Davis,
So, you were only in the NICU for a few days, but, I have to say they were some of the longest days of my life!
The evening that you were born, I was allowed to go see you about 8 hours after the c section. I was still connected to IVs and other things so it was a challenge to get into the wheelchair. I made sure I was up on my pain medication to make it easier on me. I couldn't wait to get to you. Your dad had sent me some videos but I needed to hold you.
A few days before you were born, your dad and I went on a tour of the NICU so we had an idea of what to expect but nothing prepares you for seeing your baby there. You had a nose cannula for oxygen and an IV for fluids. You had a monitor for temperature, heart rate, oxygen level, and breathing rate. You were connected to 4 wires and 2 tubes.
The NICU nurses got you out of your isolette and put you on my chest. I was in love right away. I stayed there as long as they would let me but that was only about 30 minutes. The nurses wheeled me back up to my room. It was really hard to be separated from you. We'd been together for months and just hours before I was making sure I paid attention to your kicks in my belly!
That night I pumped milk for you every 2 hours and only got drops. That's normal, I guess, but I'd never actually seen how little milk my babies got right at first so it was surprising to me. The nurses in the nicu gave you even just the little drops. At first you were only taking 5 ccs of milk so drops were all you needed. As they increased the amount you were being fed, I kept pumping and was able to keep up with what you needed for most feedings. There were a few bottles where you got formula but not many.
Your dad and I tried to be in the nicu for your feedings and changing times every 3 hours. They told me to take a 6 hour break at night so I could get some sleep. We learned to take your temperature (which had to be 36 degrees celsius under your armpit), change your diaper and give it to the nurse to weigh it, hold you, and give you your bottle. You were taking about an ounce per feeding after a couple of days. There was an oxygen monitor on your foot that kept coming off and the alarms would go off when that happened... which was almost every time. I was trying to nurse you a little bit before each bottle and sometimes you would nurse well but more often we just moved on to the bottle. The crazy thing to think about is that, when you're that little, you could burn more calories crying than you're getting in that ounce of milk! So we played it pretty safe.
There was a curtain around your bed that we could close and make it like a little room. The nurses made you a sign with your name, birthday, and weight on it. They're amazing people and, while I wished you could be with me all the time, I knew they were taking excellent care of you. We could call at any time of day or night and they were happy to give us an update or answer questions. And they encouraged us to hold you and take care of you. It was hard to see very sick babies in other beds around us but it just reminded us of how very lucky we are that our situation turned out like it did.
In order to go home, you had to maintain temperature, breathe on your own, eat, and have good bilirubin levels.
They took you off of the oxygen after 1 day. On days 2 and 3 we worked on taking feedings so they could remove the IV. At least once a day, the IV was moved... it was in your foot, your hand, your head (!). On day 3, you were maintaining your temperature so they let us dress you and turn off the heaters AND they removed the IV. That was really great. It was hard to see you with the IV. I know that they're never any fun and you were so tiny and they had to keep moving it!
Day 3 was also the day I was discharged from the hospital. One of the hardest things I've ever done was to leave you there and go home. But your siblings needed me at home and I knew the nurses and doctors were taking excellent care of you. But I cried and cried. And I went back as soon as I could the next day. The other kids weren't allowed to visit you because it was flu season. They sent you pictures they drew and we did FaceTime calls and just whatever we could to help them connect with you. Daddy had taken them to buy gifts for you while I was on bed rest and we put those in your nicu bed, too.
On day 4, your bilirubin level got too high and the doctors put you on light therapy. A small spotlight at first and then a larger bank of lights. it meant we couldn't really hold you much because you needed to be on the lights so we made even more sure that we were there for feedings. After your bilirubin levels came down some, they put you on a bili blanket (which had less light). We knew you were close to coming home. BUT they wouldn't send you home on a weekend because they wanted you to see the pediatrician the day after discharge.
So, on Sunday, day 5, the car seat test was ordered to make sure you could ride safely in the seat. We had to go buy a new carseat for you because the one we had used with Reed, Owen, and Grant was safe for 5 pound babies and you had lost weight and were just under 5 pounds! We got a new one that started at 4 pounds so they'd let us take you home! You passed the car seat test just fine. On Monday, we got to the hospital and waited for the doctor to come around. She confirmed that we were able to take you home and sent us home with some masks for Reed and Carson (who had coughs) so they could hold you. The nurse walked us downstairs while your dad got the van and we drove home so you could meet your siblings. The best day. We were all so very happy to have you home and everyone fell in love with you right away.
