Just quickly wanted to say that I am soooo happy! My sister is coming back from Africa for over a month and she arrives next week! She already had this trip back to the states planned, but when Isaiah came early she moved things around and was able to come home a little earlier. I cannot express how happy this makes me.
While I have recently learned that my husband is in fact Superman...he does have to leave for 10 1/2 hours every day for work. I have been blessed with visits from friends a few nights a week while Mark is at work. They bring food and clean and entertain the baby...and keep me from losing my mind. Without my peeps, I would likely be a complete wreck. That being said, having my sister here will also be a HUGE help.
Can't wait to see you aunt jen!
Friday, September 12, 2008
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Poop and Stuff
First let me say that I feel blessed to have so many wonderful mommies in my life. You have all been so great at assuring me that my moments of panic with phone in hand to call the pediatrician for every little friggin' thing is normal (is that a new bump on his head? why is it there? is that spit up a funny color? does that mean he has an intestinal blockage? why hasn't he pooped yet? oh my...it must be intestinal blockage! is he eating too much? is he eating too little? is he still breathing? etc, etc, etc). Thank you for reassuring me that I'm not a complete lunatic, just an irrational, temporarily insane new mother.
While the anxiety from my first two weeks of motherhood is slowly easing its grip, I am finally excited to share my first diaper stories. Mark and I were laughing histerically this weekend when we started swapping "guess what Isaiah did?" stories over the weekend. I must share...I'm burned out on drama...bring on the comedy PLEASE!
So obviously Isaiah is a little boy...and little boys have penises that are highly senstive to breezes...if this is news to anyone, you shouldn't be reading my blog. :) We learned very early, that our son has squirming abilities that will dislodge even the most well-placed diaper or wipe, which quickly eliminates all protection from a good hosing. A few days ago, he did just that...he kicked his little legs and wiggled his bottom until the shielding wipe fell to the side. Generally he aims over his left shoulder, hitting whatever lies behind him (in this case our bed) as well as his clothing (usually a fresh out of the dryer onesie...typical). However on this day, he didn't quit free the wipe completely so his aim was slightly altered. Before I could replace it, the sprinklers went on and the poor little man peed into his own eye! He reacted with a full face squint and startle...something you might associate with eating lemons. To make matters worse, I was laughing so hard, it took me minute to gather myself before I could calm him down and get him cleaned up. Lord have mercy, I'm still laughing my ass off.
Weew! Breathe...so now I move on to Mark's story. The other evening while I was getting my beauty sleep, Mark was up with Isaiah. As usual, our son saved the poopiest of dialy diapers for his daddy. It all started when Mark decided to check whether or not the diaper was dirty with a quick finger check...something I've already learned to avoid. Turns out, the diaper was VERY dirty. Being overly tired, Mark didn't head to the bathroom to wash his hands before changing the diaper. Nope! Insted he chose to try to hold out said finger (something like a tea pinky) while completing the diaper change. So Mark was going through his routine, finger in the air...but shortly into the changing, he realized he was taking on a bigger project than he was used to. He lost concentration on the poopy finger and focused on cleaning up the boy without getting poop all over the bed. Once Isaiah was rebundled and dry, Mark placed him back in his bassinet, got rid of the diaper, and washed his hands. He couldn't help but think he was tasting poop. His initial thought being, "man that was once fierce diaper, I swear I can taste it!" A few minutes later, after checking the bed, his clothing, and Isaiah, he returned to the bathroom to wash his hands again because he could not get rid of that poopy smell. This time, he look up into the mirror as he was washing...there was the culprit. Somehow, in full diaper changing concentration, Mark must have wiped his face and left a nice streak of shit across his cheek! ahahaahahahaha. Oh lord, I cannot stop laughing when I think of this story. I am so, so, so sad that I wasn't there to witness this first hand.
We have been welcomed to parenthood! ha!
While the anxiety from my first two weeks of motherhood is slowly easing its grip, I am finally excited to share my first diaper stories. Mark and I were laughing histerically this weekend when we started swapping "guess what Isaiah did?" stories over the weekend. I must share...I'm burned out on drama...bring on the comedy PLEASE!
So obviously Isaiah is a little boy...and little boys have penises that are highly senstive to breezes...if this is news to anyone, you shouldn't be reading my blog. :) We learned very early, that our son has squirming abilities that will dislodge even the most well-placed diaper or wipe, which quickly eliminates all protection from a good hosing. A few days ago, he did just that...he kicked his little legs and wiggled his bottom until the shielding wipe fell to the side. Generally he aims over his left shoulder, hitting whatever lies behind him (in this case our bed) as well as his clothing (usually a fresh out of the dryer onesie...typical). However on this day, he didn't quit free the wipe completely so his aim was slightly altered. Before I could replace it, the sprinklers went on and the poor little man peed into his own eye! He reacted with a full face squint and startle...something you might associate with eating lemons. To make matters worse, I was laughing so hard, it took me minute to gather myself before I could calm him down and get him cleaned up. Lord have mercy, I'm still laughing my ass off.
