Welcoming Our Baby Kai Into The World

Today I look into my sweet, little, baby boy's face in amazement that Kai is already 2 weeks old.  He will actually be 3 weeks and one day old by the time his due date actually arrives.  His welcome into this world was nothing like Chris or I had in our birth plan or our plan in general, but it was really not up to our plan it was God's plan all along.  To say that Kai's arrival was scary would be an understatement, for me it was terrifying.  It all started on Sunday evening, August 11th.  I had been on bed rest for a week because I was developing preeclampsia and my blood pressure was elevated.  I woke up from a nap on Sunday afternoon and realized that the entire left side of my face was in pain and I could not move it.  I couldn't close my eye, smile, taste, nothing.  I of course start to freak out, call Chris at work and told him I think I'm having a stroke and we need to go to the hospital.  He rushes home, we get ahold of my doctor and he says that it is something that is fairly common and it's known as Bells Palsy and it happens to some pregnant women in the end of their pregnancy.  He said to come in first thing in the morning and he would check everything out.  Let's just say there was very little sleep that happened that evening.  I went to the doctor first thing in the morning and they rushed me in, got my vitals and my blood pressure was 150/100 (this is bad and this is really bad for me because my whole entire life, I've had low blood pressure).  They get a sonogram to make sure Kai is ok and then they tell me I need to go to the hospital immediately.  At this point they have to get me stable because they can't induce me with my blood pressure this high and they can't do a C-section either because my blood pressure is too high for that and they have to get Kai soon. To add to the concern, Kai is only 36 weeks and 4 days, that is still really early for a white, male baby.  His lungs may not be fully developed by then.   I'm of course in a panic, calling Chris, my parents, friends, etc. and letting them know what is going on.  What is adding to my panicy state is that I can't get ahold of Chris.  Thankfully my dear friend Lois and Meghan are able to meet me at the hospital and help me get settled in.  I got ahold of Chris and he ran home, finished packing our half packed bags and brought them to the hospital.  My parents were scrambling 13 hours away to pack up the car and get here as soon as possible.   You can ask Chris how much of a scramble it was when he got to the hospital and realized that he had nothing to sleep in.  Thankfully, Chris' mom went out and got him some PJ pants.  He also realized that he grabbed 5 pairs of underwear and only 2 t-shirts.  Thanks, to my parents they brought him some more shirts. 
On Tuesday at 1:30 p.m. they started to induce me and by 1:45 p.m. on Wednesday, I was 7 cm dialated.  I know this may sound crazy but I was never really in pain with the contractions, it was a little uncomfortable, but nothing major.  I do have a really high pain tolerance, but I never really thought it wouldn't hurt.  Finally, they told me that I had to have an epideral to regulate my blood pressure, I couldn't do it without it.  So, they gave me the epideral and we were well on our way to welcoming Kai into the world.  The nurse came and said I was 10 cm and would need to start pushing soon.  This was happening, I mean really happening!!!  I remembered that they paged my dr. he arrived at 3:42 p.m. and Kai was born at 3:53 p.m.  I swear I only pushed for like 20 minutes and that was it.  I heard Kai scream and cry and I was overjoyed and amazed.  He looked perfect, absolutely perfect.  I just kept asking about his breathing and they said it was going to be fine, Thank You LORD!! I said many times that the end of my pregnancy was such a struggle that God was gracious enough to let me have an quick and easy delivery, and He truly did.
Kai was 20 inches long and weighed 7 lbs. 5 oz.  He was born at 36 weeks and 6 days. (yes they say that 37 weeks is considered full term, but we found out that is just a number at 40 weeks is the most preferred.)

In all of my focus on Kai, I hadn't noticed how fast my doctor passed off Kai to the nurses and that he was working fast and furious to sew me up because I was losing too much blood way too fast. Evidently, when Kai came rushing out, he hit 2 arteries on his way out and I was bleeding out.  I lost 4 pints of blood and was close to having to get a transfusion.  At the time and even now I wasn't worried about me, I was just so worried about Kai and him being healthy. Thankfully, we both would recover, but it would be a little bit of a process.
For anyone that has had a pre-term baby, you know there will be challenges and we have had some of those, but nothing too major. Because Kai was early, he had to learn the ability to breath, suck and swallow all at the same time.  This usually happens in the later weeks of pregnancy, so since he was early he had to learn in the outside world.  This is a struggle for baby and for a breastfeeding mommy. I'm happy to say that after 2 weeks, we have finally overcome this problem, it's just been a process.  Also, because of my blood loss, my milk hasn't came in as fast as the average mommy, which is frustrating, but we are making it work and it seems to get better every day.  Kai's weight did go down to 6 lbs and that was scary but we are gaining weight now and mommy and daddy are happy with that.  Finally, I still have Bells Palsy.  It seems to be getting better each day with the help of steroids and facial massages, so hopefully it will go away sooner than later and I won't have any lasting effects from it.

No matter the struggles, I would do it over and over again to have this precious child in our lives.  He is so sweet and has brought us such great joy.  Being a parent is a love that you will never truly understand unless you have children and we feel so blessed to have the opportunity to raise such a precious gift.

Getting ready to go home from the hospital

His first days home from the Hospital.

