Austin's Birth Story: 5 min. from a C-section.....

October 23, 1998
I'm excited to talk to Brian and find out that tomorrow will be the day for their baby's birth. They were told to report to the hospital at 6:30a.m. Oct. 24th for induction. She is already 1 week overdue and cervix is 3 cm and 70% effaced. When I hang up I am looking forward to tomorrow but also pray that Janet will be in early labor by the time she reports to the hospital. I know things usually go more smoothly if the body is really in labor.

October 24 6:30a.m.
I arrive at Akron City Hospital OB and inquire if Janet has arrived yet. They don't have her listed for induction today and ask if I'm sure she is delivering there. I assure them she is and then visit with the nurses while we wait for Janet and Brian to arrive. I ask if Linda Tober is working today. I'm thrilled to find out that she is and that they will try to give her to Janet as a labor nurse.

6:45a.m.
Janet and Brian arrive with Janet's parents. They were delayed because they initially parked in the wrong parking garage. Actually the delay gave me needed time to introduce myself to the hospital staff since I have not been a doula there before. God's timing is amazing!

7:00 a.m.
Janet's folks are in the waiting room settling in. Linda Tober arrives in the labor room. She will be with us until 7 p.m. She shares that this is an extra day for her to work. She had originally been off but came in extra. We hug and say thanks to the Lord for showing us so clearly He cares.

Another nurse, Ruth Stein, who is an LPN comes into the room a short time later with Linda. Linda just wanted us to know that Ruth was there because she goes to the Chapel. Before she leaves the room I ask her to join us for prayer. We all join hands and I pray for the Lord's protection and the wisdom and skill of all of us assisting Janet in Labor and birth.

Linda gets Janet all set up for labor with the fetal monitor and explains how the day will probably begin. The baby's heartbeat is strong at around 140-150 and he is really active. The monitor shows that Janet is already in early labor! She is having contractions every 3-5 minutes. Janet doesn't really feel them at this point.

8:10
Linda examines Janet. She is 3+, the cervix is posterior 50% effaced. The exam is not very comfortable because the cervix is so posterior. Janet does a wonderful job of relaxing and remaining composed. Linda starts the IV pitocin. After this procedure Janet feels overwhelmed and needs time alone with Brian so I leave for a short time. I go out and visit with Janet's folks.

8:30
Grandma and Grandpa come back to the room with me to see Janet for a little while. Janet's Dad says this is their first grandchild. They are both so excited to see their "baby" have her first baby but concerned for her. Janet reminds all of us that she has a low pain tolerance and her folks confirm that. I assure her we will help her as much as we can to manage the pain.

9:15 - 11:15 a.m.
Janet is on her left side resting with the video "In His Presence" running. We have the sound off on the video and have a CD of jazz playing. I give Brian some lotion and we each massage one of Janet's hands. She isn't using any special breathing at this point. After awhile we do some walking out to the waiting room to visit with her parents. Contractions are lasting a full minute now every 3 min. but Janet can still walk, talk and laugh through them.

11:20
Linda comes to check on Janet and recommends that we continue to walk.

12:30p.m.
Janet and Brian are working very well as a team and need some time alone. Janet's folks ask if they could treat me to lunch in the cafeteria. I agree since Janet is handling her contractions well and it is nice to talk with Grandma and grandpa more.

1:15p.m.
Brian now takes a lunch break and goes outside on this beautiful fall day to take a walk. The break is good for him! This is hard work emotionally and physically for his as well. Janet and I walk the halls with her mom joining us. We check out all of the cute baby gifts in the gift shop on the OB floor. We find we can even walk over 2 elevated walkways between the hospital and the medical office buildings. We stop some now for contractions because they are getting harder.

1:30p.m.
Linda check Janet and increases the pitocin. Janet still doesn't need special breathing techniques but does need to focus more to be able to relax. She is now 4+ cm and the cervix is less posterior and is 75% effaced. We try different positions to relax, the hand vibrator on her back, the warm rice sock, the wooden ball massager and lotion on Janet's back. They all help, but contractions are getting harder.

