Mason Davis Birth Story

Well most of you know that Mason is HERE!!! He was born on Wednesday October 1st at 4:52pm at 36 weeks and 5 days. He came a little bit early and this is his birth story......

Over these past few months we have had our scares with preterm labor multiple times as well as other mishaps. I was put on procardia with is a medicine that helps with contractions. When I hit 36 weeks, which is a miracle in itself, I was taken off the medicine. Shortly after the contractions got stronger and I just had a gut feeling it was coming soon. On the night of September 30th I was having pretty consistent contractions and a couple of weird feeling ones I haven't felt before... I just chalked it up to coming off the medicine and finally went to sleep. At 12:30am on October 1st, I woke up to an upset stomach and just not feeling right. I was nauseous and it wasn't shortly after until my body was clearing out it's system. I was throwing up and had diarrhea. Within a few minutes of that the strong consistent contractions every 2 or 3 minutes started coming. Patrick decided it was time to go in because last time I got sick they had to give me fluids because of dehydration.. So we thought it was better safe than sorry. I got to the hospital at about 1:30am and the contractions were still coming. Each one was getting stronger and I just knew this was it. Mason was breech so there was no way I could have him naturally so that meant cesarean section which I was not to happy about.

We saw doctors after doctors.... students after students..... and residents after residents..... That is the only thing I do not like about our hospital. Too many cooks in the kitchen. Anyways...... I was not dilated because he was breech and his head wasn't pushing on my cervix to dilate me. So the "doctors" continued to say I wasn't in labor. We hit all the bad times at the hospital; shift changes, lunch, and rounds for the doctors. So there were times where I wouldn't see anyone for hours. At one point my contractions were a 10 out of 10 on the pain scale. I was literally shaking and crying because of the pain but because "I wasn't dilating" they were not going to do anything. At the shift change in the morning from night shift to day shift I didn't see a doctor for at least 4 hours and that was when the hardest contractions were hitting. They came in and gave me morphine which I wasn't happy about either.... At this point I wanted to try anything. I was so weak from the contractions and pain I couldn't even stand up. I had been having strong contractions for at least 6 hours. The medicine kicked in and I was able to get a little rest. I could still feel the contractions but they were not as strong.

We finally called family at about 5am. Mom, Nannie, and Kayley jumped in the car and rushed here. I kept telling them not to come but there was no stopping them. At about lunch time they arrived and the residents kept saying they were wanting to send me home. I was refusing I just knew something was different. All I had ate in about 18 hours were ice chips. I was so weak I could barely walk to the bathroom. Finally convinced them to give me a little food and after two bites it came right back up. I was miserable and the morphine was starting to wear off.  At this point I was getting ill. I was tired of the residents telling me I was ok and wanting to send me home. I was getting very rude and I believe it was completely deserved. Mom noticed how hot I was and I noticed I was tactycardic at about 150 bpm. I was running a temperature at 101.9 and Mason's heart rate was in the 180s which is entirely too high. FINALLY I got doctors to listen to me. Who knows how long I was running the temperature and our heart rates were high for a few hours. I finally demanded to speak to MY doctor and he was able to stop by. Dr. Ray is amazing. He will listen to you and your concerns and will explain everything. I wish he was there from the start.

Dr. Ray came in at about 3:30pm and starting to discuss our options. He believed I had an infection in the amniotic sac and that was why I was running a temp and our heart rates were high. He thinks that is what threw me into labor and agreed that I was not going to dilate because he was breech. At this point I knew I had to have a csection. He didn't believe it was safe for either of us to wait at this point so we were going to have an emergency csection. He knew Mason was in stress and didn't want to take the chance to "wait and see what happens." That is why I love Dr. Ray. He will do anything to ensure the safety of his patients. So within 30 minutes we were having a csection.

