Riley Ernest Mitchell Sex: boy Born: 08 August, 2008 Age: 1 years & 106 days Birthday in: 259 days Starsign: Leo Development: See the 15 months page. Biggest achievement so far: *stealing our heart *becoming a NICU Grad on 8/14/08 *lifting his head soon after birth *rolling over at 5 Months *crawling and getting his first 2 teeth at 8.5 Months *sitting up on his own at 9 Months *walking 2 days before his First Birthday *Became a Big Brother to (Angel) Morgan Ann on 9/14/19

Original due date: September 15, 2008
Type of delivery: Vaginal (with pain relief)
Duration of labor: 34 1/2 hours, 15 minutes of pushing!
Weight @ birth: 4 lbs 7.9 ozs
Length @ birth: 17 1/4 in.
APGAR: 8/9

Riley Ernest Mitchell

Friday, August 8, 2008

34.4 weeks gestation

On Monday, August 4, I went to my 34 week check up and my doctor discovered I had protein in my urine and I had gained 10 POUNDS in less than a week! She was scared that I was starting to show early signs of preeclampsia, so she decided to do some test and have me come back on Wednesday for another check up. I called my mom and told her what was going on, and I told her Riley could be here early as Wednesday! I think she was a little scared. Then I called Mitch and told him! I think he nearly peed his pants-he thought I was kidding! Well by the time I got home that night I was starting to get light headed, and as the night went on I started to get blurry vision and a horrible headache and backache! I took a shower to relieve the pain, but it didnt work. I tried to sleep it off but I couldnt, so at 2 a.m. Tuesday morning, I woke Mitch up and told him I wanted to go to the hospital.

When we got there they examined and then discovered I had extremely high blood pressure. The wasted no time giving me one of two shots (in the butt) that would make rileys lungs develop faster if he were to be born early. My doctor came to see me Tuesday afternoon and said if my blood pressure didnt go down she was going to induce me!! I was really scared-having a baby at 34 weeks along seemed too early!

Wednesday I had an ultrasound to see how big riley (estimated measuring 5.8lbs) was, and to make sure he was developing correctly. I also got my second shot, and was on bed rest because of my high blood pressure, so I did absolutely nothing besides sleep! I also meet with the Pastor of the Hospital and we prayed together.

Thursday moring my doc came and and said that she was going to induce me because my headaches and vision were getting worse, so at 9:51 a.m. my doctor induced me, and about 30 minutes later I felt my first contraction! WOW-did it hurt! I called Mitch at work and told him that I had been induced and he was there right away! All day I was having contractions 2 minutes apart lasting about 60-90 seconds each! I went in the whirlpool to get some relaxation, but the second I got out I was in crucial pain! At 10 p.m. the doctor took my CerviDel out and checked me to see how dilated I was, and I was only 1 cm! I was so upset!!! So I went to bed, but thru out the night i would have a random contaction.

Friday the nurse woke me up at 4:30AM to put me on the monitors, and at 5:30 AM my water broke! I called my nurse and she checked to see and she was like, yep-it broke! I was in complete shock! I had steady contractions for about 3 hours, and at 8:30 a.m. my doctor checked me again and I was only 1.5 cm dilated! She knew something was wrong so she checked my water bag-my water really didnt break, I had a "spontaneous leakage" that morning. So she broke it, and then the contractions were coming every 2 minutes and lasting 90 seconds! My nurse gave me something called Newbain and it was like a temporary relief for the pain, but after several injections of them I was back to feeling every contraction again! At 2 p.m. I was giving an epidural (which didnt hurt at all) and the contractions were virtually painless! I pretty much slept from the time I had the epidural until I had to push. They checked me again at 5 p.m. and I was only 4 cm dilated, and at 6:50 p.m. I was 6 cm dilated. And less than a half hour later at 7:15 p.m. I was completely dilated! The nurses had me start pushing, and about 10 contractions later at 7:31 p.m. I gave birth to my beautiful little boy! Mitch was sitting next to me on the recliner, but Mitchs mom was there to cut the cord. Riley was a little blue-so they gave him oxygen and I was able to hold him for only a few seconds before he was taken to the NICU. Mitch and I went to go see him that night, and the nurses said that he was a "Rockstar" He can breathe on his own and he nurses really well. I am so proud of him!

Riley ended up staying in the NICU for only 6 days before coming home!