2:45p.m.
The resident comes into the room to rupture the membranes to get the contractions more effective. Janet is really apprehensive but with Brian by her side she handles the exam well. It's time for a few tears and that is OK. It has been tough today and tears help get rid of some tension and frustration. We discuss waiting longer for the epidural so she can walk more.

4p.m.
Nubaine in the IV gives Janet some rest now. The contractions are hard every 2-3 min. lasting a full 60 seconds. We do pattern breathing and massage an she leans on Brian for every contraction.

5p.m.
Contractions are hard and close. Linda checks and Janet is 6cm and not posterior any longer and the baby is definitely lower in the pelvis. Her planned epidural happens now. Janet's Dad comes in for a visit to check on his girl.

6:30 p.m.
Janet has been sleeping and Brian has been resting on the couch. Brian uses the warm rice sock on his tired shoulders. I check in with Janet's folks in the waiting room and few times to let them know how she is doing. Linda checks her before her shift is done and Janet is 7-8cm. Good news! Linda talks to me about Janet's new nurse, Mary. She has a lot of experience so we are in good hands.

8:30p.m.
Labor is progressing. Contractions are every 2 to 2 1/2 minutes lasting 60-90 seconds. Mary checks Janet and she is 9cm. Janet is feeling some back pressure which is a good sign. I say a silent prayer for Janet that she will be able to complete birth soon. She is cooperative but a little teary eyed as she is getting tired.

9p.m
Finally the cervix is completely dilated! Mary tells us that she will call Dr. Jadallah and then be right back to assist with pushing. What a relief that Janet can now start pushing. Mary asks her to start pushing semi reclined so that she can be check for progress. Once she is sure Janet is moving the baby down she can move to a more upright position if she can support her weight.

10p.m. Janet is getting tired as she pushes, with each contraction, using the squatting bar.'

11p.m.
Janet is exhausted and becoming more uncomfortable. Brian and I both rest on the bar in between contractions feeling pain for Janet.
When Dr. Jadallah arrives he is very gentle and encouraging. He increases the pitocin to make the contractions for effective.

11:30p.m.
Janet is doing a wonderful job of pushing with every contraction, but her back is hurting her. It is hard to see her teary eyes and to look at Brian as he feels for her pain. His presence gives her such strength. It is frustrating that the baby is not moving more. The baby's heartbeat looks OK but is slowing periodically.

11:45
Dr. Jadallah gently tells Janet and Brian that he would like to try and assist birth by using the vacuum extractor. He explains that in spite of great pushing efforts by Janet and good contractions the baby just doesn't seem to be moving down for birth as he should. He says that if that doesn't work he will have to consider doing a cesarean. I can sense Janet and Brian's fear but I know the Dr. is right. 3 hours of pushing is a long time!

The next few minutes are kind of a blur. Dr. J. has to work very hard with the vacuum and he has a resident come in and apply pressure on the uterus from above. That is very hard to see being done. I hold Janet's hand and ask Brian if he is ok. He is but feeling her pain so much! As the baby's head comes out it is obvious that he weighs much more than the expected 7 - 7 1/2 lbs. The Dr. needs to get his shoulders out. Dr. J. says what he wants and I relay the message to Janet.

OCTOBER 25 at 12:02 a.m.
Austin Keith is born! He is HUGE and has lots of hair. He is up on Janet's chest for awhile and then he is taken over to the warmer to be suctioned and evaluated. Janet is so exhausted and yet so thankful. I go out to tell her folks.

Grandma and Grandpa are so happy and so glad to know all is well now. When I come back to the room they have Janet more comfortable and up close with Austin. Dr. Jadallah tells Janet she did a wonderful job. He weighs 9-9 and is 22 inches long. Wow! The nurses all give Dr. J a hard time over his weight guessing and the room is filled with laughter as we hear of Austin's stats.

