked picture of Andrew!  See the big line on his head from being turned the wrong way and not being able to come out? 

One of the pics in the OR {thanks future co-worker for the pic!}

Lee, me, and baby Andrew!

Feeling Andrew's little cheek

My first up close look at Andrew!

This picture makes me cry every single time.
The only way I made it through this was with Lee holding my hand and keeping
Andrew close to me so that I knew he was OK.

The very first time I touched Andrew.

Showing off his strong lungs!

First photo as a family of 3!  I was REALLY forcing this smile.

Dr. Butler holding a brand new Andrew!
Best OB/GYN EVER.  I mean it.  I'd recommend her to anyone, especially if you're in the medical field!

The whiteboard in my PP room
Thanks Shelley!

Andrew Charles DeLaGarza.  Night #1

My sweet boys.  Andrew 6 days old.

Andrew 2 days old sleeping on Daddy's chest in the hospital

Andrew 3 days old sleeping with Mommy in the hospital.
Check out the gigantic bruise on my arm from one of the many IV attempts (4 days previously)!

Andrew Charles DeLaGarza

Andrew Charles DeLaGarza was born Monday, November 26, 2012 at 3:32 P.M.  He weighed 8 pounds, 13 ounces and was 21.5 inches long.  He is healthy and we are so incredibly blessed to have him as our son.  I do want to remember his birth story, so I'm writing it down!  I also want to remember some other important/unique aspects of the pregnancy and his birth, so here they are.  **please excuse the spelling and grammatical errors since I have a 6 week old little angel who actually doesn't sleep much during the day**

A Complete Surprise

Andrew was a complete surprise to us, our families, our friends, EVERYONE!  I went to a movie with my friend Taylor {you'll hear more about her later} and then had to work that night.  We went to The Movie Tavern and had food/watched a movie (can't remember which movie now).  I sent her a text on my way to work asking if her tummy was upset, because I was doing everything in my power not to pull over and puke.  She said it wasn't {and we had eaten the exact same thing} so I blew it off and did my job.  That night I found out I got the position in the ICU at JPS.  I was thrilled {that was at about 10:30} and super excited, as well as a little nauseated.  I talked with one of my coworkers {Amanda, an amazing nurse, friend, and mentor} about feeling crummy and having a crampy tummy.  She, without any hesitation, knowing that Lee and I were not trying to have kids and knowing we had been married for 4 years said, "you're pregnant!"  I denied and reminded her of our 4 year marriage, etc... but she refused to believe it.  She got a pregnancy test from the ER {we did blood tests in my unit, only the ER and L&D have the traditional ones} and I said I would be happy to take it to PROVE I wasn't pregnant.  I went and provided the sample {keep in mind I have never taken one of these and did it COMPLETELY wrong; no wonder it was so hard to hit the tiny little dot on the plastic card!} while Amanda, Amy, Cory, and Liza waited.  I was so confident that I wasn't pregnant.  I continued to do my job while everyone waited the 2 minutes for the test to result.  At 2 minutes there was NO LINE = NOT PREGNANT.  The test remained next to Cory and everyone else dissipated.  I was going to throw it away as soon as I finished charting on my patients.  About 3 minutes later I hear Cory say, "Uh, Haley, this test says you're pregnant!"  NO WAY!  One of the other nurses, Liza, said that it was a false positive since it had been sitting there for more than the 2 minutes required.  I immediately demanded someone go to the ER or L&D to get another test and to get SPECIFIC instructions on how to use it.  They did, I did, and it was positive in about 6 seconds {amazing how fast you get results when you use things properly}!  I was in complete shock.  I couldn't believe it!  I went home and took 3 more tests and contemplated how to tell Lee.  I found out on a Friday morning (March 23) and wouldn't see Lee until Saturday morning since I worked Friday night as well.

Telling Lee

I built a slideshow on my computer using pictures of us in chronological order of our relationship.  I told him that I had to build it for my new job so they could get to know me {ha! such a great story}.  I don't know how to show it here, but the last two slides said that we had a lot to be thankful for this Thanksgiving because we were going to have a sweet sweet baby around November 28th and then a picture of the many pregnancy tests with positive results popped up.  Lee was in shock!  His first word was "seriously?" and then "how?" because he was in shock just as I was the day before!  I was so relieved that he finally knew and that he was just as in shock as I was.

Telling Our Families

We made an appointment with my OB's office {long story there including him not seeing patients any longer, seeing another OB we didn't like in that office, and subsequently finding an excellent OB at an office 30 minutes away in SW Fort Worth} for Good Friday which would be at about 6 weeks.  They wanted to see me early because I had been so sick {unable to keep ANYTHING down} and twins run in my family.  We were able to see and hear Andrew's heart beat for the first time {the doctor said it had probably started beating in the last day or so because it was relatively slow} and see his tiny little 6 week baby body.  We left for Victoria after the appointment with some picture frames for the sonogram and some very large Easter eggs.  We hid the eggs around the yard at my house and had a little hunt.  I gave my Mom the "golden egg" to open and they saw the sonogram.  We have the whole thing on video, but I can't upload it until we get a {love technology} new computer.  We didn't do a hunt at Lee's house, but we told them we had a present for them and gave them the "golden egg."  We have the whole thing on video, I swear!  They were all really excited {and shocked} to hear they would be having a grandbaby.  Andrew is the first grandchild on both sides, and his is my grandma's second great-grandchild, the first boy.

