The DayYou Were Born...

Written by- Celia Abigail McLaughlin

Mom and Dad called to let Aunt Celia, Grandma Mac and Granddad Mac know that you were going to be born by c-section. They all came to the hospital & saw Mommy before she went to deliver. Grandma Mac was super nervous and wanted to make sure your mommy was super ok and very well taken care of. She paced the floor infront of the OR doors and asked everyone who went in if everything was ok. Dr. Rainwater came down the hall and Grandma Mac freaked out. Dr. Rainwater told us that she was going to be on standby and assist Dr. Clary with the delivery! Two great doctors were there with you! When your daddy brought you out, Granddaddy Mac and aunt Celia were exercise "power" walking the halls. Grandma Mac did her regular Sigh and there you were. You were absolutely beautiful. The nurses took you and your daddy into the nursery and opened the blinds for everyone to see. Grandaddy Mac dialed Uncle Sam on his mobile phone and he couldn't talk. He handed the phone to Aunt Celia for her to tell Uncle Sam about you. Grandaddy Mac was crying- and as you will soon find out, when he crys, everyone crys! So Aunt Celia cried telling Uncle Sam. Grandaddy Mac made his "generation" statement, which made it even worse. The visitors started coming. 1st was your great aunt Linda Strickland. She had called and was worried about your Mom. Next came your God parents, Jay and Flo Vinson. Flo had laryngitis and couldn't talk. Next came your Granddaddy Wade made it. He was chewing his gum faster than you would believe. He made his way to the window- and it was love at first site! His only expression was (with big tears running down his cheek) "Have you ever seen anything more beautiful?" He was so proud. Brian Urquhart (Aunt Celia's Boyfriend) came in next. He was excited even tho he doesn't show much expression. Aunt Celia could tell. Next came Jack, Janet and Laurie Miller. They were so excited. Everyone just stood and gazed at you. Once your Mommie was awake and back in the room, Your Daddy, grandaddy Rawlinson, grandma and grandaddy Mac, Aunt Celia and Laurie Miller went in. Then in you came. Your Daddy picked you up after the nurse left. By the way, your nurse said you were the most active and verbal baby she had ever seen! Anyway- your dad gave you to your mom so she could see you for the first time. Aunt Celia had the video camera. We all had tears in our eyes and then we all laughed. You started crying and everyone sorta looked at each other and it was like "what do we do?" Your dad suggested we feed you. So he got out your bottle just like he was a pro!! We hearda snubbing in the corner behind the curtain, and it was Janet Miller, crying. She said "Its not everyday you get to see a family see each other for the first time!" It was so sweet. You started sucking the bottle right away. You made little noises and Brian said "sounds like a brim sucking a cricket off the hook." We all laughed. One day you will understand Brian- maybe by then we maybe "Uncle Brian". Aunt Celia sure hopes so!! After we all spent time gazing over you, we all left and let your mommy and daddy ring in the new year with you! Mary Catherine, I just wanted to let you know about your first few hours of life. Your Mom was a little bit out of it and your Daddy was overwhelmed so I am not sure they will remember everything. I am a detail person. I note everything! You are absolutely beautiful! You have the longest fingers, toes, legs and arms ever. I can't wait to spoil you! Love, Aunt Celia P.S. Eddie Potts says: " I bet she is the prettiest little filly ever born at Wildwood!"

The Week After Christmas---Something is Happening!

The day after Christmas, it started out like a stomach ache or severe gas pain. My belly would tighten and loosen, tighten and loosen. From this point until Mary Catherine was delivered, I had contractions. At first it was every 30 minutes or so. Then it got faster. Soon it was every 4-5 minutes. Kevin called the doctor. They told us to come on to the hospital. We got there and they put me on the fetal monitor. I was having contractions but, I was not dialating at all. They gave sent me home. On Saturday the pain was awful. I was having a hard time doing anything but laying down. We went up to the hospital again and they put me back on the monitor. This time, they gave me morphine and sent me home. At this point I swore I was not going back up there until my water broke. The morphine knocked me out for 2 days. When I came to on Tuesday morning, I wasn't getting any fetal movement and it scard the dickons out of me. Kevin called the doctors and they told us to come to the office. We got in about noon and they took us back for an ultra sound. The baby was moving...whew..big relief. Undoubtedly, the morphine had it where I couldn't feel the baby. As the ultra sound tech was about to finish, I said, would you mind flashing that thing over here on my right side and telling me what part of her body this is...it feels like she has had something stuck in my right rib cage the entire pregnancy. The tech flashed the ultra sound that way. She got an odd look on her face and said, "you all will need to have a seat in the lobby and see the doctor as soon as she returns from lunch. " As soon as Kelli Rainwater returned from lunch, she took Kevin and I back. She said the pain I was feeling was the placenta possibly growing into the uterine wall and we would need to do an emergency C Section now. She said that if it was the case and the placenta had grown into the wal and I had tried to deliver, I could have had serious compliations with bleeding. They would have had to go in and try to repair it to save my life anyway. Okay, Mary Catherine is going to come today by C-Section!

