More on That Later

In my last post I left you a little cliff hanger.


2pm Marisa has been having good contractions (numbers in the 80’s) at a regular pace. Nurse checks her and still no improvement. I decide to run home and change and run some errands. (more on that later) As I leave the nurse and I talk at the nurses station and she tells me to prepare for a c-section.

While I am home running errands, I see it is time for Adam to get out of school. Nice mom that I am I go to pick him up. While I am parked on the street, two cars try to go by each other and one gets too close to me andrips my rearview mirror off! I get out of the car and ask the old man for his drivers liscense and insurance information, he says no I will give you cash. No I don't want cash, give me your insurance inforamtion, then he says he doesn't have insurance. Ok, then I will call the police. As I am dialing, now he claims to have insurance afterall. Too late bucko, the police are on their way. Now his grandson shows up (probably 6th grade) and all of a sudden old man no longer speaks English! Grandson gets me the drivers liscense and the insurance, however, the insurance is for 3 cars, a Lincoln, a, Nissan and a Kia, old man is driving a HONDA! And insurance is in someone elses name. Kid tells me oh that Honda is my Aunt's Husband's Duaghter car. HUH!? I then shut up and wait for the police. Nice policeman comes quickly and goes into the car and finds the registration and insurance information for that car, both of which are in 2 totally different names. I ask the officer, do I care that I now have 4 names? He says nope, you have the policy number let the insurance company figure everything else out. I give them all of my info. Old man approaches police officer and says he still wants to give me cash, police officer tells old man if he keeps saying this he will arrest him for obstructing justice! Probably wouldn't stick but it sure sounded good at the time! Kid's mom shows up and wants me to stay and talk after cop leaves, I can not stay my daughter is in labor. I will contact the insurance company, you will hear from them. Adam comes we leave. No sooner do I get to the house (less than 1 mile), there is a missed call and a voice mail on my cell phone from woman's husband wanting to give me cash. I do not return the call, and make note of the number. Throughout the day I receive no less that 15 calls from them with the same plea. I return one call. explain what is happening and say that I will get back to them next week. The next day more calls. I am now debating whether or not to go to the insurance company. While it shouldn't have any effect on my insurance because it wasn't my fault, I have had another not my fault claim within a year. But either way I have to take time from work to go get estimates.


Erika_ the fuzzy part between Marisa leaves (7:00pm) and Caitlyn arrives (7:30) was fuzzy for me as well. It was filled with me crying, and Sue and Melody hugging me and that's about it really.

Timeline

Monday, November 21, 2005
10am Marisa has a doctors appointment where the decision to induce is made.

6pm She, I and Susan arrive at the hospital and Marisa is admitted and IV’d and set up in a labor/delivery/recovery/postpartum room. Everything is done in the same room.

7:55 p.m. Cervadil (something to “ripen” the cervix) is inserted and we are told it has to be there for 12 hours. Susan leaves and Josh, Marisa and I hunker down for the night.

Marisa sleeps off and on, no real labor pain since actual contractions haven’t begun but she is experiencing discomfort from lying on her sides and her hips are very sore.

Tuesday, November 22, 2005
5am Marisa decides to sit up to help the discomfort in her back and hips. Nurse comes in and makes her lay down. Nurse leaves, Marisa sits back up, nurse comes in Marisa lays down. See the pattern?

5:30 am They compromise and give Marisa her epidural DRIP to ease the discomfort. Marisa had epidural tattooed across her forehead so there would never be any confusion.

8am The cervadil is removed and the doctor examines Marisa to determine that she is 2 cm dialated but only 50% effaced and the baby was still +3. (Effacing is the thinning of the cervix to allow for stretchability. You need to be 100% effaced and you want negative number stages for the positioning of the baby’s head.)

8:30 am Pitocin is added to Marisa’s drippers. She is getting 2 mg an hour and labor begins.

10:30 am Doctor checks her and she is now about 3 cm but everything else is the same. He breaks her water.

2pm Marisa has been having good contractions (numbers in the 80’s) at a regular pace. Nurse checks her and still no improvement. I decide to run home and change and run some errands. (more on that later) As I leave the nurse and I talk at the nurses station and she tells me to prepare for a c-section.

3:30 Marisa is checked yet again and is now at 4cm but no change in the effacing or the positioning of the baby. The doctor tells her to prepare herself that it may be a c-section.

4pm Susan and I arrive back at the hospital.

5:30 pm The doctor comes in and still no change the decision is made…Marisa will have a c-section at 6:30.

7pm Marisa is taken away from us and we (Melody has now arrived) head up to her new room upstairs. Marisa is very calm cool and collected, I on the other hand am a nervous wreck.

7:30 pm (Taj and Adam have now arrived) Josh and Caitlyn come back to the room. Him beaming her screaming. In a blur of motion the nurse does all the bathing, and everything right there in her room. They have no nursery. Marisa is in recovery, she was nauseous at the end of the surgery.

9:30 pm Marisa comes back to the room and finally gets to see her beautiful baby. Kathy arrives and all is well with both mom and baby.

10pm Family all leaves.

Busy, busy day!

Midnight Movie

At 12:01 a.m. LA time, the Van Houten Clan will be sitting in the theater ready to experience the next installment of Harry Potter! You are all so very jealous!

Down to the Wire

Marisa passed the 38 week mark this weekend.

I am opening up a pool. Her due date is November 19. We already know it is a girl so I am looking for date, weight and length. Marisa herself was 3 weeks late, 8 lbs. 8 oz. and 21 1/2 inches long.

My bet is November 13, 8lbs. 3 oz. 20 inches.

COmment your bet and I will make a spereadsheet.

Oldest Post in the Whole World!

That's what mom informed me today. I know, I'm sorry. I post in my head, but never seem to get them through my fingertips and onto the keyboard.

Knee update: Adam now has a brace that looks simple but is quite complex to put on everyday. I am still not very good at pictures but here is the website: http://djortho.com/products/feat4points.html As the technician was measuring Adam, he had the coolest looking protractor thing that went around Adam leg and then had parts swinging around and was very sci fi. When all the measuring was done, the tech pulled out a “paint chip” pamphlet and asked Adam what color he wanted, there must have been about 80 choices. Adam of course chose basic black. He went for an MRI last week and we go back to the Orthopedic tomorrow.

Baby update: Marisa blogged about her false alarm. I look at it as a trial run. Now she has her bag packed, and is coming to work with me everyday. She pretty much just sits there but at least she is close.

We had some excitement yesterday; there was a homicide in the house behind us. We don’t know any details and they haven’t caught anyone as far as we know.

Not much else happening around here. Hence the reason for not much blogging.