Well, she did it. She only needed to gain an ounce and she gained 1.66 ounces for her night weigh in. It was just in time as Mommy and Daddy were starting to plot and scheme how to make her weigh more (prewet the clean diaper before changing, feed her prior to the nurse's arrival, etc.). But she did it on her own which is great as we new she could! So we packed up our things out of the Maternity Marriott and she made her first public appearance at her pediatrician's on the way home for an official baseline weigh in. She returns tomorrow and likely a couple times a week until she demonstrates good weight gain.
We are so happy to have her home. She got a tour of the house with her father and he told her all the things he had been doing to get her bedroom ready. Truman sniffed her for a while and deemed her allowable in the house. She's been snuggling with her Grandma Rome and very cooperative at that. She got to sit atop the dinner table last night all snuggled up and supported on her boppy pillow while the rest of us ate. She was the best centerpiece I have ever seen!
She kept daddy awake last night while mommy fed her every two hours. She seems to have gotten into a trend where she feeds every 3 hours during the day, but very 2 hours at night! We just have to be so grateful that we have a hungry baby. So many of the other babies on the NICU didn't demonstrate any signs of hunger. We are lucky, lucky, lucky and blessed, blessed, blessed! Welcome home, Miss Grace!
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Monday, May 25, 2009
Good news, Not so good news
Well the good news for last night was that Grace didn't lose any weight. The not so good news was that she didn't gain a single gram either according to the scale. This was very frustrating for us because she's been feeding wonderfully and we felt there should have been some change in her weight. So today we have been discussing the pros and cons of continuing with pure breast feeding versus doing bottle breast milk with supplementation feeds 4x per day and then 4 regular breast feeds. The neonatologist feels we should just stick to the breastfeeding route, but there are also merits to the supplementation route as well. If we continue on with the breastfeeding route, it may still take a while in the hospital before we see the gains we want; if we start supplementing, we could take her home as soon as she took to the bottle... However, if she gains weight tonight, they'll likely let us take her home. While she wouldn't be in the clear yet, she'd be on the gaining weight trend and her outcomes should be better. Our pediatrician would take over monitoring her weight and eating from that point on and we feel very confident in him.
So as of now, we're crossing our fingers that she'll show a weight gain tonight and they'll discharge us tomorrow. We can then focus on weight gain from home and we'll all be more rested. Stay tuned.....
So as of now, we're crossing our fingers that she'll show a weight gain tonight and they'll discharge us tomorrow. We can then focus on weight gain from home and we'll all be more rested. Stay tuned.....
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Skinny Mini
Well it appears as if Miss Grace and I are going to stay another night here at the Maternity Marriott. Despite her wonderful gains in feeding and chalking up many minutes, she actually lost weight yesterday. She is down to 4 lbs. 3 oz. and so we aren't cleared to go home yet. We are going to continue on with breastfeeding as is another day and reweigh her again tonight. If she doesn't gain by tomorrow, we'll start talking supplementation or formula. Reinserting the naso-gastric tube wasn't mentioned, so I think we'll head on to oral assistance first. On a bright note, the blood work has come back all normal for sodium, bilirubin, and all other chemistry. She doesn't have to get poked so much anymore and she can focus on resting and getting her beauty and fat-gaining sleep in.
Thank you for all the support you have given us. We can't believe all the encouragement, prayers, and well wishes that have been granted us over the past 2 weeks. We are blessed, blessed, blessed!
Thank you for all the support you have given us. We can't believe all the encouragement, prayers, and well wishes that have been granted us over the past 2 weeks. We are blessed, blessed, blessed!
Saturday, May 23, 2009
Amazing Grace!
Amazing Grace!
Sorry for the delay in updates, but Grace has Mommy up and feeding every three hours now. Grace was doing so well with her sequence of 4 feeds in 1 day and 5 feeds the next that Doug and I advocated to skip the 6 feed day and move right into the last step of the Pathway. The neonatologist was hesitant at first, but we compromised and she is closer to going home. The demands put on her are that she must wake to feed less than every four hours, demonstrate a weight gain, and eat for 10 minutes per feed. Yesterday was the first day and she blew by the 10 minute feeding rule with 20+ minute feeds and one 30+ minute feed. She also shows signs of wanting to feed with every 3 hour diaper change. However, last night at her midnight weigh in, she initially showed a 2 oz. loss in weight. I was so disappointed as it meant the day did not count as one of the two required and she still would need 2 more days of success here at the hospital to prove she could make it at home. I started thinking logically about how she could have lost 2 oz. as she had just finished a 30+ minute feed. After a while it came to me that the nurse did not weigh her on the scale with a blanket underneath her like the nurse did the previous night. I called the nurse back in, we added the blanket and then reweighed her. The blanket added 2 oz. and her physician decided to give her credit for the day! I was so pleased and thankful.
