Mommy and Daddy went to the hospital at 6:30 AM Tuesday the 20th to be induced. The doctor checked her and she was 1 cm dilated, 25% effaced thanks to the contractions over the weekend. Mommy was hooked up and her water was broken at 8:00. Then the pitocin was started. The contractions were 2.5 minutes apart but manageable for a while. Margaret's mom, Matt, and our doula helped her stay focused and she worked through each contraction. They started getting much more intense around noon as she entered active labor. By 1:30, she had had two contractions that went off the chart and stayed off it for a full minute before coming back down. She knew she could get through each one, but she wasn't sure how much longer she could get through them at that point - the pain was so intense.
At about 1:45, the anesthesiologist administered the epidural and it was a life saver. It took about 20 minutes to fully kick in (no one tells you that beforehand!!) and Margaret could still feel the contractions on her left side. She leaned to the left for a while and the pain diminished even though she could still feel each contraction. She was checked at that point and was 5 cm. The doctor said that it could be 5 more hours of labor or that it could take as little as an hour for her to be fully dilated. She talked and laughed through her contractions for about 2 more hours and then she started to feel the contractions again, but much higher in her back. They increased in intensity and were really painful. She started to feel a tiny bit of pressure but didn't mention it because it was so little. When the nurse came to check on her again (about 4:30), she noticed the pain and said that it was time to check her again. Margaret requested that she wait for Matt to come back in the room because he had missed all the internal exams up to that point. He was back in the room in less than a minute and the nurse checked. What do you know, 10 cm. She asked Margaret to lean up and feel the baby's head and she did - he was only about 2-3 inches inside! Matt felt his head and then the nurse had Mom push one time to see what kind of a pusher she was. Walker came down quite a bit, so she said it was time to call the doc - not to sneeze or cough :).
The nurse pulled the mirror up so Margaret could see the birth and Matt ran to the waiting room to tell everyone that it was time to push. The nurse came back from calling the doctor and reported that he was on his way, but it was rush hour traffic and he might be a few minutes. The grandparents all came in the room to wait for the doctor (even though there were only supposed to be 4 visitors in the room and we had 6). He finally arrived at about 5:00 and said, "This lady's born to breed!" Everyone laughed and the excitement was palpable. Margaret and her mom were already crying :). He put his suit on and got everything ready. Margaret pushed 3 times, for about 5 minutes, and watched Walker's head come down farther and farther with each push. After the third push, his head was out and the doctor cleaned his nose and mouth. She gave one more small push to get one shoulder out and then the doctor pulled out his other shoulder. At that point, she asked if she could pull him the rest of the way out and the doc said, "Sure!" She delivered Walker at 5:13 amidst many tears and laughs. His apgar scores were 8 and 9 and he was (and still is) absolutely PERFECT.
After the nurse checked him out and the doctor finished with Margaret (no episiotomy or tearing, just what he called "skid marks"), the nurse brought Walker over to cuddle with Mommy and Daddy and asked everyone else to leave so that we could spend an hour getting to know our little boy without interruption. That hour was so precious as we looked him over and introduced ourselves to him. It's amazing how much love you can feel for someone in such a short time and that that love can grow so much each and every day. Even the stinky diapers are precious to us :). Thinking back on the day when we were shocked by the positive pregnancy test, I can't imagine our lives without Walker. Matt and I look at each other in a completely different light now and our love for each other has really grown tremendously. It's amazing how much one day 9 months ago has changed our lives so completely and so much for the better. We still are in complete shock that he's ours and that we actually made him. Each and every moment with him is a wonderful blessing and we are so SO thankful to have him in our lives.
Margaret
Wednesday, July 28
Tuesday, July 27
Monday, July 26
Saturday, July 24
Thursday, July 22
Wednesday, July 21
Matthew Walker Keithley
Born on 7.20.4 @ 5:13pm
Weighed in at 6lbs 14oz
19 3/4 inches in length
Margaret and Walker are both doing great! Details and photos to come...
matt
Weighed in at 6lbs 14oz
19 3/4 inches in length
Margaret and Walker are both doing great! Details and photos to come...
matt
Sunday, July 18
little man may not wait until the 20th
Margaret and I went out last night for our last "childless" date to the Grate Steak and then to see the 'The Notebook'. In the early minutes of the movie, Margaret started experiencing cramps and contractions. They continued throughout the movie and all night and are still occurring at this time. They are still sporadic and we haven't really timed them yet because we don't want to jinx anything. Margaret said she wouldn't describe them as painful...more like uncomfortable, but at least something is going on. Worse case scenario, they continue as they are or stop but at least we know her body is preparing to deliver the baby vs. being induced when no progress has been made. We will update everyone via the blog should anything significant happen. Have a great one!
matt
matt
Wednesday, July 14
Little Man will be here by NEXT WEEK!
