Our Pregnancy Journey

Madelyn Jane Fowler

2010-03-29T07:00:00.001-04:00

And now that we're keeping the blog going, here is some of the information missed since our last post.

Madelyn (Maddie) Jane Fowler was born on October 27, 2009. She weighed 7lbs and 1 oz, 20 inches long and born at 2:31 pm.

Birth Story (Kinda long)

I last posted that I was 4 cm dilated and 80% effaced and that the nurse said I would most likely have Maddie over the weekend, well as we know I didn't got into labor over the weekend and went back for my scheduled appointment on Monday. Dr. Jones said I was still 4cm dilated but now I was 100% effaced, he said he didn't feel comfortable letting me spontaneously go into labor since everything would happen pretty quickly so he called and reserved a room for the following morning at Presby Hospital. His famous words were, "Would you like to have this baby tomorrow" and my answer was, "You bet!" I was beyond excited, we would have our baby in the next 48 hours for sure!

It was nice knowing that I was going into the hospital at a certain time, there was not mad rush to get out of the door, Clay didn't speed off on two wheels leaving me behind in the dust holding my suitcase like you see on TV. Nope, I was able to get up and take a shower, have breakfast and drive to the hospital with the anticipation of bringing home my baby instead of wondering if it was a false alarm. I remember eating my bowl of cereal that morning in silence and thinking how this was my last meal in a quiet house...and I was right :)

We got to the hospital around 7:15 am, we were introduced to our nurse Brittain who I instantly liked. We were settled into our room by 7:45, hooked up to the monitors and ready to go! Brittain asked me once I was hooked up to the monitor if I could feel anything. I told her I didn't feel a thing and she said, "well you just had a contraction". That definitely explains how I got to 4cm without feeling a thing! It was nice to go through pre-labor without feeling any pain, I hope I'm this lucky with my next one! Dr Jones came into the room at 8:15 to break my water, he said I could have an epidural at this point but I thought nah, I can do this for a couple more hours- no problem. Yeah right! By 7cm I was begging for the aneseiologist, Brittain said it would be another 30 minutes or so before he could get there...oh great! By the time the aneseioligist got there (10:45 am) my contractions were coming one after another with hardly any time to take a breath! I couldn't talk, I couldn't breathe, all I could do was focus on this horrible pain in my belly. After the epidural kicked in I was in heaven- I could talk, breathe, joke with family- it's amazing how these things work! I could have kicked myself though for not having it at 4cm when I had the opportunity...oh well, too late now!

After an hour or so I started feeling pain on my left side, I told the nurse that I didn't think the epidural "took" on that side. She checked me and said, "Nope, it took. You're just 10 cm now and that's pressure your feeling, are you ready to push?" WHAT! Okay, I wasn't expected to hear that...and so began the pushing! Ugh, my least favorite part! I pushed for about an hour and half and was making progress but very little. After Dr. Jones checked on me several times, I finally told him I was tired and weak and that I didn't think I could go much longer. He asked if he could use a vacuum to assist and I said, "You bet!" I knew how the vacuum worked from my childbirth preparation course and was familiar with the process. The word vacuum sounds a lot scarier than it really is. So Dr. Jones suited up, turned on the brightest lights I've ever seen overhead, and prepped me for the final push! And with one push, I heard, "Amy, look down and see your baby!" I opened my eyes and there she was, the most beautiful baby I had ever seen! It was a moment I'll never forget!!! She was absolutely perfect! At 2:31 pm, Miss Maddie made her appearance into the world and I was overjoyed!!!

My overall experience was great, I think I deserved a stress-free, uneventful labor after everything I went through to get her here. She is the love of our lives and I'm so thankful for all my family and friend's prayers that got her here safely. She's my little miracle and a huge blessing to our family! :)

Oh that's right, we were keeping a blog!

2010-03-23T09:31:00.009-04:00

Almost forgot to update you - We have a beautiful, healthy baby girl!

Meet Madelyn Jane.

Update! :)

2009-10-22T12:09:00.002-04:00

I had (hopefully my last) doctor's appointment today, my doctor was out again delivering a little one so I had to see another OB. He checked to see if I had made anymore progress and he confirmed that I was 4 centimeters dilated and 80% effaced!! :) He made it seem like she could come any day now. The nurse told me to make my next appointment for Monday but she said most likely that she wouldn't see me. So that's where we stand, Maddie could be here before the weekend is over! :) I'm ready and so excited for her to get here!!! We'll keep everyone posted!

Feeling Great!

