Last hospital posting.

I don't have a lot of time as we are getting ready to leave.

We will keep you all posted on our regular Blog at www.queenannehelix.com

Rauda Family signing out.

Kim does mommy duties

Kim did her first diaper change and is now feeding little Ana. During the feeding she said to Ana "buenas dias" Then told her that Amane wold teach her Spanish, Carmen and Clara would teach her Portuguese and Eriks would teach her Latvian. Ana will be a "human diplomat". That would be another Kimism.



Just another cute picture.

Eriks does daddy duties

It is late but here is the short of it. I changed Ana's diaper, re-swaddled her and feed her. Kim was... well it was a special moment for her.

For the disbelievers:

A Day of visitors

Nurse Becky was refitting the bed while I helped Kim take a shower. Just as Kim was finishing up (this just in she has a cute scream) Carmen pokes her head in. We had to close the bathroom door. There is one thing you ought to know about givingbirth to achild andthat is that pretty much all your body parts gets seen by strangers. And depending on your condition bodily functions hiden from a husband may get shared with a stranger. Modesty is out the winndow.
Thus Carmen, Clara and Gary arrive at 10:30 with champagne. For us that has not been a destinction of time and thus it was not too early for the bubbly. A nice moment created by friends. Then in cascadingfashion never leaveing us to ourselves the guest tag-teamed us till 3 in the afternoon.
Evan wanted to hold Ana right off the bat...


More later....

Stats

Just like a guy to forget all the particlars....

Anastazia Lilija Rauda
(pronounced Ona-staw-zee-a)
August 5th 2006
6:59PM
19inches
5lbs 14oz

Thanks Brenda.

Patience

With as exhausted as Kim is her patience is endless. I am continuously amazed, what an angel.

Nurse Becky was one of Kim's biggest helpers during the pain period.

Our little bundle of joy

Here is mommy with little Anastazia,


Here Ana is holding on to daddy's finger. Kung fu grip!!!


It seems I need bifocals and thus to see little Ana my glasses are on my head.


Well that was from last night.
For the most part she is quiet and squeeks from time to time and all she wants to do is eat, which is not that usual for the first 24hrs. Ana spent some 5hours from 11 to 4am in the nursery so Kim could sleep and she has been up since then feeding etc. Mommy is exhasted. Nurse Becky is back to give a bath... gotta go

It all ended at 6:59PM

At 3PM Kim was at 4cm and then around 4PM the nurse guessed she was at 5cm. Dr Nordquist came by to give Kim some more medicine and then around 5PM Kim was "complete" 10cm. I came back to find Dr Andrews in Kims room and all sorts of other stuff set up, Kim was in the pushing routine. So about an hour and a half of work our little Anastazia came into this world.

Drop by Sunday if you would like see Anastazia, we will be here till the evening.

Pictures later!

Kim and Eriks Rauda are parents!

10cm Are you ready?

Kim was now able to sleep and so I came home to feed the cats and mostly clean up the house. I got the dishes going and the nurse calls, "Kim is complete" Huh? She is 10cm and you should be thinking about getting back to the hospital in an hour...

There it is folks!

Don't stop the pump!

Somewhere after 2PM we had Kim belly down over a been bag to reduce her back pain. Every 3 minutes or so when the contractions started I would seriously rub Kims hips to reduce the pain while nurse Robin caressed her hand and spoke softly to her. It was a team effort, since the pain was too much for her to bear on her own.
Kim can not walk around nor even get into the jacuzzi for fear of raising her blood pressure. But since her BP went up we had to get her off the beanbag. But the pain was in the end also contributing to her high BP. Something needed to be done so nurse Robin said it was time for medication and she would check Kims cervix. 4cm, good job baby! The 4cm also made an epidural one of the choices. As the nurse said it is good to have choices. Robin is an angel. Kim went for the epidural! Dr Nordquist was on duty and the best they say.

(Right now Kim is figuring out how to modify Ana's name to get Dr Scott Nordquist in there somehow)

This just in Kim is reflecting on the hours of pain and would she trade that for a flight overseas to adopt a child. Some years ago Kim had a cervical LEEP where the anesthesia did not work. That pain is different from the pain off contractions but towards the end she said they were about the same. This is difficult to understand for those that have no experience but with all this Kim says that flying and going thru the last 2 days is a toss up.

Kim knew when the contractions were starting and if we had not been watching the monitor Kim would call for us. It was as if she was anticipating with freer what was coming. Now with the epidural she feels the contractions but there is no pain. Kim exclaimed "Ooo joyous day!" She has been quite chatty every since but has fallen asleep, poor girl hasn't slept in nearly 28 hours.


Kim has a nice Ringer's lactate tree going. Saline, magnesium, petocin, and in a locked box the epidural.

Well as for me the nice people overwhelm me and the epidural, even though I did not directly see Kim's spine was in the end a bit traumatic for me. I had to get down on one knee since I was feeling a bit unsteady and getting sweaty. When the drugs were kicking in and Kim's pain had ceased I sat down. I had to sit down.

Think about what Dr Nordquist does, he takes the pain away, nothing more.

The all important focal point

I brought Ana's washed going outfit etc in a gift bag that had colored dots on it. Kim picked a green dot to concentrate on during the ever increasingly painful contractions. Now we move the bag around the room as we move her

Petocin

A 11:45 Kim was started on a petocin drip. Wish her well. Pray for dilation! Sending cash helps too....
In our room we have "Lullaby of Broadway" with Doris Day, playing on the TV. Kim likes the noise of TV in the background, something I want to dissuade her of when Anastazia is about.