Weew! Breathe...so now I move on to Mark's story. The other evening while I was getting my beauty sleep, Mark was up with Isaiah. As usual, our son saved the poopiest of dialy diapers for his daddy. It all started when Mark decided to check whether or not the diaper was dirty with a quick finger check...something I've already learned to avoid. Turns out, the diaper was VERY dirty. Being overly tired, Mark didn't head to the bathroom to wash his hands before changing the diaper. Nope! Insted he chose to try to hold out said finger (something like a tea pinky) while completing the diaper change. So Mark was going through his routine, finger in the air...but shortly into the changing, he realized he was taking on a bigger project than he was used to. He lost concentration on the poopy finger and focused on cleaning up the boy without getting poop all over the bed. Once Isaiah was rebundled and dry, Mark placed him back in his bassinet, got rid of the diaper, and washed his hands. He couldn't help but think he was tasting poop. His initial thought being, "man that was once fierce diaper, I swear I can taste it!" A few minutes later, after checking the bed, his clothing, and Isaiah, he returned to the bathroom to wash his hands again because he could not get rid of that poopy smell. This time, he look up into the mirror as he was washing...there was the culprit. Somehow, in full diaper changing concentration, Mark must have wiped his face and left a nice streak of shit across his cheek! ahahaahahahaha. Oh lord, I cannot stop laughing when I think of this story. I am so, so, so sad that I wasn't there to witness this first hand.
We have been welcomed to parenthood! ha!
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Two Weeks!
We have had a number of big firsts around here lately, I'm sure you can imagine. Isaiah will be 2 weeks old tomorrow! It has been a blur. He is officially nursing (almost) full-time. We still supplement with bottles at night when Mark takes over so I can get some sleep. I'm still not completely capable of keeping up with his appetite, keeping my fingers crossed that day will come soon.
Fortunately, his HUGE appetite gave us several "he's amazing!" comments from our pediatrician this morning. He has already gained back his weight and then some, weighing in at 5 lbs 6 oz today. He is alert for longer periods now, makes eye contact, kicks about his little arms and legs, recognizes our voices and can hold his head up briefly when on his tummy. I only list these items because they are each big steps for a newborn, especially a preemie. Our doctor says if she didn't know otherwise, she would never guess he was born 6 weeks early...he acts just like a full-term baby. Music to our ears.
Now that we've got nursing down and are getting used to the new routine that comes with having a baby to worry about 24/7, our new challenge is focusing on longer sleep at night and shorter naps during the day. I'm sure Mark will totally appreciate this since he lets me sleep from 1:30am-6:30am most mornings while he takes care of the baby.
I am feeling much better and am healing much faster than expected. I've been driving for several days now and can help out around the house again...though not exclusively. I'm sure all of the sleep has been a huge help. I have been told it may take 6-10 week for me to be 100%, I'm thinking I'll be good to go in 4, we'll see. I haven't taken any pain medications for almost a week now and all has been well. My BP is slowly returning to normal as well (woo hoo!) and after losing 20 pounds in 3 days (ahhh!) it looks like I'm steadying out. I'm expected to lose about 1 pound a week in water weight for the next 4 weeks and I'm hoping some baby fat will go with it. Oh do I look forward to the day that I get to see my face without the fatty turtle neck that preeclampsia blessed me with. :)
Thanks to all of you who brought us tasty food. A special shout out to Auntie Nicole who came over after work last week to cook us dinner and clean the house...I think she washed a weeks worth of dishes! We love you!
Fortunately, his HUGE appetite gave us several "he's amazing!" comments from our pediatrician this morning. He has already gained back his weight and then some, weighing in at 5 lbs 6 oz today. He is alert for longer periods now, makes eye contact, kicks about his little arms and legs, recognizes our voices and can hold his head up briefly when on his tummy. I only list these items because they are each big steps for a newborn, especially a preemie. Our doctor says if she didn't know otherwise, she would never guess he was born 6 weeks early...he acts just like a full-term baby. Music to our ears.
Now that we've got nursing down and are getting used to the new routine that comes with having a baby to worry about 24/7, our new challenge is focusing on longer sleep at night and shorter naps during the day. I'm sure Mark will totally appreciate this since he lets me sleep from 1:30am-6:30am most mornings while he takes care of the baby.