At this point I broke down. I knew a csection was the safest but it was still so emotional. I guess I was just wore out from labor. I had a good cry for about 5 minutes and Dr. Ray hugged me and promised everything would be fine. We signed all the paperwork and off we went. I had a spinal and that literally scared the crap out of me. The doctor said I did great and the spinal took well. Patrick was in the delivery room with me and helped me through it. The csection wasn't that bad. All that I felt was pressure from them operating and the worst part was my arms shaking. They kept saying that's normal but it was the worst part. It was uncontrollable. Dr. Ray was able to do the surgery himself and it was a blessing in itself. They kept it light hearted during the surgery. They were cracking jokes and asking the students questions. I let a couple of students view their first csection. The funny part was he asked them a question and I knew the answer. ahahah

At 4:52pm on Wednesday October 1st Dr. Ray said "hey big daddy look at this." Patrick stood up and said "HOLY SHIT!" LOL He was able to see Dr. Ray pulling Mason out of my tummy!!! Mason was born the exact time during the day that I was born. So I believe it was fate. He didn't cry at first and they had to incubate him. When I heart that first innocent sweet little cry it was like music to my ears. That was the first time in my life that I have cried happy tears. They told me everything was fine but they wanted to check him out at the NICU. After surgery Patrick and Mom went to NICU to see him. I got to see a few pictures of him from them but until my temperature went down I wasn't able to see my little baby. At this point I was so delirious from the medicine and surgery I passed out.

Within the next day they got my temperature down and they were able to take him off the breathing tube. He was only incubated for about 5 or 6 hours and that was a blessing. I was able to see him the next day and he was so pitiful hooked up to all the IVs and monitors. We made tons of trips down to the NICU to see him over the next few days and I was able to breastfeed him. He latched on great and the nurses were amazing. I had to stay on antibiotics for three days and so did he.

Dr. Ray came in to talk to us a few times after delivery. They sent off the placenta to check for infection and it came back positive. I had chorioamnionitis which is an infection in the amniotic fluid. If Dr. Ray did not take him when he did, our birth story could have been entirely different so for that I am thankful and blessed. Dr. Ray said that Mason was literally stuck in my pelvis. His little bum was wedged so far in there that there was no way he could turn. He said I was just too little for Mason to have room to turn. His legs were literally pinned up at his head. Poor little guy just didn't have room. I don't know if I would have made it another month to my due date. He would have really been in stress.

We were finally able to be sent home Saturday after only 3 days in the NICU. We are truly blessed to have only a short stay for both of us. For me the recovery has been hard. Dr. Ray said my uterus was so thin because of all the contractions I have had that Mason ripped it coming out of me. I was told I have been moving good but I don't have anything to compare it too. The first night home was hard. I was too scared to sleep and was afraid something would happen to him. I literally just watched him all night. I was beyond exhausted. The second night was a little better and by the third I was able to sleep in two hour increments to feed him. It's now 10 days out and we are doing better. I'm slowly getting the hang of things.

We have been pooped on, peed on, and puked on.... LOL  I guess it comes with the territory but we are truly blessed. I can't believe our little Mason is here already and doing great! I'm still breastfeeding and he's eating a ton. On a funny note I finally have boobs. LOL  Patrick is an amazing father and I fall in love with him more everyday after watching him with Mason. Marley has done great! She was so concerned with Mason when we brought him home. She just kept smelling him and checking on him. Every time he would whimper or cry she would run over to check on him. She is such a good big sister and is so gentle with him. Well that is it. I think that is our birth story and I can't wait to start our little traditions as a family.

Love,
Jasmine

Breaking out of the hospital with a grin!!

34 weeks

Wow! It's been a few since I updated. Totally my fault and there has been so many things that have happened.  To start off we had our baby shower and I must say we are beyond blessed at how many people came to celebrate with us. They were all so generous and Mr. Mason has plenty for when he arrives. I never knew one little teeny tiny baby could have so much stuff! haha I think Patrick is a little overwhelmed and I'm just a little too excited. ha.

To start off I was a little nervous if my doctor would let me go to the baby shower or not. He said I'm the only one of his patients that are traveling this much during pregnancy. Plus he is out of office to mid-sept for surgery, so I was a little nervous about him not being there if I needed him. BUTTT his wife is also an OBGYN at that office so I was able to see her while he's away. They both are amazing and great doctors. She gave me the go ahead to travel.

