Kelsey's birth story

Part three of three for my birth stories for Michelle's contest

You can read the rules and DJ's story here

You can read Natalie's story here

Make sure that you comment on Michelle's blog if you decide to play along!


Ok Kelsey's birth story. My darling eldest child, the teenage drama queen. Wow its been almost 15 years.

I feel old.

Oh wait I was a "teenage" mother! I don't need to feel old!! ;)

Alright, Alright I was not your stereotypical teenage mother. I was 19 and a sophomore in college, so I definitely didn't fit the mold of everyone around me. There is part of the story here at the post about my faith, so I am not going to go into that part.

I got pregnant with Kelsey over the summer between my freshman and sophomore years in college. I was rebounding from "the one" my freshman year, and yet still from my high school sweetheart.

I got involved with the "bad" boy from work. Eric was everything that "the one" and "the sweetheart" weren't. He was tattooed, drank, did recreational drugs, the whole nine yards. I thought I could "save" him.

(insert lots of eye rolling here)

My dad could not stand him, and was fairly vocal about this fact.

My mom dealt with it, in her own way, because being the wise mom that she was, she knew the bigger of a deal they made about it, the more I would want to be with him.

Eric and I meet before work, after work, on days off. The good catholic girl, and the bad boy, what a image. LOL

We used protection, but obviously someone higher had a different idea.

Call me naive, call me dumb, call me whatever, but it took a while before I realized that I was pregnant (Natalie was the only one that I "knew" right away with)

Scared-shitless, is an understatement.

I knew that Eric would not step up and help.

I knew my parents would be disappointed.

Only two other people knew right away, Eric and my friend Karen. Because I didn't know what to do, or even what direction was up.

When school broke for winter break, the next morning my mom came in my room, and just asked point blank. I told her yes, and then we cried. Then we started figuring out a plan.

My dad didn't talk to me for weeks, he was so upset with the whole idea. I ended up writing him a letter and leaving it for him to find when he woke up one morning for work (he got up at 3 in the morning in those days to drive to the Gun Range at Gila Bend).


My mom helped me transfer schools, from NAU to the local community college, and then helped me go meet with the counselor at the Catholic family services.

I think it was around late February, early March that I decided that I was going to keep Kelsey, (not knowing that she was a girl) and raise her, rather than give her up for adoption. I know that it clicked when Amber and I were out shopping for a potty chair for Niki and when we came home, she looked at my parents jokingly and said "Patty is keeping the baby, see she bought way ahead." It was a couple of days later when I really decided to keep her, but that moment stands out in my mind.

All of the sudden everyone was on the lookout for baby deals.

Amber's sister Misty found me a crib.

Mom and I found a portable playpen, on sale (not one of these pop-up deals that they sell now days, no this one had about 30 pieces that had to be put together.)

We turned the family room, into a bedroom for Kelsey and I.

Somewhere in here (I was around 28 weeks), I had put Amber's girls down for a nap, and laid down on the couch to relax. There had been a moth floating around the room, and I felt something crawling on my hand. I reached up with my other hand to smack it, and was STUNG. I jumped and saw a scorpion go flying. Crap...

My mom was teaching, my dad was in Gila Bend, Amber was in school, Matt was in school. What to do, what to do? My whole arm was going numb. I talked to my dad on the phone and he said to call the insurance help/information line.

I called them, and they said to go straight to the Emergency Department, at the hospital where I would deliver (in DOWNTOWN PHOENIX).

I could not get a hold of Amber's SIL to take the girls from me. I drove them up to my mom's school to find out what I should do. My mom was going to keep the girls in her classroom with her, and have me check Matt out of school, so he could go with me. But then the principal of my mom's school heard what had happened and found someone to take over my mom's class so that she could go with me.

I remember getting to the emergency room and the receptionist/triage lady not believing that I was 28 weeks. So she only had them take me to the back, where they listened to Kesley's heart beat like 3 times over the next 2 hours. I had an appointment with my OB that afternoon scheduled anyway, so my mom called his office and they said when/if I was released to go ahead and come there so they could see me.

We got to the ob office about 5:30, and the nurse practitioner and my OB were so ticked that I didn't get sent up to L&D because, if we would have gone into distress, they could have saved us both. Luckily that intervention wasn't needed. But considering my ob was a 6ft 7 inch man from South Africa, watching him go into a rant about it, was rather interesting to watch.

I was hoping that she would come early, by a week so that I could have her over spring break and not miss school. Didn't happen.

Then I started thinking that she would come on April 4th (4-4), because Eric's birthday is 2/2, and my birthday is 9/9. Didn't happen.

My Ob/gyn was going on a mission back to South Africa for a month, and he wanted to be there to deliver her. Didn't happen.

I went in on the 16th of April for a non-stress test at the hospital and then to the clinic on the 19th where the nurse practitioner decided that since my OB's best friend was the OB on call for the next couple of days at the hospital where I was to deliver it was time to induce me.

April 20th at 430 in the morning, my mom and I got up and went to the hospital to start the whole process. We walked the floor, we knitted a couple of afghan's for my cousins that were graduating from high school that spring, we read, we talked. Nothing, nada, zip. About 9 pm the doctor decided to give me a break and wait for morning.

April 21st more of the same. Finally about 4:30 or 5, the doctor decided that I had dilated enough (barely) to break my water and see if that would help speed things up, and then they gave me something to help me sleep for a couple of hours.

I woke up feeling the contractions about 830, still nothing too strong.

About 915 things were really picking up and the nurse checked me, I was at an 8.

I remember my mom and I were watching a local newscast/program and my high school nurse was on the program as a member of the guest audience.

About 9:40 I was ready to push, so the one nurse ran out to get the doctor (who had delivered 14 babies over 2 days, and was napping). He came strolling in, because this was my first baby, and "her hips are small, this will be a long time pushing".

By the time he came in and was taking his time getting ready I had already done 2 good pushes. The nurse looked at him and said if you want me to catch this baby, that is fine, but tell me now, or else get over here.

2 pushes later I had my little girl, all 8 pounds 15 ounces of her.

She wasn't little back then, and she's not little now either. ;)

Pictures of all three of my bundles of joy:
DJ Monday:


Natalie Monday:


Kelsey Monday:


the three of them in October:


The girls in 1998


2000


All three of them in Bury St. Edmunds UK, 2004


Kelsey at Matt's wedding in May 2007


DJ at Matt's wedding


Natalie with Angela


The entire family, including Matt, Angela, Grandma and Grandpa Furhmeister, and My mom and dad.