I am feeling much better and am healing much faster than expected. I've been driving for several days now and can help out around the house again...though not exclusively. I'm sure all of the sleep has been a huge help. I have been told it may take 6-10 week for me to be 100%, I'm thinking I'll be good to go in 4, we'll see. I haven't taken any pain medications for almost a week now and all has been well. My BP is slowly returning to normal as well (woo hoo!) and after losing 20 pounds in 3 days (ahhh!) it looks like I'm steadying out. I'm expected to lose about 1 pound a week in water weight for the next 4 weeks and I'm hoping some baby fat will go with it. Oh do I look forward to the day that I get to see my face without the fatty turtle neck that preeclampsia blessed me with. :)
Thanks to all of you who brought us tasty food. A special shout out to Auntie Nicole who came over after work last week to cook us dinner and clean the house...I think she washed a weeks worth of dishes! We love you!
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Isaiah's Birth Story
It's the moment I'm sure you all have been waiting for (hahaha, ok so only a few of you are actually curious)...Isaiah's birth story. By the pictures I'm sure you've been able to tell that he is super healthy...what a relief.
So the story begins on Monday, August 25th. I went to my twice weekly doctors visit where they monitored Isaiah's heart rate, my contractions, my BP, weight, etc, etc. I was feeling great that day, especially since I had such a wonderful Sunday (one of my best friends threw me a baby shower on Sunday! photos of that to come). It had only been 4 days since my previous visit and everything was still going fairly well so I had no big concerns...then I stepped on the scale...I had gained 12 pounds in 1 week! uh oh. I was having contraction (?really? I didn't feel them). My BP was still in a safe zone for a preeclamptic patient (140's/ 80's) so they sent me home with another jug to collect my pee. Yes, I said it...I had to collect my pee for 24 hours. This would be the 2nd, but not last, time I would get to enjoy this experience. Thankfully, Mark was the one who had to go back to the hospital and sit with a big stinky jug of my pee in the waiting room to get it to the lab...hahaha. Poor guy.
We got the results Tuesday afternoon that my proteinuria had jumped from 210 to 470 in 4 days...another uh oh. I was told to stay in bed and come in on Thursday for more non-stress testing. However, I was also starting to see spots to which the nurse I was speaking with responded, "oh, that's probably your eyes adjusting to the light, if it happens again call us." HUH?! My super fabuluous husband freaked out and called the high-risk doctor in Rockford who returned our call within the hour and within 2 minutes had my regular doctor on the phone to insist I be sent to the hospital immediately.
So I'm in the hospital, hooked up to all sorts of stuff. They decide to take my BP every hour, put me on nonstop fetal monitoring, collect ANOTHER 24 hr urine...etc, etc. They were essentially stalling. The on-call doctor finally made it in to see me late that evening. He was clearly very nervous and admitted that he was on pins and needles with a patient like me in his hospital on his watch. He said if were up to him he would deliver me immediately, but he could not overrule my primary care doctor without seeing me hit clinical markers for severe preeclampsia. After talking with us for about an hour, he called Rockford Memorial to get a go ahead to deliver me. The high-risk doc gave the ok, then the on-call doc decided to back pedal and decided he'd like to wait until the morning and have a discussion with other doctors before moving forward with anything. He was interested in putting a needle in my belly to test for lung maturation, but also needed an ok from my PCP. In the meantime, if I showed any more neurological symptoms he SAID he wouldn't hesistate to deliver the baby.
Clearly the doctors were concerned: 1) that Isaiah would have significant respiratory and/or neurological problems if born this early, despite the steroid injections and 2) that the preeclampsia would cause me to have seizures or would worsen the abruption causing me to bleed out rather quickly. For obvious reasons, Mark was terrified. It didn't really make things any better when they came in to pad up my bed in case I started seizing.
The following morning I was seeing spots again (signs that neurological complications may be impending) and my BP became labile (which means it was changing dramatically from 100/60 to high 150's/90's). We were told the night before that if my BP started doing this my risk of seizure skyrocketed and I would need to be treated immediately. At this point I freaked, especially because we thought we would be getting to speak with a doctor immediately, but we waited, and waited, and waited. Mark finally flipped out on the nurse while I cried like a little girl. In retrospect I'm sort of chuckling at how dramatic we were in that moment, but if there was ever a time to be over-the-top, that was it.
Thankfully our OB nurse got my primary care doctor on the phone immediately. Evidently our primary care doctor was OFFENDED that we had contacted the high-risk specialist in Rockford! What?! We clarified that her nurse was taking the liberty to give me piss poor medical advice of her own without consulting a physician and had not passed on info about my symptoms to the physicians... I don't think nurse "Jen" has a job anymore. :)! Strangely, things moved much quicker once this got cleared up.