Traveling was hard. Not going to lie. I don't think I will ever want to do that again. I was having contractions at one point that were very painful not just your everyday braxton hicks. I didn't get to do much while there.. We traveled up on Thursday and I spent the whole day Friday recovering. Our baby shower was Saturday and I was beyond wore out. The Monday trip home was horrendous. Our car was packed to the max and that didn't leave much room for Marley or Me to stretch out. That was when the contractions started to scare me a little. I could just imagine going into labor on the side of the road 3 or 4 hours away from my doctor. It took me a good 3 days to feel somewhat "normal" again.

We had our first "baby class" and Patrick was hilarious. They showed a birth video and all the husbands' faces were priceless! hah We have offically received everything we need for the baby. That includes stroller, carseat, bassinett, pack and plays, diapers, clothes......etc...... I even got to order some wraps for babywearing. If you don't know what that is, you definitely need to look it up... I can't wait to babywear Mr. Mason like a boss!

So fast forward to now... I'm 34 weeks today!!! I also had a doc appointment this week. She checked me and said I was 1cm dilated so it's a start. She was also worried about me thinning with all the bad contractions lately so she sent me for an ultrasound.  Mason weighed in at 4 lbs and 11 oz!! He's getting so big!! I was about 25% effaced which was OK... The ultrasound tech scared me at first saying 50% effaced but after the doc reviewed it I guess it wasn't that bad. So I go off my contraction medicine in about two weeks and if I had to guess I will go pretty soon after that. Even on the medicine now I am still having them every 20 mins with some really painful ones every now and then. If I can make it to 37 weeks, which is in 3 more weeks, I will be happy. Doctor was happy that I have made it this far with as many contractions as I am having. I can't believe in about a month we will have a baby!!! OMG. so exciting!!!

I have my good days and bad. Some days I'm so miserable I cry for no reason. Those days are miserable. He ends up kicking my sciatic nerve and my nether regions which just plain HURTS. Then some days I feel better. It comes and goes. He is also transverse right now.. and I can't seem to get him to turn. I have tried all the tricks so I hope our little stubborn boy will turn head down soon. I really don't want a c section if I can help it.  So for now I'm just chugging along and making a baby! I will leave you with some cute 3D pics I got from the ultrasound and the mandatory bump shots!

OHHHH and he has hair!!! I hope he comes out with a head of jet black hair!

32 weeks

33.5 weeks

Ohhhh and Marley has started doing this!! teeeheeee

2-3 min apart

Well I had another trip to L&D yesterday. I was having contractions about 20 min apart yesterday morning... Then by lunch they were about 10 min apart so I decided it was time to go in. I'm 29 weeks TODAY so it is way too soon for me to have this baby. If there was any chance that they could stop labor before it was too late, I was going to go in. So I get there and they hook me up to the monitors. They decided I'm NOT dehydrated so it was not lack of fluids causing the contractions. They did all the checks and can't seem to figure out why they are continuing. I got an IV for precaution and continued to be monitored for another 7 hours or so. For a while they progressed to 2 -3 minutes apart and it was something we definitely needed to stop. The good news is that they weren't productive, which means that they were not making me dilate. BUT BUT BUT if we did not get them under control they could progress into labor. Shew this baby is going to be the death of me already or at least cause some gray hairs. LOL

So they gave me some medicine to stop the contractions and sent me home with orders to come into ultrasound today to measure everything. I just got back from my ultrasound and it couldn't have been better news. I am not dilating and my cervix is not shortening which is the best news I could receive. Apparently, I have an irritable uterus which the doctor said it partially due to my size. So hopefully the procardia will calm the contractions and I can actually make it to my baby shower.

The baby is also perfect. He is weighing in at 2 lbs and 15 oz, just 1 ounce shy of 3 lbs. He is in the 52 percentile which is perfect. He was moving around and looking adorable. He is transverse which is head up. His feet is also at the top of his head and is hilarious. He has some LONG legs. Out of all this mess at least I get some great pictures!!! He kept his feet, hands, and the cord in his face. He was being a little stubborn today.