Hi everyone!! Just wanted to give a quick report from the appointment yesterday.
Everything was good - my weight was the same, his heartbeat was strong, and my blood pressure was back down (yeah!). My ankles are still swollen, but I think that's to be expected when the heat index breaks 100.
If I haven't had him by early next week, I will be induced on Tuesday morning. We will be at the hospital at 6:30, so he should be here by Tuesday evening!!! Everything is pretty much ready and we're just waiting for Tuesday to get here at this point.
To help kill time, I had a massage today, I'll have a manicure and pedicure and then lunch with a friend on Friday, and another massage on Monday :). Mom and Enoch are coming up on Monday, and I'm pretty sure that Daddy and Janice will as well.
Please check back with the blog (including comments - only new posts - what Matt and I write - are emailed to everyone) because it is MUCH easier for us to update this once rather than calling everyone we know. We love you all, but I'm afraid we will forget to call someone or that we will be too busy to spread the good news. As soon as we have pictures, they will also be on here.
Margaret
Everything was good - my weight was the same, his heartbeat was strong, and my blood pressure was back down (yeah!). My ankles are still swollen, but I think that's to be expected when the heat index breaks 100.
If I haven't had him by early next week, I will be induced on Tuesday morning. We will be at the hospital at 6:30, so he should be here by Tuesday evening!!! Everything is pretty much ready and we're just waiting for Tuesday to get here at this point.
To help kill time, I had a massage today, I'll have a manicure and pedicure and then lunch with a friend on Friday, and another massage on Monday :). Mom and Enoch are coming up on Monday, and I'm pretty sure that Daddy and Janice will as well.
Please check back with the blog (including comments - only new posts - what Matt and I write - are emailed to everyone) because it is MUCH easier for us to update this once rather than calling everyone we know. We love you all, but I'm afraid we will forget to call someone or that we will be too busy to spread the good news. As soon as we have pictures, they will also be on here.
Margaret
Tuesday, July 13
Dr. appt today!!
Hello everyone - I am taking over the blog as I'm now on maternity leave and have more time to do things like this than Matt does. We have an appt. today at 1:30 and will find out then if this little guy will be making his appearance this week or next. At last week's appt., the doc said that he would induce me this week if I was dilated 2-3 cm. I would PREFER to try and go on my own before next week whether I'm dilated or not, but if my blood pressure is still high, we may be having this baby in the next couple of days. My bag is packed and so is the baby's - Matt still has to get his stuff together, but he should have time to pack it before we go to the hospital whether I'm induced or not.
I stopped gaining weight 2 weeks ago and I'm holding steady at 37 lbs. At least 10 of it is water weight in my swollen ankles, so all in all not too bad. I've still been having Braxton-Hicks contractions, but none of them have been intense enough to bother me. I've also been a little crampy, but it doesn't come and go like early labor pains, so basically nothing worthwhile is going on (that I can tell - we will know more after the appt.). I've also been much more tired lately and have been taking more naps, which the books say is just as likely as my wanting to nest and having tons of energy. His nursery is all ready to go and the house is clean, so I feel ready for him to be here. I did have the urge to clean the deck yesterday (scrubbing it with clorox and a brush to get the mold off), but after thinking of it for a few minutes, I became sleepy and took a nap :).
That's all for now - I'll do a new post when we get back from the doc. Hope everyone has a wonderful day!!!!
I stopped gaining weight 2 weeks ago and I'm holding steady at 37 lbs. At least 10 of it is water weight in my swollen ankles, so all in all not too bad. I've still been having Braxton-Hicks contractions, but none of them have been intense enough to bother me. I've also been a little crampy, but it doesn't come and go like early labor pains, so basically nothing worthwhile is going on (that I can tell - we will know more after the appt.). I've also been much more tired lately and have been taking more naps, which the books say is just as likely as my wanting to nest and having tons of energy. His nursery is all ready to go and the house is clean, so I feel ready for him to be here. I did have the urge to clean the deck yesterday (scrubbing it with clorox and a brush to get the mold off), but after thinking of it for a few minutes, I became sleepy and took a nap :).
That's all for now - I'll do a new post when we get back from the doc. Hope everyone has a wonderful day!!!!