Up to this point, Mark and I were irrate for several reasons: 1) our primary care doc missed not 1, but 2 very critical diagnoses, 2) although my symptoms worsened our doctor continued to neglect the situation, 3) once the high-risk doctors got involved it was clear no doctor that had seen me at Kishwaukee hospital was willing to make the call on what to do with me out of fear, 4)we had previously been told that the baby had received the proper protection with the steroids and would be born healthy any time after 33 weeks, once I was in the hospital at 34 weeks pending delivery, this information was clearly not true, and 5) I waited in a hospital bed without food for nearly 48 hours waiting for someone to step up and help us.
Mark made a list of all of the reasons he felt the baby should be delivered immediately, presented it to one of the doctors and flat out told them, "if you guys are too afraid to make a decision, I'll be more than happy to make the decision for you!"
Enter Dr. Sui....my new favorite person. In addition to everything mentioned above, the baby had stopped growing. He went from well above average size at 24 weeks to the lower 20th percentile at 34 weeks. Dr. Sui said for that reason alone, we should deliver the baby as my condition was clearly inhibiting the baby from further growth and the only reason for keeping him inside is for him to grow! Not shit? Really? This was a point Mark had brought up with the first doctor we had seen upon being admitted nearly 48 hrs earlier.
I was put on magnesium sulfate to prevent seizures (horrendous by the way, it makes you feel like you are on fire from the inside out..not just hot...ON FIRE!). It was decided to deliver the baby by C-section at 5:30 that evening. Yes, we were given the option to try to induce labor with a few caveats: 1) I would be given medications to induce labor, but my body would have to complete what is normally a 3 week preperation for birth in under 24 hours...with severe preeclampsia they would not let me labor for more than 24 hours due to the risks, 2) even if I only tried the induction for a few hours, there was a greater risk of hemmorage and seizure than if I would have a c-section, and 3) if I tried induction my chances were greater than 50% that I would end up with a c-section anyway.
We went with the safest approach and had a c-section...which was not the most pleasant experience, but did result in the quick delivery of my beautiful son! The numerous medications I was on to control everything from vomiting to pain made me unbelievably ill. Thankfully, Mark was with me and after only a few minutes of whining to him about how horrible I felt, I heard Isaiah cry...AND LOUDLY!
It was music to our ears. He passed all of the major markers (crying, cleared lungs, good apgar score, maintained core body temp, pooped, peed on the nurse....hahaha) all within a very short period of time. So he never had to be admitted to the NICU or even have oxygen. Mark went with him to the nursery where they bathed, weighed and measured while my surgery was finished and I went to recovery.
In the end, would I recommend a C-section...HELL NO! The drugs made me so sick I was vomiting all night long. Every time I sat up to hold Isaiah to feed him I had to vomit first, get IV anti-nausea meds to get me to stop, then feed the baby. It was EXHAUSTING and oddly wonderful at the same time (I'm sure other mommies can relate).
It was all worth it, of course. Isaiah is the most perfect thing ever. I've never been happier. I can spend an entire day sitting in bed staring at him and never get bored. I, of course, think he's the cutest child ever created...but I might be a little biased. He adores his daddy who went without sleep for days in the hospital to take care of him 24/7 while I recovered. Thanks to Mark, I got plenty of rest and upon returning home have felt fabulous. I think I'm healing pretty quickly and so far haven't experienced the exhaustion so many parents talk about once they arrive home. I think that has a lot to do with the fact that Mark helps out tremendously. He returned to work yesterday when Isaiah was only 5 days old and still manages to put in several hours at night changing diapers and feeding while I get my rest. Isaiah is also a huge help...he's a preemie so he pretty much sleeps all the time anyway and is a big eater (he's eating over 200-300 mL of high cal formula and 2 oz of breast milk a day), which can tide him over for up to 4 hours.
Today we had the biggest event yet. I have been trying to breastfeed, but my body was put through the ringer so I've been told that it could take me several weeks to produce enough milk to keep him healthy. In the meantime we are supplmenting with a high calorie formula so he can gain as much weight as possible. His tiny size prevents him from being able to maintain a body temp above 97 degrees. The faster he puts on weight, the easier it will be for him to regulate his body temp. So far he is eating tremendously, but we have had a few low temperature scares. Today was one of those days. I spent and 1 1/2 hours skin to skin with him under a heavy fleece blanket to warm him up. I know that this isn't a huge deal and that all will be well once I get his temp up, but it still makes me nervous. After getting warm, he continued to be fussy, which isn't like him...he's pretty content all the time. He didn't want a bottle, his diaper was clean...I was confused. I decided to give breastfeeding a try, although he pretty much latches, lays there, falls asleep and nothing happens, which has had me concerned when it comes to trying to get him off the formula and back to au naturale feeding. Today he latched and went to town...I'm sure this isn't exciting to anyone but me. I must confess, it made me so happy I had to call Mark at work to tell him.
