Ryan Matthew

Ryan's first night was not what I thought it would be. Since I had to have a c-section and had to take a lot more medicine than I wanted to or thought I would have to; I was very out of it. I didn't react very well to the meds and was getting sick from it. Since I was still out of it for quite some time after the surgery we went ahead and had Ryan stay in the nursery for the night. They brought him back to feed though. I was a little upset about not keeping him but I was able to spend some time with him before they put him in the nursery and realized for myself that I was just not going to be able to do it. Some time during the night, at one of his feedings, I could feel myself slowly coming around and the meds wearing off. However, I was still not able to keep anything down (and I was only allowed to have water and ice chips but I couldn't keep those down). The next morning after seeing the pediatrician Ryan came back to the room and we kept him the rest of the day. The pediatrician came in and said Ryan was doing great. He had ran a little bit of a fever right after birth but was doing great now. Jonathan and I spent the morning staring at him and loving on him. Guests started arriving shortly after 10 and kept coming for most of the day. Ryan did really well with seeing everyone. He spent the next day doing pretty much the same thing. He slept pretty well and the nurses in the nursery just loved him. There was one in particular that really adored him. We were able to leave the hospital on Wednesday to go home since we were both doing well. It was so nice to be able to go home and we were excited to show our baby his new home. The first night was rough, he didn't seem to want to sleep unless he was being held. So, against my better judgement and the need for at least a little sleep, he did sleep with me in bed for a little bit. The next night he did a little better but still has at least one fit a night. The days have been pretty good and overall I think he is going to be a great baby. He is eating well and for the most part has only one bad crying fit a day were we can't seem to figure out what he wants (I just wish it was during the day and not at night). He had his first doctor's visit on Thursday since his billirupen levels (that causes jaundice) were a little high on Wednesday. They were the same on Thursday; which the doctor said was good and meant that the jaundice would go down now (he said it levels off and then goes down). Ryan weighed in at 6lbs 13oz so he had lost some weight but that is normal and they weren't worried about it. They don't need to see him back until his two week visit next Friday. So, overall everything is going really well. Jonathan and I are starting to get the hang of things and trying to get in to some sort of a routine.

Visits from family.

Jennifer wanted to change his clothes; just had to get him in something cute.

Long night, they fell asleep together.

Jonathan had to change most of the diapers at the hospital since I couldn't move very well due to the c-section.



Just looking at him.

Loving on him.

Dr. Steele and Ryan: My OB and the doctor who delivered Ryan.

Getting all our paperwork to leave.

Car ride home.

Ryan is here!!

Ryan Matthew Johnson was born Sunday, August 2nd at 8:34pm. He weighed 7 pounds 11 ounces and is 20 inches long. He has a head full of hair and is an amazingly good baby thus far. While things didn't go as planned, we are very happy he is here and healthy.

Now for the whole story of the labor and delivery. We came in Saturday night at 8pm to begin the induction process. They set us up in a room, hooked me up to the monitors, had some lab work done, an IV put in and then waited for awhile to start the pitocin. Finally found out at 10:30 that they were trying to get a new bed for me because the button for the nurse wasn't working on the bed that was in the room. They got a new bed in there and started a low dose of pitocin at 11. Some time in the middle of the night they did turn the pitocin off for awhile and then started a higher dose at 6am. My doctor came in at 7:30 to check me but I hadn't dilated any more than the previous day when I was at 2cm. My doctor gave me 3 options. 1) I could continue on the pitocin and they would increase the dose. 2) I could go home, wait and try again later. Or 3) I could have a c-section. I really didn't want to have a c-section. Not only did I not want to have surgery and go through the painful recovery but I really wanted the whole experience of a vaginal birth. So we decided against that. And going home didn't make sense at all. We knew that he was already a big baby and that was why my body was having a hard time progressing to deliver him, so we ruled that option out as well. We had them increase the dose of pitocin.

