Saturday:
Today was a pretty busy day for us! In the morning we went up to South Jordan for a car show that my father-in-laws band was playing at. The boys had lots of fun! We had lunch, they got animal balloons and snow cones. They even saw a doc Hudson car from Cars and they loved it! After a couple of hours we were tired out from the heat! We went home and I got ready to go see Rocky.
I met a photographer at the hospital so we could have some pictures taken of our little guy. I feel like time is passing and I'm going to miss the whole NICU experience so I want to capture memories before they are gone! She was a very nice girl and did the photos for free. I'm excited to see them. I hung out with Rocky for a bit and we did another test weight with breastfeeding. He did AWESOME!! He ate 28 out of 45 oz of his feeding. He did such a great job. I was so proud of him. After some cuddles and pumping I went back home.
The doc called me earlier today and said that because Rocky's jaundice isn't going away they think it might be what is called breastmilk jaundice, which his liver can't digest some of the proteins. They want to check him again and then the course of action would be to give him formula for 24-hours to help his body be able to digest the proteins. I guess we will wait and see, but the doc did reassure us that his levels aren't dangerous right now. They are at an 11.4 and they are fine until they get to 18. Also, they tried him off the oxygen and he only lasted 15 minutes before needing to be put on again.
Sunday:
I went to see Rocky this morning. I was very hopeful that we would have another great breastfeeding experience, but it didn't go too well. He didn't get a good latch and he didn't get any milk. Oh well, it's okay! I enjoyed my time with him. He loves to be held, but really he probably only gets held by us right now so why wouldn't he love it. I feel like each visit someone tells me how great he is doing for my water breaking at 19 weeks. It's great to hear and I hope he just keeps improving.
The doc called me and let me know that he would check Rocky's bilirubin levels today so we could start formula if needed. Also, they are changing his oxygen a little to hopefully help him come off. After they checked his levels the doc called me and let me know it went up to a 13 so they will start formula. They will check again after 24-hours and see if it goes down. I really hope it does!
Monday:
So since he is on formula I decided to take the morning off. My sister is in town so we hung out with the boys outside and then at nap time I went to the hospital. I got there right in time for his feeding so I just got to cuddle with my sweet little boy. He pretty much stayed asleep the whole time. I talked with the nurse and she and she said they would check his bilirubin levels today at 4p.m. and then we will know if the formula worked. I called around 7p.m. so I would know if I needed to go back to the hospital or not. The nurse said that his levels went up to a 15! I was a bit disappointed and wanted to know the next step. The doc made orders to give formula until 7a.m. tomorrow so I just stayed home so I could sleep.
Tuesday:
I went to the hospital first thing in the morning and when I got there the nurse informed me that last night's nurse gave me the wrong info and his levels went down to a 9! Seriously, what is wrong with people. I was worrying and wondering all night long what was going to happen. I tried to feed the little guy but he didn't do too well. It's basically hit and miss because sometimes he's cueing and other times he's just not. I guess lately I've been at the feedings when he's just tired or not too interested. I will keep trying and hope that he gets it. The same thing happened when I went in the afternoon so it was a bit of a down day in the feedings department. Oh well, I can't give up and the worst that will happen is he just bottle feeds breastmilk. I did 12 months of pumping with Lincoln so if I have to do it again I will!
My mom came into town today. My sister, jaxon and Linc went to pick her up. When they got home Linc tells me, "look at my new lady"...He is a silly boy. I was pretty tired so after giving her the run down and visiting for a bit I went to pump one last time. I must have been extremely tired because I totally forgot to connect a collection bottle to the pump and didn't realize it until after about 5 minutes when my leg was completely soaked!! Good thing I have plenty of milk now.
Wednesday:
Today I was able to go to the hospital for much longer. I got there at 7a.m. and stayed til about noon. He didn't do too well with breastfeeding today and he basically slept through. I came back later that evening with my sister so she could take some pictures of him and then I fed him and he did a pretty good job! He took almost half of his milk so then they gave the rest through his tube. My sister held him while he ate and then after that we went home. I wanted her to take pics of his bath time, but they changed it to Monday's and Thursdays. I guess we will come back tomorrow.
Thursday:
I came back to the hospital today and was here for his 10a.m. and 1p.m. feedings. He did an AMAZING job today! I was sitting with the occupational therapist and when we did Rocky's test weight after he ate he took all of his milk on his own!! He is a rock star!! He was pretty tired for his next feeding so he ended up sleeping through and they fed him through the tube. I'm so proud of him because he is working so hard. I watch him as he sucks and swallows and then takes a break to breathe. I never even worried about things like that with my other two and now I realize how hard Rocky has to work to do things that term babies just automatically do.