And now I think...OH MY GOD...I'm going to be that lady! I'm the breastfeeding mommy in the park who uses words like "engorged" and "letting down" and can talk about nothing but infant development. So my dear friends, if you are still with me, please continue to test my knowledge of current events, past events, or anything non-baby. I can happily announce that shortly after Isaiah was born, I was able to put together complete sentences and even use three-syllable words once again. A moment my husband declared a miracle, while he hugged and kissed me...he feared I was gone forever. :) Now all I need to do is diversify my topic of interest. So again, I beg you, please...please...please, save a friend from being THAT MOMMY and force a girl to have a normal conversation again.
That's all for now.
So the story begins on Monday, August 25th. I went to my twice weekly doctors visit where they monitored Isaiah's heart rate, my contractions, my BP, weight, etc, etc. I was feeling great that day, especially since I had such a wonderful Sunday (one of my best friends threw me a baby shower on Sunday! photos of that to come). It had only been 4 days since my previous visit and everything was still going fairly well so I had no big concerns...then I stepped on the scale...I had gained 12 pounds in 1 week! uh oh. I was having contraction (?really? I didn't feel them). My BP was still in a safe zone for a preeclamptic patient (140's/ 80's) so they sent me home with another jug to collect my pee. Yes, I said it...I had to collect my pee for 24 hours. This would be the 2nd, but not last, time I would get to enjoy this experience. Thankfully, Mark was the one who had to go back to the hospital and sit with a big stinky jug of my pee in the waiting room to get it to the lab...hahaha. Poor guy.
We got the results Tuesday afternoon that my proteinuria had jumped from 210 to 470 in 4 days...another uh oh. I was told to stay in bed and come in on Thursday for more non-stress testing. However, I was also starting to see spots to which the nurse I was speaking with responded, "oh, that's probably your eyes adjusting to the light, if it happens again call us." HUH?! My super fabuluous husband freaked out and called the high-risk doctor in Rockford who returned our call within the hour and within 2 minutes had my regular doctor on the phone to insist I be sent to the hospital immediately.
So I'm in the hospital, hooked up to all sorts of stuff. They decide to take my BP every hour, put me on nonstop fetal monitoring, collect ANOTHER 24 hr urine...etc, etc. They were essentially stalling. The on-call doctor finally made it in to see me late that evening. He was clearly very nervous and admitted that he was on pins and needles with a patient like me in his hospital on his watch. He said if were up to him he would deliver me immediately, but he could not overrule my primary care doctor without seeing me hit clinical markers for severe preeclampsia. After talking with us for about an hour, he called Rockford Memorial to get a go ahead to deliver me. The high-risk doc gave the ok, then the on-call doc decided to back pedal and decided he'd like to wait until the morning and have a discussion with other doctors before moving forward with anything. He was interested in putting a needle in my belly to test for lung maturation, but also needed an ok from my PCP. In the meantime, if I showed any more neurological symptoms he SAID he wouldn't hesistate to deliver the baby.
Clearly the doctors were concerned: 1) that Isaiah would have significant respiratory and/or neurological problems if born this early, despite the steroid injections and 2) that the preeclampsia would cause me to have seizures or would worsen the abruption causing me to bleed out rather quickly. For obvious reasons, Mark was terrified. It didn't really make things any better when they came in to pad up my bed in case I started seizing.
The following morning I was seeing spots again (signs that neurological complications may be impending) and my BP became labile (which means it was changing dramatically from 100/60 to high 150's/90's). We were told the night before that if my BP started doing this my risk of seizure skyrocketed and I would need to be treated immediately. At this point I freaked, especially because we thought we would be getting to speak with a doctor immediately, but we waited, and waited, and waited. Mark finally flipped out on the nurse while I cried like a little girl. In retrospect I'm sort of chuckling at how dramatic we were in that moment, but if there was ever a time to be over-the-top, that was it.
Thankfully our OB nurse got my primary care doctor on the phone immediately. Evidently our primary care doctor was OFFENDED that we had contacted the high-risk specialist in Rockford! What?! We clarified that her nurse was taking the liberty to give me piss poor medical advice of her own without consulting a physician and had not passed on info about my symptoms to the physicians... I don't think nurse "Jen" has a job anymore. :)! Strangely, things moved much quicker once this got cleared up.
Up to this point, Mark and I were irrate for several reasons: 1) our primary care doc missed not 1, but 2 very critical diagnoses, 2) although my symptoms worsened our doctor continued to neglect the situation, 3) once the high-risk doctors got involved it was clear no doctor that had seen me at Kishwaukee hospital was willing to make the call on what to do with me out of fear, 4)we had previously been told that the baby had received the proper protection with the steroids and would be born healthy any time after 33 weeks, once I was in the hospital at 34 weeks pending delivery, this information was clearly not true, and 5) I waited in a hospital bed without food for nearly 48 hours waiting for someone to step up and help us.
