Welcome to Our World

On Tuesday, June 17, 2014, our newest bundle of joy, Allison Lynne Rice, surprised us all by deciding to make her grand entrance into the world.  I dedicate the first section of this post to my labor story, so if you don't want to read about that, skip on down to the next section.

One of the best pictures of my pregnant belly,
on Mother's Day, about a month before
Allison was born.

Allison's Birthday

People will say to pregnant women all the time things like, "You don't look like you are going to make it another 3 weeks" or "You look like you are going to pop anytime", but I learned after having Maggie that it was just conversation, or wishful thinking.  Since Carson came 12 days early, I figured Maggie would too.  I was so miserable, swelling, tired, anxious, and so I decided to go ahead and take my maternity leave from work early.  Only Maggie had other plans.  Week after week, I went for checkups, dilated 3cm and having contractions, but never progressing.  At my final checkup, I made the difficult decision to be induced.  Maggie was due March 19, but we scheduled her to arrive March 16th, for many good reasons.  I found peace in my decision when God decided to let me go into labor that morning before we left for the hospital!  When I arrived, the nurse made the comment, "Looks like you started without us."  For that, I was thankful.

This time was a little different.  I did well, did not gain weight as quickly, and had a very similar pregnancy to that with Carson.  However, toward the end I got very miserable again.  No contractions, just swelling and tiredness.  I assumed we would schedule an induction like before.  Dr. Franklin was ready to oblige at my next checkup.  Allison was due June 29th, so we probably would have done it that week.  Everyone else in our lives wanted her to come on June 16th, so that all 3 of our children would have birthdates on the 16th.  Yes, it would have been cool.  But I was convinced she wasn't coming early, since I got burned with that last time.

June 16th passed and there were no contractions.  No signs of labor.  Nothing.  Since I had a checkup the next day, I wanted to go ahead and get the Pack n' Play ready to be used as a bed for the baby, just in case.  We spent that night cleaning it, putting it together, vacuuming, cleaning baseboards, etc.  June 17th was set to be an ordinary, run-of-the-mill day.  I had an appointment with Dr. Franklin in Cullman at 10:00.   I was so convinced this birth would be planned that I had not even finished packing bags for the kids, including food for Carson, but had most things in our hospital bag packed.  At 5:30am, the alarm went off for Marty to get up and ready for work.  I rolled over and tried to go back to sleep.  But I couldn't.  I was hurting, cramping, even.  Were these contractions?  I had not really had any contractions with this pregnancy like I did with Mags.  I grabbed my cell phone and starting timing these cramps.  I told Marty I was hurting and didn't feel well, and that I was timing them to see if they were contractions. 

It was now 6am and he was ready to leave for work.  I begged him, to the point of tears, not to leave me.  I was scared I would need to go to the hospital.  He works in Decatur and would be so far away from Birmingham!  I wanted him to go with me to my checkup.  These were contractions, but slightly irregular, and in a different area of the body than I remembered previously.  I was strangely unsure how long it would be if this was indeed labor.  You think you would know the third time around!  I tried getting up and moving around.  I decided to take a bath and start getting things ready just in case.  Marty chose to stay with me.  I was in so much pain in the bath I couldn't even shave my legs (horror!!!)!  Nothing relieved the pain.  The contractions got more regular and much stronger.  Realizing this was probably "it", we called my mom to come watch the kids.  I ran around the house like a crazy woman, throwing things into suitcases, stopping every 6 to 7 minutes to bend over and brace myself for the painful contractions.  This was happening fast!!!  At 8:00am I called the hospital, and they told me to make my way down and they would be expecting me.  I still wanted to check with Dr. Franklin first, so when I finally got hold of her office, she wanted me to come by.  Cullman is totally out of my way to Birmingham, but I was still in some denial and thought that this could be false labor.  Once we made it to Cullman, I was so miserable, and yet I still had to wait!  I finally told a nurse, "Were you not told I was here due to labor contractions?!" When I eventually made it back and Dr. Franklin checked me, I was dilated 3cm (up from 1cm), and she told us to head on down to the hospital.  It was bittersweet because I knew she would not be delivering this baby. 