Dave met us at the hospital tonight for bath time and pictures. Rocky ate well again tonight. He is still having to top off through his tube, but he is improving! My sister was able to take pictures of bath time. I can't wait to see them. Rocky loves his bath. He just lays there so relaxed and calm and then after he was so calm and ready for sleep. It was a pretty late night because we went for his 10p.m. feeding. We left right after bath and it was almost 1a.m. when we got home so I quickly pumped and went to sleep.
Friday:
I stayed for 3 feedings today, 10a.m., 1p.m., and 4p.m. He did alright for the first two and got a little each time. By the third he took a little and then he pulled his feeding tube out. He wouldn't let them put it back so he finished by bottle. He did pretty well. One of the feedings he only showed on the scale that he took two ml, but he was really fussy when he got through half his feeding so they stopped it and he calmed down. I'm pretty sure he got more than 2 grams of milk and the nurse was pretty sure too. He had a good day and is seriously getting much better at breastfeeding each day. I think they will start bottles pretty soon now that he is getting the hang of breastfeeding. They want him to be able to come home so the sooner he takes all of his feedings by mouth then the sooner we can bring him home! Of course he might have to come home on oxygen, but that's fine.
Our journey through a pPROM pregnancy. It's not always easy, but it's definitely a fight to remember!
Saturday, August 23, 2014
Monday, August 18, 2014
ROCKY WEEK 2
Saturday:
Dave dropped me off at the hospital at 7a.m. and then he took the boys to hike the Y. They had so much fun and Lincoln did the entire hike all by himself! Oliver got to ride in Dave's new hiking backpack and enjoyed it that way.
I got to spend some good quality time holding Rocky. He is doing well and not too many changes, which is nice. I just enjoyed kangaroo care with him. Later that day we went to the movies and then we had to pick up our car...so that meant that I had to drive one car! I haven't driven for about 4 months!! I was a bit nervous, but it was a good way to get back behind the wheel. I forgot to take my meds for half the day yesterday so I decided to just stop taking them, which worked out perfect. I drove to the hospital after the kids were asleep and met the lactation consultant. She wants to have Rocky start breastfeeding or at least becoming familiar with it. Babies this young don't actually have the rooting reflex so it's going to take time and practice and of course patience, but I guess after being in a hospital bed for over 10 weeks I've got the patience part down. They want me to come in for feeding times now so we can specifically practice each time. I think I'll try his 7a.m. and 10p.m. times and see how that goes.
Sunday:
This morning I got up, showered and was back at the hospital for 7:00am and he did better practicing breastfeeding, but we have a long way to go. He had his picc line taken out and they changed his bed to one that doesn't have a warmer, so I guess he graduated from one bed to the next! They said he will most likely remain in that one now til he goes home. He still is fighting the jaundice so he's still using his light pad.
I went back home and helped Dave get the boys ready for church. They left and I stayed to pump and find where all of my clothes are. I have to say I'm so used to dressing in t-shirts and comfy pants that I don't really want to wear real clothes again. I found my clothes and I met my family at church. Everyone was surprised to see me and all wanted to know how things were going. I think I purposely try to make conversations basic because I get a bit emotional talking about it all. I'm glad he's doing well and love to tell people, but I make it short so I can keep control of my tears.
Sunday night Dave got to go with me. It was a good thing because Rocky had his first real bath and I got to give it to him! They wrap him in a fleece blanket and put him in the water. He really liked it. Afterwards his hair stood up just like Oliver's. He is a perfect blend of both of his brothers.
I think tonight was the second or third time someone has mentioned my milk production being low. It was news to me because I thought I was doing great! It's pretty discouraging when the one thing I can do for my baby is the one thing I'm not doing good enough. I still don't understand because they aren't needing to supplement with anything yet. I guess I'm just going to have to work on it and try not to let it get to me or stress me out.
Monday:
I got a call from the nurse this morning just as I was getting ready to leave. She wanted to let me know that they moved Rocky to the feed and grow room of the NICU! This is a good thing because it means he is doing well enough that he gets to graduate to the less intensive room. His neighbor is definitely a little crier and he sounds like a little teradactyl. Poor little guy probably just wants to be held all the time, but I did hear them say that he might go home this week so Rocky will have a new neighbor soon.