2009-10-13T13:47:00.003-04:00

The appointment went well today, the cerclage removal went smoothly. Although a little painful and lots of discomfort, it was as I suspected it would be and I'm glad it's out! We got to see the little blue stitch that held our baby girl in for all these weeks, pretty emotional. The doctor then checked me to see if I was dilated and sure enough I was...2 centimeters! Clay was shocked but from all the research (reading baby books and watching baby shows in the past 4 months) I know that some woman can go a couple weeks being 2 cm dilated so it wasn't as shocking for me to hear but I'm really excited! Dr says it could be anytime or I could still go to my due date, there's no way of knowing at this point so the waiting game continues...I have another appointment with him next Thurs. the 22nd!

I feel good now, not a lot of pain and the best part is I'm off bedrest! Once I fully recover, I'm going to take very short walks around the neighborhood since I haven't walked a whole lot in the past 4 months, I want to prepare my body for labor and delivery.

I just want to thank everyone again for all the prayers and support, we have amazing friends and family and we couldn't have gone through all this without you all helping us along the way.

Nursery Pics- Finally finished!

2009-10-12T20:29:00.009-04:00

The pink explosion (as Clay likes to call it) is finally finished! We're 36.5 weeks now...not too much longer!

Lots of clothes!

Claudette painted the letters for Madelyn, she did such a great job!

Soon to be pictures of Madelyn and family...

Clay and Larry MADE these beautiful bookshelves!

Maternity Pictures- 33.5 weeks!

2009-10-09T13:12:00.004-04:00

Officially 9 months pregnant! Holy Cow!!

2009-10-07T13:50:00.002-04:00

Wow, I'm so happy we made it this far without further complications...I truly feel blessed and I know that God has been answering many, many prayers!

I had my doctor's appointment today, the doctor was very pleased with everything and we went ahead and scheduled the cerclage removal for next Tuesday the 13th! He said it should be a pretty simple procedure that he can do in the office...I hope, we'll see. He also confirmed again that I would be off bedrest completely, woo hoo! And...I don't have to take my progesterone anymore, yay!

So baby could be here in a week to 4 weeks...we're definitely ready. Nursery is completely done and I'll post pics soon! Thanks again for all the support and prayers!!!

35 weeks today and only 35 days (or less) to go!!!

2009-09-30T11:59:00.003-04:00

Today marks 35 weeks...woo hoo! I can't really say that time is flying by but it is going by faster than when I was first put on bedrest. I can't believe it's been 14 weeks since I first went on bedrest, when all is said and done it will probably be a total of 4 months! The good news is in two weeks exactly, I will be completely off bedrest!!! :)

No doctor's appointment this week but I go back next Wednesday the 7th, at that appointment we'll set up a date for the cerclage to come out...will probably be the 14th! :)

This weekend we have our childbirth preparation class (all day on Saturday...sorry Clay) so I'm looking forward to that!

Will post again next week, thanks for all the prayers!!

Update- Good news!

2009-09-24T16:43:00.001-04:00

I had my doctor's appointment this afternoon and my doctor walked into the room with two thumbs up! He's very happy that I've made it to 34 weeks and even scheduled my next appointment two weeks out at 36 weeks! I didn't have an ultrasound at this visit and probably won't have another one since it doesn't matter anymore what I'm measuring. So the next time I see my baby it won't be on a grainy screen but in person! :) We also scheduled a date for when the stitch will come out, the date is Oct. 14th! That's only 3 weeks away...whoa! I need to pack my hospital bag now :) The doctor also said that once the stitch comes out, I'm done with bedrest...woo hoo!

Shouldn't be too much longer now...I probably jinxed myself but I bought a Halloween onsie (just in case) it says "Daddy's little pumpkin"...I couldn't resist!

Thanks for all the prayers and support!

34 weeks today!!!!

2009-09-23T17:41:00.002-04:00

Yay! I'm official 34 weeks today and according to my doctor I am now "golden"! Only 6 more weeks till my due date if Maddie even decides to stay in there that long...I have an appointment tomorrow, I'll post again then!

Grrghh...

2009-09-19T18:46:00.002-04:00

This morning we had our breastfeeding class at 10 am...I was all prepared, we got up early, I had packed a journal for taking notes, and we even left early...or so I thought. For some reason, still unknown to me, I thought the class started at 10:30! I had this panic feeling as we were driving down I-77, so I checked the registration form and sure enough it was 10! Grrghhh...I'm hating this pregnancy brain, I can't remember anything anymore! Well, luckily (I guess) we rescheduled for Oct. 10th...hopefully we won't miss this one and hopefully Maddie won't decide it's time to come before then because I really want to go to this class. On the bright side, we went to USA Baby and finally ordered a glider and ottoman set...hopefully that will arrive before she does!