Once we made it to the hospital, I was in so much pain I could barely even sign my name, so Marty had to finish signing us in.  Our delivery nurse, Diane, was awesome, such a hoot and very caring.  We were so blessed to have her.  She said Dr. Franklin had called down there about me and told them I was "a live one".  I probably got in that bed and got everything hooked up and started around 11:20am.  Sometime around the 1:00 hour, Diane decided she was going to grab her pb&j for a quick lunch while we waited.  I already had my epidural and I was just hanging out (still extremely uncomfortable).  Then suddenly it happened.  That gush of fluid I have always heard about.  My water broke on its own!  Never happened in any other pregnancy.  And since it was not planned, it went everywhere.  Gross.  I looked over at Marty, and possibly yelled, "My water just broke!  Go get somebody!!!"  So the expectant dad did his duty and opened the door, since we were right in front of the nurses' station, and told someone at the desk.  They went to interrupt poor Diane's 5 minute lunch.

When Diane entered the room and we began discussing the breaking of water, she looked down and said, "Umm...are these your flip flops?  I think they got caught in the crossfire."  Smiling, she picked them up and said, "I think we'll just put them over here."  And we all had a big laugh.  Yuck.

My favorite delivery picture EVER,
because I took it myself!

At 2:14pm, Allison made her very quick entrance into our world.  I had to push longer than with Maggie, but it still happened very quickly.  As Marty started to cut the cord, I realized there was no one left to take a picture, since my mom was keeping Maggie this time around, so I said, "Oh, just hand me the camera, I'll take it!"  The doctor and all the nurses started laughing about how I was trying to be "Supermom" because I am laying on this bed with a freshly delivered baby and I am taking my own pictures.  What else did I have to do?  It was not a big deal.  More laughs ensued.

Allison Lynne weighed 7 pounds and 7 ounces and was 20 inches long.  She weighed exactly one pound less than Maggie at birth, and half a pound more than Carson.  She was beautiful and a picture of health.  Everyone was all smiles.

The Call

The only thing that could dampen the cheerfulness of having a new baby was the looming question:  Did she or didn't she?  Have PKU, that is.  The odds are in favor of not having it, 75%, to be exact.  But 25% possible she could be like big brother.

The way babies are typically diagnosed with PKU is through the newborn screening program, when all baby's have their heel stuck the day after they are born, and which yields results after about a week.  Including the retest, it was 10 days with Carson.  Since we already know we carry that gene, we make a stop over at Children's Hospital after we are released from our maternity/post partum stay.  That way, we can get the results the next day or two, just a few days after birth.  It is helpful to know as soon as possible in case the treatment diet needs to be started.

With Maggie, Alicia from our clinic made the call, giving me the happy news that she was PKU-free.
This time, Alicia made the call again.  I was sitting on the couch, home alone with baby Allison.  Marty and Allen had taken my two big kids to Dodge City for haircuts.  Of all times, I had to be alone!  It was indeed "The Call"; Allison's blood phe was over 7, so she did indeed have PKU.

I tried not to cry, but of course ended up sobbing.  It wasn't like Alicia had never seen or heard me cry before.  But I still get embarrassed.  I debated whether I should wait until Marty got home or call him right away.  The decision I made was based on Allison's need for immediate treatment; the sooner, the better.  I needed Marty to go to UAB and pick up the special protein and non-protein formulas for Allison to start that day.  It was very difficult to handle.



That afternoon, after Marty had returned from UAB,
we stood out on the front porch talking, and this
appeared in the sky.  God was reminding me of His promises,
assuring me that everything was going to be just fine.

How to Deal

No matter how many times you say, "At least you know what to do", it doesn't make it better.  No one ever wants to hear there is something, anything at all, wrong with their child.  Allison and Carson are both beautiful and very healthy children, but if they want to stay that way and be at their best, they are sentenced to a lifetime of a very strict diet, and all that comes with it.  It might be a difficult road ahead for them, as they grow up and try to become independent and take care of the diet themselves, and battle peer pressure.  I hope to raise them both to be strong and disciplined and not feel like it is a burden.  Turn your burdens into blessings.  Be a blessing to someone else.

One thing is for sure:  I am so glad they have each other.  I am so thankful that Carson is not alone in the family anymore.  I am grateful he has a friend in Noah, who will be someone his own age and gender he can relate to.  But I am also glad that he and Allison can share a special bond at home.  They might even take care of each other when they get older, which would be a huge relief for me.  I sure hope it plays out that way.

I am also blessed to have a friend in Jackee, who I can talk to about raising two children with PKU, an older boy and a younger girl as well!  And I am especially thankful for Noah's mom, Julie, who has become such a dear friend and supporter whom I could not live without.  God could not have orchestrated these happenings any more perfectly than He did.  We are surrounded by friends and family, loved ones who care and show empathy and compassion, who are willing to help out as well as be an encouragement.  I have never been so happy.  I have a blessed life.

Allison, welcome to our world.  Our crazy circus, our wild ride, our PKU Life, our VERY BLESSED, HAPPY LIFE.  Praise God!