Rocky did a good job this morning with the non-nutritive breastfeeding. He actually latched a couple of times. Baby steps! I'm getting used to my schedule and not feeling extremely tired. I wake up at 5:30a.m. to pump and then take a shower, head to the hospital for his 7:00a.m. feeding and cares. I get to change his diaper, take his temp, change some of his sensors and do mouth care. I love it! I'm with him for skin to skin and practice feeding and then I hold him for a little before I pump anotheR home. At home I spend all day with the boys while pumping every two hours! At night I head back to the hospital for 10:00pm feeding and cares. I pump before I leave and usually get home about midnight so I get right to bed and have another pump session around 2a.m. and then start it all over again! I have no free time whatsoever and I have to use every minute wisely. It's definitely worth it though because ingest to see all of my boys and give them the time that they need.
While I was there this morning another lactation consultant came to check-in with me. After hearing I was only getting about 12oz a day she recommended that I take some herbal supplements to help increase milk production. Seriously! This is so frustrating to me. I've never had a problem before and I just need some time. I checked with other preemie moms and they said that the amount I'm getting this soon is pretty good and to just keep pumping. Oh well...I know he has enough for the amounts they are giving him.
Tuesday:
Today was a bit easier to get up and make it to the hospital. Maybe my body is already adjusting to the new schedule although I feel like my muscles are pretty sore. I guess that's just part of the process after bed rest for 14 weeks.
I had lots of cuddle time with Rocky and a good pump session before I had to leave. Rocky us back in his first incubator because they changed him from the bili light pad to the overhead light. This bed has the warmer since he can't be swaddled. I asked what his levels were as of this morning and they dropped from 11 to 1! I asked her if it was a mistake because that was a really big decrease. She was wondering the same. His neck muscles are a lot better! They are actually pretty strong, he us already trying to lift his head when we hold him. Not every time, but sometimes. The doc called me later to give the daily plan and update and he said things are going really well with Rocky, but they will check levels to make sure it's right. If it is he will get to come off the photo therapy light and then will be checked again in two days to make sure levels stay down.
I got to take a nap today, which was nice! I also tried what you call a power pump session, which is pumping for 10 minutes and then stopping for 10 minutes. It's supposed to be for 70 minutes total, but I only did it for 40. It's supposed to help increase milk supply. I had a good first experience because I got double what I normally get! Ill continue to do those once a day. I know I can increase without having to take herbs. I might however try the lactation cookies! Positive thinking about increasing my supply.
Dave offered to take Rocky his milk tonight so I could get some rest, but I told him another night we could do that. We put the boys to bed and then went to the hospital. When we got there Rocky was sleeping peacefully and sucking on his pacifier. We changed him and did cares. He was off the bili light and they said his levels were a 9 not a 1. Still good enough to stop light therapy.
I held him and he practiced breastfeeding. We were really surprised when he latched on right away and started to suck! He did it a few times. When the nurse checked his feeding line she pulled up lots of milk and she said he got milk from me! Good job buddy!!!
I talked with Dave and we decided that I would take the morning off and sleep a little. I am absolutely exhausted! My body needs rest. I pumped before leaving so that when we got home around midnight I could just go to sleep. I checked with the nurse and she said that the milk I just brought tonight will get him through til tomorrow night. That made me feel great because I've been getting such a hard time about not pumping enough.
Wednesday:
I got up at 4a.m. and then at 7:15 a.m. to pump. I haven't had this much sleep in a while and it was really nice. I called in the morning to check on Rocky and they said he was doing well. I kept a lot today of how much I'm pumping and I was pleasantly surprised! My milk has really gone up in the past day or two. For the full days pumping I got about 22 oz!! I knew I could do it.
So tonight Dave and his mom went to the hospital and spent time with Rocky. Since they didn't have to plan a visit around feeding time they were able to go after dinner. I stayed home and put the boys to bed. I pumped and then went to sleep at 9:30 p.m. so I got lots of rest before having to wake at midnight and 4 a.m. Dave said Rocky is doing great and now that I got extra rest I am too! I'm not going to feel guilty about not seeing him today because I need to take care of myself so that I can take care of all my boys. I also know that he is in good hands.
Thursday:
Today I had a doc appointment in Provo in the afternoon so I planned on just going to see Rocky at after that. The doc called and said that he was doing well, no major updates or changes. They checked his jaundice levels and it went from a 9 to an 11. He doesn't want him to start light therapy yet because he wants to test him again in 48 hours and see where he's at. He let me know that levels aren't dangerous until they get to 18-20 so he is okay.
I went to my appointment and everything looked good and the doc wasn't concerned about the incision or an infection. I went to the hospital next and because I wasn't there around his feeding time the nurse was a bit hesitant to let me hold him. They don't like them to get off their schedule because they want them to grow and sleep. She let me hold him for 30 minutes and I kept him as still as possible. I love holding the little guy.