Our Family is DECIDEDLY pro-Bush!
Although I am on maternity leave and should be sleeping late, I felt compelled this morning to respond to a comment made on our post of the George Bush website. Smurf - you know we love you buddy, and I respect that you are interested enough in the future of our country to take a stand. However, I completely disagree with the stand you've taken.
In your comments, you say that Bush has lied to us so many times. In order for someone to lie to someone else, they have to KNOW that the truth is one thing and then say another. In all the investigations, it has never come out that Bush knew 100% without a doubt one thing and told the country something else. Think back to 9/11. Our parents have days that they will always remember where they were and what they were doing (the Kennedy assassination, the attempt on Reagan's life, etc.) - this is ours. I will never forget that day, and while I didn't know anyone personally who died as a result of those cruel acts, the people that committed those horrible crimes stole something from me, my children, and my grandchildren - the feeling that we are safe in our own communities. If our last democrat president had decided to go after the terrorists the first FEW times they attacked our interests (when they bombed the USS Cole for example), this may never have happened. Instead, he was too busy shagging his intern to worry about the state of our nation. He cut military spending, shrugged off attacks on our nation, and set our country up for 9/11. He lied UNDER OATH about his relationship with Monica and he broke a promise he made before God to be faithful to his wife. If you want to talk about liars, you should start with him.
This election isn't about past Presidents though - it's about the future of America and grading our current President on the past four years. During that time, he brought the country together in the greatest show of patriotism that I have seen in my entire life after 9/11. He made key decisions to lessen the financial impact of the attacks on our country, and he vowed to attack the terrorists that did this to us (which, as I said before, is more that can be said for a previous president). Our economy has rebounded and we've already seen a rise in the federal interest rates. More jobs are coming back, and though it has taken a while, we are recovering economically. Under another leader, the attacks on that day could have easily thrown us into another Depression.
Our President fought the terrorists that did this to us, capturing a man who has reigned with terror and committed horrible acts to his own countrymen (and, not to mention, sponsored the terrorist ideals and principles that led to 9/11) and is giving the people in their countries something they tried to take away from us - freedom. He recognizes freedom as a basic human right and sees that our power and wealth as a nation comes with a responsibility to do what we can to ensure that people in other countries enjoy basic human rights. The democrats, on the other hand, see braces for every child and cars for people who never work a day in their lives as basic human rights and they provide these to welfare families while you and I work every day to provide not only for our children, but the many, MANY children had by lazy welfare-recipients across the nation. This to me is egregious and ridiculous and shows the priorities of the democrats - anything for a vote.
As I will become a mother any day now, I have to think of what the world will be like for my son, and what I will teach him every day. If I voted for Kerry/Edwards (the most liberal ticket in the history of the country), I would be telling him that while Mommy and Daddy would never kill one of his unborn siblings, it's okay if his aunt and uncle kill his unborn cousin, or that I'm okay with him one day killing his perfectly healthy unborn child - that it's not possible for God to give us something we don't expect as part of His greater plan, so it's perfectly fine for us to "take care" of anything we don't want to deal with. We would be telling him that, while marriage is a sacred thing to Mommy and Daddy, it's okay if any two other folks really love each other and get married, no matter if they are the same sex - that all the passages in the Bible about marriage and relationships can be applied as needed and ignored other times. In short, a vote for Kerry would be telling him that while we go to church and have sound beliefs and TRY to do what God wants us to do with our lives, we are perfectly fine with others making different choices and that we will SUPPORT those choices. That it's alright if your best friend goes to hell as long as you don't. Basically, we would be teaching him that we are complete hypocrites.
I want my son to have moral fiber. To stand up for his beliefs even if they aren't popular and to do what's right in every situation, even if the right thing isn't the easiest thing. Teaching him to just shut his eyes and ignore things that he knows with every part of his being are wrong and un-Godly will be giving him an extremely weak foundation with which to enter the world. I will not handicap my son in that way.
Southern democrats and really democrats as a whole have been highly vocal for too long now. They are more organized and have greater positive media coverage than conservatives. It is time for the conservatives of America to unite and to speak out against the moral decay that will certainly occur if we allow these two "I'll tell you anything to get your vote" men to run our nation. Let's not repeat Clinton's years - take a stand, show your courage and support for a morally sound USA, and vote Bush/Cheney 2004!