28 weeks and another L&D visit

Well I had another doctor appointment yesterday and I was hoping for just a normal visit. A few days before my appointment I had a little tummy ache and a round of contractions again. I was able to take Tylenol and lay down which seemed to work. At the appointment my heart rate was 124 resting which is really high for me.. it's usually in the 80s or 90s. The baby's heart rate was also a little high too. So after he found that out plus my trouble the few days before he thought I was tachycardic(sp?) and send me straight to Labor and Delivery to get an IV to check everything.   They thought I was a little dehydrated AGAIN even though I drink almost a gallon of water a day. He told me that if you get sick with tummy problems and diarrhea that no matter how much you drink it's hard for a pregnant lady to get caught up on hydration. Note to self: make sure to tell them if you ever have that again.  So I go through two bags of saline through an IV and they run multiple tests to check everything. Our heart rates were finally starting to slow back down. Thank GOODNESS. Then they check my cervix and run the fFn test.

"Fetal fibronectin (also known as fFN) is a “glue-like” protein that bonds your developing baby to your uterus. Fetal fibronectin is detectable in vaginal secretions in the very beginning of pregnancy, when this bond is first forming, and then again at the end of pregnancy, when your body is getting ready to deliver your baby. fFN is a special protein that literally holds your baby in place in the womb. After the 35th week of pregnancy, it begins to break down naturally, and is detectable. If your body is getting ready to give birth prematurely, fFN may be detected before week 35." - ffntest.com

Well I tested positive for the fFn test which means I could possibly go into labor in the next few weeks, but it also has a high rate of false positives.. So right now it's give or take. I am also a finger tip dilated which right now is ok, but it does mean I'm starting to dilate. They also did an ultrasound to check the little booger and everything was ok. He was moving around as usual. Right now he is head up and kicking my bladder to death.

I was sent home with specific instructions to rest and do not do anything. No lifting. No anything. If there is any changes I am to immediately head back to L&D. This morning I lost my mucus plug. I can't seem to catch a break. I called L&D back immediately and they said if I start bleeding, leaking amniotic fluid, or having contractions to come back. So right now I'm just hoping and praying that it regenerates itself and I'm ok at least for a few more weeks. I keep telling Mason I know he's hyper and excited to come out but he has to stay in for at least another month or so.

On a funny note...... My family finds more pleasure in seeing how much I gained at doctors appointments than anything else. As soon as they find out I'm going to the doctor, they ALWAYS remind me to tell them how much I've gained..sheesh  which this appointment I gained 4 lbs in two weeks. So that's put me at gaining about 16 lbs so far for this pregnancy.

We also found out that we are PCSing to Fort Irwin, California at the beginning of next year. It's going to be a huge move and the most distance I have ever lived from home. I think it will be fun. We will be there 2 to 3 years and I hope to build up my photography business there. I still plan on making trips back to VA and photographing clients there also every so often! After all I do have a mobile photography business!

So please keep praying for us and we can make it a little further.

27 weeks looking presentable lol

28 weeks and gained 4 lbs in two weeks

Marley and Daddy ready to meet mason lol

".... i'll be happy...."

"I'll be happy if you make it to 34 weeks." That is what I heard from my doctor today. :/ SO I'm not sure what to think. This was the first visit since I went to Labor and Delivery and was anxious to see what the doctor said. When I went to L&D I ended up seeing my regular OB's wife so that worked out perfect. Apparently she's an OBGYN too and she just relayed all my info to him. So he was a little concerned with me having contractions this early. He said girls my size usually end up going early anyway because it's like a survival instinct of our bodies to prevent the babies from getting too big to deliver. BUT he said that with being small and having contractions that he would be happy if I make it to 34 weeks. YIKES! I had a feeling I would go early but not this early.  So I'm hoping and praying I can make it to 34 weeks which is mid-September. I would be even more happy if I could make it to 36. So that is two months from now.

Also I got surprised with the Glucose test this morning. Didn't know I was going to do that today so that was fun. I kind of had to laugh because after the test I asked the doc........"does it matter if I ate two bacon biscuits and jelly this morning?!?!?" Don't judge. Momma was hungry haha He just busted out laughing. So if I fail it I will blame it on the biscuits hah. I also gained another 2 lbs in two weeks. I will just contribute it to the biscuits too.

So keep us in your thoughts and prayers! Until next time...

oh and i gotta post my favorite pics of myself EVER.  26 weeks

Please stay baking...

