Joseph Stephen McBride

On May 25, 2012 at 3:20 p.m., we welcomed Joseph Stephen McBride into our family! He weighed 7 pounds, 11 ounces and was 19 1/2 inches long. Joseph surprised all of us, as we were not scheduled to meet him until June 11th by a scheduled c-section. As I have mentioned in previous posts, the last portion of this pregnancy was accompanied by visits to the doctor twice a week to monitor the baby through a Non-Stress Test (NST). During my NST on Friday the 25th, it was determined that I was having regular contractions and that the baby was not responding the way he should. As a result, I was sent to labor and delivery to continue to be monitored.

After I was sent to the hospital, I called Toby to let him know about the recent developments and to request that he not go out of cell range, as we might be having a baby! Upon further monitoring, the doctor determined at 2:00 p.m. that we were going to meet the newest member of our family that day, and that the c-section was scheduled for 3:00 p.m. I then called Toby back and informed him that he needed to get ready and get to the hospital in an hour. This was not going to be easy. He was still working, needed to drive home, shower, and drive back to the hospital in less than an hour. Although I had my doubts, he said he would make it.

The next hour went by very quickly, and at 3:00, I was taken back to surgery without Toby! Luckily, there was still a little bit of time to spare, as they still had to administer the spinal once I was in the operating room. Also, my mom was at the hospital to serve as a back-up in the event that Toby did not make it in time. To my surprise, Toby did arrive in time to be in the room; however, he was not able to go into the operating room because my spinal did not work. As a result, they had to put me out during the c-section. Fortunately, Toby was there to meet Joseph for the first time and carry him to the nursery!

The downfall to being put out during the c-section is that it takes quite a long time for the anasthesia to wear off. So, I was not able to meet Joseph until about 5:30 p.m. Even though we were fairly certain that Joseph would be just fine upon delivery, he was still 3 1/2 weeks early and considered premature. So, it was a relief when I was able to hold our sweet baby and see for myself that he was doing well.

Joseph is such a wonderful baby. He sleeps for hours at a time, eats well, and hardly ever cries! We are so lucky and grateful to have four happy, healthy boys!

One of my best friends, Amy was my nurse before, during, and after the delivery!
She is an amazing nurse!
Amy is taking care of Joseph while Toby supervises.

Joseph - just minutes after being born.

Not sure if Daddy is stressed or relieved!

Joseph Stephen McBride

Getting ready to go home from the hospital!

Pregnancy Update: 36 Weeks

We finally made it! From the start of our complications five weeks ago, the goal was to do everything possible to ensure that the baby was not born prior to 36 weeks. Our doctor said that the chances of the baby being born healthy without a need for interventions or an extended hospital stay significantly increased as we approached the 36 week mark.

We are very happy that we have made it this far; however, it has not been without more complications. Since my last post we have made multiple visits to the hospital for more dizzy spells, headaches, MRIs, and contractions. Fortunately, the contractions were able to be stopped with medication and the MRI did not show any reasons for the complications we have been having other than pregnancy. As a result, my symptoms should begin to disappear after delivery and I should start feeling normal again.

We are currently scheduled for a c-section on Monday, June 11th. Until then, I will continue to go to the doctor for monitoring twice a week and bed rest. The most difficult restriction has definitely been my inability to drive. I feel like I have lost all freedom! Fortunately, I have many friends and family members who have chauffeured me to and from my doctor appointments, picked up groceries, delivered meals, etc. I do not know what I would do without our amazing support system. I cannot thank everyone enough!

Below is an ultrasound picture that was taken at 33 weeks. The baby looked great and based upon the measurements at that time, it was predicted that he weighed almost six pounds! It looks like we might be having another big baby boy, but we would not expect anything else! As you can see from the picture, the baby had his hand in his face. The ultrasound technician has tried twice more to get a picture of the baby without his hands or feet in his face, but this was the best we could do. He must be too crowded to stretch out! 

In the meantime, we are anxiously counting down the days to June 11th when we get to meet our newest baby boy! 

33 Week Ultrasound

36 Weeks!

Pregnancy Update: 32 Weeks

Wow, what a week the last week has been! Overall, until last week this pregnancy has gone extremely well. I had a slight problem with high blood pressure, but that was able to be controlled with medication. Then, last Monday I woke up with a headache and just didn't feel well. It was tolerable, so I went to work and thought that it would eventually go away. Well, it didn't, and at around 9:00 a.m. my headache started to get much worse and I was suddenly overcome with a dizzy, lightheaded feeling. I was testing a student at the time and decided that I needed to get someone to come cover for me so that I could get some fresh air and possibly go home. Before I could reach someone on the phone though I passed out. I have never passed out before, and waking up is very unsettling. I did not know what had happened, how I had ended up on the floor, or how long I had been out. Luckily, the student that I was testing was quick to react and once I woke up he went for help.

That incident led to an ambulance ride, an overnight stay in the hospital, and many tests. Finally, the doctor concluded that I have preeclampsia. It appears that we caught the disease in its early stages and it has not developed into a severe case yet. As a result, the doctor has placed many restrictions limiting my activity to try to keep the disease from progressing into a more serious case. So, I am on bed rest for the remainder of the pregnancy (I can go from the couch to the bed to the chair to the shower), I cannot drive, and my outings consist of going to the doctor twice a week. At this point, the doctor's goal is for us to get to 36 weeks without further complications (I am hoping for at least 37 weeks, but we will see).

Luckily, I have an outstanding support system of family and friends. I am very dependant upon their help right now with rides to the doctor, meals, housework, taking care of William, and shuttling Matthew and Peter to and from their activities. My family and friends are so amazing and helpful and continuously call to check on me. I don't know what I would do without them!

Hopefully, the next four to five weeks will be extremely boring and uneventful, so our sweet baby can have as much time as possible to develop. I will keep you posted.