Thursday, August 30, 2007

We Have a Son!

Grandma Glupker with her first grandchild!
Ready to go home!
So alert!
I'm sure you all expected more posts from me since I was put on bedrest. But things got a little busy for me earlier this week.

I went in for my doctor's appointment on Monday to find the results of my lab work and to get an ultrasound done. The ultrasound came back fine, the baby was safe and doing well. My lab work was not fine. My blood pressure was dangerously high (my doctor was concerned about a possible seizure) and I had 9 grams of protein in my urine when only 5 grams is not safe. In addition, my swelling was getting significantly worse. I definatley had preclampsia and my doctor told me to leave his office and go straight to the hospital. Ben started smiling from ear to ear and was giddy with excitement at the thought of having a baby that day. I on the other hand was crying because this was not "the plan." I even told the doctor, "But my hospital tour isn't until Thursday." He replied, "Well, now you can go on Thurday and be the one to give the tour."

I ran home, packed a bag, grabbed a bite to eat (against the doctor's orders) and went to the hospital.

I was admitted shortly before noon on Monday morning and because of my condition had to be hooked up to every monitor you could think of. I had tubes coming out of every hole except my ears! I kept thinking, "But I wanted to labor at home, I wanted this to be as natural as possible. This isn't what I had imagined." I had to have an internal fetal monitor (something I did not want) because the baby's heart rate was so low and needed to be carefully watched. I had to have a catheter because of all the IV's I was hooked up too. I had to have an internal tube pumping fluid to the baby because the doctor was afraid the cord was being pinched since his heartrate was so low. I had to have magnesium sulfate pumped in continuously in an attempt to bring down my blood pressure (which didn't really work), but it also slows down contractions so we had to keep increasing the pitosin to make up for the magnesium sulfate. Then I had to wear a heart monitor and keep an oxygen mask on my face. I looked and felt like a mess! To make matters more uncomfortable, I had to lay on my left side the entire time to try and bring down my blood pressure. I thought I was going to get bed sores. To top it off, I couldn't eat or drink anything. These conditions certainly didn't make labor comfortable. I dialated to a 5 fairly quickly, but got stuck between a 5 and 6 for about 5 hours. The contractions were strong and hard, I just wouldn't dialate. The nurse kept asking me if I wanted pain medication. I kept telling her no (and besides, I wasn't in the mood to talk or answer questions, I just wanted to be left alone). At 11:35 p.m. the nurse checked me and I was barely dialated to a six and the baby's heartrate was dropping very low with each contraction. There was no turning back, the baby had to be delivered. She told me she was going to go talk to the doctor and see if we were going to do a c-section. I was in too much pain to talk, but I prayed I wouldn't have to have a c-section. She left Ben and I alone in the room and I told Ben I needed to push. He said, "You can't. You're only dialated to a 6." I told him it didn't matter, I had to push and he needed to go get somebody. He turned to leave and I said, "Don't leave. I can't be alone." So he stayed and I started pushing. The doctor saw on the monitor what was going on and came running into the room to see what was up. In a matter of about 2 minutes I had gone from a 6 to a 10 and was ready to go! Amen!!!! I started to push and the baby started crowning. Ben stood next to the doctor practicially jumping up and down with excitement. Between pushes I asked the doctor, "Does this mean I don't have to have a c-section?" He smiled, and said, "No, you won't have to have a c-section." Ben kept yelling, "Come on Keller! The head is almost out!" I said, "Ben, I can be pushing for a couple hours. This doesn't mean the head is almost out." My doctor replied, "It's not going to be a couple of hours, it's going to be more like a couple of pushes" to which I responded, "Thank you, God!"

So . . . at 11:35 p.m. I was dialated to a 6 and at 11:54 p.m. a baby boy was born! When he came out I actually told the doctor to be careful and not drop him!