Month 8- It's almost time...

Well, the goodtimes were short lived. Thanksgiving in Charleston was a complete disaster. We went to the Rawlinson family Thanksgiving luncheon. I am sure the food was good but all I could smell and see was FOOD. I could not get out of there fast enough. Before we got back to Kevin's Mom's I had to have Kevin pull off the road for me to be sick. I am so tired of being sick everytime I eat. I am starving for real food but, I can't look at it. When we got to Kevs Mom's house, I had to go lay down while everyone else celebrated Thanksgiving. I was finally able to eat a cold turkey sandwich that evening before going to bed. In the middle of the night, I thought I was about to have the baby. She turned herself completely around so that she was head first. It felt like she had her feet pushing my boobs into my throat. I just knew that we were going to have to go to MUSC to have the baby that night. I swore that night if I ever got back to Florence, I would not leave town again until the baby arrived. In the middle of everything else, Kevin got a call from the City of Florence (his previous employer). They ask him if they give him a huge raise and name him Controller for the city if he will consider coming back to work for them. We decided it would be the best decision for us. He will be coming home the week before Christmas and starting back with the city January 7th. This has been a stressful situation on top of everything else that has happened with this pregnancy. Our newest trick is passing out. Oh yes, I have passed out a few times. The first time it happened, I went to the hospital to have blood work done a week or so ago. As I walked up to the registration, I felt myself get hot and my legs go weak. I got to the counter and I looked at the lady sitting there and I was gone. The next thing I remember I was at the women's center in Dr. Clary's office This happened to me several more times. They don't know what was causing this. I tried to talk the docs into letting me have the baby before Christmas. They said "no!" I have decided not to breast feed. I know that it is best for the baby to breast feed but, I honestly don't think I am healthy enough after all of these problems to take this on. I have decided to reduce the stress and simply use formula. I am sure I am going to hear about this for months from other moms but, they can talk after they have had a pregnancy like mine. I will just be glad to get Mary Catherine here! I think we are seriously going to talk about adopting the next child. I do not know that I can physically or mentally do this again.

Month Seven- Physical Therapy

Okay-We are now in physical therapy for siatic pain. The first week in October Kevin told the doctors that they were going to have to do something for me and relieve the pain. They agreed to try physical therapy. Finally, after two weeks of therapy, I can walk. I am feeling so much better. The pain is still there but it is now just a dull pain that I can live with. I seriously thought I was going to die last month. I have actually felt like going outside for the first time in 7 months. I almost forgot what the outdoors was like. I have been walking to Mom's and to check on the horses few times each day. I finally had a craving...Birthday cake and bread sticks from Olive Garden. It was nice to have something normal. At the end of October and first of November, I spent some time Christmas shopping and working on the nursery. The nausea is not gone completely but as long as I take the Zofran, I can make it throught the day. We are now ordering it in a 3 month supply. I take 4 per day. I haven't lost anymore weight. My weight is holding steady. I drink alot of water. I am actually looking like a pregnant person for the first time. Prior to this point, I really didn't look PG. This has been the best month of the pregnancy so far. Kevin has taken a job in Hilton Head with Cherry Beakert & Holland as a CPA. He is living in a condo down there all week and comming home on the weekends. We have our house on the market. I hope it gets sold soon so that I can get moved as soon as the baby gets here. We will be spending Thanksgiving in Charleston this year.

Month Six- I thought only old people had Siatica!!!

I woke up one morning in the middle of September and I knew something wasn't right. My right leg was hurting. This was a pain like nothing I had ever experienced before. My best description of this pain was as if someone took a metal coat hanger, straightened it out, put it in a fire and got it burning red hot and shoved it through my right buttock and down the back of my leg into my ankle. There was no relief!

