Dade is here!

I feel as if I fell off the face of the earth. I have so much to update our friends and family on.. I *ALMOST* don't know where to start.....

*Excuse the typos and this is a warning...a labor and birth story follow...the may be too much information shared!*

I will start with: We have a baby!

Dade Olin was born Friday June 21st weighing 6lbs 3 oz and measuring 19 1/2 inches long. I could go on and on about what a great newborn he is--he eats and sleeps like a champ and I feel spoiled because of how much sleep I am getting! Since I'm starting with this I will share the story---

The last several weeks of pregnancy were great. We finished packing, moving and got settled fairly easy. I started seeing my OB here in Medford the second week of May and was so happy with the choice we made for me to finish out my pregnancy here. Because of my blood pressure I was having weekly ultrasounds to watch babies growth and the fluid levels. During a few of these ultrasounds it was noted that Dades right kidney was enlarged. We were assured that it would most likely work it's self out and that it is actually fairly common with boys in-utero. It was something they would keep their eye on and that the pediatrician would need to know but that there was nothing to be done until he was born. Also, around week 35 my fluid levels started to significantly drop. I was now being seen twice a week to keep an eye on my fluid but managed to keep it at a decent level with lots of rest and tons and tons of water! On Monday June 17th I went in for my 37 week check up (technically I was only 36 weeks and 5 days). Dr checked to see if I was making any progress or showing any signs of labor...I was only dilated to 1.5 and to say I was disappointed would be an understatement. He went ahead and stretched my cervix and sent my on my way with instructions to give the little guy his eviction notice. With my blood pressure issues, low fluid levels and the babies enlarged kidney it was time for him to make his way into the world. I left the office cramping and having mild contractions....this lasted for four days!!!!

Thursday June 20th we hosted a carnival for the kids and some friends. The boys had a blast but I was so tired. I hadn't slept the two nights before and woke with a terrible headache. I was definitely still cramping a losing tiny bits of my mucus plug but definitely nothing notable. That evening the boys and rode with Lorie out to Lake Selmac to drop the motor-home off for my sister-in-law. I was definitely having mild contractions but they weren't much different than what I had been having all week long. When we got home I tucked my munchkins into bed and got ready for bed myself. I noticed that I had lost my whole mucus plug and did a small little dance. I was glad that the contractions I was having were actually making headway. I knew that you could lose your plug weeks before baby comes so going into full blown labor wasn't something I was expecting.

Friday June 21st I woke at 1 am with contractions about 5-7 minutes apart. I timed them for just over and hour. At about 2:30 I called Cole to let him know that I thought this was it and that he might want to think about getting ready and heading our way if he wanted to come home to be with us. Cameron woke around 3 to pee and when standing up to help him to the bathroom I felt a tiny drizzle and thought that I could possibly be leaking fluid. I didn't think to much of it and went ahead and went back to bed. Cole and I talked a few more times and around 5 am I started timing my contractions again. Now they were coming about every 4 minutes. I knew at that point that this was it and that I would be spending my day at the hospital. After feeding the kids breakfast and gathering the last minute hospital bag things I made my way to the hospital per doctors orders! I checked in right at 10 am and was hooked to the monitors immediately. Upon checking, I was still only 1.5 cm but I was leaking fluid so they had to keep me. At 2 the nurse checked me again and I was dilated to 3 cm.

I sat back and relaxed as much as possible while contracting every two minutes...the nurse had told me that before being discharged with baby in the next 24-48 hrs I would have to have watched two different videos. So I went ahead and watched those two videos to get a head start on discharge (being a third-time mom I knew that I wanted out of there as fast as I could once baby arrived). At about 3