The other wonderful event was that Grace got her feeding tube removed from her nose. As part of the new feeding schedule, she is not allowed any more tube feeds unless she begins to lose weight. This was a lot of relief as she had become very adept at hooking her index finger under the tube right at the base of her nose where the tape ends. She would then pull it out very quickly and it was always a struggle to get it back in and retape it. Just 3 more wires to go!
Grace also passed her first test in an A+. She had to undergo an hour long stress test in her car seat so they know she’d be able to handle being transported to and from home. The car seat nearly swallowed her up, it is so big, but she slept right through the entire hour.
We are hoping for some weight gain tonight, even an ounce counts as significant; if her bilirubin and sodium counts stay where they are, we should be clear to go home tomorrow or Monday. Doug brought in some cake (with butter cream frosting!) to celebrate the occasion. Cross your fingers and say a prayer!
Sorry for the delay in updates, but Grace has Mommy up and feeding every three hours now. Grace was doing so well with her sequence of 4 feeds in 1 day and 5 feeds the next that Doug and I advocated to skip the 6 feed day and move right into the last step of the Pathway. The neonatologist was hesitant at first, but we compromised and she is closer to going home. The demands put on her are that she must wake to feed less than every four hours, demonstrate a weight gain, and eat for 10 minutes per feed. Yesterday was the first day and she blew by the 10 minute feeding rule with 20+ minute feeds and one 30+ minute feed. She also shows signs of wanting to feed with every 3 hour diaper change. However, last night at her midnight weigh in, she initially showed a 2 oz. loss in weight. I was so disappointed as it meant the day did not count as one of the two required and she still would need 2 more days of success here at the hospital to prove she could make it at home. I started thinking logically about how she could have lost 2 oz. as she had just finished a 30+ minute feed. After a while it came to me that the nurse did not weigh her on the scale with a blanket underneath her like the nurse did the previous night. I called the nurse back in, we added the blanket and then reweighed her. The blanket added 2 oz. and her physician decided to give her credit for the day! I was so pleased and thankful.
The other wonderful event was that Grace got her feeding tube removed from her nose. As part of the new feeding schedule, she is not allowed any more tube feeds unless she begins to lose weight. This was a lot of relief as she had become very adept at hooking her index finger under the tube right at the base of her nose where the tape ends. She would then pull it out very quickly and it was always a struggle to get it back in and retape it. Just 3 more wires to go!
Grace also passed her first test in an A+. She had to undergo an hour long stress test in her car seat so they know she’d be able to handle being transported to and from home. The car seat nearly swallowed her up, it is so big, but she slept right through the entire hour.
We are hoping for some weight gain tonight, even an ounce counts as significant; if her bilirubin and sodium counts stay where they are, we should be clear to go home tomorrow or Monday. Doug brought in some cake (with butter cream frosting!) to celebrate the occasion. Cross your fingers and say a prayer!
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Celebrations and hard work ahead
Doug and I celebrated Grace's one week birthday with some cake and champagne. It is hard to believe she is already going to be 9 days old later today! She continues to maintain her temperature in a crib, loves her baths, and has gotten much of that fetal flexion positioning back. As of 3 am this morning, she finished up feeding pathway x4; that means she was able to do 4 feeds to the time required within 24 hours. So as of 9 am today, we start on x5. Sleep, hydration, and rest are going to be paramount, so I have moved back into the hospital. There is just no reason to go home at 10 pm at night to return at 2. Hopefully it'll mean we get to take her home sooner rather than later.
Another wonderful thing that is contributing to her success is the fact that Maleia's rate of milk production increased yesterday afternoon to 500 ml in a 24 period. This drops her feeding time requirement to 10 minutes from 20, as it is assumed she is getting more milk in each sitting. Yahoo! That means much less work for Mommy in keeping her awake and working. And 20 minutes is very hard for a premie, let alone a fully developed newborn!
Earthly angels start arriving this weekend in the form of grandmothers. Maleia's mom Susan will get here on Saturday and start prepping the house for Grace's homecoming. Doug's mother Patty will arrive the following Saturday. They each get to stay for a week and will be enormously helpful. Not much of the nursery was done when I went into labor. I had just done two loads of laundry of baby clothes and they ended up sitting in the dryer for 4 days while I was in the hospital. Luckily Doug, his Dad, and Uncle Adam had put the crib and baby furniture together the weekend prior. I was at the car seat installation facility on the Saturday when my water was leaking. We are getting by by the skin of our teeth, but realize that all babies really need when they come home are love, food, warmth, clean diapers, a place to sleep, and a car seat. So really, we are as ready as we need to be!
