Caitlyn's (early) Arrival

CAITLYN JANE AINSWORTH

So as I'm sure all of you know by now, our little girl decided to make her appearance early. Caitlyn Jane Ainsworth was born at 1:24 am, June 2, 2009. She weighed 4 lbs 12 oz and was 18 inches in length. Here is our story in Joe's words........

Our story begins at our house in Tx around 12:30am. After a day of shopping and family BBQ the household was winding down. Beth had gone to lay down for bed earlier than everyone because she had such a long day and wasnt feeling 100% all day. My mom was just about to say good night when Beth called to me from the bedroom. I went into the bedroom to see my wife sitting on the bed with a towel around her waist and the phone in her hand. With the strangest look I have ever seen on her face, she gazed up at me and calmly said "My water just broke, what do we do". Seeing her expression I knew this wasnt a bad joke, or "just a little pee".

Trying my best to restrain the screaming idiot inside, I grabbed a bag and started grabbing what I THOUGHT we needed. Beth called her folks in advance and they were on the way. Beth was waiting in the room when I went into the living room and said "stay calm, dont freak out, but Beth's water just broke and we are going to the hospital". Mom freaked out and started her mad dash at getting her and Georgia ready. Called Beth's doctor (who we had only seen once) and headed to Nacogdoches Memorial.

65 mph has never felt so slow. We made it into the ER and got Beth admitted and headed up to the labor ward. The nurses there, after a battery of tests and pokes and prods informed us that the contractions were about every 8-10 min and that we were about to take a road trip. Dallas, Houston or Shreveport were our options. About 4:00 am Beth was wheeled into an ambulance and off to Schumpert in Shreveport LA.

Once again, 65 has NEVER FELT SO SLOW!!!!!!!!

I pulled into what I thought was the parking lot at 6:10am and started the search for my wife. This hospital is HUGE. 6:15am, I found the labor and deliver ward just in time to see the Medics wheel the gurney out of Beth's Labor room. The room was nicely arranged and very large. I later found out that the room was large because they fill it with people and equipment when delivering babies! Beth was on an IV of Magnesium Sulfate which makes the body hot so the room temp was around 65* and I was in shorts and a Forrest Griffin T-Shirt.

At some point the Family showed up with the things we TRUELY needed and helped me stay awake while I held Beth's hand through her contractions. Some pain meds finally let her and I get some much needed sleep, but we were both pretty much delirious.

The contractions never stopped all the way and the Mag count in her blood was high so they backed her off a little. My ass was begining to fuse to the doctor's stool I was sitting on at her bedside, and the meds were doing less and less.

12:30 am 06/02/09 after HOURS of minute long minute apart EXTREMELY painful contractions, the nurse finally called the oncall Doc and said they were taking her off the Magnesium. Instantly the family was scurried to the waiting room and the nursing staff and delivery room turned into what I can only describe as some kind of Nascar Pit Crew Competition!!! 65* didnt feel so cold anymore! So I used the sleeve from my hoody to wipe the sweat off of my brow before I peeled it off. "Its time baby, we are going to have this baby, Ill be right here with you" was all I could mutter which Beth responded to with a look of "No SHIT dumbass, why are you talking to me?". But we said a prayer for Caitlyn and braced for what was next.

1 epidural and 54 minutes later Caitlyn Jane Ainsworth was ushered into this world, 4lbs 12oz and 18in long. 10 fingers 10 toes. The doc was suctioning the fluid from her mouth and she was letting out faint little cackles. "Come on little girl, you can do it Caitlyn" hopefully was the first thing she heard her daddy say to her. The doc explained that she would be making more noise but the suctioning was interfering when all of a sudden she let out a GLORIOUS squeal. Call me what you want, but I honestly have never heard something so beautiful in my life.We were told that we probably wouldn't get to hold her and that she would be whisked away to the NICU. However, after being cleaned off and examined the nurse placed Caitlyn on Beth's chest and we got to hold for a few minutes before they took her back.