Friday:
I went to the hospital in the morning and the nurse asked if I wanted to do a test weight before he practiced breastfeeding. He didn't get any milk, but he did suck a little. Oh well, I'm sure with time he will get it. I enjoyed my morning with him and let them know that I wasn't going to be back tonight because we were going to do something with our other boys. I asked if they had enough milk to last til tomorrow because I noticed there weren't too many containers in his fridge. They said they have plenty and there is more in the freezer. Woohoo! My milk production is definitely up to a full supply, if not more. That makes me feel great. He had another amazing week!
Dave dropped me off at the hospital at 7a.m. and then he took the boys to hike the Y. They had so much fun and Lincoln did the entire hike all by himself! Oliver got to ride in Dave's new hiking backpack and enjoyed it that way.
I got to spend some good quality time holding Rocky. He is doing well and not too many changes, which is nice. I just enjoyed kangaroo care with him. Later that day we went to the movies and then we had to pick up our car...so that meant that I had to drive one car! I haven't driven for about 4 months!! I was a bit nervous, but it was a good way to get back behind the wheel. I forgot to take my meds for half the day yesterday so I decided to just stop taking them, which worked out perfect. I drove to the hospital after the kids were asleep and met the lactation consultant. She wants to have Rocky start breastfeeding or at least becoming familiar with it. Babies this young don't actually have the rooting reflex so it's going to take time and practice and of course patience, but I guess after being in a hospital bed for over 10 weeks I've got the patience part down. They want me to come in for feeding times now so we can specifically practice each time. I think I'll try his 7a.m. and 10p.m. times and see how that goes.
Sunday:
This morning I got up, showered and was back at the hospital for 7:00am and he did better practicing breastfeeding, but we have a long way to go. He had his picc line taken out and they changed his bed to one that doesn't have a warmer, so I guess he graduated from one bed to the next! They said he will most likely remain in that one now til he goes home. He still is fighting the jaundice so he's still using his light pad.
I went back home and helped Dave get the boys ready for church. They left and I stayed to pump and find where all of my clothes are. I have to say I'm so used to dressing in t-shirts and comfy pants that I don't really want to wear real clothes again. I found my clothes and I met my family at church. Everyone was surprised to see me and all wanted to know how things were going. I think I purposely try to make conversations basic because I get a bit emotional talking about it all. I'm glad he's doing well and love to tell people, but I make it short so I can keep control of my tears.
Sunday night Dave got to go with me. It was a good thing because Rocky had his first real bath and I got to give it to him! They wrap him in a fleece blanket and put him in the water. He really liked it. Afterwards his hair stood up just like Oliver's. He is a perfect blend of both of his brothers.
I think tonight was the second or third time someone has mentioned my milk production being low. It was news to me because I thought I was doing great! It's pretty discouraging when the one thing I can do for my baby is the one thing I'm not doing good enough. I still don't understand because they aren't needing to supplement with anything yet. I guess I'm just going to have to work on it and try not to let it get to me or stress me out.
Monday:
I got a call from the nurse this morning just as I was getting ready to leave. She wanted to let me know that they moved Rocky to the feed and grow room of the NICU! This is a good thing because it means he is doing well enough that he gets to graduate to the less intensive room. His neighbor is definitely a little crier and he sounds like a little teradactyl. Poor little guy probably just wants to be held all the time, but I did hear them say that he might go home this week so Rocky will have a new neighbor soon.
Rocky did a good job this morning with the non-nutritive breastfeeding. He actually latched a couple of times. Baby steps! I'm getting used to my schedule and not feeling extremely tired. I wake up at 5:30a.m. to pump and then take a shower, head to the hospital for his 7:00a.m. feeding and cares. I get to change his diaper, take his temp, change some of his sensors and do mouth care. I love it! I'm with him for skin to skin and practice feeding and then I hold him for a little before I pump anotheR home. At home I spend all day with the boys while pumping every two hours! At night I head back to the hospital for 10:00pm feeding and cares. I pump before I leave and usually get home about midnight so I get right to bed and have another pump session around 2a.m. and then start it all over again! I have no free time whatsoever and I have to use every minute wisely. It's definitely worth it though because ingest to see all of my boys and give them the time that they need.
While I was there this morning another lactation consultant came to check-in with me. After hearing I was only getting about 12oz a day she recommended that I take some herbal supplements to help increase milk production. Seriously! This is so frustrating to me. I've never had a problem before and I just need some time. I checked with other preemie moms and they said that the amount I'm getting this soon is pretty good and to just keep pumping. Oh well...I know he has enough for the amounts they are giving him.