pm the nurse came back in to start my IV per doctors orders....by this time the contractions had moved down my legs and I was becoming VERY uncomfortable. I asked if I could go ahead and take advantage of the jetted tub for a while and was told that we'd wait on the IV and take care of that after I was done in the tub. I was in the tub for about 40 minutes when my water broke all the way! *Side note: I've never experienced my water breaking....the doctor has had to break my water during labor with both Cameron and Joshua! So this was a very new experience for me!* Once my water broke I felt as if I wasn't getting any relief during contractions...before they were every two minutes and painful but after they were every two minutes lasting about 1.5 minutes and terribly painful...I knew to expect this and it was with-in about 20 minutes of my water breaking that I asked to be checked again so that I could go ahead and get my epidural. I had discussed with the nurse previously that I wanted to TRY to do with out the epidural but that if the time came and I wanted it then I wanted it! Upon checking I was dilated to 6 cm. I had the most amazing nurse...she gave me the option of getting out of the tub, getting my IV and then getting the epidural....but she KNEW that I could do this and just had a feeling that I was going to fly through the last 4 cm. The thought of getting out of the tub was terrifying so I decided to keep going and see what happens. Within 20 minutes I felt the pressure to push! She checked me again and I was 8-9 cm.

Because I had gone through those last few cm so fast the room wasn't ready to have a baby delivered in :) After checking me the nurse told me I had could wait through two more contractions in the tub but after those two I had to get out. It was then that the on call doctor came in to meet me. He'd be the one delivering the babe and wanted to introduce himself. It was perfect timing, although he didn't know that, as he was able to help get the room set up. I believe I had four more contractions in the tub, stood up and had another, walked to the bed as fast as I could because I was pretty sure the baby was going to fall out on the bathroom floor if I didn't get in bed fast enough....once in bed I dialed Cole's cellphone number (he was stuck in traffic outside of Tacoma) and put it on speakerphone...and then informed the Doctor that if I didn't push I wasn't going to be able to stop the baby from coming on his own...Two minutes later and a total of 1.5 pushes and I was holding my little guy! Cole was on the phone the whole time and his mom was giving him the play by play! Dade came so fast that his skull compacted onto it's self...the different plates overlapped. I was able to hold him for quite a while before they took him to weigh him. He was covered in vernix being only 37 weeks gestation.

Dade Olin 6lbs 3oz 19.5 in long

Once things were cleaned up, I was up moving around pretty quickly! I felt great and was so glad I didn't have to recover from an epidural! The nurse never had a chance to put in the IV before I delivered which posed a problem when it came time to control the bleeding. Being my third baby, I was at higher risk of hemorrhaging. After delivery the doctor order cytotek to help keep the bleeding under control and the nurse was under strict advisement to keep on eye on me. I was blessed with a couple of great nurses....at about 7:30 pm my nurse noticed that my uterus wasn't contracting like it should and was actually filling with blood. She asked me to get up so that I could empty my bladder as that would allow the uterus to release as well. Upon standing I was very dizzy, had to take a minute to catch my breath. I sat in the bathroom and proceeded to pass out. I had passed a clot the size of a football and was most definitely hemorrhaging. I was wheeled back to bed in a wheel chair and given a shot of pitocin to help control the bleeding. At this point, my IV was still not in but the nurse took care of that right away in case the bleeding didn't slow! Slowly it did slow and the IV wasn't needed!

Cole arrived right around 11:30 pm and was able to meet our little guy! Dade is the most laid back easy going baby I've ever met. He eats, sleeps and poops and rarely cries. We had a few minor issues that have all been resolved and he's as healthy as can be! I feel blessed to be getting several hours of sleep each night and to have a baby who actually sleeps during the day too! Breastfeeding came naturally to him which was also a blessing!

Sweet boy loves to sleep

Cameron loves being a big brother and is a natural!

Being that I'm 4 weeks late posting this I can tell you that he now weighs 7lbs 5oz and his sweet little cheeks have started to fill out! He's still a great eater and sleeper and still rarely cries. The big boys LOVE him and can't get enough of him. He's so laid back that I haven't even pulled out the swing and bouncer for him yet because he's content with out being held. The longest stretch we've gone at night was 8 hrs. He's averaging about 5 hrs a stretch at night and takes a solid 3 hr nap in the middle of the day with a 2 hr morning nap and a 2 hr evening nap. He spend quite a bit of time awake in the mornings and evenings. I love my moby wrap and so does he!

Mr Dade in a milk comma...4 weeks old!

Cole blessed Dade on July 14, 2013