Another wonderful thing that is contributing to her success is the fact that Maleia's rate of milk production increased yesterday afternoon to 500 ml in a 24 period. This drops her feeding time requirement to 10 minutes from 20, as it is assumed she is getting more milk in each sitting. Yahoo! That means much less work for Mommy in keeping her awake and working. And 20 minutes is very hard for a premie, let alone a fully developed newborn!
Earthly angels start arriving this weekend in the form of grandmothers. Maleia's mom Susan will get here on Saturday and start prepping the house for Grace's homecoming. Doug's mother Patty will arrive the following Saturday. They each get to stay for a week and will be enormously helpful. Not much of the nursery was done when I went into labor. I had just done two loads of laundry of baby clothes and they ended up sitting in the dryer for 4 days while I was in the hospital. Luckily Doug, his Dad, and Uncle Adam had put the crib and baby furniture together the weekend prior. I was at the car seat installation facility on the Saturday when my water was leaking. We are getting by by the skin of our teeth, but realize that all babies really need when they come home are love, food, warmth, clean diapers, a place to sleep, and a car seat. So really, we are as ready as we need to be!
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
One Week Old Today!
Not only is today Grace's one week birthday, but she also got new real estate! She moved out of the temperature and air controlled isolette and into a mini crib! She is adjusting to the louder environment but learning to sleep through the noises. She loved her bath last night with Mom and Dad and just gave her Daddy full attention while he chatted with her for nearly 20 minutes afterwards. After his first day back at work, I think it was exactly what he needed.
We were moved back out of the private room yesterday and returned to our corner cove in the main NICU. It wasn't due to any changes in Grace's status, rather a census issue (the ebb and flow of babies needing certain types of beds and the hospital keeping certain types available). We are thankful for the day we spent there and Maleia is much more rested because of it. We may still move back; it is hard to know!
Grace's progress continues to be good. Although her bilirubin is going up again, the neonatalogist states this is normal, especially for breast fed babies. No lamp, just fun heel sticks every morning to monitor for now.
It seems the ticket to getting out of the NICU and going home is now feeding. They officially put Grace on a pathway yesterday. This is great because it means that she and I aren't trying to breastfeed every three hours, which is difficult and inappropriate for a premie to do. A pathway is just a fancy term for how she's supposed to show progress and criteria for discharge. Yesterday's criterion were to breastfeed for 20 minutes on 2 feeding trials. The caveat is that she doesn't get 4 different trials to make those two. She only gets 2 trials and has to get it for that day to count as a successful day. She made two successful trials yesterday and so today we moved to 3 at noon. She has already fed once successfully and I get to judge from 230- 300 pm whether or not she is signaling hunger enough to give it a go. With each successful day of meeting those goals, we get to move up another feed for the next day until we reach 6 feeds at 20 minutes each in one day. The neonatalogist says kids often get stuck around 4 feeds in one day. We shall pray, work at it, and see what happens!
This feeding plan puts discharge at a minimum of 6 days from now if all goes well. That would be next Monday. He said it sometimes takes up to 2 weeks if kids get stuck. I am encouraged by her spirit and what she's done so far. She is quite the fighter!
We were moved back out of the private room yesterday and returned to our corner cove in the main NICU. It wasn't due to any changes in Grace's status, rather a census issue (the ebb and flow of babies needing certain types of beds and the hospital keeping certain types available). We are thankful for the day we spent there and Maleia is much more rested because of it. We may still move back; it is hard to know!
Grace's progress continues to be good. Although her bilirubin is going up again, the neonatalogist states this is normal, especially for breast fed babies. No lamp, just fun heel sticks every morning to monitor for now.
It seems the ticket to getting out of the NICU and going home is now feeding. They officially put Grace on a pathway yesterday. This is great because it means that she and I aren't trying to breastfeed every three hours, which is difficult and inappropriate for a premie to do. A pathway is just a fancy term for how she's supposed to show progress and criteria for discharge. Yesterday's criterion were to breastfeed for 20 minutes on 2 feeding trials. The caveat is that she doesn't get 4 different trials to make those two. She only gets 2 trials and has to get it for that day to count as a successful day. She made two successful trials yesterday and so today we moved to 3 at noon. She has already fed once successfully and I get to judge from 230- 300 pm whether or not she is signaling hunger enough to give it a go. With each successful day of meeting those goals, we get to move up another feed for the next day until we reach 6 feeds at 20 minutes each in one day. The neonatalogist says kids often get stuck around 4 feeds in one day. We shall pray, work at it, and see what happens!