Also, I'm soooo ready for this weather to clear up and be sunny again. It's bad enough being on bedrest but this weather is making it harder and depressing!

Next appointment is Thursday...hope it goes well!

We found a Pediatrician!

2009-09-18T14:01:00.002-04:00

Thanks to Marisa for the reference we made a consultation appointment with Southlake Pediatrics this morning and we really liked the practice! We met with two pediatricians and a lactation consultant, they were really nice and very informative. We had two previous meet and greets with other Pediatric offices but Southlake had the total package. We're getting excited and closer to our due date and we can't wait to meet our little girl in a couple weeks! :)

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Feeling HUGE!

2009-09-15T13:59:00.003-04:00

I had my appointment today with my regular OB, no ultrasound though so I'm not sure how my cervix is measuring and I'm not even sure if I'll have an ultrasound next week. But things seem to be fine according to my OB, he wants me to continue my bedrest and just keep taking it easy. I had a pretty rough week last week (lots of pelvic pressure) one of the doctors I saw last week said that the baby's head was resting right on my stitch which was causing all the pain. I think she may have moved because I don't still have that horrible feeling anymore and hopefully it won't come back!

I also had my seasonal flu shot today and will probably have the swine flu vaccination in a few weeks when they get those in...kinda worried about that one but if the doctor thinks I should get it then I will.

Well, that's the only update for now...next appointment is Sept. 24th and we'll see how things are going then!

I'm 8 months along now! :)

2009-09-10T10:41:00.003-04:00

I had my last appointment with the perinatologist (high risk doc) yesterday, it was definitely bittersweet. I was going to him every 4 weeks but now that I'm 32 weeks along he said I didn't need to see him anymore (I guess because I'm in the "safe zone"). He's a great doctor and I always enjoyed those visits, but since it was my last one with him it just shows how close I am to having this baby! While at the doctor, I did have my cervical length checked and it was shorter than last week but not by much and the doctor didn't seemed worried. I was told the baby is actual measuring bigger at a whopping 4lbs 11 oz so her weight could be contributing to the decrease in my cervical length. I'm just going to take it easy until the next appointment which is Tuesday, I don't think I'm having an ultrasound at that visit so I may not have an update until the following week. I do have another baby shower this weekend, I'm really excited! Can't wait to see everyone on Saturday!!

Weekly Update

2009-09-06T13:19:00.002-04:00

I had a doctor's appointment on Friday with the usual routine. My cervical length has shortened since the last visit a week before and seems to be slowly shortening but not too significantly. It's always a wait and see game because it could stay the same by the next appointment or it could get shorter. I think since the baby is getting bigger (almost 4 pounds now) she is putting more pressure on my cervix and therefore causing it to shorten. The doctor just wants me to continue the moderate bedrest and they'll see me back on Wednesday. I'm also seeing the high risk doctor then so I'm interested in hearing what he thinks. I know they want to get me to at least 34 weeks so that's only 2.5 weeks away...if I need to be stricter with my bedrest until then I will definitely do it. So for now things are still okay and I'll find out more Wednesday and then post again! Please keep praying that we make it as long as we can to ensure a healthy, term baby! :) Thanks for all the support!!

Nursery Pics!! Just a preview...

2009-08-30T17:51:00.005-04:00

I'm finally posting some nursery pics, however it's still a work in progress but we're excited with what's been done so far. I ordered some wooden letters that spell out Madelyn to hang on the wall above the dresser, we're hoping to have a corner bookshelf to display some of her books in the corner between the crib and the dresser, and I also ordered some decals that say "Dream a little a dream..." to put above her crib. We also want to replace the glider that Clay's had since college with a new one and hang some curtains, so we still have a ways to go but hopefully we'll have everything done in the next month or so...Clay has done a great job putting everything together! :) We'll post the final pics of the nursery once it's complete!

****************************************************************

We just got the decal in the mail today....looks great!

Weekly Update!

2009-08-29T10:20:00.002-04:00

Hope everyone is having a great weekend! I just wanted to post a quick update since I went to the doctor yesterday. I had a good report, meaning nothing has really changed since last week (which is always good news to me!) I wasn't able to meet with my doctor since he was out delivering a little one but I'm okay with that since I have another appointment next week. Still just taking it one day at a time and marking off the days till I meet my little girl! Only 9 more weeks to go!!! :)

WOO HOO! 70 DAYS (or less) TO GO!!!!

2009-08-26T11:41:00.000-04:00

Baby Shower!

