Zachary Payton Frank

Zachary Payton Frank was born February 8, 2013 at 12:50 a.m.  Zachary is our fourth child and only boy.  He was born in Seoul, South Korea at Brian Allgood Hospital (aka 121).  Little Zach completes our family and his birth solidifies his place as the last child.  This birth was unlike any of the other three and the most traumatic experience to date.  A recap of the last two and half weeks of pregnancy and his birth:

My mom arrived on January 21, 2013. She came to celebrate Natalie's 8th Birthday and to help out with the kids and be here for Zach's arrival.  Zach was due February 17 and we were hoping he came earlier than his due date because she was staying thru March 7.  I am so thankful she did arrive early.  I had been having rapid heart beats and palpitations for several weeks before she arrived. I never said anything to the doctor or Rick until I almost passed out with the kids at a store.  It was a horrible feeling and I finally decided to tell the doctor. I was immediately given an EKG and a NST (non stress test). During the EKG my heart happened to go into one of the "episodes". My heart rate shot into the 150's from 75 and only got worse from there. I was released from the EKG and sent up to the maternity ward for the NST. When they got me hooked up to the monitors my heart rate was 186 and stayed there for almost 45 min while the OB called around to see who would take me in the hospital and how to get it treated. 121 does not have a NICU and if you have problems before 36 weeks they are unable to help and send you to the local hospital. Fortunately, I was 36 weeks, but the objective is to leave the baby in as long as possible. The maternity floor does not have the ability to have a heart monitor on me and the baby at the same time therefore, I was sent to the ER for further monitoring. After several hours I was released and told to return the next day for a consult with Internal Medicine. I was placed on beta blockers to keep my heart stable and had to go to Maternity twice a week for NST and once a week for OB check ups. That was three appointments a week. I am so THANKFUL my mother was there because I can't fathom having to take all my kids to those appointments. It was determined I had SVT but no one knew what was causing it.  

On February 7, I was at the hospital for my NST and my doctor decided to strip my membranes in hopes to get labor started. I had an induction scheduled for February 13, but we hoped this worked. My OB was the doc on call that day and she was hoping stripping my membranes would induce labor and she could deliver me. We had developed a plan for me to get an Epidural, my first after three natural, to keep the stress off my heart. We did not want to chance an SVT attack in labor.  That evening Rick and I arrived at the hospital because the stripping worked!  I  was immediately given an epidural, the first of several things to go wrong that night. I should have turned down the epidural, but the objective was to keep my body stress free. We were so wrong!!!  During placement of the Epidural, anesthesia went to deep and punctured into my spinal cavity causing cerebral spinal fluid to leak.  The epidural line was placed and I was given a Spinal because the doctors thought I would go quickly. Add that to a list of things we were all wrong about.  While the Dr. was telling us what happened and that I might suffer spinal headaches after, my hands started going numb, I got dizzy and passed out.  I woke up to my husband and OB in my face. My blood pressure had dropped causing me to pass out. The spinal got to high due to the hole in my spinal cavity and the medicine also getting in there.  After several medications to bring my bp back up I was stabilized and labor continued on.  Unfortunately, the spinal pretty much stopped all my contractions so after two hours it wore off and the contractions picked backup. I called for the epidural to be readministered now because the contractions made my heart rate jump. This was the biggest mistake.  Instead of the spinal he hooked in the epidural drip.  On the test dose everything went tingly.  Once again my hands went numb and this time I couldn't move my toes, legs, or fingers. It went to high and I was about to pass out again when they got the medication into me for my blood pressure. Rick and the Dr had to sit the bed straight up to stop the epidural from getting higher. The crash cart was brought in because I couldn't breathe well. For a few minutes it looked like I was going to be intubated and given a c-section. Honestly, I could have cared less how that baby got out. I was miserable.  FINALLY, after sitting the bed up the epidural stopped at my lower breasts and lungs and my breathing stabilized.  I thought I was going to die.  The ob gave me pitocin because I was making no progress and the contractions stopped with the mega epidural.  After SEVERAL hours, I was finally ready to push.  I pushed for an hour, which is not long for first time moms, but long for a 4th time mom.  It was extremely painful since the epidural wore off, more painful than my other three natural deliveries. Turns out Zach was face up instead of being in a posterior position (face down).  This makes things more painful and also its extremely hard to push the baby out.  Its a good thing he was my fourth, there is no way he would have made it had he been my first.  An hour later he finally made his grand entrance in to the world with a deformed head and massive brusing from hitting my pelvis, but otherwise he was perfect and we were so in love.  The next day I was suffering from the spinal headaches they warned me off and I opted for blood patching to fix the hole in my spine.  Another epidural line was administered and they took blood from my arm and injected into my spinal cavity to plug the hole. The headache was gone almost immediately.  I am glad I opted for the spinal patching, the headache was worse than a migrane.  

If I had a do over, I would have gone natural again, but we thought we were doing the right thing and trying to keep stress off my heart. Unfortunately, it ended up causing more stress than we could have imagined.  

Welcome Zachary Payton Frank

Holding him for the first time.

Weighing in at 7 lbs 5.8 oz

His bruise. It went from his forehead to the back of his head. The Pediatrician said it was one of the worst she had seen.  

MomMom holding zach for the first time.

A proud daddy and his only son.

Gabby was sooo in love.

Rick coming to see Zach after a father daughter dance.

Henley greeting Zach for the first time.

After 24 hours of no sleep, we don't look too bad! :)

This is what Henley really did while she was visiting.

Natalie is the best big sister.

Happy birthday blue cupcakes for Zachary