Tuesday, April 1, 2014
Hospital Bed Rest
Davis,
I wrote about your birth and promised to write about the bed rest leading up to it and the time in the NICU. It's been several weeks but I'm going to write down what I remember and then maybe a little about your first 7 weeks with us.
So I wrote about what they were checking for in the hospital but I want to note how people cared for us while we were waiting for you. While I was in the hospital, your grandma stayed at our house. That was really important because it meant that your daddy could come to the hospital early in the morning when the doctors made rounds and when the nurses would take me up to the maternal fetal specialists' office. Your dad took such good care of me. He brought me everything I needed from home including new pajamas to wear every day and anything else I asked for!
Then Daddy could work from the hospital during the day and Grandma would bring your brothers and sister up for dinner. We had two weeks of hospital picnics! Your Aunt Darci organized a meal train for people to bring us dinner and Tina, Jennifer, Cindy, Kim, Erika, and Aunt Darci all brought us meals including plates and silverware and drinks and... just made it easier for our family to spend time together. That made so much of a difference. I'm so thankful to all of them for making that happen. I missed your brothers and sister so very much!
During those visits we would watch TV, Carson would do his homework in the visiting room down the hallway, Reed would paint my fingernails and toenails, Grant would give me a checkup with his doctor set, and Owen would play piggies with my toes. We played uno and colored and... It was so great to just have time together as a family.
Then Aunt Darci organized a baby sprinkle at the hospital and all of those same ladies came to celebrate that you were coming soon! We got mostly practical gifts like diapers and wipes... you're baby number 5 so we had most of the other stuff. :)
Grandma took care of so much during that time, too. She made sure the kids had whatever they needed for school like socks for crazy sock day or a costume for the vocabulary parade. All the crazy things that a mom keeps up with. I couldn't do all of it while I was on bed rest and it was really great to have her there to help manage those things.
One day I asked Grandma to stop at Hobby Lobby to pick up some yarn so I could crochet your baby blanket and she did that. it was great to have something to keep me busy at the hospital! And, your Aunt Melissa sent me a gift card so I could rent movies to watch. Also super awesome!
There were so many people who gave kids rides places or sent us gifts. I just wanted to make sure you know how much you were loved even before you were here! We're surrounded by wonderful people and are so very blessed!
First seven weeks? You're growing! And you grunt all. night. long! You're so loved. Everyone wants to hold you. People go back and forth between saying you look like Owen and like Grant. You're still in newborn clothes and diapers... it took you about a month to grow out of the preemie diapers and clothes! At your 5 week appointment you weighed 6.95 pounds. Just like your siblings, you have a giant head compared to your other growth stats. :)
You don't nurse well so I'm pumping milk to give to you and you're growing like you should.
You get taken everywhere with me... soccer practices, errands, grocery store, doctor appointments, dates with your dad, and even to the Kennedy Space Center. You're an easy baby (even though you grunt all night long...)
I can't remember what it was like before you were here. You complete our family and we all love you so much.
Wednesday, February 19, 2014
Dear Davis
You were born on 2/5/2014, 2 whole weeks ago, and I wanted to write down more of the birth experience while it's still fresh in my mind. Time flies so fast...
When I wrote last, I'd just been admitted the day before to the hospital. That was January 25th. On that day there was an ultrasound and a speculum exam to make sure you were doing OK (they said you weighed 4 lbs 9 oz) and that labor wasn't starting. Drs Boyd (who delivered you) and Dr. Acuna (who I went to high school with) were on call that day. I was so glad to have familiar faces.
I spent the next 1 1/2 weeks on hospital bed rest taking antibiotics, having my vital signs checked every 4 hours to make sure I didn't have an infection that would require you to be delivered, and having a non stress test two times a day to monitor your heartbeat and for any contractions. I loved hearing your heartbeat on that monitor. It was so reassuring to know you were still doing OK in there and I waited all day for that 20 minutes. We would hear you kick and hiccup on the monitor, too. I loved it. And you were easy to find... always right around my belly button. Pretty high for 33 weeks gestational age which just leads to the conclusion that you were comfy in there just like your brothers and sister were! Never any real contractions either. You were just content to hang out.