Mark made a list of all of the reasons he felt the baby should be delivered immediately, presented it to one of the doctors and flat out told them, "if you guys are too afraid to make a decision, I'll be more than happy to make the decision for you!"
Enter Dr. Sui....my new favorite person. In addition to everything mentioned above, the baby had stopped growing. He went from well above average size at 24 weeks to the lower 20th percentile at 34 weeks. Dr. Sui said for that reason alone, we should deliver the baby as my condition was clearly inhibiting the baby from further growth and the only reason for keeping him inside is for him to grow! Not shit? Really? This was a point Mark had brought up with the first doctor we had seen upon being admitted nearly 48 hrs earlier.
I was put on magnesium sulfate to prevent seizures (horrendous by the way, it makes you feel like you are on fire from the inside out..not just hot...ON FIRE!). It was decided to deliver the baby by C-section at 5:30 that evening. Yes, we were given the option to try to induce labor with a few caveats: 1) I would be given medications to induce labor, but my body would have to complete what is normally a 3 week preperation for birth in under 24 hours...with severe preeclampsia they would not let me labor for more than 24 hours due to the risks, 2) even if I only tried the induction for a few hours, there was a greater risk of hemmorage and seizure than if I would have a c-section, and 3) if I tried induction my chances were greater than 50% that I would end up with a c-section anyway.
We went with the safest approach and had a c-section...which was not the most pleasant experience, but did result in the quick delivery of my beautiful son! The numerous medications I was on to control everything from vomiting to pain made me unbelievably ill. Thankfully, Mark was with me and after only a few minutes of whining to him about how horrible I felt, I heard Isaiah cry...AND LOUDLY!
It was music to our ears. He passed all of the major markers (crying, cleared lungs, good apgar score, maintained core body temp, pooped, peed on the nurse....hahaha) all within a very short period of time. So he never had to be admitted to the NICU or even have oxygen. Mark went with him to the nursery where they bathed, weighed and measured while my surgery was finished and I went to recovery.
In the end, would I recommend a C-section...HELL NO! The drugs made me so sick I was vomiting all night long. Every time I sat up to hold Isaiah to feed him I had to vomit first, get IV anti-nausea meds to get me to stop, then feed the baby. It was EXHAUSTING and oddly wonderful at the same time (I'm sure other mommies can relate).
It was all worth it, of course. Isaiah is the most perfect thing ever. I've never been happier. I can spend an entire day sitting in bed staring at him and never get bored. I, of course, think he's the cutest child ever created...but I might be a little biased. He adores his daddy who went without sleep for days in the hospital to take care of him 24/7 while I recovered. Thanks to Mark, I got plenty of rest and upon returning home have felt fabulous. I think I'm healing pretty quickly and so far haven't experienced the exhaustion so many parents talk about once they arrive home. I think that has a lot to do with the fact that Mark helps out tremendously. He returned to work yesterday when Isaiah was only 5 days old and still manages to put in several hours at night changing diapers and feeding while I get my rest. Isaiah is also a huge help...he's a preemie so he pretty much sleeps all the time anyway and is a big eater (he's eating over 200-300 mL of high cal formula and 2 oz of breast milk a day), which can tide him over for up to 4 hours.
Today we had the biggest event yet. I have been trying to breastfeed, but my body was put through the ringer so I've been told that it could take me several weeks to produce enough milk to keep him healthy. In the meantime we are supplmenting with a high calorie formula so he can gain as much weight as possible. His tiny size prevents him from being able to maintain a body temp above 97 degrees. The faster he puts on weight, the easier it will be for him to regulate his body temp. So far he is eating tremendously, but we have had a few low temperature scares. Today was one of those days. I spent and 1 1/2 hours skin to skin with him under a heavy fleece blanket to warm him up. I know that this isn't a huge deal and that all will be well once I get his temp up, but it still makes me nervous. After getting warm, he continued to be fussy, which isn't like him...he's pretty content all the time. He didn't want a bottle, his diaper was clean...I was confused. I decided to give breastfeeding a try, although he pretty much latches, lays there, falls asleep and nothing happens, which has had me concerned when it comes to trying to get him off the formula and back to au naturale feeding. Today he latched and went to town...I'm sure this isn't exciting to anyone but me. I must confess, it made me so happy I had to call Mark at work to tell him.
And now I think...OH MY GOD...I'm going to be that lady! I'm the breastfeeding mommy in the park who uses words like "engorged" and "letting down" and can talk about nothing but infant development. So my dear friends, if you are still with me, please continue to test my knowledge of current events, past events, or anything non-baby. I can happily announce that shortly after Isaiah was born, I was able to put together complete sentences and even use three-syllable words once again. A moment my husband declared a miracle, while he hugged and kissed me...he feared I was gone forever. :) Now all I need to do is diversify my topic of interest. So again, I beg you, please...please...please, save a friend from being THAT MOMMY and force a girl to have a normal conversation again.