This feeding plan puts discharge at a minimum of 6 days from now if all goes well. That would be next Monday. He said it sometimes takes up to 2 weeks if kids get stuck. I am encouraged by her spirit and what she's done so far. She is quite the fighter!
Sunday, May 17, 2009
A few pics of Grace...
Day 5 for Miss Grace
Grace is making great strides!!!! Today she got rid of her UV bilirubin lamp! Her bili levels came down low enough that the neonatalogist removed the lamp. This allows her and us several things. 1. She is able to put on blankets and clothing and be bundled. She has been stretched out on top of a warming bed and losing what fetal flexed positioning she had. Now we can bundle and swaddle her, thus mimicing the tight womb space she was supposed to be getting from being in utero. 2. It allows us to hold her. Previously she spent only 30 minutes out of 3 hours out from the isolette and that was generally for feeding trials. She has become quite the snuggle bunny and I'm glad to give Doug more hands on time with her.
She also had her IV removed which is big on so many different levels. 1. Her comfort is improved, she no longer blows veins when they're manipulating her or when she moves, she is getting all her food into her stomach via her naso-gastric tube, and she is clear of any possible infection. YEAH GRACE!
We were also moved from our corner cove in the NICU to a private room! It has a bed for us to rest on, a shower, and is free from the alarms and beeps of other childrens' equipment. Because mommy is spending about 14 hours a day here, and daddy is spending every moment he can when he is not working, this brings a lot more comfort and relief. More importantly, it also means that Grace is stable enough to be away from the more intense medical equipment. While they may move us back to the NICU coves at any time, we are thankful for the reprieve and intimacy of our room.
Grace continues to have bradycardic episodes, which are brief, but significant drops in her heart rate; the good thing is that she quickly resolves them on her own. They have to be "cleaned up" as the doc says before he is comfortable. She also is making gains in strengthening her suck and swallow for feeding, but has a ways to go yet before any changes are made to her nasogastric tube.
Please continue to say prayers for Grace! She is doing well, but must forge on so we can get her home safe and sound. Happy one week birthday tomorrow, little lady!
She also had her IV removed which is big on so many different levels. 1. Her comfort is improved, she no longer blows veins when they're manipulating her or when she moves, she is getting all her food into her stomach via her naso-gastric tube, and she is clear of any possible infection. YEAH GRACE!
We were also moved from our corner cove in the NICU to a private room! It has a bed for us to rest on, a shower, and is free from the alarms and beeps of other childrens' equipment. Because mommy is spending about 14 hours a day here, and daddy is spending every moment he can when he is not working, this brings a lot more comfort and relief. More importantly, it also means that Grace is stable enough to be away from the more intense medical equipment. While they may move us back to the NICU coves at any time, we are thankful for the reprieve and intimacy of our room.
Grace continues to have bradycardic episodes, which are brief, but significant drops in her heart rate; the good thing is that she quickly resolves them on her own. They have to be "cleaned up" as the doc says before he is comfortable. She also is making gains in strengthening her suck and swallow for feeding, but has a ways to go yet before any changes are made to her nasogastric tube.
Please continue to say prayers for Grace! She is doing well, but must forge on so we can get her home safe and sound. Happy one week birthday tomorrow, little lady!
Friday, May 15, 2009
Second Day of Grace
Our baby girl made some wonderful strides yesterday and continues to do so today. She is in her own isolette (we call it her first canopy bed) in the NICU and has a corner suite. Her oxygen is more stable and she's only having a few drops in breathing per day, which is reportedly normal for a 34 week old. She does have to lie under a bili lamp as her jaundice levels her higher than what was desired. She doesn't have jaundice, but they are working to prevent it as it is common for premies. She has lost 4 oz. of weight, but that is normal too. Yesterday she did so well that they removed the oxygen monitor from her leg; 1 down 5 more to go! She also got a naso-gastric tube inserted through her nose yesterday, which is actually a good thing; it means she is starting to receive fluids through her nose into her tummy instead of directly into her blood stream via IV. She started with just small amounts of food and today they doubled it as she was doing so well. Because 34 week old premies are still working on strengthening their mouths and throats for feeding, she and Maleia complete 30 minute nursing sessions every 3 hours. Grace previously had to work hard to latch on and give just a few suckles. She would tire out so fast that she fell asleep after less than 10 minutes. Today she worked hard for 25 minutes with much less help to stay awake. She and Maleia are definitely making improvements. The two of them do a 3 hour routine whereby Grace and Maleia work on breastfeeding for 30 minutes, Maleia pumps for 15 more while Grace receives the rest of her feeding through the tube, Maleia cleans bottles and packs the milk into syringes for another 15 minutes, and Grace goes down for a nap. Maleia then monitors over her for a while and does snuggling for improved body warmth. Afterwards, Maleia has about an hour to nap, eat, or do other things before the cycle starts all over again. The routine is getting much easier and quicker and definitely more fun as Grace has more success and is gaining her strength.