Tuesday:
Today was a bit easier to get up and make it to the hospital. Maybe my body is already adjusting to the new schedule although I feel like my muscles are pretty sore. I guess that's just part of the process after bed rest for 14 weeks.
I had lots of cuddle time with Rocky and a good pump session before I had to leave. Rocky us back in his first incubator because they changed him from the bili light pad to the overhead light. This bed has the warmer since he can't be swaddled. I asked what his levels were as of this morning and they dropped from 11 to 1! I asked her if it was a mistake because that was a really big decrease. She was wondering the same. His neck muscles are a lot better! They are actually pretty strong, he us already trying to lift his head when we hold him. Not every time, but sometimes. The doc called me later to give the daily plan and update and he said things are going really well with Rocky, but they will check levels to make sure it's right. If it is he will get to come off the photo therapy light and then will be checked again in two days to make sure levels stay down.
I got to take a nap today, which was nice! I also tried what you call a power pump session, which is pumping for 10 minutes and then stopping for 10 minutes. It's supposed to be for 70 minutes total, but I only did it for 40. It's supposed to help increase milk supply. I had a good first experience because I got double what I normally get! Ill continue to do those once a day. I know I can increase without having to take herbs. I might however try the lactation cookies! Positive thinking about increasing my supply.
Dave offered to take Rocky his milk tonight so I could get some rest, but I told him another night we could do that. We put the boys to bed and then went to the hospital. When we got there Rocky was sleeping peacefully and sucking on his pacifier. We changed him and did cares. He was off the bili light and they said his levels were a 9 not a 1. Still good enough to stop light therapy.
I held him and he practiced breastfeeding. We were really surprised when he latched on right away and started to suck! He did it a few times. When the nurse checked his feeding line she pulled up lots of milk and she said he got milk from me! Good job buddy!!!
I talked with Dave and we decided that I would take the morning off and sleep a little. I am absolutely exhausted! My body needs rest. I pumped before leaving so that when we got home around midnight I could just go to sleep. I checked with the nurse and she said that the milk I just brought tonight will get him through til tomorrow night. That made me feel great because I've been getting such a hard time about not pumping enough.
Wednesday:
I got up at 4a.m. and then at 7:15 a.m. to pump. I haven't had this much sleep in a while and it was really nice. I called in the morning to check on Rocky and they said he was doing well. I kept a lot today of how much I'm pumping and I was pleasantly surprised! My milk has really gone up in the past day or two. For the full days pumping I got about 22 oz!! I knew I could do it.
So tonight Dave and his mom went to the hospital and spent time with Rocky. Since they didn't have to plan a visit around feeding time they were able to go after dinner. I stayed home and put the boys to bed. I pumped and then went to sleep at 9:30 p.m. so I got lots of rest before having to wake at midnight and 4 a.m. Dave said Rocky is doing great and now that I got extra rest I am too! I'm not going to feel guilty about not seeing him today because I need to take care of myself so that I can take care of all my boys. I also know that he is in good hands.
Thursday:
Today I had a doc appointment in Provo in the afternoon so I planned on just going to see Rocky at after that. The doc called and said that he was doing well, no major updates or changes. They checked his jaundice levels and it went from a 9 to an 11. He doesn't want him to start light therapy yet because he wants to test him again in 48 hours and see where he's at. He let me know that levels aren't dangerous until they get to 18-20 so he is okay.
I went to my appointment and everything looked good and the doc wasn't concerned about the incision or an infection. I went to the hospital next and because I wasn't there around his feeding time the nurse was a bit hesitant to let me hold him. They don't like them to get off their schedule because they want them to grow and sleep. She let me hold him for 30 minutes and I kept him as still as possible. I love holding the little guy.
Friday:
I went to the hospital in the morning and the nurse asked if I wanted to do a test weight before he practiced breastfeeding. He didn't get any milk, but he did suck a little. Oh well, I'm sure with time he will get it. I enjoyed my morning with him and let them know that I wasn't going to be back tonight because we were going to do something with our other boys. I asked if they had enough milk to last til tomorrow because I noticed there weren't too many containers in his fridge. They said they have plenty and there is more in the freezer. Woohoo! My milk production is definitely up to a full supply, if not more. That makes me feel great. He had another amazing week!