His Name

I have always known that if I had a boy I wanted to incorporate Charles into his name.  My Dad's first name is Charles, and my grandpa's middle name is Charles {on my Mom's side}.  Andrew has two very special people that share his name.  Lee and I couldn't decide on a first name.  We even thought about using Charles as his first name.  We were really pretty stuck until I had a dream.  My great aunt Margie {my grandma's sister} passed away in 2007.  She and my great uncle George were like a second set of grandparents to my sisters and me.  Well, I had a dream that was so incredibly real.  I was talking to Margie!  We talked about all sorts of things going on in my life; me being a nurse, TMOM {the volunteer event my Dad helped organize in Victoria}, me being pregnant with a little boy, etc...  At the end of the dream she kind of turned her head, and with that signature sparkle in her bright blue eyes, and said "You know Haley, Andrew is a great name."  Then I woke up.  The dream was so real that I cried because I would really like to be able to talk with her.  She was a pretty amazing person.  Well, I called my Mom and told her about the dream.  She started crying too.  See the really amazing thing, the miracle of it all, is that I didn't know what my great uncle George's middle name was.  His name was George ANDREW Glass.  I called Lee and told him the entire story, and it was decided.  Andrew Charles DeLaGarza.

Thanksgiving

Tuesday, November 20^th I had an appointment with my OB, Dr. Butler.  I had worked the last few nights and my appointment was early in the morning so I went straight there from work.  Thank goodness Lee was at the appointment.  Andrew’s heart rate was much slower than usual, and in the low range of normal {he was running 108-118}.  The nurse let Dr. Butler know and she came in pretty quickly.  I got monitored for a while in the office and his heart rate was still the same, but they did not see good variability {normal accelerations in the heart rate over time} so they wanted me to drink some orange juice to stimulate Andrew.  I was extremely nervous by now; I had a bottle of orange juice with me and had almost finished it in the waiting room.  My blood sugar shouldn’t have been an issue.  The only thing that was reassuring was the fact that Andrew continued to kick and squirm the entire time.  After quite a bit of monitoring, Dr. Butler decided they would do a biophysical profile {an ultrasound that measures amniotic fluid, measures the baby, looks at activity, checks out the heart rate} to make sure Andrew was happy.  This all checked out; Andrew was fine!  Dr. Butler came in and talked with me about his size.  The ultrasound suggested that Andrew was 8 lbs. 10 oz. and Dr. Butler offered to induce me Saturday.  She said I was really favorable to have a smooth delivery since I was dilated to a 2-3 and 60% effaced.  I really wanted to have Andrew as naturally as possible {no induction, no epidural, no episiotomy, no drugs} and Dr. Butler was completely on board with that.  I would be 39 weeks the next day {Wednesday} so she asked me to come the following Monday to reassess where we stood.  My Mom, Dad, Shelley, Adam, and Natalee all had Thanksgiving here in DFW.  We went to La Duni Thanksgiving morning for brunch and I worked Thanksgiving night.  I was trying desperately all day to go into labor.  I felt huge and did not want to go to work that night.  I especially didn’t want to work all night and then go into labor with no sleep.  Well, I made it through working that night, made it through my Saturday on-call shift without getting called in, and had to work on Sunday.  Andrew had other plans.  Oh, and Saturday I INSISTED on decorating the house for Christmas and cooking a traditional Thanksgiving meal at my house since I didn’t really get to do that on Thanksgiving.  I woke up in a SOUR mood Sunday.  I did not feel well, I was HUGE, I hadn’t slept very much, and nothing made me happy.  Adam went to the airport early Sunday morning, Natalee had to work, and the rest of us went to The Original Pancake House for breakfast.  After that I was convinced to go see Pitch Perfect.  I didn’t go to many movies while I was pregnant because my hips hurt like crazy when I sat in a chair too long.  After that we walked around Southlake and shopped for an hour before my Dad drove me home.  Shelley and my Mom stayed behind to shop some more.  I had to go to work.  I was DREADING this shift because I felt so horrible and hadn’t slept.  Lee had gone home after breakfast to plant flowers in the back yard.  He spelled Andrew in purple and white pansies!  I went outside to see his masterpiece AND………. {to be continued with Andrew’s birth story}…

Part of the slide show

Part of the slide show

Evidence

11 weeks pregnant in Antigua

12 weeks (3 months) pregnant in Antigua

Yep!

Lee and me before church the weekend of the baby shower (9/22/12)

Halloween (Bleeker and Juno)

Andrew in my tummy 11/25/12

The "Rader" girls at the shower (9/22/12)

Thankful

I realize it isn't Thanksgiving yet, but I've got a heck of a lot to be thankful for this year. I know I usually don't get into religion on my blog very much, but that should in no way be mistaken for lack of it. I'm just not big on stepping on other peoples' toes, and I have respect for many different religions. So here goes.