Finally, we got the doctors on the phone. They decided I was having siatic pain and they called me in Tylenol 3. That did nothing to relieve the pain! I was thinking more like give me some morphine or something to knock me out. It would have felt better to just chop my leg off with no anesthesia. This was the most painful thing I have ever experienced in my life.

No one ever told me this could happen. Of all the women I have known that have had children, no one has ever told me anything about siatic pain. I have heard old folks talk about having siatica. Never ever have I ever heard a person who was younger than 50 even discuss this. If child birth is worse than this, I am going to have to be put to sleep to give birth. I have decided I am a pain wimp. I just can't do this pregnancy thing anymore.

The docs have called in a "PRENATAL CRADLE" contraption for me to wear until the baby comes. I can't wait to see this thing. It should be here in the next few days. From the photos it looks very much like a body sling! You can imagine the jokes that are going along with this. Kevin has been trying to massage the leg to help relieve the pain. I lay there and scream bloody murder the entire time. He is having to help me out of bed and into the shower. I can not stand up for any period of time without having excruciating pain. We have a stool in the shower now. I sit to take a bath. This is so not funny anymore!

This is so ridiculous, something is going to change. I have been in the bed for two weeks with this. Most days consist of laying, watching TV out of the side of my eyes and crying. This pain is unbelievable!

Month Five- Hickups and Butterflies

Kevin passed his CPA exam. He is in high demand by accounting firms because he passed all four parts in 2 sittings. I have a feeling we are going to have to move somewhere. I finally have a little pop out belly but have lost over 16 lbs. I am still sick but the Zofran helps and has made it where I don't just have to lay in bed all day. By the way...the Zofran should be made of GOLD. 30 day supply is over $500 bucks. This month we had the joy of the Diabetes test. I do not function these days without taking the Zofran before getting out of bed. They scheduled the test for 8am hoping I would get up and be okay until 9 am when the test was over. We made it to the hospital and I was still holding it together. They brought the orange drink in at 8am. It took me about 30 minutes to get it down. They needed me to keep it down for 30 minutes and then they were going to check my blood. At 15 minutes, they had to bring me a cool cloth. I wasn't feeling well. At 20 minutes, I was feeling rather sick. At 25 minutes, I was about to explode and had asked for a trash can. At 30 minutes, one nurse was holding the trash can and one was taking my blood. I went home sick and was useless for the balance of the week. Needless to say, the blood sugar was high. BIG surprise. Since I FAILED the 1 hour test, they called and said they would need for me to do the 3 hour test....LOL! I almost laughed in their face. If I couldn't keep the stuff down for 30 minutes, how did they propose I keep it, or anything else down, for 3 hours? They didn't know, they just knew that was the procedure. I asked to speak with the nurse. They said if I didn't want to take the 3 hour test they would just assume I was diabetic and make me do the diabetic diet. I thought, well, it can't be anyworse than what I have been doing, so I opted to go on the diabetic diet. They set me up to go meet with a dietitican, Rona Wharton. Rona and I were office sweetmates when I worked at Bruce Hospital so I knew her and she knew me. Rona began by asking me what I was eating...I told her exactly what had been going on for 4 months. She assured me I was not diabetic but gave me a machine to check my sugar a few times a day anyway. She helped me come up with several ideas on foods that I might try to eat and keep down. Her suggestions included cold cuts, or cold meats, sandwiches, begals, cereal bars, sugar free ice cream, cream cheese, begals, baked potatos, noodles, veggie soup, orange juice, green beans, grapes, apples, peanut butter and salty foods. Her suggestions really helped. I was glad I went to her for help. The diet was actually more food than what I was eating before I went. My weight loss has leveled off. Mary Catherine has been moving alot this month. It feels like I have butterflies in there. It is a really neat feeling. I sing to the baby alot. I especially like the Star Spangled Banner right now. Kevin talks to her via my belly button...he thinks it is like a direct line to Mary Catherine. I love it when he does this. One morning when we were out in Tennessee at the Celebration, I was laying in bed. My belly kept twitching. It was the oddest thing. For a minute, I layed very still and wondered what in the world was happening... then it hit me ...she has the hickups. It was a precious moment. I did really well at the Celebration. I was not sick at all. I loved the country ham sandwiches...I ate one every night at the show. I also ate the homemade ice cream they sell at the show. It was wonderful! Those 10 days I actually gained 1 lb.

Month Four...IT'S A GIRL!