My favorite New Yorker

Today I said my final farewell to one of the most amazing women I have ever met in my life, Toni Mugavin.  Toni bravely fought her battle with cancer but on Tuesday morning she lost her fight and went home to be with our Heavenly Father.  I was blessed to meet Toni when I moved down to Georgia from Ohio.  She was always up at Summer Waves Waterpark with her younger daughter Allie and her oldest daughter, Jackie worked as a lifeguard when I started working there.  I  was drawn to here because all of the summer lifeguards all seemed to know her and called her mama Toni.  I eventually became one of those kids and Toni quickly became my mom in Georgia.  She always said that her mother said that some kids brought home animals, but Toni brought home people.  Being that I moved so far away from home, I know that my parents were very relieved that I found a family down here that I could depend on whenever I needed anything since they were so far away.
I have so many memories of Toni that I don't know how I can even begin to pick which ones are my favorite.  Some of my best memories where going with Toni up to visit her daughters in college.  I can't tell you how many nights were spend laughing so much we almost peed are pants in hotels and walmarts in Statesboro and Valdosta.  On of my favorites is when Toni, Allie and I went up to Statesboro to visit Jacki and three of us went on a late night run to walmart.  It was right before Valentine's day and all of the Valentine's crap was everywhere.  I honestly don't remember how it happened but Allie and I ended up with small stuffed Rhinos and we carried them around Walmart laughing and calling each other Rhinos.  Were were loud and silly and Toni never seemed embarrassed, she just laughed with us and told us to throw the Rhinos in the cart because we weren't leaving the store without them!.  From that day on Allie was my little rhino and I was Allie's big rhino and Toni was our mama rhino.  Let's just say that we all ended up with many rhino things from that day on.  Another one of my funniest memories of Toni was when I was working at Summer Waves, I hurt my ankle for the first time.  Toni rushed me to the ER and held my hand while they took the most painful x-rays of my life.  I was so happy when that nurse stopped grabbing my ankle.  We were waiting to here the results when the x-ray nurse came in and said that she didn't get the right angles the first time and she need more x-rays.  I just sat there in shock and started to cry.  Toni told her no way she was going to let her touch me again to do x-rays, the nurse needed to figure it out.  I remember being so thankful to have her be my voice in that situation.  The hospital said it was a bad sprain (a few years later, we found out the real problem) and I was not allowed to be on my foot for a week, that meant no work for a week.  Let's just say in the waterpark business, a week off is virtually impossible, but Toni didn't care.  She took me to my apartment, packed up clothes for a week, and took me back to her house.  She took my car keys, so I couldn't sneak out (which I totally would have done) and I was officially on lock down.  She moved the recliner to the living room and made me rest there all week with my foot elevated and iced.  When I say lock down, I am serious, she would sometimes even yell at me when I got up to go to the bathroom.  She did take me on one field trip that week and it was to Publix to get groceries.  The deal was that I had to ride in the cart, and not the scooter cart, the carts that have the little kid seats that look like a car, yeah that's right a 20 something women riding in a cart pushed by Toni.  Looking back at it now, we probably looked so silly, but you listened to Mama Toni, just like your own mother and you did not argue.  I have great late night memories of making chocolate houses with her. Halloween was also a great time in the Mugavin house. Toni LOVED Halloween and I always had so much fun helping set up and act in all of her Halloween Haunted Houses.  Toni was also always in charge of taking care of my two cats Surf and Coral when I went up to visit my family in Ohio.  My cats loved her and I know she loved them.  One time when she was watching them, Toni and Jackie stopped by and Surf escaped out the front door.  Toni and Jackie chased Surf around and tried to catch him.  Jackie was not a whole lot of help since she is so allergic to cats and couldn't even grab Surf.  Toni finally caught him and then called and told me about their small adventure.  I remember when I found out that Surf had cancer and passed away.  Toni called me and we both cried over the phone with each other because our fury friend was gone.   She always had a great heart for people and for animals.  Some of my favorite memories were those when Toni was on a mission to help people.  I learned a lot from her about being a servant for people in need.  When Hurricane Katrina hit, I remember spending hours collecting items from all of Brunswick that she was sending to the effected areas and she did the same for Hurricane Sandy and any other disaster locally or far way.  She bought a bike for a little girl who's bike was stolen from the girl's yard.  She literally would give you the shirt off her back if you needed it.  Sadly, because she gave so much, people tended to take advantage of her and her generosity, but that never stopped her, she just kept giving and giving.   She always had the ability to throw together amazing fundraisers at the drop of a hat and everyone knew her and would donate whatever they could to help any cause that she supported.  I have so many memories of the great times I've had with Toni.  I remember sitting many a day and night on the Mugavin's front porch with Toni laughing, crying, venting, dreaming or scheming.  She always listened, said her opinion (even if I didn't like what she was saying), and always had a plan of action, always.  She was always wonderful with that. She was always there through the good, bad and crazy guys I dated here in the South and was over the moon excited when I started dating, got engaged, and married to Chris.  She of course at our reception asked about babies.  I was happy that I was able to tell Toni that I am pregnant and was going to finally have that baby she always asked about.



 

Toni Mugavin was such a wonderful woman and over the years I have learned so much from her.  There will never be a day that goes by that I will not think of her and miss her. I know that she is in a much better place and is having the time of her life laughing it up with God.  She is probably talking his ear off and telling some angels what to do. I loved her so much and  I just hope that when she looks down on all of us, we are making her proud by doing everything that we can for each other.  Goodbye my dear friend.