I know that God is with me for every second of every day. It is just that lately I've felt His presence more in my life. I don't know why I feel it so much more now...maybe it is because I desperately need divine intervention to make it through school, living apart from Lee, and being alone. In any case, a few things I should chronicle {a little bit} have happened lately.

1. I was told that I needed to become a nurse {it was a divine intervention}.

This was a really big deal. I grew up wanting to be a physician. An M.D. More specifically, I wanted to be in pediatric trauma. You know, the Emergency Room. We're talking George Clooney on E.R. except, of course, a woman! I did the work, but have no doubt that God's hand was in all of it from before it started. How in the world do you explain being able to quit a job, move 4.5 hours away from your spouse, find an apartment where you feel safe less than 2 miles from the medical center, and somehow {I have no idea how} being able to afford to take a whole year off from life? Oh, and not to become a doctor, but a nurse! Now I know EXACTLY where I want to be in nursing. I know without a shadow of a doubt that it is RIGHT for me. I have my eye on a graduate program. I KNOW that I am MEANT to go into anesthesia. I absolutely LOVE it. I can't get ENOUGH of it! How cool is it that by the time I'm ready to start that program they will have a DNP-A (Doctor of Nursing Practice - Anesthesia) available? It is all so much bigger than me.

2. I go to a public school and God isn't really discussed openly in any of my courses.

This seems like a small miracle to me. Other than the private parochial elementary school I attended, I've gone to public school where talk about God is quieted and minimized. Now I'm at UTHSC which seems pretty dark sometimes, yet I find God when I need Him most. A group of us {students, professors, whomever} meet every Tuesday morning on campus to pray. We pray for our studies, our friends, our families, each other, and whatever else we want to. I LOVE it! I have met some really amazing friends that attend, and am so happy that MY CLASS started this prayer group. On top of this, I was under some unnecessary stress last week, and needed a professor to help me out. I prayed all night that she would be willing and able to help. The big thing to me was that she not only helped, but when I told her I had prayed all night she would be able to help, she responded saying that she had so many things to do that morning, but that she felt God had plans for her to be with me that morning. She then asked me if I was a Christian and invited me to her office to pray before we dealt with the source of my stress. A professor. In a public institution. God placed her in my life and made her available at a moments notice.

3. This morning my grandma {Neese} fell off the stairs outside of our house.

This is the MIRACLE of MIRACLES. She didn't break any bones. She didn't need any stitches.  She got sent home from the ER with a scratch and orders to rest and ice her shoulder. If I had fallen onto a concrete slab, I can guarantee I'd break something. In fact, people have fallen from couches to carpet and broken things. Somehow {I believe through the grace of God} she fell off a BIG step {so steep--the size of 2 steps really} onto concrete and only had a scratch on her hand.

These are only examples of a few things that have happened in the last little while for which I have to be thankful. It isn't through luck or chance that I can write this post, but through God's grace.  I am thankful for many other things {family, health, happiness, freedom, truth, prosperity, friends, hope for the future}. Those may get a separate post, but this year, more than other years, I am realizing His presence in all that I have to be THANKFUL for.

I'll leave you with an email I received from a prayer group friend and classmate. She knew I wasn't acting the same, and obviously something was wrong. I didn't tell her what was going on {as you noticed I haven't here either--later--maybe} but that I was stressed out about things I had to deal with later during the week. Knowing only that, she sent me the email below; it seemed like she knew exactly what was going on and what I needed, even when I hadn't told her what I was dealing with and even when I couldn't see it clearly myself.

Remember you are not alone, especially not in spirit. God doesn't promise to meet us on the other side, he walks through the fire, the water, with us. With both of us praying, our cord of two is not easily broken.

Lord, calm Haley's spirit. Put to rest her fears, her qualms, her trepidation. Cast out what is not of you and replace it with your Word, your Truth. You are trustworthy and true. You are unchanging. We praise you for these qualities, for the salvation you have given us, for the access we have to your Throne, Lord God. I ask that you go before Haley, prepare her feet in the Gospel of Peace, outfit her in your armor. Love on her Lord in the most tender way. Reveal to her your presence, let her experience you in such a unique, humbling way. Protect her from enemy's arrows and lies. Place a hedge of protection around her and her family. I pray tomorrow would be a testimony to your greatness. That'd you would use whatever is to come for your glory. Set her feet upon your rock, upon your Word. Do not let her be shaken God. Prepare in her the strength to make it through whatever tomorrow brings, and to be victorious in your name. Guard and watch over your daughter Lord. Help her, encourage her trust in you. Grant her peace tonight, grant her a good night's sleep, and in the morning your mercy will be renewed. Increase her faith in you God, and reward her heart that loves you. Grant her favor over tomorrow. I pray your truth will prevail. In Jesus name we pray. IN your holy name we boldly ask these things. Amen