The Parry's: July 2012

Bostyn Kate Parry

Wednesday June 27, 2012

12:59 AM

5 lbs 15 oz
19 inches long

5 lbs 15 oz

Check out that hair!

Ready to head home!

Who knew that you could ever love someone so much so instantly. We are so in love with our baby girl and very lucky that she made it here safe and sound. Being pregnant with Bostyn was very stressful. At our 20 week ultrasound appointment (February 28, 2012), not only did we find out that we were expecting a baby girl, but we also found out that she had a two vessel umbilical cord. The ultrasound was going great, the doctor said she was looking really good and the only thing left to check was the umbilical cord. I knew something was wrong when the doctor sat there for five minutes without saying a word and just examining the cord from different angles. After what seemed like forever, the doctor finally told us what he had noticed. Bostyn had a two vessel umbilical cord instead of a three vessel umbilical cord; meaning that she was missing an artery in the umbilical cord. Usually the cord has two arteries and one vein and she only had one artery. Our doctor told us not to panic and said that the baby looked very healthy, but he wanted us to get a second opinion from a perinatologist. Our doctor explained that he wanted us to see the specialist to have a second ultrasound completed in order to check all of her organs and make sure things were developing correctly. Our doctor explained that most of the time babies with this type of cord are healthy, but sometimes they can have heart and other organ complications. I instantly started to cry and could not believe that something like this was happening. They set our appointment up with the specialist for two days later.

(March 1, 2012) We had to go to Utah Valley Hospital to see the specialist for the second ultrasound. We were a nervous wreck. The ultrasound was very intense and very detailed. They measured everything on the baby and then the doctor measured everything again to double check. The specialist was great and gave us a lot of information. He told us that the two vessel umbilical cord happens in about 1 of 200 pregnancies and most the time everything is fine. He explained that everything on the ultrasound was actually looking great and very normal, he did not notice anything of concern. He said that he could rule out all of the major heart problems and said that the baby was growing right on schedule. However, he said that there was still a concern and we had to watch the baby more closely. He went on to explain that some babies with a two vessel cord can have chromosomal problems, be stillborn, or be really small. No parent wants to hear these things. He said he didn't see any signs of a chromosomal condition, but it doesn't really show up on an ultrasound. He said that they could test the baby for any chromosomal conditions, but it could cause miscarriage so he didn't advise us to do so. He thought the biggest risk factor could be that the baby would be stillborn or not grow how she should. He recommended that we have another ultrasound at 28 weeks and then again at 34 weeks to check and make sure the baby was developing and growing and then he also wanted to have me go in for non-stress tests starting at week 32 to check the baby's heart and make sure she wasn't under any stress. The specialist reassured us that he did not see any problems with our baby, but he still wanted to keep a close eye on her. We felt a bit overwhelmed, but also more comforted than a few days earlier. It was so good to see our baby and see her strong heart beat. All we could do at this point was hope for the best and no matter what happened we would love and take care of her.

The next four months seemed like we were always at doctor visits, but I loved it. I loved knowing that my baby was strong and that she was growing. The next 2 ultrasounds went really well, our baby was getting so big and always measured perfectly. I started the stress tests and I got to listen to my baby's heartbeat for twenty minutes at a time. She was such a little mover, she was always moving around and the nurse said she was doing great. I felt like everything was going to be okay, but I would not be completely satisfied until my baby made it here safe and sound.

I was 38 weeks and 2 days (June 26, 2012) when I went for my next stress test. We were just about to the end and I was getting so excited and so nervous. Every time that I went and had the stress test done, the nurse would ask me if my baby was moving good. Every time I would usually say great, but this time I felt like she had actually slowed down a bit and was not moving as much. The nurse first did a small ultrasound to check the fluid levels and said they looked great, but she acted kind of funny and never said anything else. She then strapped me up and we listened to the baby's heart for about a half hour and also monitored any contractions that I was having. The baby's heart sounded great and I thought everything was fine and I would be back next week for another test. The nurse and the specialist came back a few minutes later and the doctor asked me if I was ready to have this baby. I instantly started to cry. I don't even know why I started crying, but I felt scared something was wrong with the baby. The doctor said that the baby's heart was beating strong, but that the umbilical cord was around her neck and that they did not want to risk it by sending me home.

I was then admitted to the hospital at 4:30 PM. Aaron was usually with me at my appointments, but this time he had training for work up in Draper so I had to call him and tell him that we were having a baby. The next time we would go home, it wouldn't just be us two anymore. Once I was admitted and changed, the nurse came in to explain that they were going to induce me with the Pitocin and get everything started. Aaron finally showed up and they started the Pitocin around 5:10 PM. Once that was started, my doctor, Dr. Anderson showed up and wanted to break my water to get things moving quicker. He estimated that we would have a baby around three in the morning. I was dilated at about 2cm when he broke my water and the contractions then started getting intense. I could not even believe how women could do this. I was going to wait a bit longer for the epidural, but the contractions were like a minute apart at times and I could not handle it. Once I had the epidural, the rest seemed like a piece of cake. At around 8 PM I was dilated to a 4, then 7cm at around 10 PM. The nurse thought I would be complete in about an hour from then. They checked me again at around 11:20 and I was finally 10cm. My doctor wanted me to wait a bit before starting to push and let the baby work her way down a bit more. I officially started pushing around midnight. We were very anxious to get the baby here. Her heart rate kept dropping when I would push, but luckily she kept recovering so I didn't have to have a c-section. After about eight hours of labor Bostyn Kate Parry arrived at 12:59 AM on Wednesday June 27. She is strong and healthy and is so beautiful. We fell instantly in love. I don't know how we got so lucky, but we are so blessed that everything turned out so perfectly and that we now have this amazing baby girl!

2 days old