I'm baaaack!! I could not sit up to post much of anything these past few months because of strict bedrest. I was on bedrest for over 14 weeks-104 days! Every day was worth it. The miracle is that we made it to 36 weeks. I cannot thank you enough for your prayers, cards, calls, and support. We lived on them and they kept my spirits up while I was in bed. We honestly could not have lasted as long if it wasn't for our amazing families who kept us entertained, fed, and down! I am ever grateful for them putting their lives on hold to make sure this Little One grew to be strong. A special thanks to my mom who spent well over 75 days with us and is still hanging in there! We honestly couldn't have lasted as long without the full team!
Here are some pics of our miracle baby. I am excited and honored to introduce Austin Thomas Bard to you. He was born October 3 (I can't believe he is already one week old! at 2:32 pm. He weighed in at a whopping 6 pounds 4 ounces and was 18.5 inches long. So far he is the happiest little guy and we are beyond smitten.
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| Daddy's duds for the OR |
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| Just before heading in to the OR |
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| The moment we met our Miracle! |
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| He has Faith's hands...they are so sweet. |
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| Absolutely smitten and completely in love! |
I knew something was a little different last Sunday. I felt the need to clean things, but also began having some pressure pains. I had been contracting for 3 months and was nervous that I would not know when to go in to the hospital because I had been contracting every 3-10 minutes for such a long time. Talk about a long labor! :) Monday I was due to go to the doctor for a scheduled non-stress test. Mom and I had been going in every other day for monitoring because Austin's heartrate was non-reactive and the resistance of blood flow in his umbilical cord was too high.
As we woke Jackson up to to go school, he complained of his tummy hurting and seemed tired. We decided to keep him home with us. By the time we made it to my doctor's appointment, we knew something was going on with our Jackson. He was puny and not himself. He curled up on mom's shoulder and slept while I was monitored. Austin looked great and I had my usual contractions. I did mention to the nurse that I felt some pressure and, just to be sure, the doctor checked me. One beautiful part of our story is that my OB was on vacation, so our wonderful doctor that delivered Faith was on call! How great God is about weaving our lives into a lovely tapestry! Surprisingly I was 1.5 cm dilated, so we went straight to the hospital. After I saw the doctor we decided that Jackson needed to see his-he just wasn't feeling well and we thought he had a stomach virus or maybe strep throat. We made an appointment for him at 1:40 thinking that would be plenty of time before I went in for my c-section.
God gave me a little more time to myself in the triage room. Shawn hadn't arrived yet and mom had taken Jackson to the doctor. It was such a strange feeling to sit in labor by myself. I thought about Faith and Jackson, prayed for Austin, and treasured the last few moments of being pregnant. Shawn arrived about 12:45 and the nurse came to check on us at 1:25. She let us know then that we would be having Austin at 2:00. We had 35 minutes to get ready-goodness things moved fast. All I could think of at that time was that Jackson would miss it. No one had made it to the hospital...it was just Shawn and I. Funny how God molds situations to be exactly what they need to be.
Austin was born at 2:32 and Shawn stayed with him from the moment he was born. He was even able to give him his first bath! I pulled out of the OR about 3:30 and saw Shawn's parents by the nursery window. I was so sick at that point that I couldn't turn to see Austin, but I realized Jackson wasn't there. Shawn's mom told me that Jackson had pneumonia as they wheeled me off to recovery. The next hour was truly excruciating. I was alone again. All I knew for sure was that my oldest baby was VERY sick and my youngest was hopefully doing alright for coming early...and I could do nothing to help either one of them. Talk about surrendering. They were all in the best hands, but I am their mommy and was with neither of them. Broke my heart. All I could do was pray. Then God sent me a familiar angel. Robin, our labor and delivery nurse from Faith, saw Shawn in the nursery. It was her day off from the hospital and she was teaching students. Her students were assigned to our delivery. She saw Shawn and then came to visit me in recovery. Oh how I cried when I saw her...afraid I might have squeezed her neck a little too hard. She knew us...she knew our girl...she knew our family...and she now knew our Austin. Thank God for angels!! Ms. Robin, you did it again-thank you, thank you!!
I was wheeled into our room about 5 or so Monday evening to a welcoming crowd of dear family and friends. I am so so thankful for everyone who came to meet our miracle baby. I found out that Jackson was doing ok
We spent the next few days enjoying visits from family and friends while we relished every moment with Austin. Yes, we are tired, but there is an overwhelming joy and peace being with him. We are relishing every moment, especially the quiet ones in the wee hours of the morning. I am so thankful for the time God has gifted us with him.