We named him John Owen Glupker which has a lot of meaning behind it. We picked this name back in February. John is after Ben's Dad. John Owen of course was a great Christian theologian who Ben admires. And the name Owen we just like. We are referring to him as Owen - yes - we are going to be like those other odd people who call their child by his middle name. We almost changed his name because it has become so popular in the last several months. When we picked it out we didn't know a single person who had used the name. Now, we know 4 other families who have used the name too. But after he was born we decided we didn't care. It's the name we picked and love and we stuck with it.

He weighed 5 pounds 8 ounces and was 18.5 inches long. He has quite a bit of dark hair and so far has dark blue eyes, but I think they are going to turn brown like his Daddy's. He's a sweetheart and we love him SO much!!!! God has been so good to us! He was born without any trouble even though he was 3.5 weeks early. He's breathing fine, eating well, filling his diapers a lot and seems very content.

Please pray for me as I am still struggling with swelling, high blood pressure, and blurred vision due to the preclampsia. I am still on bedrest for at least 2-3 more weeks. If my vision isn't better by Wednesday I have to see a specialist to check out my eyes. We don't have eye insurance so this is a matter of prayer for us. It is rare, but it's possible that preclampsia can cause permanent eye damage. We know God is in control and He is good - all the time!

21 comments:

Anonymous said...

Brian and I are very excited for your family and we'll definitely be praying for your health, Owen's health and Ben, too (of course!). We're so happy for you and your story is really encouraging to Brian and I.

For the record, people who use their middle name are cool (I use mine)!

Kara said...

That was so exciting! I love to read that stuff!!
When I am done typing this I think I'll read it again.

We'll be praying about your eyes and your blood pressue. How long are John and Debbie staying? I had no idea you were still on bedrest.
I have literally been checking all day for pictures, I can now go to bed in peace.

Unknown said...

CONGRATULATIONS! What a perfectly beautiful baby boy!

I'm sure now that all is said and done, the labor/delivery process wasn't the big deal - the big deal was getting a healthy baby boy as a reward for all your work!

For the record, I'm very impressed that you turned away pain medication. :)

We'll be praying for your health and recovery. Keep us posted!

Matt & Nicki said...

Congratulations!! He is adorable. What an adventure--and to ditto Alicia, I too am impressed that you had no pain meds. I hope you are getting rest and lots of help!

Jenny said...

So many answers to prayer! Congratulations on your beautiful son, and we will keep praying for you!!!

Jenny LaBo said...

Okay so I started crying. I am so happy for you. I will be praying for all of you. God really answers prayers.
Thank you so much for sharing with us.

Katie said...

Congratulations! That's so exciting! And praise the Lord, Owen is doing well 3.5 weeks early! He looks SO tiny to me. Luke was almost twice his size! :) I love his name too. Actually, for 8.5 months of my pregnancy with Luke, we were going to name him John Owen and call him Owen, if the baby was a boy. For some reason, we changed our minds in the last week, and thought of the boy name (Luke)the night before. :) I'm praying for you over these next few weeks - esp. for your eye.

Heather said...

What a cutie! I was so excited when I opened your blog...I had to check to make sure that I opened the right one. I wasn't expecting to see pics of a little baby!

I know it wasn't the way you wanted to have this little one, but I am so thankful that he is healthy. I will pray for your health and strength.

Laurie said...

Congratulations! Owen is beautiful, and I love that name. Glad you didn't have to have a c-section. I will continue to pray for your health.

Kelli said...

Congratulations! John Owen is so handsome! I will be praying for you in the next couple days and weeks as you are still supposed to be resting yet taking care of a newborn. I will be praying for your eye appointment and for the Lord to provide for those financial needs.

Shyla said...

holy smokes girl!! my mouth was wide open the entire time i was reading your post! First, b/c you had a baby already, secondly b/c of all of the hook ups, and thirdly b/c you pushed without the dr! LOL That's awesome!! Congrats on your little Owen!! Nathan and I thought the same about the name but it's not like all of our kids are going to the same school or living near each other! We thought it was a "unique name" too! LOL
We are so excited for you all! I could just picture Ben cheering you on! What a great story!