There were also twice weekly (M and Th) trips to the Maternal Fetal Medicine group (ROC) for ultrasounds to cheek your biophysical profile. At those ultrasounds they checked for fluid levels, movement, heart rate, and fetal breathing movements. Then the non stress test was the fifth part of the BPP. Since my fluid levels were low after my water broke, the best you could score was an 8/10 (I just realized I'm not sure why it's on a 10 point scale but I guess I won't get to ask that question!). We went to the ROC three times and the first two times the ultrasound tech waited and waited for you to do the breathing movements. The last time, the tech wasn't very patient and she kept using this buzzer thing to try to get you to do the breathing movements. After 25 minutes, your time was up and the doctor came in and pronounced that, with a good non stress test, the best score you could get on the BPP that day was 6/10... marginal. So, I was wheeled to Labor and Delivery (one floor down from where I'd been staying in the antepartum room for bed rest). All I wanted was to make sure you were OK and, honestly, to take a shower. They were going to monitor you but they had to wait 8 hours from when I'd eaten to deliver so I figured I could shower sometime in there, right? :)
As it ended up, Dr Gutavitz came in about two hours later and said your non stress test looked fine and that there was no reason to deliver that day. But that we would be scheduled for two days later at noon with Dr. Boyd. And we went back to the antepartum room (room 301) to wait.
So, two days later I was put on no food at 4am (my last meal before you were born was two bowls of honey nut cheerios). Then I got an IV at the same time... at 4am. Around 10am, the nurse came to give me the medicine to prevent nausea and we went back to labor and delivery to wait for anesthesia and for Dr. Boyd. Your dad, grandma, Aunt Darci, and brothers and sister were with us. Funny, while we were waiting, there was someone who came to the desk outside the room singing songs about hand washing (These Hands are Made for Washing?).
Around 12:30, the nurse came to walk me back to the OR. I got up on the table and bent forward for the CRNA to do the spinal anesthesia. I have to say that this time was the easiest of all of them because my belly was smaller due to low fluid. Still, my least favorite part. Then they laid me back and got everything ready for the surgery. I got nauseous from my blood pressure dropping, like every time I've had a C section, but the CRNA (David) gave me something to make me feel better pretty quickly. Your dad came in and sat next to my head while Dr. Boyd delivered you. As soon as you were out, you cried. He lifted you over the drape so I could see you and then the nurses took you to clean you off, do your footprints, clip the umbilical cord, and check you out. You were doing fine so they wrapped you up and let your dad bring you over to me. You were so small and so amazing! Hands down one of the top moments of my life to meet you for the first time. I got to nuzzle you some and give you some kisses but, too soon, they took you to the NICU. Dr. Boyd finished the surgery (which seemed like it took forever compared to the others because there wasn't a baby there to distract me!) and then the nurses moved me to the bed for recovery and rolled me to that room to be monitored for an hour. Darci, Grandma, Carson, Daddy, Reed, Owen, Grant... they all visited me in recovery. The NICU doctor came in and told me you were doing well and on an IV for fluids and antibiotics and a nasal cannula for oxygen. I got to see you via FaceTime on the phone but mostly I just sat and waited until I could be taken back to the 3rd floor.
On the way back to the 3rd floor, I started to get nauseous but recovered pretty quickly. The nurses moved me over to the bed in room 310 and then I had to wait. I wasn't allowed to come see you until I could move from the bed to the wheelchair (which happened later that evening).
Your dad will have to write down what was going on while I was waiting to see you again and I'll write another post about meeting you for the first time and your time in the NICU. I also need to write a post about that week and a half in the hospital and how much people took care of us. It was amazing.
I love you so much.
When I wrote last, I'd just been admitted the day before to the hospital. That was January 25th. On that day there was an ultrasound and a speculum exam to make sure you were doing OK (they said you weighed 4 lbs 9 oz) and that labor wasn't starting. Drs Boyd (who delivered you) and Dr. Acuna (who I went to high school with) were on call that day. I was so glad to have familiar faces.