They increased the pitocin every 30 minutes up to the highest dosage they would give. At that point my doctor checked me again and I had dilated to a 3 and had effaced to 80%. She was happy with the progress and decided that since we had already ruled out going home that it would help to break my water. At 10:30 she broke my water to help labor progress even more. At this point my contractions got much stronger. I wasn't really feeling anything before my water was broke and was quite shocked at the difference it made. I dilated to a 5 by noon and they gave me an epidural for the pain. The epidural did not hurt at all really but my contractions were quite strong at this point so I didn't care; I just wanted them to quit hurting. It looked like things were going well since my water had been broken. I had dilated 2 additional centimeters in an hour and a half. Before my water was broke it took me 3 hours to dilate just one centimeter. My progress slowed down after this though. After two hours I had only dilated another centimeter and then after another 2 hours I had dilated another centimeter to a 7.

I stayed at 7 centimeters for 3 hours. During this time I also started running a fever. They gave me some antibiotics through my IV and had me do some rocking on my hands and knees to try to reposition the baby to see if that would help. I started feeling a lot more pressure so we thought that it was getting close to time for the big show. They began prepping everything for delivery and then the doctor came in to check me again. The baby had moved down (hence the increased amount of pressure); however, I hadn't dilated any further. At this point we had no options but to have a c-section. Since I was running a fever they weren't going to let me stay on the pitocin any longer and I had been at a 7 for 3 hours. Plus, my doctor still thought the baby's head was too big to fit through my pelvis. So, after 10 hours from the point of breaking my water they began prepping me for a c-section. I was pretty upset about it because I really wanted a vaginal birth and didn't want to have surgery (I knew recovery would be rough). But it was important to make sure that baby and I were safe and healthy.

They wheeled me back to the OR a little bit after 8 and let Jonathan come back shortly after that. I was given additional medicine to numb me and help me relax (I was having the baby shakes from all the hormones of labor pretty bad). At 8:34 baby Ryan Matthew was born. Everything went really well with the c-section. Jonathan was able to cut the cord while they were cleaning Ryan off. Jonathan held Ryan, showed him to me and then carried him to the nursery. While Jonathan was in the nursery with Ryan for his check-up they finished everything with me. I honestly don't know how long this process took because I fell asleep and I don't remember a whole lot from the c-section due to all the medicine and nerves (I was pretty out of it). I remember waking up and my doctor was telling me that there was no way the baby was going to be able to fit through my pelvis because his head was too big and a bit off centered from the birth canal. He still ended up having a little bit of a cone shaped head from being down there and stuck (but it has gone down for the most part by now).

I was wheeled back to my room and they brought Ryan in to see me shortly after. I was able to nurse him and see him for a couple of minutes before they took Ryan back to the nursery for his bath. I was very glad that I was able to see him so soon after (that was one of my concerns with having a c-section) even if it was just for about 30 minutes. During this time I started feeling sick though and ended up throwing up several times through out the night. My fever had still not gone down so I received more antibiotics and Ryan had to have blood work done because I was running a fever but everything came back negative. I was moved to my postpartum room and they brought Ryan back shortly after this. He wasn't away from me too long; which made me very happy. I will follow up with some about his first day shortly. Here are a few pictures for now.

Right before going in Saturday night.

During labor (I think this was after they gave me the epidural).

Getting ready to go back to the OR. Trying to keep a positive additude and a smile on my face.

Baby Ryan is here.

Working on cleaning him off.

He did not like the medicine they have to put on their eyes.

Jonathan with Ryan. Jonathan got to stay with Ryan for most of the time while he was in the nursery.

Mommy gets to hold him for the first time.

Ryan will be here soon!!