Doug has been just as busy supporting his ladies in their need for sleep and in nesting at the house. He returns to work this weekend and has been busy washing sheets, vacuuming, sorting through mail, reading NICU information, helping Maleia with her physical needs, staining baby room furniture, etc. He could rival any pregnant nesting woman for productivity!
Tonight we will celebrate Grace's first bath. While she can't get a regular bath because of her IV, we will be able to give her a nice sponge bath instead. It's the small things in life that are the big things!
Doug has been just as busy supporting his ladies in their need for sleep and in nesting at the house. He returns to work this weekend and has been busy washing sheets, vacuuming, sorting through mail, reading NICU information, helping Maleia with her physical needs, staining baby room furniture, etc. He could rival any pregnant nesting woman for productivity!
Tonight we will celebrate Grace's first bath. While she can't get a regular bath because of her IV, we will be able to give her a nice sponge bath instead. It's the small things in life that are the big things!
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Grace Suzanne Lake, Born 5:11pm on 5/12/09
Grace was born at 5:11 in the afternoon yesterday and is doing beautifully! She was 4 lbs. 8 oz, 17 3/4" long and has lots of wavy dark hair. She did everything she could to help her mommy get her out quickly and safely, including making her push for only 9 minutes! She is making a splash amongst the toughest of the tough in the NICU and is on close monitoring for breathing and jaundice; she hasn't needed any intervention thus far, but things can change quickly the first 24-48 hours. She is on an IV for feeding and made some good runs at attempting to latch on for nursing today; however, her body is not yet mature enough to do oral feeds for her complete nutrition and so the doctors aren't allowing too much of it yet. It can stress her body too much as she is not yet mature enough to handle oral feeds. Doug is doing a wonderful job of taking care of both his girls and is already reading broker investment information to Gracie. Mommy Maleia is still physically recuperating from the delivery and working hard to get in pumping rotations every 3 hours, hydration and food for herself, skin to skin contact with Gracie and those naps to regain her strength.
Because of the 72 hours since Maleia's water had ruptured, Grace was at high risk for infection; therefore, the docs wanted Gracie out fairly quickly. However, due to her small size and a few other factors, it took some help to get Maleia's body doing contractions that were purposeful and effective. Gracie had positioned herself very low in order to help with dilation and Doug and the doula, Dusti, helped Maleia bear through contractions without any pain medication as she had hoped.
A lot of things went very well throughout the labor where they could have gone awry very quickly due to Grace's prematurity. There was so much support with us physically in the delivery room, but more importantly, we felt support spiritually and emotionally. All of it helped to get Grace here as healthy as possible. We are still in a tricky spot as Grace becomes more interactive with the world around her; it is a world from which she was to be protected for another 6 weeks; Maleia will be discharged from the hospital tomorrow night and will begin spending as much time as possible in the NICU while trying to rest at home. There will be a lot of driving back and forth over the next 2 weeks, but it will be well worth it. Doug will restart work very soon and will undoubtedly work hard to juggle his two little ladies.
Thank you all for your support, encouragement, and love. Please continue to pray for Grace's health and growth. She has come so far and has done so well, but continues to need support.
Love,
Doug, Maleia and Grace Lake
Because of the 72 hours since Maleia's water had ruptured, Grace was at high risk for infection; therefore, the docs wanted Gracie out fairly quickly. However, due to her small size and a few other factors, it took some help to get Maleia's body doing contractions that were purposeful and effective. Gracie had positioned herself very low in order to help with dilation and Doug and the doula, Dusti, helped Maleia bear through contractions without any pain medication as she had hoped.
A lot of things went very well throughout the labor where they could have gone awry very quickly due to Grace's prematurity. There was so much support with us physically in the delivery room, but more importantly, we felt support spiritually and emotionally. All of it helped to get Grace here as healthy as possible. We are still in a tricky spot as Grace becomes more interactive with the world around her; it is a world from which she was to be protected for another 6 weeks; Maleia will be discharged from the hospital tomorrow night and will begin spending as much time as possible in the NICU while trying to rest at home. There will be a lot of driving back and forth over the next 2 weeks, but it will be well worth it. Doug will restart work very soon and will undoubtedly work hard to juggle his two little ladies.