1:30a.m.
I leave for home as Janet is ready for some sleep. She has nursed Austin and the nurses plan to take Janet to her room. Grandma and Grandpa have thoroughly enjoyed holding Austin for the first time too. I leave very tired but so thankful for the Lord's hand of protection on the Megilligan family today.

Yates Mill Field Trip...

Yesterday we had the opportunity to go on an hour long field trip to Yates Mill.. We'd only been there once to hike around so it was great to hear all of the history behind it.
Reece....gotta remember to not let him sit on the ground anywhere! This kid and piles of dirt!
The kids loved seeing this gentlemen use an old machine to take the corn off the husk...

They even turned on the water for us..
A highlight was actually going inside the mill. Here Lindsey is inside looking out at the water wheel that you see in the picture above.
Inside the visitor building they have periodic dress up clothes as well. Leave it to Reece to get into that! It was a gorgeous day and we ended our tour with a picnic on the grounds. Great time was had by all!

Black Mountain...

We've lived here for almost 5 years now and have never gone to visit Brian's Uncle and Aunt in Black Mountain. A few years back they built their dream home on top of a mountain. We soon realized that there would always be kids/adults activities that we would just need to bow out of and make a visit. Boy have we been missing out. They weren't joking - they do live literally on top of a mountain. Here we are driving up their 1/2 mile lane...
We made it and it was breathtaking!!

When Aunt Karen wants to take a gorgeous nature hike, all she has to do is walk outside. Here Brian and Aunt Karen are walking down her lane.
If you go down it you must go back up....
And up some more. They actually have a shop, at the bottom, where they park their vehicles when there is snow and ice and they can't drive up their lane. I guess last winter was pretty bad and it got old walking up snow/ice even with groceries...
We spent most of our time at Aunt Karen's and had a great time seeing Brian's cousin Debbie and her kids. The next day we checked out all the unique shops in Black Mountain. The kids loved the stores as much as we did.
We just went shop to shop and each time you walked outside you were greeted by gorgeous mountains.
So wonderful to see Aunt Karen, Uncle Vince and other family members! Now we know better than to wait 5 more years! Lindsey was already discussing Thanksgiving with her Aunt Karen. :)

Alamance Battlefield in Burlington...

I'd never really been to Burlington before and didn't even know about this historical treasure. My friend, Terah, had planned to go to the Alamance Battlefield for their Revolutionary War reenactment days and we decided to go there as well on our way to the mountains last weekend. The picture above is an apple press and the kids got to throw in apples and then enjoy some fresh apple cider (pictured below).
Of course the kids enjoyed the old guns and hearing them go off...
Dipping a feather in ink and writing... boy have we come a LONG way. Now I only complain about cheap pens and expect them to immediately write.
Candle making for the winter. Can't imagine not being able to turn a switch for a light...
How they cooked...
Spun wool...
Inside a log cabin...
The black smith hammering out a nail..
Big assembly time for the cannon.
It was so well done and just a great experience and not too far from home. We'll certainly go again!

We interupt this regularly scheduled day....

to bring you a turtle on your drive way! Yep....that's what happened today and it kept these kids busy all afternoon! I was very content to grab the camera, run outside with them, and see this creature walk around for 5 minutes. Then the thrill was over for me. Oh wait..I did do a little silly dance when that turtle came walking my way, but that was enough of the creature for me.

I must admit that this gave me new appreciation for my Grandma who endured having children who loved any animal. Her sons - my uncles - were always bringing home snap turtles, snakes, rats, etc. I guess everything under the sun. One day Uncle Dale brought home a snap turtle, and took off right away to go play. Grandma went in the basement to do laundry and heard this snapping sound. She had no idea what was in her house so she put her feet up and waited until family came home. How she handled all of that - I really don't know.