Tuesday, August 12, 2014
ROCKY'S 1st WEEK
I'm already a week behind! I don't have much free time at all now that my sweet baby boy is here with us. I will do my best giving a recap as to what happened this past week and hopefully I will do better at keeping up on his updates. Actually I've come up with a plan...hands free pumping! I've never tried it before now, but I love it! Now I have about 25 minutes every 2-3 hours that I can blog.
SUNDAY:
Okay so let's see...Sunday morning the nurse came in and I asked her to check my catheter because my bladder felt full. Pretty sure that's not supposed to happen. Apparently it wasn't draining so she took it out (thank goodness)! This meant I had to get up now and well the first time I tried, which was a few hours later nothing happened, but no need to worry because according to the nurse I still had a couple of hours before there was a need to worry! Thankfully my bladder started to function properly the next time I got up. Speaking of getting up...WOW!! That first time after a c-section is crazy! I almost didn't want to lay back down knowing I would have to get up again.
Dave wheeled me up to see Rocky and he was just so cute and tiny. It was good to see him since the day before I only saw him for 10 minutes. At that point he was on the ventilator, which keeps the lungs open and basically breathes for him. They didn't want him damaging his lungs. They estimated that he would be on the ventilator for 3-5 days and that he would be in the NICU for 4-6 weeks. He also has jaundice and is now under a bilirubin light. Also, because he was squished in my belly his neck is really tight on one side and they are doing physical therapy to help lengthen it out.
His lungs are pretty underdeveloped, but still good for not having much fluid for so long. There are areas of the lungs that aren't developed and overall they are small and need to grow.
I've been pumping since yesterday and I got a little bit of colostrum. Today seems slow and I hardly got anything from my pumping today. Hopefully it will be better tomorrow.
MONDAY:
Dave walked up with me to the NICU and that was officially the longest walk I've taken for about 3-4 months! He had to leave to work so I told him I was okay to walk back down on my own. After visiting with Rocky for a while I made my way downstairs. I went up twice more on my own. I have never felt so out of shape! My whole body was sore and I was really worn out. Pumping went way better today! I'm starting to get more and feeling pretty good.
Rocky has had some air in the outside pocket of his lungs and they had to suck it out with a needle, but the docs say it looks like it has healed today! He has low blood pressure so they are giving him meds to keep it up. The meds make it difficult for him to breathe on his own so it's a good thing he is on the ventilator. He does take some breathes on his own but he does tire easily so there are times when the machine does all his breathing for him. He has been trying to pull his tubes out so they put a blanket under his chin to block him from finding his face. His jaundice levels are about the same. Overall, not too bad given our circumstances.
TUESDAY:
Rocky was taken off of his blood pressure meds late tonight. He's been doing a good job maintaining his blood pressure up! I'm hoping he stays off of it, but we will see what happens. His oxygen is at 21%, which is what we breathe regularly! He will be weaned off the vent and put on another machine soon. When I saw him today he was a bit fussy because they had just worked on his neck and he doesn't like that. His neck is getting better so at least it's working. I held his arm over his little chest to help him calm down. It was a very sweet experience. He continues to fight and he's doing great!
Today was a whole lot easier to get out of bed. It's getting easier to walk to the NICU but I'm still really slow. In preparation to go home I got my staples taken out. I have to say the anticipation was definitely worse than the actual event! I guess because I've seen how staples are removed from paper it just freaked me out a bit, but it wasn't painful at all! Dave came in the evening to pick me up. I had most of the things packed and ready to go and he just had to get a few things. I waited about 30 min for my nurse to finally get to my room so she could discharge me. I was a bit annoyed by that. Dave had time to load everything on a wheelchair, take it to the car and get back to my room. I finally told him to just go see Rocky and I would meet him up there. When I got up there we stayed for a little bit and then we headed home. When I got home Dave went to get the boys as I got out of the car and they came running out! Oh and let's not forget that was my first time in a car in over 10 weeks, yes it was weird! Okay, so when I got in the house the boys and Dave made me a welcome home mama sign and it was so cute. Lincoln was very proud and I was too! He traced inside all of the letters and they worked really hard on it. Oliver wanted me to pick him up and was a little sad when I couldn't, but Dave did and then he was fine. We hung out a while and then put them to sleep. After that Dave and I went to Wal-Mart to pick up some things that I needed. Lots of walking and oh I forgot to mention that with all the fluids I have been ridiculously swollen! That night was pretty difficult to transition to a regular bed that doesn't move up and down as I need, but I did alright.