On July 23rd, 2002 Kevin and I went in and met with Dr. Chapman for an ultra sound test. When they turned the machine on, I just knew you were a girl. The moment, I saw your little face, I knew it. It was so amazing to see you in there. You had all of your tiny little parts. I checked them all off one by one as they labled them. Kevin squeezed my hand everytime they would label a different part. At the very end, Mrs Cathy, the ultra sound tech told us...all indications are that it is a GIRL! We were so excited. She pushed on my stomach to get you to turn over...you got mad and kicked back at the ultra sound machine. A girl...her name will be Mary Catherine Rawlinson. We will call her Mary Catherine. I am going to have a daughter.

This has got to get better. I am officially not having fun! I am so sick and I do not crave anything. My only desire is for this baby to get here FAST! I am down 12 lbs. The doctors are worried about my weight loss. They are looking into new options for me. They have found another drug that might help...it is called Zofran. It is a drug they give Cancer patients on
Chemo and are sick. I will try anything at this point. My thoughts are of what the baby will be like. Will it be like me or kevin? I wonder if you will sleep all night and if I will hear you when you cry for me. I wonder what we will do together and if you will like to do the same things kevin and I like to do. I wonder if I can really do this Mommy thing. I am scard to death.

Month 3....Still sick

The sickness is not getting better. So far pregnancy has been the worst experience of my life. I still can't eat or be around food. I have given up on the no caffeine thing. I tried to do it for 3 months. I told the doctors and they said...don't give that up if you can keep it down. They do want me to limit my intake. So, I started back drinking one cup of coffee in the morning and having a diet coke with a meal. It seems to ease the severe headaches I have been having.

All of the sickness, nausea, and depression has caused me to start having panic attacks. It feels like I am having a heart attack. I am so worried that you are not getting the right nutrients. I am still losing weight but, I don't know what to do. I am down 9 lbs at the end of the third month. My pants are getting tight around the waist but falling off everywhere else. I do need maturnity clothes now. I borrowed some maturnity clothes from Laurie Parks because I haven't felt like shopping. Laurie is about 1 foot taller than me so her pants are a bit too long. The shirts were great thou. Mom and I are going out to the mall and see if we can find me some stuff in the next few weeks.

My eyes are blood shot because, I have thrown up so much that the vessels in my eyes have bursted. The rash on my face is worse. They call it the MASK of pregancy. It looks aweful. They say it will go away once the baby gets here. My back and sides ache so bad, they say it is from the strain of throwing up so much. My platelets and sodium are very low. They suggested I take iron tablets...yeah right...those stayed down about 5 minutes. I have allergies and they have taken me off of all of my allergy medication so I now have a severe sinus infection for which they can give me nothing. My color isn't good and I feel sickly most of the time.

The doctors have now told me to go home and not try to work. I don't know how I am going to deal with not working. However, I haven't been getting much work done anyway this last month. I have been playing classical and piano music for the baby.

MonthTWO- OH! I AM SO SICK...

I feel like my insides are going to come up my throat. This is aweful. I have now been sick everyday, several times a day, since week 4. I can not keep the vitamins down. I throw them up as soon as they go down. For several days, I tried to eat flintstone vitamins. I was throwing them up too. I can keep Dasani Water down and that is about it. I gave up caffeine and have been trying to reduce my intake of sugar. I have aweful caffeine head aches. I have tried all of the "wise tales" to prevent the nausea- none of them are working. I even had someone tell me to try buttermilk. The thought of that made me sick. I tried the kids throw up medicine--Ipakack? Cherry flavor got to be a staple for a while. Someone suggested eating ginger candy. This is not recommended by me. It is nasty. I went and bought the SEA BANDS-- they did not work. I honestly do not thing there is anything that can stop this.

I have named my toilet the "porceline god". I have been establishing a very intimate relationship with my toilet. I spend several hours a day and night hugging it. I actually had Kevin go to the store and buy a lemon smelly thing to hang on the side of the "porceline god". Figured, I am spending so much time there, I may as well be smelling something clean, fresh and light. It isn't helping.

My sence of smell is unbelieveable. I can smell things now that I never smelled before. Meat is the worst smell. It disgust me at this point. My hair seems to be falling out in chunks, I have this rash on my face and I am also having incontinance issues.I have a constant sence of urgency. I have to go every 30 minutes and every hour on the hour during the night. Thus, I am getting no sleep. Celia says it isn't the baby that is making me have to go. I will remind her of this when she is PG one day. No one tells you these things are going to happen to you when you get PG. Everyone talks about how wonderful being pregnant is. My favorte is I never felt better than when I was pregnant....I am not having this "wonderful experience" all the girls describe. I have never felt this bad in my life.