That's all for now.
Monday, September 1, 2008
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Isaiah's Birthday!
As some of you already know, Isaiah Cruz Guerrettaz was born on Thursday, August 28 at 5:41 pm. He was 5 pounds 1.3 ounces and 19" long. He was delivered by C-section...more about the why and other details another time. We just arrived home a few hours ago so I am still resting up and trying to spend as much time staring at my perfect little man as I can. The greatest news is that he appears to be in perfect health at this point. He was nearly 6weeks early and didn't have any respiratory problems or delays in reflexes. He latched on and was breastfeeding immediately! He is absolutely adorable. I will post pictures and hopefully a brief clip of his little chirps and wimpers soon...too cute.
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Things I Never Thought I'd Say
After a somewhat hectic Sunday, Mark was out the door early (I'm talkin' 4am...uck) Monday morning for his business trip to Minnesota. I got plenty of sleep that morning, thankfully, so I was able to get a few of the more annoying tasks out of the way...our roof is leaking due to a poorly installed satellite dish so I was dealing with those sort of things.
I spent the afternoon chatting with my mom and living vicariously while she cleaned my living room and kitchen. Sweet! She also made me a tasty dinner. Its so nice having someone cook you dinner. I can get used to this pampering.
On Tuesday, mom ran me around to get some other errands done (bank, shopping, lunch, etc) and we headed to Rockford for my ultrasound and consultation. Everything looked great on the ultrasound. I even got a 4D pic of babies chubby face! Oh lord he has the biggest, fattest cheeks ever! And tons of hair according to the technician. He is measuring right on track at 4 1/2 pounds. All good news. I was planning on heading home within minutes when the doctor came in to conifrm all was well.
He started by saying everything looked good, and then he started reading my medical records. Hmmm...his suggestions were similar to the 2nd opinion we had gotten a few weeks earlier. After some more digging, he also indicated there was no way of really knowing what was going on with out additional tests and an exam. He really didn't understand why my current doctor hadn't done these tests, or why she sent me home from the hospital without at least 24 hours of monitoring.
He was excellent, did a very thorough history, exam, etc and then started asking questions about my blood pressure, weight gain, etc. "Well, you just won yourself a stay in my hospital" he says. "Umm...you mean today?" I asked. "Yes."
Ok, wasn't really expecting that. I knew it was a possibility, but I felt great. The strange thing is, I wasn't admitted because of the abruption, I was admitted because of preeclampsia. Oh joy! Unfortunately, it appears I've been teetering on the brink of mild preeclampsia for nearly my entire pregnancy. This is something I was very surprised to hear. These are the high-risk experts so I assume they have a good a idea. I was kept overnight for monitoring since my BP was 160/100! Holy crap. They also said I had protein in my urine through my whole pregnancy (really?), edema, my weight gain could not have been just because of diet, and the pain in my right side (rib pain) had to be examined as it is also a symptom of preeclampsia as are headaches.
Huh?! I had previously told my regular doctor about the pain in my ribs, she said it was just the baby. She didn't even ask where specifically or poke me or anything. I told her I had a really bad headache at my last hospital visit and obvious swelling. She claimed it was because I wasn't drinking enough water. My high BPs had a tendency to drop once I was in bed for awhile and she said I had NO protein in my urine so no preeclampsia.....Somethings fishy here.
In addition to my regular docs obvious lack of concern regarding a potential placental abruption, she has clearly been ignoring what are obvious signs of preeclampsia. My mom was with me and is not to happy with my current doctor, nor is my hubby. More on that at another time.
So I got hooked up to the monitors an settled in my hospital room with absolutely nothing to do. Ugh! I should have at least planned for the worst and brought my hospital bag along. I tracked down some magazines, got some crossword puzzles, watched a TON of TV, and became quite the talker whenever a nurse, cleaning lady, or nutritionist came to the room. :) It passed the time.
Thankfully I was released last night! Woohoo! I have never been happier to be in my own bed. No more complaints about being jailed in my own home. Nearly 2 days in the hospital was enough for me. I don't know how people do it for any longer. Since my problems are 2-fold now, I am on official house arrest. I can no longer even make a sandwich for myself. I am allowed bathroom privledges at least (thank god!) and get to leave the house twice a week to go to the hospital for 2 hours of monitoring. I will go in twice a week for at least 2 hours until the baby is born. If I show any signs of moving toward more severe preeclampsia or other symptoms associated with the abruption, the baby will be delivered and we'll be done with it.