Thank you to those that have posted us their thoughts and prayers!
Hey anybody awake in Spain?

Kimism

As everyone knows salt makes everything taste ooh so much better and I like my salt. Especially on crispy meats. Yesterday Kim's meals had a turkey sandwich with lettuce and tomato, coffee and an orange sorbet. Also Kim don't do sandwiches never has unless they are meatball subs. She ate the turkey sand and there wasn't a crumb left. I got the sorbet and with the first bite I made a face of disgust. Kim asked if I needed salt. I laughed....

Dr Andrews visits Kim

I am back at the hospital just in time to see Dr Andrews, Kims OBGYN. She is on tonight and part of tomorrow we are very happy about this and hope that Anastazia thinks the same.

Now about that gurggling sound. Enough about that, other than Kim said she is wearing the largest pad known to mankind. Then she pointed at the mattress I slept on last night as an example of size.

Doctor comes in and tells Kim to get all the rest she can, now. The nurse comes in every hour to check her reflexes. The pain of the contractions are increasing and sometimes the pain is in herback. Rest is not something Kim has been able to get very easily. With all this I am amazed how she jokes about things like her pad. This isn't anything new to me, thru the miserable parts of her pregnancy I was amazed how her face of misery can turn in an instant to smile and saying something endearing.

Kim's friend Brenda has called and they are chatting at this very moment.
Anastazia's first well wisher. Ok Rich wished Kim well yesterday but I called him ;-)

Her is my rosy cheeked peach plum,

Kim's water broke

So I am washing Anastazia's first load of laundry and the nurse calls to tell me that Kim's water broke. She is not yet in active labor but there it is...

Morning after the magnesiuim

It is the next day and I guess Kim getting the magnesium up to delivery and then tappered off over 24 hours.
Last night Kim was disturbed every hour for a reflex test, then every 15 minutes when the alarm went off because her blood pressure was too high and then every 4-8 minutes with contractions. I on the other hand got to get up to turn the alarm off and then get into bed. Eventually the nurse changed the alarm and monitored from her station. So I kind of slept while Kim just laid there in a daze.


I have popped home to clean the babies clothes since Kim never got around to it and get the car seat. They wont let you out of the hospital without a car seat.

Well there was a Kimism this morning and I can't remember it. It made me laugh and I don't laugh so much...

My new PJ's

It was time for bed and sleeping in my clothes just didn't seem like such a hot idea so I got me some scrubs




I hope I can take them home!

Settling up for a long haul

We have been moved to a newroom, 205. It is quite a bit bigger, drop by...

Let's step back to before 7PM. We didn't know yet what was to happen but Kim was spending the night, I called a friend to cancel our house remodelingdate and went to the cafeteria to get a grilled cheese sandwich. They have a vending machine downstairs that sells Michellinas frozen dinners. I am set. After my dinner Kim commented that we never got a "baby book" The mall was still open for 30 minutes so off I went. We had already seen some and didn't like any, but Hallmark had one that ended up being perfect. Then I went home to feed the cats and change, I had not been home more the 5 minutes when the phone rings. "Erik, get here now!" Off I went, thinking terrible things. I get there and Dr Jordon had come and gone, they were setting up an IV of magnesium and Kim was scared. A nurse named Ana pretended to be Kim's husband in my absence. Ok it wasn't that bad but Kim was clearly scared. We have passed that and since Kim was borderline on whether or not to do what we are doing it is all kind of routine. A few minutes ago Kim blood pressure didn't set off the alarm. She was at 138 / 87
Again we have a monitor going and we can here little Ana's heart beat. When we got moved to the new room the new monitor had the volume off and it seemed unnatural so I asked if we could have it back on.
Here we are


Some will think "What the???" But others in the know, will know...
The magnesium was to calm down Kim's nervous system and in turn her blood pressure. They also gave her Cervidil to ripen her cervix. The Cervidil tape was no fun. The doctor in her comfy clothes had some difficulties and Kim was a bit toonervous to help much, but they got the job done. After 12 hours of ripening thwy will check the progress and if it's good then we get on with the petocin. That I am sure most of you are familiar with. The best blood drawer Kim has ever sat for is also learning to be a mid-wife. She said that jacuzzis and showers are great for getting the dialating going. Our new room has a jacuzzi and Kim seemed all for the idea of helping things along.
Little Anastazia is not engaged nor is Kim effaced or dialated. Kim is on her 3rd nurse now and tomorrow Dr Andrews is on call. Yipee.
It is now 12:55am and soon I will be setting up the cot with the special egg crate pad the nurses brought in. Ellaina just came backto check Kims reflexs that are doing great. When we first got her at 5:30 Robin said Kims reflexes were "brisk" Not sure what a brisk reflex is. Kim is now watching Craig Fergusen. Okay I think that is for now.

Hmmmm

We are back at the hospital and not sure what is going to happen but ... time outI have to go the mall here is a pic of me checking Kims reflexes.

Imminence has passed

Kim's blood pressure is normal again and as much as Kim was hoping to be induced we will need to wait like most parents for nature to take its course.
I am no longer wound up and life is as normal as it was last Friday.

Here we are waiting...

Just to start you all off Kim is pregnant and from the 3D ultrasound Kim says little Ana looks like me.
This is just a first post from home but we feel something will happen real soon and if it does the WiFi in the hospital will keep you up to date!