Yesterday I had my weekly check-up and got some great news!! We are going to the hospital tonight at 8pm to be induced. Baby Ryan will be here some time soon!! All week I was nervous about this appointment because I am really ready to have this baby. While I have enjoyed being pregnant and it has really been a blessing I am ready to have my baby here and begin the long process of getting my body back. I think working has been really hard on my body after not working for 11 weeks. Every day I come home from work with new aches and pains (and as most of you know I have been having a lot of problems with swelling in my hands, feet and ankles). So I was really hoping for a good doctor's visit and hoping my doctor would agree to induce. We had to meet with my high risk doctor first to have an ultrasound. Everything there went really well. Baby is head down and very low. They estimated he would weigh in at 8lbs 3oz (let's see how close they will be). Then we went over to see my regular OB. As we were walking back to the room with the nurse we passed Dr. Steele and she said "Do you want to have a baby this weekend?" I thought she was joking with me because I didn't think they would induce over the weekend so I said "Don't play with me." She laughed and said "No, I am on call this weekend so if you are ready we can set you up for this weekend." I was so excited and of course said yes. Right after this the nurse tried to take my blood pressure and of course it was high, lol. But since I had just had it checked at my high risk doctor's office and it was normal we weren't worried about that, I was just excited. I am so glad that my doctor will be the one to deliver our baby. I have heard mixed stories (some ok and some bad) about having other doctors deliver. We have really gotten to know Dr. Steele over the last 9 months with as many visits as we have had to go to. And she was there when we went through the scare of him coming at 23 weeks. But God has blessed us tremendously and we have made it to 39 weeks (well, tomorrow but close enough). Tonight we will go in at 8pm and they will set me up on the pitocin to start my contractions. Hopefully everything will go smooth and we should have a new baby here some time Sunday morning. I will keep everyone updated as much as possible and will post pictures as soon as I can.

Almost to the end of this pregnancy!!

I have reached 38 weeks and am almost to the end. Very soon our baby will be here in the world!! The week was pretty uneventful. We worked all week and that was about it. I had a few contractions through out the week but nothing significant or regular. I had a doctor's appointment on Friday. This appointment was with a different doctor then my regular OB though. My regular OB, Dr. Steele, wanted me to meet another doctor in the practice, so I saw the one that was on call over the weekend just in case I went into labor over the weekend it wouldn't be my first time meeting her. I am now 2 almost 3 centimeters dilated and 50% effaced. This doctor also said that my cervix is very soft and not to be surprised if my water breaks. Now with two doctors saying that Jonathan is wondering if he should make me sit on some plastic instead of the couch or bed, lol. We were very excited to hear that I was making progress. While I know it could still be awhile and that some women can go several weeks dilated before having their baby its still nice to know my body is preparing itself for it's upcoming job. Over the weekend I cleaned our house in hopes of getting labor started but nothing happened. I guess that the baby decided he wasn't quite ready after all. I definitely feel more pressure down there though so that's a good sign. Besides that, nothing else is going on. We are just waiting for baby Ryan to make his appearance and that's hard because I am not a very patient person. Hopefully it won't be much longer!!

A picture of me at 38 weeks

37 weeks!!

We made it to 37 weeks yesterday!!! That is a big milestone, our baby is now considered full term (even though we technically still have 3 more weeks to go). We are so excited we have made it to this point and I am now ready for this baby to come out. However, it seems as if the baby has a different thought in mind. At my doctor’s appointment on Friday everything went well and the baby is doing great. His heart beat is wonderful. I was hooked up to the monitor for about 30 minutes and he was moving like crazy. My doctor checked and I am not dilated at all though so it will probably be awhile still before this baby makes his appearance. My doctor did say that my cervix was very soft and not to be surprised if my water breaks before I go into labor. I am not holding my breath on that one though. I believe it’s only like 12% of women who have their water break before they are in labor so the odds are not on my side for that to happen; which Jonathan is very thankful for. I am very excited about this baby coming and so done being pregnant (at least with all the pains and aches that come along with it). Hopefully it won’t be much longer. We had our car seats checked on Friday as well to make sure they were correctly installed. That was the last thing on the list to do before the baby arrived. Now we are just waiting. We enjoyed our weekend relaxing and realized it will probably be one of the last ones we have without anything to do for quit some time (which means we slept in a little longer). My next doctor’s appointment is Friday and my regular doctor wants me to meet another doctor in the same practice who is on call next weekend so that appointment is with her. Then my doctor went ahead and made another appointment for the following Friday (the 31st) as well (apparently she is pretty confident the baby won’t come before then) with her after I see my high risk doctor. Besides that, nothing much has been going on or changed. The baby is still moving and kicking like crazy. I think my insides constantly stay bruised. I don’t know how he thinks it’s comfortable in there with no room but apparently he does. I will keep everyone updated as much as possible over the next few weeks if anything changes and of course on Ryan’s arrival (whenever that may be).

Me at 37 weeks, ready to pop.

