hayden emily

I suppose it's time to update the blogosphere on the birth of Hayden Emily Rusco. She is finally here! Last Wednesday I had an appointment at which I nearly blew the blood pressure cuff right off. My doctor came in and scolded me for being so darn predictable and once again being ready to go at 37 weeks. She sent me over to the hospital for monitoring, I had to lay in bed with a monitor on the baby's heartbeat, one for my contractions and a blood pressure cuff that would take a reading every 10-15 minutes. During the time at the hospital my contractions strengthened and my blood pressure kept up enough to set off several alarms. After seeing all of her patients for the day Dr. Yin came in and had me change into a gown, then broke my water. This was it, no turning back!

I got an epidural. I know, it's a controversial choice but let me tell you, it's a necessary one for me and Darren. In order for the two of us to make it through the birthing process, one of us needs drugs to stay coherent... the logical choice would be me. However, Darren also needs me to be calm and at ease so he doesn't get sick... he also needs to keep his eyes averted from all the action. This works for us, we're 3 for 3 with no fainting during delivery.

Hayden stalled a little so I got a pitossin drip. She finally started to make her move around 3am so the doctor was called in. After a few good pushes she was born. We had a really great nurse with us, her name is Natalie. You can see her arms in these pictures as she's working on Hayden. Not only was she very nice and calm she also wore cute scrubs. Way to be stylish, Natalie! (Scrubs can be very ugly!)


So after the clean up, Nanny and Pops came in for their first look at Hayden. What troopers! They endured the discomforts of the hospital waiting room for hours just to be there for the birth. Thanks guys. With all the stuff going on, Darren and I never slept that night. We were up the next morning when Grammy and Papa brought Jason and Cameron to see their new sister.



The rest of that day I spent in and out of consciousness. Darren went home to get some rest. He came back at dinner time for our "Celebration Meal". The hospital likes to fancy up the usual fare for the new parents. We were told that we ate filet mignon, but that's up for debate. I have to say the cheesecake was great, and I even finished Darren's after he left. Throughout the day the nurses monitored my recovery and both my doctor and Hayden's pediatrician were optimistic that we'd go home in the morning. It was not to be! Late that evening I watched my feet and hands swell up and I knew something was wrong.

In the morning Dr. Yin checked in with me again. My blood pressure was still up, even though delivering the baby is supposed to relieve preeclampsia. She said that the swelling and BP proved that induction was the way to go as my body continued to act out what it was planning on doing if we hadn't gotten the baby out. Make sense? Anyway, she agreed to let me go home only if I would continue bedrest, take BP medicine and monitor my BP. I heartily agreed. However, during the night, Hayden's body started to act up also and she had jaundice! Dr. Tedford agreed to let us go home on the condition that we would put her on the bili blanket like we had with the other kids. No problem, we knew the routine. About an hour later my nurse walked in with the bad news. All the bili blankets in the county were already checked out and Dr. Tedford wanted us to stay in the hospital for one more night to use their lights. Right as I got this news Darren walked in and the tears began to flow (mine, not his... the hormones kicked in and I was a mess!). So here we were, Friday morning, ready to go home only to be denied!

This turned out to be a blessing in disguise. The hospital lights are much more powerful than the bili blankets and Hayden was able to knock her biliruben down a point over 24 hours. This also allowed time for her pooper to start working and my milk to come in, a combination that defeats jaundice naturally. It also allowed time for me to start BP meds and for me to get below 140/90. This was Dr. Yin's requirement for me to go home. Darren spent Friday with me and went out to buy lunch at Mondeo... much more appetizing than hospital food. I did eat the hospital dinner, some sort of mystery meat covered in gravy with veggies and a hard roll. By 11pm I was starving so I ventured out to the nurses station to see if they had any snacks. My night nurse was awesome, she pointed me in the right direction and soon I was snacking on bagels, pudding and juice.

In the morning both doctors were happy with our progress so we were both released. I love how the nurses are pulling for you when they know you've been let down. My day nurse hustled through the discharge paperwork so we could get out of there. It's nice when they know you're on your third baby so they can trust you to know what you're doing. Darren drove us home but took us to In-n-Out first for lunch. We picked up the kids at Nanny and Pops' house and I don't think I've ever seen two happier kids. We spent Saturday afternoon at HOME doing nothing but being together and getting to know Hayden.


So far Hayden is perfect. Jason was our first so we panicked at every noise he made. We read the books and were easily discouraged when he didn't conform to their rules. With Cameron, we thought we knew what we were doing and thought we'd be more relaxed. But she proved us wrong and gave us challenges every day. She was a very disgruntled baby, difficult to please. Hayden seems to be a reward of sorts. She just eats, sleeps and poops, no crying "just because". Every cry has a reason and once that problem's solved she just goes back to sleep. We are very happy with the kid's acceptance of her. Jason is a great big brother, very gentle and loving, always available to help. Cameron has adopted a sweet high-pitched voice for talking to Hayden and she loves to share her toys with her sister. So far, so good.

I try my best to rest. It's hard being home and just sitting around when I feel OK. I know that I still need time for my BP to recover, I still have swollen feet and hands. I feel like I need to make up for lost time with the kids because my hospital stay seemed to last a lifetime. But, as I watch them play I know they have moved on and are just glad to have everyone home together. Tonight we start the first of our many Christmas celebrations with family. I need to nap a little because it can be overwhelming. Hayden is here at last and we are a very thankful, happy family!