averie's story

My Husband and I were married on May 22, 2010 in Santa Cruz, California. We live, breathe, and sleep softball, so we did not go on our honeymoon right after our wedding. We waited until softball season was over in August. A tad bit obsessive if you ask me. By the time August came I was pregnant with Little Miss Averie. No drinking for Mama, I still had a great time in Jamaica. My pregnancy was a breeze (I know some of you are hating me right now). I had a little bit of morning sickness in the beginning but nothing that had me bed ridden. My belly grew and so did my craving for natural white cheddar Cheetos *laughs*. I have a serious weakness for salt. I should probably get my cholesterol checked. I am getting off topic. Averie was growing perfectly and getting bigger weekly as babies do. In early November I started to have Braxton Hicks contractions. After the third time to the hospital, they put me on bed rest. Really! Not happening. I am very compulsive, and have a light case of OCD. I cleaned every nook and cranny in my house during that time. So in November they took me out of work, almost 3 months before my due date. 

On February 6, 2011 I started to have real contractions. On Superbowl Sunday, we definitely were not going to make it to my parents annual Superbowl party. I believe that it was about 11am when my husband put me in the spa bathtub in our bathroom, thinking that the warm water would help suppress the contractions. Thanks Honey. I would say about an hour and a half of breathing we finally made our way to the Hospital. Mercy General here we come! I was ready and excited to meet my little girl.

I was not in pain or anything so the drive to the hospital was fine. They set me up in a room and hooked me up to every machine they had. I watched patiently as the scales on the machine went up and down. I knew what was coming. Finally they checked me to see how dilated I was. 3cm and I started walking. After about 30 minutes of walking I was feeling it. I needed something. They told me to lay back down and called the anesthesiologist to administer my epidural. I knew that we were getting closer if they were willing to give me the epidural. I was in active labor for maybe 2 hours. Averie Lynn Kaylor was born at 8:04pm on February 6, 2011, 6lbs 11oz. and 19 inches long. She is our "Boo Boo". Labor went pretty smoothly. I felt Lucky to have my girl in my arms, FINALLY!

The day after Averie was born, they had one of the pediatricians on staff come and check her over. You know, 10 toes, and 10 fingers. She noticed a couple of features that resembled Down Syndrome. They moved her to the NICU and decided to run some tests. My heart was on overdrive. I just wanted to be with my baby and now she was in the NICU! Nothing appeared to be wrong health wise, so why were they taking my little girl? The next day they ran  DNA tests, echo cardiograms, and x-rays. The Echo and x-rays came back fine, the DNA testing would take a little longer. We waited 3 days for the results to come back. Those were the hardest three days, my husband googled everything he could on Down Syndrome and would report back to me, and my heart would sink further and further into my stomach. It was a struggle to stay positive. They had a little room in the waiting area for Mom's that wanted to stay at the hospital over night after they were discharged. I stayed there for those three days. The results came back, and I knew what they were going to say. She had Down Syndrome. A wave of emotion came over me and I cried for what felt like weeks. It took a while for it all to settle in, and for my husband and I to realize that this was okay. We would not want her to be any other person's little girl. She was ours. I was more protective now than before. I did have a lot of questions. Why did the testing come back fine during my pregnancy? What did they miss? Would that have made a difference? Those questions don't even matter anymore. I care about one thing and one this only, Averie! I was still going to do all the things I had planned. I was breastfeeding {pumping at work}, giving her the best of everything that I could, and not because I feel like it was owed, but because this was my first little girl and I was going to spoil the daylights out of her. I did and I do to this day.

I look at Averie now and boy are we blessed. She is healthy {no heart problems, which is common in babies with DS}, happy, beautiful, and developing quite well. I could not ask for more. She is the twinkle in my eye, and the light to my life. Brian, Anessa, and I are excited to see her grow and become her own little person.

Averie Lynn Kaylor was born at 8:04pm on February 6, 2011, 6lbs 11oz. and 19 inches long.

2 comments:

  1. Averie and my Ben are just the same age. Ben is less than a month older! I look forward to keeping up with all her adventures!!

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    1. I am no longer able to follow your blog, it says by invitation only. I would love to be able to follow again. Let me know if there is something I need to do. : )

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