I think the baby is a girl At the end of the 2nd month I have lost 3 1/2 pounds. My diet consist of basically anything I can keep down. Occasionally, I can keep down chicken sandwiches, jello, dole fruit bars, soup, toaster strudles, pudding, pizza and french fries. I can not keep milk down. I gag the whole time I brush my teeth. Toothpaste taste aweful to me. Today, I threw up in the doctors office, they decided to give me phenegrin. I am drunk now and that isn't helping the nausea situation.

The doctors say the babies birthday will be January 2nd, 2003. 01/02/03---> How cool is that?

At week 7 1/2 I spotted. It was very scary for me. Kevin was in Columbia taking the CPA exam so Mom took me to the doctor. They did an ultra sound and everything looked okay. The baby looked like a little peanut. I could hear its heart beating and so did Mom. The doctors felt like everything was okay. They said it could have been all the straining from throwing up.

I ended up in the hospital on Father's day. I was so dehydrated. They gave me some IV's and nausea medication. I really relaxed and was finally able to sleep.

I am very uncomfortable wearing underware. My panties are so uncomfortable. I have been hunting bikini underware for pregant women. They are not easy to find.

We are playing the name game. I am thinking about Isabella and Annabelle. Kevin and Celia think those are awful names. If it is a boy we are going to name him Rowland Davis Rawlinson. We are going to call him Davis. We have toyed with the idea of Laughlin, Braxton and Hampton for first names. Girl names are harder. Several options are Mary Catherine Rawlinson, Elleanor Love Rawlinson, Emma Grace Rawlinson, and Lyndsey Love Rawlinson. We would call them Mary Catherine, Ella or Love, Emma, or Lyndsey. Who knows what we will come up with.

Month One- THE TEST!!!!

This morning I was busy at work but all I could think about was getting another PG test. Celia and Mrs Marsha had to go out to Office Depot to pick up office supplies and to Eckard to pick up some pictures of a building for Dad. When Celia was in Eckard, I called her and asked her to pick me up a PG test. She was freaking out. She had to tell the check out lady that it wasn't for her. When they got home, I immediately went and took the test. I was so excited...I took off with out telling anyone at the office where I was going to find Kevin. He was at Ryans' finishing lunch and was heading back to a health fair. As I was heading that way, my cellphone rang. It was my dad. He wanted to know where I was going. I told him I had to go meet Kevin for a minute. He wanted to know "Why?" I told him I couldn't talk but, I would catch up with him in an hour. He said he needed me to come meet him at the Honda store. I told him I would meet him after I saw Kevin. He said,"Come by here and tell me what color four wheeler my grand baby would like. " I said, "What?" He said , "Have you been taking your folic acid?" I told him I would talk to him in an hour. He said, "just tell me what color 4 wheeler my grandbaby wants?" I said "RED" and hung up. When I got to Kevin he was so excited. We called Wade, Fran & Mel and then went out to the farm and officially told Mom, Dad and Celia. I called the doctor and they told me to come in and have a blood test done the next day. I can't believe I am going to be a Mom!

And then there were three....

I have been so sleepy lately. I can't get enough sleep. Celia and I have been traveling with our business Sisters. We did a show in Clemson, South Carolina. We set up Sisters but we also showed. I won on Platnum Star and What a Future. We were home in Florence for three days and left for the World Cup horse show in Shelbyville, Tennessee on Tueday. We worked the world cup show for a week and then on following Sunday we left for the Panama City, Florida horse show. We set up the booth there and worked/ played for 4 days. I felt aweful. Celia & I rode jet skis for the first time in the ocean. It was so much fun! We were out there riding with the dolphins. The water was so beautiful and clear. Celia wanted to go bungie jumping but, I chickened out at the last minute. I am somewhat afraid of heights. I also showed in Panama City at the show. After all of that traveling, I thought I was just exhausted. When I got home today, I crashed on the couch. Besides work, I have done nothing but sleep for a week. This evening Kevin was studying for the CPA exam and all of a sudden I woke up, sat straight up on the couch and said...OMG I think I am pregnant. Sure enough, I went and got the calendar and I was 2 weeks late. Kevin and I went to Walmart and got a pregnancy test and I took it. The results were inconclusive.