So that's the latest news. I was freaked out for obvious reasons while in the hospital, but after talking to the high-risk doc who released me last night I feel tons better. I only have to hang on until this Sunday, after that I could have the baby any day. All I have to do is stay in bed and I could potential hang in there until nearly 40 weeks! It almost feels like a challenge to hit 40 weeks at this point so I'm determined to remain sloth-like for as long as possible. :)
In the midst of all this craziness, I have uttered sentences I never in a million years thought I would say as an adult. Here are some of the better ones:
"I need more ice for my pee."
"Can we move this thing, my belly button itches?"
"Can I walk?"
"How do I use the bathroom?"
"Yes, I think I understand. So I pee in the hat and dump it in that container, right?"
"Mom, can you bring me clean underwear?"
:)
I spent the afternoon chatting with my mom and living vicariously while she cleaned my living room and kitchen. Sweet! She also made me a tasty dinner. Its so nice having someone cook you dinner. I can get used to this pampering.
On Tuesday, mom ran me around to get some other errands done (bank, shopping, lunch, etc) and we headed to Rockford for my ultrasound and consultation. Everything looked great on the ultrasound. I even got a 4D pic of babies chubby face! Oh lord he has the biggest, fattest cheeks ever! And tons of hair according to the technician. He is measuring right on track at 4 1/2 pounds. All good news. I was planning on heading home within minutes when the doctor came in to conifrm all was well.
He started by saying everything looked good, and then he started reading my medical records. Hmmm...his suggestions were similar to the 2nd opinion we had gotten a few weeks earlier. After some more digging, he also indicated there was no way of really knowing what was going on with out additional tests and an exam. He really didn't understand why my current doctor hadn't done these tests, or why she sent me home from the hospital without at least 24 hours of monitoring.
He was excellent, did a very thorough history, exam, etc and then started asking questions about my blood pressure, weight gain, etc. "Well, you just won yourself a stay in my hospital" he says. "Umm...you mean today?" I asked. "Yes."
Ok, wasn't really expecting that. I knew it was a possibility, but I felt great. The strange thing is, I wasn't admitted because of the abruption, I was admitted because of preeclampsia. Oh joy! Unfortunately, it appears I've been teetering on the brink of mild preeclampsia for nearly my entire pregnancy. This is something I was very surprised to hear. These are the high-risk experts so I assume they have a good a idea. I was kept overnight for monitoring since my BP was 160/100! Holy crap. They also said I had protein in my urine through my whole pregnancy (really?), edema, my weight gain could not have been just because of diet, and the pain in my right side (rib pain) had to be examined as it is also a symptom of preeclampsia as are headaches.
Huh?! I had previously told my regular doctor about the pain in my ribs, she said it was just the baby. She didn't even ask where specifically or poke me or anything. I told her I had a really bad headache at my last hospital visit and obvious swelling. She claimed it was because I wasn't drinking enough water. My high BPs had a tendency to drop once I was in bed for awhile and she said I had NO protein in my urine so no preeclampsia.....Somethings fishy here.
In addition to my regular docs obvious lack of concern regarding a potential placental abruption, she has clearly been ignoring what are obvious signs of preeclampsia. My mom was with me and is not to happy with my current doctor, nor is my hubby. More on that at another time.
So I got hooked up to the monitors an settled in my hospital room with absolutely nothing to do. Ugh! I should have at least planned for the worst and brought my hospital bag along. I tracked down some magazines, got some crossword puzzles, watched a TON of TV, and became quite the talker whenever a nurse, cleaning lady, or nutritionist came to the room. :) It passed the time.
Thankfully I was released last night! Woohoo! I have never been happier to be in my own bed. No more complaints about being jailed in my own home. Nearly 2 days in the hospital was enough for me. I don't know how people do it for any longer. Since my problems are 2-fold now, I am on official house arrest. I can no longer even make a sandwich for myself. I am allowed bathroom privledges at least (thank god!) and get to leave the house twice a week to go to the hospital for 2 hours of monitoring. I will go in twice a week for at least 2 hours until the baby is born. If I show any signs of moving toward more severe preeclampsia or other symptoms associated with the abruption, the baby will be delivered and we'll be done with it.
So that's the latest news. I was freaked out for obvious reasons while in the hospital, but after talking to the high-risk doc who released me last night I feel tons better. I only have to hang on until this Sunday, after that I could have the baby any day. All I have to do is stay in bed and I could potential hang in there until nearly 40 weeks! It almost feels like a challenge to hit 40 weeks at this point so I'm determined to remain sloth-like for as long as possible. :)
In the midst of all this craziness, I have uttered sentences I never in a million years thought I would say as an adult. Here are some of the better ones:
"I need more ice for my pee."
"Can we move this thing, my belly button itches?"
"Can I walk?"
"How do I use the bathroom?"
"Yes, I think I understand. So I pee in the hat and dump it in that container, right?"
"Mom, can you bring me clean underwear?"
:)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
