Alana Reese Lineberry

**WARNING- The following is Reese's birth story.  It is not politically correct and may be a little vulgar.  However, the writing here does not express the actual pain I went through, the joy of Reese being born, and the crazy 3 weeks surrounding her birth**
Side note-  my mom left on the previous Sunday to work in Richmond, VA for the month.  I had assured her that I was still a few weeks away from delivering and that I would be fine.  I supported her decision to go.  I called her on Tuesday to tell her what was happening.  She wanted to come straight back home, but I convinced her to stay another week because I was pretty sure, I was going to need her paycheck :)

I woke up around 6:00 on Tuesday, March 2, 2010 and thought that I had peed on myself.  I was not concerned, however, and continued to get ready for work.  By the time I left the house, I knew something was not quite right because I could not stop the flow of liquid soaking my pants.  I got to work and asked a co-worker and friend if she remember what it was like when her water broke.  She told me and it sounded exactly what was going on. My water was broken by doctor with Ben since I was induced.  I still believed that I was just going to need some Depends and that I should have been practicing my Kegals more regularly.  She encouraged me to call the doctor.  I called the doctor's office and told the nurse that I believed that at 32 weeks, my water had broken.  They immediately asked me to come in to see.  I debated calling Benji because I still felt like it was not a big deal, however I called his cell phone and we was not quite yet on his way to Charlotte.  He met me at the doctors office.  I was put in the exam room and chatted with the nurse about how this was probably just urine since that is common at that stage of the pregnancy with the baby laying on my bladder.  My doctor, Dr. Toler, came in to check me.  I heard him say "Well. this is not in the plan" and proceeded to tell me that my membranes had ruptured and that he was admitting me to the hospital.  I said, "Oh, for a few hours to be observed?"  He said, "No, until you deliver or we take the baby at 34 weeks."  Me, Totally freaking out, quickly started to panic and remembered all the things that I had not done and how was I going to make it in the hospital for at least 2 weeks.  Benji and I left the office, and walked over to the main hospital to be admitted.  It had started to snow and I had no idea what was in store for me.  I sent Benji home to pack some bags including toiletries and changes of clothing.
I went to Labor and Delivery and was admitted to the Mary Black Hotel, where I would say for the next 15 days.  I was first put in Room 351, where I layed all day looking outside and watching the snow fall.  They decided by that night that they would move me since I did not need to be in a Labor and Delivery room.  I was moved to Room 366 across the hall and by the nursing station where I could be monitored.  I was hooked up to an IV for continuous antibiotics and was given my first Steriod shot.  This shot was 1 of 2 to help advance Reese's lungs in case she came earlier.  This shot was given in the hip and hurt like the dickens.
DAY 2
THe ultrasound showed that my amniotic fluid was a 9.  Apparently, the average is around 15-20 cc.  I was continuously leaking, but tests showed that Reese was constantly remaking the fluid.  I was on a fetal monitor for 2 hour monitoring and all the tests showed her heart rate was very strong and I was having no contractions.  I had a few visitors that day, all whom brought me magazines, books and movies to pass the time.  I am forever grateful!
I was not supposed to get out of the bed, so another of bedpanning it and no shower was in store.  FUN!! I received another steroid shot to help Reese's lungs.  Again, painful, but not about me.

DAY 3 (Thursday)
I was not in any pain and boredom was quickly setting in.  Friends came to keep me company and I was prepared to be moved to a padded room.  I said a quick prayer. something I need to do more often, for God to grant me the patience to hang out until Reese was ready to enter the world.  As bad as I wanted out of there, I knew that her well being was the most important.  My nurse that night helped me wash my hair and for a small second, I felt like a new woman.  The night nurses decided that it was time to change the entry for my IV.  However, out of the 4 nurses and 7 sticks, no one could get a vein to stay.  Finally, one got it in.  I got a gift for being a good patient (and not cussing them out, I guess).
Another round of bad news came when my Benji told me later that evening, even though he wanted to wait, that he was being laid off.  It was not a total shock, but the timing sucked.  I was in the hospital about to give birth to another child, our house is being built and we were going to be down to one income.  I spent most of that evening worried about making our house payments with my income.  God gave me guidance and wisdom, very quickly however.

DAY 4 (Friday)
I spent another day trying not to worry about Ben and what I was not getting done. Was already tired of hospital food at this point, but nothing else sounded good either.  I WAS loving the crushed ice, though. Benji told me this day that he had an interview for a job in Greenville.  Yeah!  More visitors and laughs to pass the time.

