I had the baby!

Wow! It has been over a month since I have written. So much has happened. I guess I will break it down in sections....

1. YES I HAD THE BABY! He is wonderful. We named him Tytus Shae. He is beautiful and very well mannered. He sleeps well and hardly fusses, thank goodness, since we live in a camper right now! I'll share his birth story with you.

Those of you who know me know that I do not like hospitals or really care for doctor's care. Shae and I have had some very bad experiences in hospitals and just prefer not to go near them. I had my first two children in hospitals, the first at a teaching Navy hospital in San Diego, and the next child in Key West. It was in 94' and there was the Haitian Crisis and scores of boat people were landing on the beaches of Key West. They were quarantined in the local hospital. I went into labor but there was no room for me in the hospital. They put me in a back room where brooms and mops were! Hanna always said she was like Jesus, no room in the inn! Well, there are many more stories of why I do not like to go to hospitals, that I will not bore you with. I had my next three children at home with a state certified midwife. Her name is Lori Link and she works out of Mt Vernon Missouri. She is incredible. My 3rd child weighed 10 pounds and I delivered her naturally at home! Yikes! That was a tough one. I am so glad I had her at home, though. I will tell that whole story another time. My 4th child was a beautiful birth at home. My 5th child was a little tougher than the 4th, but still great at home. No hospital for me, no way! Epidurals, no way! So, when family heard I was having this baby at a hospital, they thought I had gone off the deep end! Sheri in a hospital, what has happened to her? Most family was thrilled I was not having this one at home, but thought it curious and wondered what made me change my mind on home birth. If you have read my earlier posts, you know I possibly had Pregnancy Induced Asthma. I don't know for sure that was it, but the doctor thinks that is what it probably was. I had such a hard pregnancy. It was my hardest. I had two horrible asthma/bronchitis attacks that lasted weeks. After the horrible cough went away, I still couldn't get my breath. It wasn't just the weight of the baby, it was up higher in my chest. I would get a lot of phlegm and have to clear my throat a lot. We decided to go ahead and come back to the Springfield Missouri area, where we are from, to have the baby. We are comfortable here, know the people, and had lots of paperwork and sorting to do anyways. We came back and got settled in with Dr. Brown and Cox Monett Hospital in Monett Missouri. We had to drive 1hr and 20 minutes to the hospital for every appointment. I could not have the baby at a big, unloving, cold hospital. We checked out Monett hospital. I remember walking into it the first time. I was by myself. I just kept thinking, I can't do this, I can not do this! It was so white, unwelcoming, just yuck! I made myself go to the 3rd floor to check out the OB ward. It was nice. The rooms were pretty good. There is a bathtub in each room, with jets, to labor in. You can't deliver in it, though. The equipment was hidden in big brown cabinets. There was a TV with cable. I would labor, deliver, and recover in the same room. The nurses seemed nice enough. I thought, maybe I can do it. I am going to publish this post now, and will write more in the next.....

Still No Baby! Yikes!

Where is the little feller'? All my children seem to really like it in the womb! Tuesday went well at the doctor. She did not push inducing, but of course recommended it. I think she said more to cover her hynie for malpractice. My cervix wasn't ready at all so inducing would have included a medication to ripen my cervix, administered during an overnight stay at the hospital, then putting pitocin in my IV to start contractions. Now, there is no guarantee this will work, so I could spend 2-3 days in the hospital and then be released or have a c section. So, why would I want to induce? The doctor thinks I might have pregnancy induced asthma or it could be just left over from bronchitis. She doesn't know. Women who have asthma have a higher risk of still birth. She said it is a very small minor risk higher than every other woman. Inducing has tons of risk also. It was a tough decision, but we decided that the trauma of all the medications, harder contractions, and possible c section was not worth risking at this point. Baby is doing great and so am I. I am feeling better, thank goodness. I started going to the chiropractor. He said he thought my immune system was worn down with all the stress of sorting, packing and moving. Then I got sick in August and then got pregnant. I must admit, there has been a lot of stress on this trip, too. So, he thinks I just haven't been able to totally recover from all of that. After I have sweet baby I should perk up. I am walking more and trying to be more positive. A lot of people have prayed for me and I believe the good Lord's grace is sufficient for me.
Must run,
Love sheri

Get my mind off myself!

2-20-09
I hope you are all doing well. We are still enjoying Florida. We are not writing where we are at since strangers can come on this website. We will write where we have been, not where we are at. I am still struggling with bronchitis. I am so sick of it! I pray the Lord will deliver me of it soon. Our plans have changed some, so we are adjusting to each week. It is a matter of submitting our lives to God’s will, not our own. There are so many scriptures that talk about people making their plans, but God orders our steps. We have to keep our minds on eternity and not on the immediate. It is easy to get self absorbed, especially when I am sick.
God bless you....

Sick in Florida

2-1-09
Sorry it has been so long since I updated! You’ll understand why after I explain. We spent another week and a half after Thanksgiving at Shae’s Mom and Dad’s near Pensacola. We had a great time seeing everyone and getting to know the nieces and nephews again. I got real sick. I had a horrible bout with bronchitis. Boy, do I have more sympathy for people with it! We left there and headed to central Florida. We stopped in Marianna and south of Lake City. We got layed up there for a week. I was real sick and so was Shae and the little ones. Cody and Hanna were the only healthy ones. They worked so hard to take care of us. We didn’t really get to enjoy the area, just tried to get well. After that we headed to a Florida State Forest, Withlacoochee, west of Orlando. We can stay there for 1/2 price since Shae is VA disabled. It had great hiking and biking trails. There was a pretty lake, Silver Lake. We enjoyed walking and our trips to the beach at Pine Island on the Gulf coast. It was a little island that we just happened upon. We had so much fun. Shae and the kids went kayaking a lot in the ocean and in Silver Lake. It was strange to have to watch out for alligators. Yuck! Shae got a job while there. He didn’t start
until well into January, but we were thankful to know money was on the way! It has better pay and better benefits than the last company, but will be more hours. Thank you Lord!