Thank you all for your support, encouragement, and love. Please continue to pray for Grace's health and growth. She has come so far and has done so well, but continues to need support.
Love,
Doug, Maleia and Grace Lake
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Morning of delivery
Today will be a blessed day. Not only is it the day of our starting to bring Baby Lake into the world, it is the anniversary of my maternal grandparents. I know their spirit of love is watching and with us today. Not to mention all the support we have received from family and friends. This baby is going to be knocked over with love from one coast to another and everywhere in between.
We start up at 7 am with my first cervical check to see if I'm dilated at all. With the baby being early at 34 weeks, my cervix may not be doing anything. If it's 2 cm then that's a great sign as per doc. If not we start talking meds. They are not recommending the walking, squatting, and upright mobility that Maleia has been trained to do through her classes due to infection risk. There are a lot of things that are standing in the way of that natural delivery I have been hoping for, but so many supports for a medically backed delivery. Safety is our #1 priority and the past few days have really brought that to the forefront. I have no doubt that the combination of the 2 methods are going to bring us the strongest baby possible. It may not be the birth we had wanted at the time we wished; but it is the one we are given and it will be the right one.
The baby will have a whole team of it's own white coats (5-6 docs, nurses, respiratory therapists) waiting right there in the room for it to make its grand debut. S/he will be skirted down to the NICU rather quickly for evaluations, breathing support, and any intervention needed. I'll hopefully get to hold him/her before going, but Daddy Doug will be there the whole time until I get there as long as I'm stable. That will be hard for me, but I know the baby couldn't be in better hands as I have been supported by that same loving person for over 6 years now. He has been incredible and the baby and I are so lucky.
We will be posting as we can and we can't wait to share our new little one with you!
Thank you for all your support!
Maleia
We start up at 7 am with my first cervical check to see if I'm dilated at all. With the baby being early at 34 weeks, my cervix may not be doing anything. If it's 2 cm then that's a great sign as per doc. If not we start talking meds. They are not recommending the walking, squatting, and upright mobility that Maleia has been trained to do through her classes due to infection risk. There are a lot of things that are standing in the way of that natural delivery I have been hoping for, but so many supports for a medically backed delivery. Safety is our #1 priority and the past few days have really brought that to the forefront. I have no doubt that the combination of the 2 methods are going to bring us the strongest baby possible. It may not be the birth we had wanted at the time we wished; but it is the one we are given and it will be the right one.
The baby will have a whole team of it's own white coats (5-6 docs, nurses, respiratory therapists) waiting right there in the room for it to make its grand debut. S/he will be skirted down to the NICU rather quickly for evaluations, breathing support, and any intervention needed. I'll hopefully get to hold him/her before going, but Daddy Doug will be there the whole time until I get there as long as I'm stable. That will be hard for me, but I know the baby couldn't be in better hands as I have been supported by that same loving person for over 6 years now. He has been incredible and the baby and I are so lucky.
We will be posting as we can and we can't wait to share our new little one with you!
Thank you for all your support!
Maleia
Monday, May 11, 2009
Plan B, Week 33
Yesterday Plan A stood for Anniversary celebration once Doug returned to town. Plan B stood for Baby, and unbeknownst to us, that’s the plan we were getting for the day! My water started leaking on Saturday afternoon (very small amounts at a time and so it wasn’t an obvious sign) and so I came into the hospital Sunday morning as per direction of the nurse practitioner. They confirmed that it was amniotic fluid leaking (my water broke) and so they have given me:
1. Terbutaline (to stop the contractions I didn’t even feel yet)
2. Magnesium (to do the same)
3. Antibiotics to prevent infection from my water breaking
4. Steroid shots to help the baby’s lungs develop in time for delivery.
Once the steroids have reached their full effect assisting the lungs develop, they’ll eliminate the magnesium and let me go into labor. (approximately 36 hours from noon Sunday which means labor to start probably Tuesday sometime). There is a lot of good news here, though.
The contractions have responded to the medication and have stopped. I have not had the typical nausea from the Magnesium and so have been able to eat lots of food to keep up my strength (even sushi from Whole Foods, cooked crab of course!). The baby’s heart rate remains in the appropriate range, with continued kicking at my lungs and hiccup fits. My amniotic fluid level is low, but we’re cranking in the water orally and via IV. I go to the bathroom probably every 1.5 hours and it’s generally over 24 oz. each time! The baby’s head is still down, which will lend to a vaginal delivery as long as all vitals remain good (vitals being an obvious top priority).
