Scary night in Labor and Delivery

Last Monday night was a very scary night for me and Joe. I had just worked three 12 hour night shifts in a row and got about 3 hours of sleep on Monday during the day before going back to the hospital to visit Joe's Mom who just had surgery. I wasn't feeling well the whole day but I didn't want to bother Joe with how I was feeling since he was concerned with his mom and how she was feeling. After we ate dinner I finally told Joe that I had a huge headache and was really dizzy so we headed home. We got home around 8 pm and was home about 5 minutes before I passed out on the bedroom floor. Joe quickly called 911 and the Kalona First Responders were there within minutes. He called mom and dad and they were also there right away. I was only passed out for a few seconds but my blood pressure was extremely high. Luckily a co-worker of mine is a First Responder and was able to help me calm down a bit before the ambulance got there. Baby Fernau and I got a very fast and bumpy right to UIHC in the Ambulance which was very scary for me since I could see the monitor that was monitoring my vitals. My heart rate was really high and my blood pressure was not coming down at all. I could feel the baby move so I was a little more relieved with that. I was admitted to Labor and Delivery right away and was monitored for several hours. It took about 2 hours for my blood pressure to come down to normal. Baby Fernau didn't seem to be bothered by all the action at all. Baby's heart rate was 140-160's the whole time which is right where it has been at our appointments. All of my lab work came back normal and once my blood pressure came down the Doctors didn't seem to be too concerned. We were able to go home around 1 am Tuesday morning. I had a follow appointment with our midwife on Wednesday and again my blood pressure was elevated. We will be going for appointments every week from now until delivery and will do non-stress tests for the baby weekly as well. Joe and I are very scared at this point and we are not sure what will happen in the weeks to come. So far we are just being monitored more carefully, no medication as of now and no bedrest. I am going to cut back on work slightly (no more than two 12 hour shifts in a row) and have strict orders to take it easy at home and rest with my feet up as much as possible. I have been very nervous during the pregnancy and this is not helping that at all. My midwife wants me to monitor my blood pressure at home which I have been doing since early in the pregnancy but I feel like I'm consumed with what the numbers are and what the numbers should be. Its all I think about which doesn't help things at all.
Joe and I would definitely appreciate your prayers for the next few weeks as we take the next few steps of our pregnancy. Right now we are 29 weeks and we are still hoping and praying to make it to term. This is very hard for me because of seeing so much at work so prayers for calmness would be much appreciated.

28 weeks!

This week we had another ultrasound for growth of the baby. Baby Fernau is measuring perfectly and the estimated weight is 2 lbs 9 oz. It is very active and seems to be moving all the time. Its fun to watch Joe get so excited when he can feel the baby kick and move. We are extremely thankful and blessed with what God is doing in our lives and we are getting more and more excited everyday.
The top picture is the baby's face, the the baby's foot. The bottom set of pictures is the profile and the spine.

Kenna Ranae Schrock

Big Sister Tori!

Kenna Ranae Schrock

Baby Schrock

On Thursday July 8th we waited patiently for the call from my brother Aaron with the news of the birth of their new baby. April and Aaron were at the hospital at 5 am that morning for a scheduled C-section. Aaron finally called around 9 to tell us that they had a beautiful little girl with lots of black hair and long eyelashes. Kenna Ranae was born at 7:27 am weighing 7 lbs 8 oz and was 20 inches long. Right away mom had Tori come to the phone so Aaron could tell her that she was a big sister! She was so excited and ready to show off her new Big Sister t-shirt that my mom got for her. We waited for Grandma Leichty to come to Kalona from her coffee time with her friends and then we jumped in the car and hurried to the hospital to visit Baby Kenna. Tori was so excited and could not wait to see her new baby sister. When we got to the room April was resting and Aaron was holding Kenna. Right away Tori wanted to hold her and excitedly told Great Grandma Leichty how lucky she was to be a big sister!

Aaron, April, and Kenna were able to come home from the hospital yesterday. Everyone is doing well and feeling great. Pictures are on the way!