WEDNESDAY:
Today I was scheduled for an induction, but as with most things with this pregnancy he decided to come out on Saturday. We went to the hospital to take him some breastmilk and to my surprise he has continued to keep his blood pressure up and they are now feeding him through a tube! Unfortunately he already used all the milk I had pumped so it's a good thing we brought more! They told us that he might come off the ventilator soon! He is doing amazing! I'm so proud of him, he is working so hard and it shows. Oh and now that he is off the ventilator and the tubes are out of his throat I was able to hear his little voice for the first time! He has a cute little voice.
Rocky got to meet his brothers today! Lincoln has been asking to see him so we took the boys today. We had to go to a WIC appt to get a pump and to a doc appt for me. Dave kept the boys entertained while I got things done. At the doctors he looked at my incision and it looked red and felt warm. He gave me a shot and boy did that sting! I thought the steroids were bad, but they are nothing compared to what I got! He asked me to come back tomorrow to look at it and he gave me a prescription for oral antibiotics.
Okay so back to the boys. We got to the hospital and we went to the break room. I stayed with the boys while Dave took them in one at a time. I can't pick them up so he had to take them. Apparently he got changed to cpap today and it looks like a fighter pilot face mask with the tube coming up. He also has his eyes covered because of the jaundice lights. When Lincoln saw him he asked, "where's his face?" He was done pretty quickly and then wanted to go back to me. Oliver wanted to stay longer so he took his whole 5 minutes. It was a good little visit.
THURSDAY:
I woke up feeling pretty good today. By 8:45 a.m. I had already had my morning pump session, made the boys breakfast, hung out with them for a little and overall just felt very productive. It's a good start! I also feel like my milk is coming in nicely. I'm still swollen, but I think it may be going down.
After my doc appt, which I had to get another shot, we went to the hospital to see Rocky. We were very surprised by all of his changes! They took him off of cpap because they said he was very unhappy with it so they decided to put him on the cannula and he is doing great! So now he is breathing completely on his own and there are no more machines to help him keep his lungs open. Way to go little buddy. He is continuing to do well with his tube feedings although he has lost some weight. He is low 4lbs, but I bet he will be back up soon. He is still fighting the jaundice, but they changed his light to a light pad so now he looks like a glow worm. He now gets to be swaddled and he seems to like it! They were able to take his IV out of his umbilical cord, so now he just has a picc line in his thigh. He does have a pretty good cry the nurses say, but that tells me that his lungs are getting better! I'm so happy with how well he is doing.
FRIDAY:
Today was my first outing. I couldn't go see the baby in the morning so Dave took him his milk. After work Dave and I met Jon & Jhana and Tim and Tam at Texas roadhouse. We were going to go see Rocky before a show, but we ended up not having time so we went home so I could pump and then went to the musical that Sabrina and my father-in-law were in. During the show we got a call from the hospital and Dave called them back. Everything was okay, they just wanted to know when we were going to be there, but let me just say waiting to hear why the NICU is calling is the worst feeling. We headed out right after the show, but our headlights were both out so we got a ride home so we could get our other car.
We finally made it to the hospital and when we got there we were very surprised when the nurse asked us if we wanted to hold Rocky! Oh my goodness I've been waiting for that and I was so ready! I sat down and as she was getting him ready I started balling because I was so happy...I was finally going to be able to hold my son! When she handed him to me it was the best feeling in the world. He was crying and then she asked if I wanted to do skin to skin and as soon as I laid him on my chest he calmed right down, as if he knew mommy is holding me and I've been waiting for this.
While I was in the hospital I kept seeing a huggies commercial with a pregnant lady talking to her baby and at the end it says something about how the mom is the first one to give her baby a hug and to let the second be comfy (talking about the diaper). Well every time I saw it I thought...LIES! I'm not going to be able to give him his first hug or hold, I don't even know when that will be! So when I finally got to hold him it was wonderful. He is so small and I was very intimidated by all of his wires and lines he has, but it was great. Dave held him for a while and then we had to put him back because of him needing to be under the light. Best way to end his first week.
SUNDAY:
Okay so let's see...Sunday morning the nurse came in and I asked her to check my catheter because my bladder felt full. Pretty sure that's not supposed to happen. Apparently it wasn't draining so she took it out (thank goodness)! This meant I had to get up now and well the first time I tried, which was a few hours later nothing happened, but no need to worry because according to the nurse I still had a couple of hours before there was a need to worry! Thankfully my bladder started to function properly the next time I got up. Speaking of getting up...WOW!! That first time after a c-section is crazy! I almost didn't want to lay back down knowing I would have to get up again.