UPDATES of RILEY

Month by Month

http://www.i-am-pregnant.com/vip-blog/rileys-mama-8808/1226168801

Pregnancy With Riley

9 Months

Angel Baby 2 Sex: girl Born: 02 November, 2008 Age: 1 years & 20 days Birthday in: 345 days Starsign: Scorpio Development: See the 12 months page. Biggest achievement so far: -

Our Second Angel

On October 24, 2008 I missed my period, so I tested and I got BFN one after another. After a week I took another test, and on October 29, I was pregnant again. I had very mixed feelings, I had just given birth to Riley less than 3 months before. So another baby would be insane! So after the BFP, I felt crampy, I knew something was wrong! 4 days later, on November 2, 2008, I had my second angel. This was "hard to deal with. I eventually told Mitch, and he was sortta "happy" that we lost our baby! I know this sounds really mean and cold hearted, but as I thought about it! I would not be able to take care of Riley, be pregnant and work 7 days a week full time! So in a way it was God's way of saying "I know you can't handle this now, so I will." I was due July 1, 2009.

I think that we would have had a girl.

Angel Baby 1 Sex: boy Born: 01 November, 2006 Age: 3 years & 22 days Birthday in: 343 days Starsign: Scorpio Development: See the 32 months page. Biggest achievement so far: -

Mitch and I started dating on July 16, 2006, and we actually went out on our first date about a month (august) later. The first night we went out, we watched movies and hung out and talked about everything from babies, marriage, to growing old and gray! Well, about 2 or 3 days later we went out for our second date, and well, things happened!

At the beginning of September, school started, and I was the co-captain of the cheerleading squad, so I was always busy working on cheers and routines for the squad, and not to mention doing schoolwork on top of everything. I was really stressed out and overworked, and didn't get my period at the beginning of September like I should have, and didn't think much about it, just thinking I was stressed out.

As the beginning of October came, I felt and looked bloated. My cheer uniform didn't fit like it should have, and it was sortta tight. I asked the girls on the squad if I looked different, they told me that "we just thought you were getting fat because you have been eating ice cream everyday for lunch" (at the time it wasn't funny, I was pissed! But when I was preggies with Riley, cookie dough ice cream was my best friend!) anyhoo, as I got ready for cheer practice, I looked in the mirror, and thought "could I be pregnant? Nawh! Not me!" Well by the end of practice I decided to take a HPT. So I went to Wal-Mart and got one, and I was going to wait until the next morning before I went to school to take it- But I couldn't wait that long, so I took it in the Wal-Mart ladies bathroom! I peed on the test, and set it on the toilet paper dispenser, and waited 3 minutes-picked it up-and there it was-a BFP! WOW! I threw the test away and went home! 17 and pregnant! Scariest day of my life! I went back to my last period, and found out that I conceived the first time Mitch and I had sex! I was on birth control, but I was also on anti-seizure meds. (I was thinking that my meds messed up my birth control.) I didn't tell anyone, I was going to wait until the cheer season was over with and by that time I would be about 12 weeks.

At the end of October (about 3 weeks later) I felt really crampy, it hurt really bad! A friend gave me some Tylenol, so I took it, and after that I felt better. I got home and I went to the bathroom and as wiped I felt something come out of me! I looked at my toilet paper, and there it was-my baby. I miscarried. I didn't know what to do, or what to think.

I decided to tell Mitch. When I told him, he misunderstood me and thought I said "I was pregnant," and said "your dad is gonna kill me!" and he went into the shed. When he came back out, I said "NO! I had our baby, I miscarried" "he hugged and kissed me and told me he loved me. At the time it really hurt, I didn't know what to do. I never went to see a doctor, and haven't told my parents.

I was due May 15, 2007-ironically this is the day that Mitch and I chose to get married on in 2010.

I think we were gonna have a boy.

(Angel) Mogan Ann Sex: girl Born: 14 September, 2009 Age: 0 years & 69 days Birthday in: 296 days Starsign: Virgo Development: See the 2 months page. Biggest achievement so far: An Angel in Heaven

Original due date: January 18, 2010
Type of delivery: Vaginal (without pain releif)
Duration of labor: 4 1/2 hours, 5 minutes of pushing
Weight @ birth: 3.5 ozs
Length @ birth: 7 1/2 inches.