DAY 5 (Saturday)
God was slowly granting me patience to make the most of my situation.  I had great nurses and I was allowed to take a shower this day and I was given a stationary toilet.  Double YEAH!!!  I was also told that I could change from the super hot hospital gown to my own clothes.  Even though, I was still leaking I did not care and put on my super comfy pants and t-shirt.

DAY 6 (SUNDAY)
My boys brought me sunday lunch from WADES and we all ate it like it was a normal sunday afternoon.  They cheered me up.  Ultrasound showed that fluid was down to a 3, but I was still not having contractions and the medical staff were not too concerned.  That night, I had a problem with urinating.  Had to be catherized and blood work taken to check for infection.  Nothing showed up, but this was the beginning of my pee pee problems.

DAY 7 (Monday)
I was moved to a room facing the front of the hospital.  Here I could watch the traffic, the water fall, the flags, the cray drivers going up the wrong side of the parking lot, etc.  My last view was of the hospital tower.  I was still hanging in there without too much pain.  Her heartrates were still sounding great and I was having no contractions nor symptoms of labor.  Had some more visitors and started counting down the days until I could bust out.

DAY 8, 9, 10 (Tuesday- Thursday)
Pretty much the same ole song and dance, without the dance, of course, since I was not supposed to get up.  Ultrasound showed that I was still leaking, fluid was down to 2.4, but I showed no sign of infection so we continued to wait on Miss Reese to make her arrival.  I got a pedicure from a great friend on Thursday and sported some super cute pink toenails for the duration.  Days passed fairly quickly with the help of solitaire and ebay.

DAY 11 (Friday)
Friday started off well, but by that night, I was in severe pain.  Apparently, low no amniotic fluid means that everytime baby moves, even slightly, there is huge pressure.  Think contraction x 25, but without the epidural.  I could take percocets for the pain, but by the time I got to take them, the pain was too bad.  I literally think that at one point, there was 1 hand coming out my whoo whoo, 1 hand coming straight out my butt, and 2 legs forcibly kicking all internal organs.   I was given a shot of something to ease the pain and help me sleep, but it did not cure the pain.  Momma got back and came by to check on me and the boys.  The boys had managed and were doing fine.  However, Ben constantly asked why I was there and why the doctor would not let me leave.

DAY 12 (Saturday)
During the day, I was fine.  I got another shower this day and started officially counting down the hours until we could leave.  This night, we were to spring forward and never had I looked so forward to losing an hour on the weekend.  I had another rough night with severe pain and a few contractions.

DAY 13 (Sunday)
The Neonatologist and special nursery nurses came in to talk to me about what to expect with Reese being so early.  The chances of her having low birth weight, troubles breathing and eating and jaundice were high, but they did what they could to calm me and also give me the good news with the bad.
I knew the time was close and I was surprisingly pleasant this day.  That lasted until the evening when I was begging for Dr Sherard to take her that night.  I was in so much pain that the only thing I could do was walk around the room.  I was allowed to get in the tub but that seemed to make it worse.  I was given a shot of morphine, and even that did not help.  I could not go to the bathroom again and the pain was the worst it had ever been.

DAY 14 (Monday)
My nurse came in that morning and allowed me to take a shower.  She also mentioned that I was the only scheduled procedure for that morning and that Dr. White wanted to get started earlier.  That was fine with me.  So my 10:00 C-section became the 830 c-section.  The anesthiologist, Dr. Mc Dreamy (no lie) came in to get me prepared and my nurse, Joy was fabulous.  I was wheeled back to the operating room at approximately 8:45 and at 9:13, I heard the joyous cries of Alana Reese.  At that moment, all the pain was so totally worth it.  She weighed 4 lbs 4 oz and was 17.5 inches long.  She could breathe and eat on her own.  She proved she was ready to enter the world.
Reese did spend the next 2 nights in the NICU because her white blood count was right on the line for a possible infection.  They put the tiniest IV in her so that she could get lots of antibiotics. She was also put under the heat lamp.    I hated seeing her poked and prodded, but knew that she was getting the medicine that she needed.
Reese started out eating .5 oz of formula and wore the tiniest diapers I have ever seen.

Day 15 (Wednesday)
Both Reese and I got to come home.  Well almost home, we left the hospital but went to my grandmas since both Ben and Benji had the stomach virus.