Doug was able to catch an earlier flight back from Dallas yesterday morning and has proven to be stellar in his first on-demand dad-to-be job tasks. He has really been amazing and calm.
We’ll know more after I see my OB today and continue another day of doing what we’re supposed to do. The baby will most likely be in the NICU anywhere from a few days to a few weeks. They say here that 34 week gestational babies seem huge in the NICU which is something wonderful to hear. I am very encouraged and although 34 weeks is not optimal, it is what is meant to be. I have worked with a lot of babies that were born 25-28 weeks and so I know 34 weeks is a whole ‘nother ballgame. Yes, I am anxious, but am in the best of hands and am focusing on relaxing.
My work sites have all been notified and boy, have they been great about rallying the troops and making things smooth. I am amazed at their support and continued kindness to me. I am going to try and round a few things out today, but I’m in really good shape.
I will be posting to our website http://lakebaby.blogspot.com and will be checking my email intermittently as well. Don’t worry about emailing me questions. I will rest if I need to rest and do only what I can. We are at Methodist Hospital and in good hands. Doug is working this morning, but coming over for whenever the docs visit. Easy since he’s just right across the street! I will stay here until I go into labor. If you want to call, please call my cell phone. 332-7866 I do enjoy chatting and the encouragement, but do need to keep it brief as I am getting easily overwhelmed.
Thanks in advance for your continued support, prayers and well wishes!
Maleia, Doug, and Baby Lake
Update at 1:35 p.m.
Doug and I met with my OB briefly and the Perinatalogist for a good bit. The ultrasound puts baby at 4 pounds 13 oz. with restored amniotic fluid and good movement. The head is pretty far down and positioned beautifully. Two issues are prematurity (34 weeks) and infection since my bag of waters broke. They are giving me 2 types of antibiotics, an anti fungal, and good ol’ IV sugar water. They’re monitoring my temp, heart rate, and blood pressure every 4 hours. They are also monitoring the baby’s heart rate and my contractions every 12 hours, but that monitoring will likely increase now. They have taken me off the magnesium which initially stopped the mild, but regular contractions. I am still on bedrest with bathroom privileges. The plan (and our hope) is that I will begin regular contractions again and we’ll work into a vaginal delivery. If I don’t start contracting again, they will likely start me on some Pitocin to start contractions, but they aren’t sure when they’ll do that. Our feeling tells us probably tomorrow as they don’t want to risk infection.
Once the baby is born, it’ll head quickly down to the NICU and probably stay for at least a week; however, that depends on a whole lot as well…. The story is just that, it depends!
We are doing very well, Doug and I. Our spirits are good and we are dealing with the uncertainty as best as one can. I have told my sister Mindy quite often about my favorite prayer by St. Theresa and how it has helped me have faith in the master plan and where I am at this moment in time. Have faith that you are where you are meant to be. Okedokee!
Doug has been amazing at juggling Daddy to be, husband, and informed physician. He has been an great advocate for what I want and for asking very pointed questions of others. He is on call tonight and will probably be staying at home if I am not in labor yet. At least that is what I am pushing him to do. Pray for good sleep for the both of us as we will need our energy soon!
Love to all,
Maleia and Upside Down Baby Lake!
1. Terbutaline (to stop the contractions I didn’t even feel yet)
2. Magnesium (to do the same)
3. Antibiotics to prevent infection from my water breaking
4. Steroid shots to help the baby’s lungs develop in time for delivery.
Once the steroids have reached their full effect assisting the lungs develop, they’ll eliminate the magnesium and let me go into labor. (approximately 36 hours from noon Sunday which means labor to start probably Tuesday sometime). There is a lot of good news here, though.
The contractions have responded to the medication and have stopped. I have not had the typical nausea from the Magnesium and so have been able to eat lots of food to keep up my strength (even sushi from Whole Foods, cooked crab of course!). The baby’s heart rate remains in the appropriate range, with continued kicking at my lungs and hiccup fits. My amniotic fluid level is low, but we’re cranking in the water orally and via IV. I go to the bathroom probably every 1.5 hours and it’s generally over 24 oz. each time! The baby’s head is still down, which will lend to a vaginal delivery as long as all vitals remain good (vitals being an obvious top priority).
Doug was able to catch an earlier flight back from Dallas yesterday morning and has proven to be stellar in his first on-demand dad-to-be job tasks. He has really been amazing and calm.