2009-08-24T18:04:00.003-04:00

I had my first shower yesterday, it was hosted by Claudette, Amanda, and Lori (aka Punk). I had such a great time and it was a beautiful shower! I got the cutest gifts for little Maddie, I'm so excited to go through all the toys and clothes (she is going to be one well dressed baby!) I loved the decorations that Amanda had put together, you can see in the background of the picture that she had put some onsies, socks, hats, and bibs on a clothes line- such a cute idea! Thanks again to all my hostesses for throwing such a great shower!!

Wednesday marks 30 weeks which means only 6 weeks till the cerclage comes out and 10 weeks until baby arrives, hopefully these next few weeks go by fast! My next appointment is Friday, I'll post again then!!

Update

2009-08-20T22:28:00.003-04:00

I had another doctor's appointment today, everything looked good according the ultrasound technician. I didn't see my main OB today but the doctor I talked to seemed pleased with everything and just told me to continue my bedrest and do what I've been doing. It's nice to have good news after being holed up in the house all week. The past 8 weeks of bedrest have been tough but I know it's serving its purpose and I'm so thankful for that! So all in all everything went well today and now I can look forward to the weekend! Speaking of weekend, I'm so excited about my first shower on Sunday. Claudette (mother-in-law), Amanda (sister-in-law) and Punk (Clay's Aunt) are hosting the event and I know it's going to be great! I'll definitely post some pics next week along with some nursery pics! Thanks for all the prayers and support!!

NURSERY PICS COMING SOON....

2009-08-12T11:33:00.001-04:00

Our first milestone!

2009-08-12T10:40:00.003-04:00

We're excited to say that I'm officially in the third trimester...woo hoo! I'm 28 weeks today and very happy to have made this far without further complications! We had our two doctor's appointments yesterday, the perinatoligist (peri) confirmed after the ultrasound that everything looks fine, the stitch is "doing it's job" and he's real glad to see that I've made it to 28 weeks...I go back to see him in four weeks at 32 weeks! I also saw my regular OB yesterday after seeing the peri and he agreed that he was happy with everything. He wants to continue to see me weekly for cervical measurements and also to continue my moderate bedrest.

In 8 weeks, I'll have the stitch removed so I'm trying hard to make it to 36 weeks! I'm taking it week by week for now...it's hard to believe I've been on bedrest for the past 7 weeks! It's been pretty difficult but it is getting easier...thanks for all the visitors and support we've had over the past several weeks, it's definitely made this process a lot easier!

My next appt is 8/20...hope it goes as well as this last one and there are no changes to report!
Thanks again for all the prayers!

Happy Friday!

2009-08-07T15:30:00.003-04:00

No updates yet, my next appointment is Tuesday the 11th and it's with the high risk doctor...hopefully things will look the same if not better. I'm trying to take it easy after registering this week, I went to Babies R Us on Wednesday and Target on Thursday. It was so nice getting out of the house and picking out items for the baby, I'm getting excited about the showers! Clay is also picking up our new mattress tomorrow and the baby furniture (woo-hoo!) I can't wait to see the room come together, I wish I could help but I know either way it's going to turn out beautiful! I will post pics as soon as possible...

Have a great weekend everyone!

Happy birthday to me! Plus, we have somewhat happy news!

2009-08-03T20:41:00.004-04:00

After a weekend of stricter bedrest, we had an appointment today and things seem to have been better than Friday. My measurements were better than last week but still not where they were 2 weeks ago. However, the doctor seems to think that everything is okay and he doesn't seem too worried or even too concerned at this point. Since I haven't had any contractions or any other signs of pre term labor, he told me to continue the moderate bedrest (which was a relief to not be told to go on strict bedrest) and try to take it easy as much as possible. He even gave me the go ahead to register on Wednesday which made me happy. I will still continue to get monitored each week and next Tuesday I have an appointment with the perinatologist (high risk doc). Hopefully things will look the same if not better and we'll keep everyone posted with each visit.

Thanks again for all the prayers!

On a lighter note....

2009-08-02T12:00:00.003-04:00

To keep myself busy during the next 12 to 15 weeks of bed rest my cousin was nice enough (and patient enough) to teach me how to crochet. At first I wasn't too fond of it. I couldn't figure it out, which drove me crazy, and my hands wouldn't do what I wanted them to do. However, after several hours of frustration I finally got the hang of it and my pink scarf pictured to the left is now looking more and more like a pink blanket, in fact I think I'm a little addicted to it! It's been pretty therapeutic and definitely keeps me busy. I work on it everyday and hope to be done soon...I'll post the final version when finished! :)

My next project is a red toboggan (for N.C State of course). We'll see how that goes, seems pretty hard but the good thing is I have time on my side.