After the ordeal and gruesomeness was over, and the gauze had all been counted and collected, we were told the family could come visit. So I kissed my wife's forehead, stepped outside the door to the hallway, wiped the tears and snot from my face and did everything I could not to scream and shout and kick and flail. In the waiting room, the family was all sprawled out around the uncomfortable waiting room chairs like some kind of triage from a natural disaster. I think it was Betty who saw me first and woke everyone up that I had come out, but it was my mom who first SPRANG up and with the most RIDICULOUS look on her face of confusion. I told them what she weighed, gave and got all my hugs and handshakes, explained a few rules the nurses gave me to pass on and we went into the Labor delivery room to meet an exhausted New Mom.

After some time to recoop and gathering our stuff to move into the new room, we got the word that 2 people at a time can go visit Caitlyn in the NICU. So, in the spirit of good will and democracy it was decided that the 2 grandmas should go together. then Amy and me, then Bob and Betty together.

The next day was a blur of people and paperwork and text message updates. Lots of worrying, lots of smiling and lots of napping. Beth started to recoop quicker than I could have ever wished for and I was driving the nurses crazy with all kinds of ridiculous questions. Every "milestone" or "good sign" we were told to look for we found. First off was her breathing on her own. The next was that her body could withstand an IV so she would not need a feeding tube. She slept, she burped, she hicupped, she peed......ALL great signs.

Our next big "I hope your ready for this" was in the form of breast feeding. The Lactation Specialist came in and introduced us to the equipment, showed us how to use it, and told us what to do. She made it very clear that first time moms especially may not produce anything right away, and not to get discouraged. The first time Beth tried we yielded 1.6 ccs!!!!! I was ELATED!!!! If you had seen me walking down the halls with this tiny syringe filled with fluid, you would have guessed it was weapons grade plutonium. I was so proud of Beth, I showed all the nurses at the nurses station. Just another day at the office for them, but I dont give a damn, Im showing it to someone!

The next milestone, was if she was going to be able to feed on her own. Once again, we were told not to get our hopes up. That most of the first time tries are more like meet and great and cuddle times. Not my daughter...5 mins on the right side, 11 minutes on the left side. This girl is determined to overachieve!! Like her mama.

After all the excitement had subsided and all the chaos mellowed down, we can finally sit back and reflect, rejoice prepare. Caitlyn Jane is currently doing great. Eating on her own, Breathing on her own and from all accounts controlling her own temperature. The true test will be time, a trial period for Caitlyn to prove to the world that she has her mother's stubborness and her daddy's tenacity. And then, there were 3.

The weeks at the hospital after deliver were long and emotional. Joe and I were going to the hospital every three hours to feed Caitlyn. The hotels we stayed at were not nice, but they were close so they worked. Some feedings Caitlyn did great, she would eat for a long time, her temp would be good and she would be active. Then some feedings the nurses would tell us she lost weight, she would be lethargic and not interested in eating. Like I said, the days were emotional.

The second week we were there Joe had to go back to work, grandpa was generous enough to take the week off and stay at the hotel with us to drive me to the hospital. Joe went to work from the hotel and returned to the hotel every night, his roundtrip drive to work was about 3 hours a day. He was exhausted, but he was able to see his daughter every day, so it was worth it.

The end of the second week the hospital gave us a courtesy room so it would be easier to feed Caitlyn around the clock, that night went good and they gave a "bonding" room the next night. That meant that Caitlyn was able to be in the room with us, no monitors, no nurses, she was finally ours. That night went extremely well and by noon the next day she was discharged. We packed up our stuff and walked out of that hospital one last time, this time holding our adorable daughter, finally.

The ride home was long. Caitlyn looked so small in her carseat. But even with Joe driving 30 miles an hour we did actually make the drive home to Texas. We were welcomed by Grandma and Grandpa Reeves, Aunt Amy, and Uncle James. They had put balloons on our mailbox and a congratulations banner over the garage and in the house. Caitlyn was home and she is loved.

The first week home grandma stayed with me so I didnt mess up to much. It went good, she ate, she slept, she peed, she pooped. We swooned over her, we kissed her, we love her. She did have her first doctor's appointment Thursday after she got home, we got the best news ever, our little girl gained 8 ounces! She now weighs 5 lbs, 2 ounces and is 18 1/4 inches long. I guess we are doing something right! She is a strong little girl. Daddy calls her small but mighty. She is a fighter.