Uncle Dale grew up and actually owned a cougar as a pet. When the cougar was young and I was a kid you would find me being chased, around a family gathering, by a cougar. Pepper ( the cougar) did grow up and it came to a point where only Uncle Dale could get in her cage. The police had permission to shoot, on site, if Pepper ever got loose but Uncle Dale made quite the sturdy cage for his beloved Pepper.
Late this afternoon I had to talk with Lindsey about letting Mr. Turtle go back into his natural environment. It was hard for her, but she did it right before we left for Tae Kwon Doe. My kids would have LOVED my easy going Grandma!! :)

Will they visit again - that is the question...

So this past weekend the grandparents joined us for one of our 'crazy fall weekends'. They arrived Friday, at noon, when we were getting home from co-op. The lunch that greeted them was string cheese, apples and carrots because I had not been to the grocery store yet.

That evening they patiently waited while Brian took the kids to soccer practice and I made it to the store. Granddad treated us to pizza when we all finally arrived back home.

The first Saturday "order of business" was our first 8a.m. soccer game for Reece. Willingly they got up and watched Reece. After wards they got to see how "worthless" I am when I came home from a 10 mile run and then we all headed back, once again, to the soccer field to see Lindsey play at noon.

After soccer Granddad treated us to Chick Fil A. The kids enjoyed many board games with Grandmom and loved having GrandDad chase them and our neighbor kids around the yard.

To top it off that day, Brian and I left for a night out on the town while Grandmom cooked dinner and took the kids to the IMAX to see the Legend of the Guardians.

Sunday was church, an afternoon birthday party that we attended - while the grandparents went out to eat-. After that getting home, from the party and 15 min. later running out the door to Tae Kwon Doe and - yes - bringing the grandparents there to watch us.

Supper was Cold Stone Creamery ice cream -- a tradition with Grandmom and GrandDad.

Monday morning was when they headed home and we started our typical school day.

Did anyone notice that I did not even cook once? Was hardly home to think about that and Grandmom even brought her traditional granola for breakfast.

Do you think they'll ever come back????

Here they are playing with GrandDad's I pad..

Loving GrandDad's hat!
Hanging out at the second soccer game that day...
Going out for ice cream. And this was them BEFORE the sugar high...
Wrestling, laughter....etc. in the back seat. Brian almost had to pull over and deal with the grandparents...
Sugar is starting to hit Lindsey's bloodstream....
Reece's sugar high started at his first bite of 'cotton candy' ice cream...
A tradition is to walk down to the waterfall wall and music to dance off some of the sugar...


GrandDad had the coffee ice cream and needed to run around as well....
Ice cream just makes ya happy!
They went home to get a vacation.....

Fall 'snip-its'..

Loving the fall weather! Here's Mycah and Reece at Umstead Park as we took a Saturday to do a little hiking. Mycah was able to stay with us all weekend as his parents were gone and they had a great time. The picture below was so cool to us because of how close the deer, at Umstead, let us get to them. Clearly they are used to hikers.
Here we are at an Open Gym party. This is Lindsey jumping rope...
Lindsey and her sweet/crazy friends...
This was a chess game like I had never seen before.
Us women thoroughly enjoy "Open Gym". We love talking about our kids, recipes, our winter co-op, and too many things to mention. I think the kids are catching on as to why we had weekly pool parties and now Open Gym. It may not be FOR the kids...
Our kids had a special opportunity to go to a local park and look at Jupiter, the moon and many other things that only a fancy telescope could show them. They met up with two other families from church and had an awesome "star and planet watching" night...
Loving fall and once again loving Umstead Park... Recently went hiking with some friends and ended our time with smores..
Our hike was after a whole week of rain and the kids were thrilled to have water in the creek to play in. Just a week before that it was completely dry.


Our family likes the marshmallows COMPLETELY burnt. I didn't know there was any other way to roast a marshmallow. :)
Pure bliss....