Avery Reynolds Ussery 11/14/08 @ 4:34pm

I am very happy to announce the birth of Avery Reynolds Ussery. She was born on Friday, November 14th at 4:34pm via c-section at Sacred Heart Hospital in Pensacola. Her arrival that day was very unexpected but was also welcomed. She was born at 34 weeks and 5 days old. I'll give a brief recap of her birth and one day post a more detailed version.

On Thursday the 13th I went to my regular Dr. appointment. They did the NST and Avery wsn't moving around as much as she could but this is something we go through every single week. Dr. Petrac wanted me to have a complete ultrasound down to see how much she weighed and to make sure I hadn't lost any of my fluid. I go over to Labor & Delivery for what should have been a routine moniotoring session. Boy was I wrong.

My blood pressure started kicking up and would settle down. I had the u/s down in the meantime and they showed that everything was just fine with her. It still had her appx weight at 4lbs 9oz which is odd because that what it had been 2 weeks prior. Dr. Petrac came by to see me around 7pm and told me that after the meds she had given me and with me being calm and still my BP still didn't go down at all that they would be sending me to Pensacola. She couldn't promise me that they would deliver me but she told Dr. Dobak, one of the specialists, that I was 34w4d and had both of my steroid shots. I started tearing up because ultimately in the end I did really want to make it to 36 weeks and for her to deliver me. She wished me luck and hugged me.

I was so nervous. Lee had a job interview the next day, Friday, in B'ham and I didn't want to mess it up if this was just another precautionary trip that may or may not be worth it. I called my mom first and gave her the news and she and dad were heading down here that night. I called Lee and broke the news to him. I kept apologizing because I hated messing things up. I made arrangements for Mackenzie to spend the night with Stella and Emily and for Maria to take her to school on Friday.

The ambulance came and took me to the wonderful town of Pensacola. They already had a room waiting for me and I got settled in. I still had no idea what the Dr.'s here were going to do. The resident showed up and went over my history and told me that I was borderline pre-eclamptic. They were going to have me to a 24hr urine test to see if the protein was back. I was a hard case to diagnos officially because I had chronic hypertension. I practically begged to be induced but he said he couldn't make that call with what he had so far. I just need a little something to push me over the edge. He did assure me that Dr. Dobak would be meeting with me in the morning. This is the Dr. I really wanted to talk to and who ultimately would make the call because he's my high risk Dr.

I got my ambien and slept through the night. I had Lee sitting tight at the house until I had spoken to Dr. Dobak and knew what our plan was. My parents were on standby at the hotel in Destin. As I was talking to mom I began to wonder if everyone jumped the gun and I would be sent back home. My BP was running fairly decent during this time. Finally around 10:30 Dr. Dobak came in my room and started going over everything with me. He said that there just wasn't quite enough to make he induce me but it would not take much for him to start the process. He said he wanted to do a full scan of Avery on the u/s machine.

Looking back I feel like an idiot. As his tech is scanning my belly I am trying to figure out a way for him to induce me. He tells me that if my BP cannot be controlled or keeps climbing when they up my dosages then that's enough for him to induce me. I knew that the meds could be given all the way up to 2400mg daily how many times would we go through the process of upping them etc. I basically didn't want to end up sitting in a bed for a week having them go up and pumping my dosage up and they go down and they go back up. Repeat 10 times.

He didn't get a chance to answer me because the tech said that there was a problem. The baby is less than 10%. I knew that meant her weight and development. The scan showed her at 3lbs 9oz. He says to me "well there's your reason. You're going to be having this baby today." There u/s machine is way better than the one in Destin and much more accurate. I was going to be induced until the u/s showed that she went from head down position at the beginning of it to breech position all within 30 minutes or so. That is when it was announced that I would be having a c-section at 4pm. He had to give me enough time to digest my grits from breakfast.

I am semi-freaking out while she finishes the u/s. By now it's 11:55 and I start making phone calls to Lee and my parents. Plan was for Lee to drop off Jackson with my dad at the hotel and head over. My dad would pick up Mackenzie from school and head over. Mom would drive herself over here since she and dad brought two cars on their trip down.

From the time I made it to my room and started making phone calls my BP went shooting up. I'm talking 180/112, etc. Between 12:30 and 3:30 I was given 6 dosages or so of high powered drugs to drop by BP but it still didn't budge. I was now officially pre-elamptic and didn't even have to be at this point to deliver. Mom had already headed over here and got here around 3:15 and Lee showed up right before 4. At one point they were going to rush me in to the delivery room for a c-secion because my BP wasn't coming down. Thankfully they waited so Lee could be there.

Mom was there while they prepped me in the room for the surgery. I got my catheter, wrist bands, gown, etc. Oh, they started my magnesium too. I hate the mag. It makes me feel all icky and besides that it impaires my thoughts. It was so nice to see mom's face there. I was so glad that someone had finally arrived. I have to admit I felt so alone the entire time I had been there. I know I had specifically even told people to just wait but I really wished someone was with me.

A little before 4 they roll me in to the operating room. They have Lee in his white jumpsuit, scrub hat and shoe covers. He has to wait while they finish prepping me. I go in this sterile room to the radio playing "Low Rider". Very interesting to say the least. I get my spinal block and lie down. My legs are so numb and I realize that everything is just naked on the table except for my gown covering my chest. So much for modesty. Once they had me hooked up to the machines Lee comes in.

The NICU (neonatal intensive care unit) nurse is on standby in the room and the 2 Dr.'s come in. They are ready to start cutting. I don't feel the cut. I feel pressure and moving around but not any pain which is amazing. The anethesiaologist was very attentive and certainly earned her money. She made sure that I felt okay and all my stats were good. A couple of times I thought I was going to pass out and it was because my BP went down to 60/40 which for me is like I'm dead. She actually had to give me some meds to bring it up.

About 10 minutes into the procedure they begin getting Avery out. I told Lee to stand up and look. He sees them trying to get to her and she came out feet first. She didn't cry at first and it made me so nervous. I remember asking if she was okay and everyone said she was. I kept asking if she had cried. I remember finally hearing her cry out. It was short but she cried and she was breathing on her own! The rest happened so quickly. I'm being sewn back up and Lee goes over to see her. At the very end he brings her over to me and tears start flowing down my face. She's so beautiful and small. I'm so worried about her too.

They staple me up and take her to the NICU. She weighs 4lbs 3.2ozs and is 16.75 inches long. She never had to be on any oxygen. She breaths just fine. However she is not the best eater right now. She is still refusing to eat more than a few CC's at a time. She is being fed the rest of each bottle threw her feeding tube in her nose. As soon as she can eat 35CC every 3 hours on her own over a 48 hour period she can come home. It looks as if she'll be here for another week to two weeks.

I am still in the hospital this lovely Tuesday night because of my BP. It has gotten out of control again. I've also gotten an infection in my c-section area. I'm on heavy antibiotics for that. I'm being pumped full of HP meds every day too. I'll probably be discharged tomorrow because I've been here so long but I'll be sad to leave where Avery is. I have signed up for the Ronald McDonald house and am 2nd in line. It's a free place for mom and dad to stay when their little one is in the hospital. If I get in then it will be easy to come see her every day. I know mom will continue to help out too.

So that is Avery's birth story. I feel guilty for wanting her to be born early because I was so tired and literally sick from carrying her. I almost feel responsible for her feeding delay but then I am reminded by the specialist that he had to take her for her health and mine. She is beautiful as can be but oh so tiny.

I'll post pics in a little bit.