On Monday, around 9:25am, I started to get cramp, (I thought I had to fart) so I kindda pushed the fart out, and went on doing what I was doing. Then about 5 minutes later I got another one. So went to the bathroom and did my business, and I felt a little better, and again went back to doing what I was doing. Well, the cramps started to closer, and I thought to myself "I bet I am just a little dehydrated" because I didn't eat at all yet that morning. So I went and ate some cereal, and as I ate, I started to time my "cramps" first they were every 3 minutes apart, last about 15-20 seconds. Then by the time I told my mom what was happening, they were every 2 minutes apart, and finally when we got a hold of the Nurse Hotline, they were every 1 minute apart. My doc told me to come up the Hospital ASAP. My Mom and I hopped in the car, and drove 45 minutes to the Hospital.

When we got the Clinic, my doc tried to listen to the heartbeat, but like all the other times she has tried to listen to it, she couldn't find it. (At that time, I still didn't think anything was wrong.) Then she did a cervical exam, and she said that I was pretty much closed, but something was bulging in the middle of my cervix. We went to the Ultrasound room, and the Tech put the transducer on my belly, I could see my little baby wasn't moving. They tried to listen to the heartbeat, but the Tech keep saying she was not in a good position to find it (load of crap). Then the Tech did a quick measurement of the head, and it only measured, 16.4wks. And I started to shake my head "NO." My mom asked me what was wrong, and I said that "The baby should NOT measure that small." The Tech measured the legs, and they measured 18.4wks. Then they did a transvaginal, and my cervix was clearly open, and my baby was no longer thriving inside of me. Before the doctor or tech could say anything to me, I said "She’s gone, isn't she?" And they confirmed that she has passed away about 1-3wks ago. As they finished the ultrasound they said it appears that I had a Placental Abruption. (But after I gave birth, that was NOT the case)

They took me to the Labor and Delivery Floor, and I was put in Room 394. This room has sentimental value. When I was pregnant with Riley, and I was having complications at 17wks, I was in that room for an Examination. Anyways, the Nurses got everything set for me, my mom left to get some lunch, and at the time, I tried to get a hold of Mitchell. I called him for about 45 minutes, and couldn't get him to answer his phone. So I laid down on my bed, and tried to breathe thru the contractions, by that time they were less than a minute apart and very strong. I asked for the Newbane to get some relief, but they couldn’t find a vein to put it in, so by the time they finally got it inserted, I was already pushing. I pushed very gently for about 5 minutes, and at 1:55PM, my Angel was born. She was 3.5oz and 7.5 inches. And at that exact same time, Mitch called me. I told him that our Angel had just been born. He was in total and complete shock.

She was still in her bag of water, when she was born. Her delivery couldn't have been better. My doctor feared I would have to have a D&C, but everything came out. My doctor was able to get Ammonic Fluid, as well as Placental Tissue, for testing to see what was wrong with her. As they cut the water bag open, it was very clear what was wrong with Morgan Ann. She has a severe Cleft Lip and Cleft Palette. Her two middle fingers, on both hands, we still fused together. Her ears and eyes didn't line up, which is a sign of Down Syndrome. And her umbilical cord was wrapped around her neck 3 times very tightly.

I was able to hold her before they took her away to clean and dress her. And she was beautiful, even with all the problems she had, she was beautiful. I touched her little hands and feet, and they were perfect.

I sat in my room with my mom for a few hours, reading over options for funeral/memorial services and whatnot. My dad called, and my mom told him, Morgan was with God.

We had Morgan Blessed (Baptized) by the Hospital Chaplin. We had pictures taken of the ceremony, and then took some afterwards of me holding Morgan and some of her in her little outfit and blanket.

After sometime with Morgan, I asked the nurse to take her away. I got a Pink Heart Shaped box, filled with her outfit, blanket, her hospital bracelet, a seashell (with what she was Blessed with), an Eagle Pin, and a poem.

Morgan is going to have an Autopsy done to see what else could have been wrong with her. After she is released from the Hospital, we are going to have her cremated so that she will be with us always.

Please don’t be sorry for me. I always said God has a plan for this baby, and he did. She is our Angel in heaven, and Morgan will protect us. I am happy, as strange as it sounds. But if you think about it-She would have never had a normal life. God never gives you anything you can’t handle, and God knows that Mitch and I are able to handle this loss.