Soo a lot has happened since I last updated. Lets start with the good. We got our crib! Patrick's parent were very kind to gift us a crib and dresser for little Mason. That just makes it even more real. Seeing a crib put together in the spare room means it's really happening! We got a really good deal on it and I think it's the perfect one. It converts to a toddler bed and full bed so it will last till he's a teenager!  Here's a few pics of the before. I don't want to post a pic of the crib till we finish the nursery.  Scroll down to see the bad news.......

 Soooo what else has been going on. I have had some stressful few weeks. I have been completely heart broken for a very good friend of mine and felt completely powerless to help. What can I say or do when I know nothing will help. :/ Just praying and lending an ear if needed is all I know to do.

I've also had my first optical migraine while pregnant. I literally went blind for about an hour and it scared me to death. That went on for two days in a row not to mention I felt like I couldn't get enough food during those two days. So I'm not sure what was going on. Plus the DMV issues but that's a whole other story.......

Then brings us to the next bad part. I have been having braxton hicks contractions all throughout this pregnancy. No big deal on that BUT the other day they started happening about every 10 minutes. They weren't painful and I could lay down to stop them. So I thought I was ok. The next day they continued every 5 minutes but didn't stop when I laid down so I figured it was time to go in. We went into labor and delivery and they started to monitor me. Turns out they were real freak out legitimate contractions. They kept me overnight and continued to monitor. I was not dilated any THANK THE LORD, but they still didn't know why I was having contractions. I was given toradol and an IV to stop them. Luckily that worked. Hopefully I was just a little dehydrated and stressed. They let me go home the next morning. So now I'm on somewhat of a bed rest. I can't do much and I have to drink water continuously all day. Today I have been doing ok. When I stand up I get a few of them but nothing regular like the other day. Right now I'm only 25 weeks so it is way too soon for Mason to come out. He's kicking up a storm and had a strong heartbeat. So I am very thankful for that. I hope and pray that I can make it to at least 32 weeks to give him a better chance when born. So I ask that everyone please pray for us to make it to full term and please pray for baby Mason.

24 weeks

Kicking and Carseats

Well I'm 22 weeks now and I must say Mason is kicking all the time.. I can even see him kicking on the outside! I get tired extremely easy and that's something I'm not used to. I'm usually always moving and with this pregnancy I have had to take a back seat to a lot of things. I'm not able to do any of my photography sessions so that's really hard on me.. buuuttt according to the doctor Mason is growing perfectly so that's all I can hope for. Here's a video below showing just how hard he is kicking at 22 weeks. Ignore the movie playing the background LOL

So while we were out yesterday we stopped at BuyBuyBaby. If you haven't checked it out, you need to. It's owned by Bed Bath and Beyond and is a HUGE mega baby store. We registered there for most of the stuff and then Target as our other. Got side tracked......

Anyways.... We went there to check out the car seats, strollers, and convertible car seats we registered for to make sure we liked them.. We ended up switching the infant car seat for a different one but overall we LOVED what we picked out.. Here is what we ended up with.

Baby Jogger City Mini GT If you have checked it out you need to.. Watch the video on how it folds up. We were literally so amazed at this stroller, we were like two kids in a candy store. It's super light weight so I am able to pick it up on my own and I LOVED LOVED this teal color. It was gorgeous.

For our infant car seat we ended up switching to the Cybex Aton 2. We started to get the Britax b-safe but after seeing it and feeling it we hated it.. The technician liked the cybex much better and I have several friends say that they liked it too. So that is the one we ended up with. Plus it fits on our stroller with a stroller attachment. It felt much more comfortable and you could definitely tell it was very sturdy. They also had high safety ratings.

For the convertible car seat, we went with the highly rated Diono Rainer. It was also good in safety and several friends said they loved it. It will work for up to 120 lbs so it will be the only car seat we need after the infant car seat. 

For the most part I think we got our registry down pat. The major things are on our buybuybaby and our crib and dresser is at Target. Who would have thought it was so hard to pick everything out. I'm so excited to start buying all this stuff and get ready for the little Monkey. OH OH OH and my maternity sessions are coming up soon. I can't wait for those either... anyways.. just a little update!

Love,

Jasmine