Atleast you know (lord willing) from now on your labors will only get better!!
Praying for you!
Shy

Anonymous said...

I stumbled across your blog awhile ago and left you a comment when you asked about stretch marks. I have been "secretly" coming to your blog to wait for the announcement of your baby!!! Congrats and though it may not have been the way you planned it, we all know it was God's plan! Your Owen is adorable and in my last comment I told you about my 10+ pound baby ... well, we named him Owen so I can honestly say I LOVE the name you guys have chosen. And when I had him almost 2 years ago, the name was very uncommon. But, that just goes to show what a wonderful name it truly is :) Enjoy your new family and I will be praying for your health! Take care and have fun with Owen!!!

Jennifer

Shannon Smith said...

Congratulations Kelly! I'm so glad that Owen is here safely and is healthy! He looks so tiny! We will be praying for your quick recovery and no more complications.

Unknown said...

Wow-- what a story! I certainly can relate because I had all those tubes sticking out of me and couldn't eat or drink for 29 hours. It was very intense and emotional. Unfortunately, I had to have a C-section (I got stuck at 9 1/2--can you believe it?). I have been praying for you guys ever since I heard what was going on and Naomi told me she thought you guys had gone to the hospital! Isn't it so wonderful and exciting to bring that sweet baby home? Many blessings!

pamela s said...

Praise the Lord for a wonderful gift & answered prayers!! You've got quit a cutie there!! I'm so glad things worked out & WOW!! to no drugs with everything else going on. Great job, Mama!!

the johnson crew said...

oh wow, kelly, he is absolutely adorable. what a cutie. and i LOVE the name owen. - sounds like a rough delivery, but praise the Lord little owen is healthy and you didn't need a c-section. i will be praying for you and for your complications, especially for your eyes.

congratulations.

Genns said...

Ok, so I saw on facebook that you were in love with Owen, and I thought to myself "Why is she in love with Shyla's baby?" Not even thinking that you might have had your own! Then I said "Wait a second...." So I went to your blog and sure enough. So, even though I'm sure it was pretty scary and I don't want any of the complications, I am a little jealous that you are already holding your baby! How selfish is that. I'll be praying for you and your sight!! Praise the Lord everything else went fine and he is healthy.
I can't believe you pushed without the doctor!!! You're amazing.

Carrie said...

Congratulations!!! What a beautiful baby, and a great name, too. I loved reading your birth story--it reminded me so much of my son's birth, although thankfully I didn't have preeclampsia as bad as what you did. Praise the Lord that even though your birth was not quite the experience you had hoped for, that you were able to deliver vaginally and only push a few times!! :) I'll be praying that your swelling/eye issues resolve quickly and that you can get plenty of rest and enjoy these first wonderful weeks of motherhood. :)

Traci said...

Congratulations to you and your family! I am so amazed, because it was about a year ago that you had posted about your condition that you weren't supposed to be able to have children, and now....I have seen God bless you and your husband so much and it is so encouraging to see your prayers being answered! You both will make amazing parents! Oh, and I give you props for not taking any pain medication! I was induced with Andrew and was given pitocin and they said that it causes labor pains to be intensified a lot more! So I was all about the epidural! And I still felt a little bit of the contractions. Anyways, we are so happy for you and your little boy Owen! (I don't know anyone who has that name, btw. :) But I love it!

undergroundcrowds said...

CONGRATULATIONS!
Sorry about the scary ordeal ahead of time, but what an amazing thing to go from 6-10 centimeters so fast. God is good. I'll pray for you.

Pam said...

I just got home, but couldn't wait to congratulate you and Ben on your new son!! What an answer to prayer in so many ways. He is so tiny but so CUTE! I look forward to meeting your cute little son someday.