I spent the next 1 1/2 weeks on hospital bed rest taking antibiotics, having my vital signs checked every 4 hours to make sure I didn't have an infection that would require you to be delivered, and having a non stress test two times a day to monitor your heartbeat and for any contractions. I loved hearing your heartbeat on that monitor. It was so reassuring to know you were still doing OK in there and I waited all day for that 20 minutes. We would hear you kick and hiccup on the monitor, too. I loved it. And you were easy to find... always right around my belly button. Pretty high for 33 weeks gestational age which just leads to the conclusion that you were comfy in there just like your brothers and sister were! Never any real contractions either. You were just content to hang out.
There were also twice weekly (M and Th) trips to the Maternal Fetal Medicine group (ROC) for ultrasounds to cheek your biophysical profile. At those ultrasounds they checked for fluid levels, movement, heart rate, and fetal breathing movements. Then the non stress test was the fifth part of the BPP. Since my fluid levels were low after my water broke, the best you could score was an 8/10 (I just realized I'm not sure why it's on a 10 point scale but I guess I won't get to ask that question!). We went to the ROC three times and the first two times the ultrasound tech waited and waited for you to do the breathing movements. The last time, the tech wasn't very patient and she kept using this buzzer thing to try to get you to do the breathing movements. After 25 minutes, your time was up and the doctor came in and pronounced that, with a good non stress test, the best score you could get on the BPP that day was 6/10... marginal. So, I was wheeled to Labor and Delivery (one floor down from where I'd been staying in the antepartum room for bed rest). All I wanted was to make sure you were OK and, honestly, to take a shower. They were going to monitor you but they had to wait 8 hours from when I'd eaten to deliver so I figured I could shower sometime in there, right? :)
As it ended up, Dr Gutavitz came in about two hours later and said your non stress test looked fine and that there was no reason to deliver that day. But that we would be scheduled for two days later at noon with Dr. Boyd. And we went back to the antepartum room (room 301) to wait.
So, two days later I was put on no food at 4am (my last meal before you were born was two bowls of honey nut cheerios). Then I got an IV at the same time... at 4am. Around 10am, the nurse came to give me the medicine to prevent nausea and we went back to labor and delivery to wait for anesthesia and for Dr. Boyd. Your dad, grandma, Aunt Darci, and brothers and sister were with us. Funny, while we were waiting, there was someone who came to the desk outside the room singing songs about hand washing (These Hands are Made for Washing?).
Around 12:30, the nurse came to walk me back to the OR. I got up on the table and bent forward for the CRNA to do the spinal anesthesia. I have to say that this time was the easiest of all of them because my belly was smaller due to low fluid. Still, my least favorite part. Then they laid me back and got everything ready for the surgery. I got nauseous from my blood pressure dropping, like every time I've had a C section, but the CRNA (David) gave me something to make me feel better pretty quickly. Your dad came in and sat next to my head while Dr. Boyd delivered you. As soon as you were out, you cried. He lifted you over the drape so I could see you and then the nurses took you to clean you off, do your footprints, clip the umbilical cord, and check you out. You were doing fine so they wrapped you up and let your dad bring you over to me. You were so small and so amazing! Hands down one of the top moments of my life to meet you for the first time. I got to nuzzle you some and give you some kisses but, too soon, they took you to the NICU. Dr. Boyd finished the surgery (which seemed like it took forever compared to the others because there wasn't a baby there to distract me!) and then the nurses moved me to the bed for recovery and rolled me to that room to be monitored for an hour. Darci, Grandma, Carson, Daddy, Reed, Owen, Grant... they all visited me in recovery. The NICU doctor came in and told me you were doing well and on an IV for fluids and antibiotics and a nasal cannula for oxygen. I got to see you via FaceTime on the phone but mostly I just sat and waited until I could be taken back to the 3rd floor.
On the way back to the 3rd floor, I started to get nauseous but recovered pretty quickly. The nurses moved me over to the bed in room 310 and then I had to wait. I wasn't allowed to come see you until I could move from the bed to the wheelchair (which happened later that evening).
Your dad will have to write down what was going on while I was waiting to see you again and I'll write another post about meeting you for the first time and your time in the NICU. I also need to write a post about that week and a half in the hospital and how much people took care of us. It was amazing.
I love you so much.
Sunday, January 26, 2014
Summer Waves
Written in August 2013...