Busy week

We have been very busy this past week. Work through out the week; which is still going well. I do miss being at home and not having to deal with all the aches and pains that come along with being pregnant and sitting at a desk all day. My feet and ankles are very swollen now that I am up all day. I try to sit with my feet up at work as much as possible though; which is helping a little bit. My back hurts a lot as well from being in an uncomfortable chair all day. I am just reminding myself that it won’t be much longer before our little guy is here and I will wonder where the time went. My brother Chris and his two little girls came down for the weekend. I saw them Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Aubrey, who is 3, and Hayden, who is almost 11 months, are both growing like weeds. They are both so adorable and sweet. Aubrey knows exactly what to say to wrap someone around her finger. But who could resist someone so adorable and sweet when they see you and say “Becca, I missed you so much!” and wrap their little arms around you. I spent most of my weekend down at my older brother Kenny’s house watching my nieces and nephew swim and play. It was very nice. Besides that, nothing much is going on. The baby is still moving constantly. Hopefully he is getting ready to make his appearance. We have a doctor’s appointment on Friday so we will find out more about how I am doing and my progress then. I am hoping that we get good news and that I am progressing well. I am really not enjoying these last couple weeks of pregnancy and I am ready for this baby to be here.

Here are a couple of pictures I took this weekend.

Chris, Aubrey and Shelby swimming.

Hayden in her float.

And of course a new one of me at 36 weeks.

Back to Work

Last week was my first week back to work in 11 weeks. It was nice to be out of the house and back to work but I was very tired by the end of the week. Monday and Tuesday were not too bad because I was excited to be back. The excitement got me through the days; however, by Wednesday that had worn off and I was very tired Wednesday night. My back hurt pretty bad from sitting in a chair all day and my feet were really swollen. Thursday wasn't much better but it was only a half day (I had to leave early for two doctors appointments, get to those in a minute) so it went by quickly. Doesn't seem like much has changed since I have been gone so it was easy to get back in to the swing of things. And thankfully they have kept my work up pretty well and I didn't have it piled up when I returned. Now that I am back though, I must admit that I am ready to have this baby and be back at home. It is not fun sitting at a desk when you can barely reach the keyboard. And I can't sit too close to the desk because baby Ryan gets mad and starts kicking the desk; which does not feel good. Plus, my feet and ankles have swollen so much my shoes don't fit. Enough complaining, I really am glad to be back and into a semi-normal routine again. Working will help pass the time and before we know it Ryan will be here.

Thursday after leaving work early I got to have lunch with both my brothers; always a nice treat when we can get together. Chris was driving through on his way back home from military training and Kenny met us in Lexington for lunch before my doctors appointment. I had two doctors appointments on Thursday. The one with my regular OB went just fine; everything is going well. Baby's heart beat is still strong and I had no contractions while I was hooked up to the monitor. The appointment with my high risk doctor went well also. However, they did tell me that I have a double lobed placenta but not to worry about it. They said the only thing they had to do was make sure they got both parts out when I delivered. We didn't get to see Dr. Campbell as he had an emergency with another patient so we are going to ask my regular OB some additional questions about this at my next appointment. We did get some new ultrasound pictures taken but I haven't had a chance to scan them in yet but I will try to get to that this week. Friday was a day of relaxing. On Saturday my dad and his girlfriend came down from Illinois to visit for a couple of days. It was nice to see them and to spend some time with them. My dad hadn't seen me pregnant yet so he was glad he got to come down before the baby got here and plans to come back once he makes his appearance. Saturday night we had a cook out down at my brother Kenny's house for the 4th. Yummy food, great time with lots of family and a few fireworks; couldn't ask for more. My dad is leaving today to go back home so last night we all got together at my grandmother's for dinner. Once again there was yummy food and time with family, very nice ending to a Monday.

We will see what the rest of the week holds. Rumor has it my brother Chris is coming back down for a visit with his two little girls on Thursday for a couple of days but I am not getting my hopes up yet as he is still contemplating the best way to get a 3 year old and a 10 month old down here by himself (his wife, Nikki, has National Guard training for 2 weeks). It would be wonderful to see them! My maternity pictures are up on our photographer's website. Go to http://carlislephotography.smugmug.com/Proofs, click on Johnson maternity and the password is johnson if you would like to see them. Let me know what you think and if you have any favorites. For now here is a picture of me at 35 weeks (yay, not much longer!).