April 16- Kedzie Keegan

Well, Keegan is here! I need to type this all up before I forget since I'm not at home with his book. Here's a little novel to remember...

I went to bed Monday and everything seemed perfectly normal- exhausted, little low movements, nothing new. I woke up around 2:30 to pee like normal but lost all my water when I stood up. I changed into new pajamas and shoes and woke Kedzie up, hoping it wasn't my water but knew it was the only thing it could be. We got to the hospital quickly- we always said how nice it was to be so close to home when I went into labor or for Kedzie to come and go while Keegan and I were there. Ha! If only...
They checked me in quickly (only asking if I was an organ donor or had advanced directives! Thanks KRMC. That's reassuring.) The nurse, a sister-in-law of a first grade teacher at my school, tested the fluid. It was 99% amniotic. That's when everything went nuts. She called the doctor, started an IV (her helper did it...sticking me twice and fishing around for a vein,) and giving me a steroid shot for his little lungs. Dr. Taylor finally got there and said I was in active labor- dilated to a 3 and 90% effaced. Since I was only 33 weeks I would be flown to Phoenix. Kingman doesn't deliver until 36 weeks. My legs started shaking uncontrollably and I asked him to please send me to Las Vegas. I couldn't imagine being in a town I didn't know so far away from family...and Kedzie trying to drive there on his own.
Mom talked to her friend in L&D at Sunrise and Dr. Taylor got them to accept me there. Whew! Definitely one of the biggest blessings of the day. Kedzie grabbed the dogs, carseat, and random clothes and headed to Vegas. I got there via helicopter. Considering the wind we'd had lately it wasn't a bad ride. One bad turbulence jump and we got to Sunrise. It was a pretty decent view and helped me focus on that instead of losing it completely.
Mom, Dad, and Kedzie got there about 20 minutes after I did. Then we sat. I got magnesium started in Kingman and stayed on that and antibiotics for the rest of the day. The plan was to give me another steroid shot 24 hours after the first one, at 3 am. Around noon I started feeling contractions. They were pretty regular, about 4-5 minutes apart and 30 seconds long. We told the nurse and she just said it was an irritable uterus. Right. Very irritable. They just continued through the day. Longer apart but about 1 minute long. They weren't showing up on the blasted machine! The sensor was on top of my belly but everything I've ever felt with Keegan was super low. 6:00-ish she decided to check me since the still leaking water had more blood. The doctor came in and said we're having him now! :) I was dilated to 6 and 100% effaced. My legs started shaking again and chaos started. I just got to lay there but everyone else started packing and moving me down the hall. The labor nurse was super helpful and the room was frigid. Keegan's little warmer was there, and a footprint card and tiny little hat :)
Shortly after we got settled the anesthesiologist came in...right before he went home. And luckily we got him. He was great. Mom and Kedzie were super impressed and I went numb as soon as he finished--very strange but I calmed down instantly and stopped shaking. The nurse was great helping me stay still while he did it.
I remember watching parts of 2 episodes of Big Bang Theory and looking for something else to watch when a new nurse came in (we seemed to do everything this morning and night at shift change) She started looking at contractions and said we were ready to go. Keegan's heartbeat had stayed steady all day, luckily. He's a strong little guy.
Dad gave me a blessing and shortly after the nurse started watching for contractions and I was trying to feel for the pressure to push. She had to tell me for awhile, they finally got stronger. Kedzie and mom helped with my legs. I want to say she had me push 5 different times? She did them to a (SLOW!) count to 10 in groups of 3. We got close enough that she got the doctor and NICU team from the hallway. I had the biggest push urge yet and all the sudden Keegan was here! It was 8:33 pm and he was 4 lbs 13 oz and 18 inches long. Definitely didn't look like a premature little guy. Kedzie said he came out with his arms up to his face like a little fighter. The doctor held him up for me, he stayed for a few seconds while they sucked out his mouth and everything and then he started screaming. Such great little lungs for 33 weeks! It was the best thing to ever hear. They got him cleaned up and calmed down. Kedzie cut his cord and they brought him to me for a minute, then he and Kedzie left to the NICU. I got a few stitches on the side but then everyone was gone and it was calm again, just the nurse and mom. Dad had gone out to talk to Grandma, Lori, Whitney, Jerad, and Karlin and show them a picture... I'll get them up when we get home and I can load it all on the computer. My poor little phone is getting loaded down.
Eventually, they moved me upstairs to the postpartum rooms and put me in bed...I thought I was going to NICU! So, we got back in the wheelchair and finally went downstairs to see my little boy.
We walked all the way down the pod, he's in 2004-the last one and furthest from the door. I saw my little guy laying there all stretched out and growling away. He was breathing on his own but working hard and grumbling the whole time. Going back to my room was hard, the rooms on either side had crying babies the whole time I was there. But, he was content and comfortable and safe downstairs. Kedzie and I passed out as soon as we finally laid down, 23 hours after we started this whole crazy day.