This past week...

I haven't posted a blog in a little while, so I figured while I have some down time, I would. I was originally scheduled my C-Section on the 22nd. I started getting contractions the night of the 20th and waited a good 8 hours until the morning of the 21st to actually go to the hospital. I just wasn't sure if what I was having were real contractions until they got to the point I couldn't bear them anymore. I got to the hospital around 7 am and was only 1/2 cm dilated, which didn't matter much anyways since I was getting a C-Section. We figure that was my body's way of saying that it wasn't possible to have a normal delivery anyways. So, my doctor decided to go ahead with the C-Section that day. I was so excited but beyond nervous. Luckily, everything went extremely fast so there wasn't much time to be nervous. I got my IVs, some meds, and my spinal and was ready to go at 9:09 am. Barrett was out and crying at 9:17 am. It was so amazing! I was even more shocked when they told me how big he was-a whopping 10 lbs 14 oz and 21 inches long! He looks like a miniature Ty. I think he has my eyes, nose, and mouth, but overall, just looking at him, he's definitely Ty's twin. It's a good thing we had planned a C-Section to begin with because more than likely, I would have been in labor for a really long time and ended up having to have a C-Section anyways.

My blood pressure had been up 2 weeks prior to having Barrett but only moderately high. Oddly enough, 2 days before I went into labor, it went down to normal and stayed that way until the day I got released. It was back up to moderately high (around 145/90) that day but we were dying to go home so they let us go. After 3 hours at home, I just didn't feel right so I checked my BP and it was 180/120 so we had to go back to the hospital. It was such a hard thing to have to leave my baby so soon. Luckily though, I have a great sister and mother that helped take care of him the 3 additional days I had to stay. When I got there, I was put on a Magnesium drip for 36 hours. The magnesium makes you feel pretty horrible, like you have the flu times 10 and after a while, I felt like I was in a tunnel. When they finally let me stop it, they kept me for 2 more days to monitor my BP levels and they had gone down to around 140/90, which isn't great but is good enough for them to let me go home. I was sent home with a BP med and that was it.

The worst thing about it all is not being able to do anything with my baby. Even the slightest activity gets my blood pressure up so I'm trying to stay laid back on the couch and do a few small things with him here and there. I've had some horrendous headaches the past couple of days so I went to the doctor on Sunday to see what they could do and surely enough, my BP was 180/115. Luckily, they didn't make me go back to the hospital. Instead, they sent me home with 2 new meds to see if they'll help. I had a checkup today and my levels were perfect at about 125/75. I guess the meds helped! However, tonight, I've gotten more headaches and my BP is moderately high again. It's just starting to get very discouraging. Just when we thought we had it fixed, it went bad again. This totally hasn't been my dream of how my first few days and weeks with my baby would be. But, in order for me to not have a seizure or stroke, it's just going to have to be this way. I just pray that it will clear up sometime soon.

Barrett has been a perfect baby so far. He typically only cries when he has a dirty diaper or he's hungry. He's had a few tummy aches here and there but nothing that doesn't pass in a few minutes. He's already taking 3-4 ounces of formula every 3-4 hours. He's a hungry lil guy. Luckily, I have a fantastic husband that has done everything for Barrett and me. He's been so good at getting up with him at night, feeding and changing him, and taking care of me on top of all of it.

Lilly (our dog) has really fallen in love with Barrett. She gets so worried when he makes noises. It's like she thinks something is wrong with him and she wants to fix it. I love watching them together. On a side note, we've had so many nice family and friends bring us food and other stuff as we came home. This has helped a ton! If we didn't have all of this help, we'd be eating McDonald's every night and that's NOT what I need right now. We're so thankful for all of these people! Anyways, I have a checkup on Friday for my blood pressure and Barrett goes back in 2 weeks to see how big he's gotten! We'll update later!