We’ll know more after I see my OB today and continue another day of doing what we’re supposed to do. The baby will most likely be in the NICU anywhere from a few days to a few weeks. They say here that 34 week gestational babies seem huge in the NICU which is something wonderful to hear. I am very encouraged and although 34 weeks is not optimal, it is what is meant to be. I have worked with a lot of babies that were born 25-28 weeks and so I know 34 weeks is a whole ‘nother ballgame. Yes, I am anxious, but am in the best of hands and am focusing on relaxing.
My work sites have all been notified and boy, have they been great about rallying the troops and making things smooth. I am amazed at their support and continued kindness to me. I am going to try and round a few things out today, but I’m in really good shape.
I will be posting to our website http://lakebaby.blogspot.com and will be checking my email intermittently as well. Don’t worry about emailing me questions. I will rest if I need to rest and do only what I can. We are at Methodist Hospital and in good hands. Doug is working this morning, but coming over for whenever the docs visit. Easy since he’s just right across the street! I will stay here until I go into labor. If you want to call, please call my cell phone. 332-7866 I do enjoy chatting and the encouragement, but do need to keep it brief as I am getting easily overwhelmed.
Thanks in advance for your continued support, prayers and well wishes!
Maleia, Doug, and Baby Lake
Update at 1:35 p.m.
Doug and I met with my OB briefly and the Perinatalogist for a good bit. The ultrasound puts baby at 4 pounds 13 oz. with restored amniotic fluid and good movement. The head is pretty far down and positioned beautifully. Two issues are prematurity (34 weeks) and infection since my bag of waters broke. They are giving me 2 types of antibiotics, an anti fungal, and good ol’ IV sugar water. They’re monitoring my temp, heart rate, and blood pressure every 4 hours. They are also monitoring the baby’s heart rate and my contractions every 12 hours, but that monitoring will likely increase now. They have taken me off the magnesium which initially stopped the mild, but regular contractions. I am still on bedrest with bathroom privileges. The plan (and our hope) is that I will begin regular contractions again and we’ll work into a vaginal delivery. If I don’t start contracting again, they will likely start me on some Pitocin to start contractions, but they aren’t sure when they’ll do that. Our feeling tells us probably tomorrow as they don’t want to risk infection.
Once the baby is born, it’ll head quickly down to the NICU and probably stay for at least a week; however, that depends on a whole lot as well…. The story is just that, it depends!
We are doing very well, Doug and I. Our spirits are good and we are dealing with the uncertainty as best as one can. I have told my sister Mindy quite often about my favorite prayer by St. Theresa and how it has helped me have faith in the master plan and where I am at this moment in time. Have faith that you are where you are meant to be. Okedokee!
Doug has been amazing at juggling Daddy to be, husband, and informed physician. He has been an great advocate for what I want and for asking very pointed questions of others. He is on call tonight and will probably be staying at home if I am not in labor yet. At least that is what I am pushing him to do. Pray for good sleep for the both of us as we will need our energy soon!
Love to all,
Maleia and Upside Down Baby Lake!
Sunday, May 3, 2009
End of Week 32!
Does time seem to be going faster or is it me? As the countdown moves on, time just seems to be going more quickly. This week was wonderful in so many ways. Doug's Aunt Susan and cousins' wives Angie and Kristin Lake threw me a beautiful baby shower and luncheon. We received so many beautiful things and I was reminded of how lucky I am to have such wonderful women and support in my life. This baby will be so loved and cherished; s/he already is!
This week, I have learned to ask for help and allow others to help me. I am getting more tapped out and my energy is less and less as the day goes on. Doug, Adam, and Grandpa Dick worked hard to put together all the baby furniture and baby stroller. My mom, Mindy, and Tammy all pitched in this weekend to cook and keep the house in order with all those hungry working men around!
Our biweekly doctor's appointment went very well this week. She confirmed the feet are on my right side, the baby's bottom to the right of my belly button, and the head is down. I didn't gain any weight this week, but my belly has grown to 34 cm top to bottom, the baby's heartrate was approximately 150, and the numbers continue to remain on target!
This week, I have learned to ask for help and allow others to help me. I am getting more tapped out and my energy is less and less as the day goes on. Doug, Adam, and Grandpa Dick worked hard to put together all the baby furniture and baby stroller. My mom, Mindy, and Tammy all pitched in this weekend to cook and keep the house in order with all those hungry working men around!
Our biweekly doctor's appointment went very well this week. She confirmed the feet are on my right side, the baby's bottom to the right of my belly button, and the head is down. I didn't gain any weight this week, but my belly has grown to 34 cm top to bottom, the baby's heartrate was approximately 150, and the numbers continue to remain on target!
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