We've done several things to celebrate Mark's birthday starting with dinner a Joe's Crab Shack with my family, a family cookout, and, today, we went to Summer Waves. I'll have to find the video of Mark dancing the funky chicken at Joe's... It's pretty funny.
We went to Summer Waves in Jekyll Island (not Valdosta) with Darci, Josh, and Kaylee. They've got a great splash park for the little kids with a slide. Grant kept standing in the wrong line and then getting mad when he didn't get to go down the slide he wanted ("mommy! That boy said I couldn't go down the yellow slide!").
We tried out the lazy river and everybody had a good time... Except Owen. He wasn't feeling the lazy river.
So, we headed to a tube slide where each kid could go down with an adult. Carson went down a fast slide at the same time and lapped us... Twice! Owen went down the tube slide once but wasn't interested in going twice. Reed, Grant, Carson, and Mark went a second time while Owen and I checked out a splash pad where there was a giant bucket of water that dumped on your head. He liked that. Go figure.
Next we hit the wave pool and everybody had a great time there. I think O liked the fact he could touch the bottom and he practiced swimming some.
Ice cream before we all piled in the car to go home. What a great day. :)
We've done several things to celebrate Mark's birthday starting with dinner a Joe's Crab Shack with my family, a family cookout, and, today, we went to Summer Waves. I'll have to find the video of Mark dancing the funky chicken at Joe's... It's pretty funny.
We went to Summer Waves in Jekyll Island (not Valdosta) with Darci, Josh, and Kaylee. They've got a great splash park for the little kids with a slide. Grant kept standing in the wrong line and then getting mad when he didn't get to go down the slide he wanted ("mommy! That boy said I couldn't go down the yellow slide!").
We tried out the lazy river and everybody had a good time... Except Owen. He wasn't feeling the lazy river.
So, we headed to a tube slide where each kid could go down with an adult. Carson went down a fast slide at the same time and lapped us... Twice! Owen went down the tube slide once but wasn't interested in going twice. Reed, Grant, Carson, and Mark went a second time while Owen and I checked out a splash pad where there was a giant bucket of water that dumped on your head. He liked that. Go figure.
Next we hit the wave pool and everybody had a great time there. I think O liked the fact he could touch the bottom and he practiced swimming some.
Ice cream before we all piled in the car to go home. What a great day. :)
Little man...
I haven't posted here in quite a while but I wanted to write down what is happening with our 5th little one.
He is due on 3/16 and on 1/25 my water broke while we were at a 5k for Carson (running of the seahorses for Seabreeze Elementary). I called the doctor and, on the on-call nurse's advice, I went home to rest and call her back if there were any more leaks, contractions, etc.
I took a nap and about 2:15pm I got up and had more leaking. I called the nurse and was told to go ahead to the hospital.
I'm here now at the hospital. Both baby and I are fine... There was an ultrasound yesterday and amniotic fluid looks good and baby's weight is estimated at 4lbs 9oz.
I'm on antibiotics for 24 hours and I've gotten the first of two steroid shots for lung maturity. I'm 33 weeks today and they're going to try to keep me here for another week. Then they'll deliver.
So many people are praying for us. Your siblings can't wait to meet you. We love you so much! Hang out for another week, little man, and be strong.
Update: so Dr Boyd just came in and said they might let you go till 35 weeks. Hang tight little guy!
He is due on 3/16 and on 1/25 my water broke while we were at a 5k for Carson (running of the seahorses for Seabreeze Elementary). I called the doctor and, on the on-call nurse's advice, I went home to rest and call her back if there were any more leaks, contractions, etc.
I took a nap and about 2:15pm I got up and had more leaking. I called the nurse and was told to go ahead to the hospital.
I'm here now at the hospital. Both baby and I are fine... There was an ultrasound yesterday and amniotic fluid looks good and baby's weight is estimated at 4lbs 9oz.
I'm on antibiotics for 24 hours and I've gotten the first of two steroid shots for lung maturity. I'm 33 weeks today and they're going to try to keep me here for another week. Then they'll deliver.
So many people are praying for us. Your siblings can't wait to meet you. We love you so much! Hang out for another week, little man, and be strong.
Update: so Dr Boyd just came in and said they might let you go till 35 weeks. Hang tight little guy!
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