In your comments, you say that Bush has lied to us so many times. In order for someone to lie to someone else, they have to KNOW that the truth is one thing and then say another. In all the investigations, it has never come out that Bush knew 100% without a doubt one thing and told the country something else. Think back to 9/11. Our parents have days that they will always remember where they were and what they were doing (the Kennedy assassination, the attempt on Reagan's life, etc.) - this is ours. I will never forget that day, and while I didn't know anyone personally who died as a result of those cruel acts, the people that committed those horrible crimes stole something from me, my children, and my grandchildren - the feeling that we are safe in our own communities. If our last democrat president had decided to go after the terrorists the first FEW times they attacked our interests (when they bombed the USS Cole for example), this may never have happened. Instead, he was too busy shagging his intern to worry about the state of our nation. He cut military spending, shrugged off attacks on our nation, and set our country up for 9/11. He lied UNDER OATH about his relationship with Monica and he broke a promise he made before God to be faithful to his wife. If you want to talk about liars, you should start with him.
This election isn't about past Presidents though - it's about the future of America and grading our current President on the past four years. During that time, he brought the country together in the greatest show of patriotism that I have seen in my entire life after 9/11. He made key decisions to lessen the financial impact of the attacks on our country, and he vowed to attack the terrorists that did this to us (which, as I said before, is more that can be said for a previous president). Our economy has rebounded and we've already seen a rise in the federal interest rates. More jobs are coming back, and though it has taken a while, we are recovering economically. Under another leader, the attacks on that day could have easily thrown us into another Depression.
Our President fought the terrorists that did this to us, capturing a man who has reigned with terror and committed horrible acts to his own countrymen (and, not to mention, sponsored the terrorist ideals and principles that led to 9/11) and is giving the people in their countries something they tried to take away from us - freedom. He recognizes freedom as a basic human right and sees that our power and wealth as a nation comes with a responsibility to do what we can to ensure that people in other countries enjoy basic human rights. The democrats, on the other hand, see braces for every child and cars for people who never work a day in their lives as basic human rights and they provide these to welfare families while you and I work every day to provide not only for our children, but the many, MANY children had by lazy welfare-recipients across the nation. This to me is egregious and ridiculous and shows the priorities of the democrats - anything for a vote.
As I will become a mother any day now, I have to think of what the world will be like for my son, and what I will teach him every day. If I voted for Kerry/Edwards (the most liberal ticket in the history of the country), I would be telling him that while Mommy and Daddy would never kill one of his unborn siblings, it's okay if his aunt and uncle kill his unborn cousin, or that I'm okay with him one day killing his perfectly healthy unborn child - that it's not possible for God to give us something we don't expect as part of His greater plan, so it's perfectly fine for us to "take care" of anything we don't want to deal with. We would be telling him that, while marriage is a sacred thing to Mommy and Daddy, it's okay if any two other folks really love each other and get married, no matter if they are the same sex - that all the passages in the Bible about marriage and relationships can be applied as needed and ignored other times. In short, a vote for Kerry would be telling him that while we go to church and have sound beliefs and TRY to do what God wants us to do with our lives, we are perfectly fine with others making different choices and that we will SUPPORT those choices. That it's alright if your best friend goes to hell as long as you don't. Basically, we would be teaching him that we are complete hypocrites.
I want my son to have moral fiber. To stand up for his beliefs even if they aren't popular and to do what's right in every situation, even if the right thing isn't the easiest thing. Teaching him to just shut his eyes and ignore things that he knows with every part of his being are wrong and un-Godly will be giving him an extremely weak foundation with which to enter the world. I will not handicap my son in that way.
Southern democrats and really democrats as a whole have been highly vocal for too long now. They are more organized and have greater positive media coverage than conservatives. It is time for the conservatives of America to unite and to speak out against the moral decay that will certainly occur if we allow these two "I'll tell you anything to get your vote" men to run our nation. Let's not repeat Clinton's years - take a stand, show your courage and support for a morally sound USA, and vote Bush/Cheney 2004!
Wednesday, July 7
Thursday, July 1
We're into the final month!
She could go at any time, folks. To be honest, I think he'll be here in less than two weeks but that's just my guess. We're really ready to meet the little man (which is what he's been affectionately referred to these last 8 months).
I apologize for my posting slackness during the month of June. Between work & school time has been of the essence. However, I am going to commit to at least 3 posts a week from now until the baby arrives so everyone can be in the loop as much as possible. Sayonara for now!
I apologize for my posting slackness during the month of June. Between work & school time has been of the essence. However, I am going to commit to at least 3 posts a week from now until the baby arrives so everyone can be in the loop as much as possible. Sayonara for now!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)