Dave wheeled me up to see Rocky and he was just so cute and tiny. It was good to see him since the day before I only saw him for 10 minutes. At that point he was on the ventilator, which keeps the lungs open and basically breathes for him. They didn't want him damaging his lungs. They estimated that he would be on the ventilator for 3-5 days and that he would be in the NICU for 4-6 weeks. He also has jaundice and is now under a bilirubin light. Also, because he was squished in my belly his neck is really tight on one side and they are doing physical therapy to help lengthen it out.
His lungs are pretty underdeveloped, but still good for not having much fluid for so long. There are areas of the lungs that aren't developed and overall they are small and need to grow.
I've been pumping since yesterday and I got a little bit of colostrum. Today seems slow and I hardly got anything from my pumping today. Hopefully it will be better tomorrow.
MONDAY:
Dave walked up with me to the NICU and that was officially the longest walk I've taken for about 3-4 months! He had to leave to work so I told him I was okay to walk back down on my own. After visiting with Rocky for a while I made my way downstairs. I went up twice more on my own. I have never felt so out of shape! My whole body was sore and I was really worn out. Pumping went way better today! I'm starting to get more and feeling pretty good.
Rocky has had some air in the outside pocket of his lungs and they had to suck it out with a needle, but the docs say it looks like it has healed today! He has low blood pressure so they are giving him meds to keep it up. The meds make it difficult for him to breathe on his own so it's a good thing he is on the ventilator. He does take some breathes on his own but he does tire easily so there are times when the machine does all his breathing for him. He has been trying to pull his tubes out so they put a blanket under his chin to block him from finding his face. His jaundice levels are about the same. Overall, not too bad given our circumstances.
TUESDAY:
Rocky was taken off of his blood pressure meds late tonight. He's been doing a good job maintaining his blood pressure up! I'm hoping he stays off of it, but we will see what happens. His oxygen is at 21%, which is what we breathe regularly! He will be weaned off the vent and put on another machine soon. When I saw him today he was a bit fussy because they had just worked on his neck and he doesn't like that. His neck is getting better so at least it's working. I held his arm over his little chest to help him calm down. It was a very sweet experience. He continues to fight and he's doing great!
Today was a whole lot easier to get out of bed. It's getting easier to walk to the NICU but I'm still really slow. In preparation to go home I got my staples taken out. I have to say the anticipation was definitely worse than the actual event! I guess because I've seen how staples are removed from paper it just freaked me out a bit, but it wasn't painful at all! Dave came in the evening to pick me up. I had most of the things packed and ready to go and he just had to get a few things. I waited about 30 min for my nurse to finally get to my room so she could discharge me. I was a bit annoyed by that. Dave had time to load everything on a wheelchair, take it to the car and get back to my room. I finally told him to just go see Rocky and I would meet him up there. When I got up there we stayed for a little bit and then we headed home. When I got home Dave went to get the boys as I got out of the car and they came running out! Oh and let's not forget that was my first time in a car in over 10 weeks, yes it was weird! Okay, so when I got in the house the boys and Dave made me a welcome home mama sign and it was so cute. Lincoln was very proud and I was too! He traced inside all of the letters and they worked really hard on it. Oliver wanted me to pick him up and was a little sad when I couldn't, but Dave did and then he was fine. We hung out a while and then put them to sleep. After that Dave and I went to Wal-Mart to pick up some things that I needed. Lots of walking and oh I forgot to mention that with all the fluids I have been ridiculously swollen! That night was pretty difficult to transition to a regular bed that doesn't move up and down as I need, but I did alright.
WEDNESDAY:
Today I was scheduled for an induction, but as with most things with this pregnancy he decided to come out on Saturday. We went to the hospital to take him some breastmilk and to my surprise he has continued to keep his blood pressure up and they are now feeding him through a tube! Unfortunately he already used all the milk I had pumped so it's a good thing we brought more! They told us that he might come off the ventilator soon! He is doing amazing! I'm so proud of him, he is working so hard and it shows. Oh and now that he is off the ventilator and the tubes are out of his throat I was able to hear his little voice for the first time! He has a cute little voice.
Rocky got to meet his brothers today! Lincoln has been asking to see him so we took the boys today. We had to go to a WIC appt to get a pump and to a doc appt for me. Dave kept the boys entertained while I got things done. At the doctors he looked at my incision and it looked red and felt warm. He gave me a shot and boy did that sting! I thought the steroids were bad, but they are nothing compared to what I got! He asked me to come back tomorrow to look at it and he gave me a prescription for oral antibiotics.
Okay so back to the boys. We got to the hospital and we went to the break room. I stayed with the boys while Dave took them in one at a time. I can't pick them up so he had to take them. Apparently he got changed to cpap today and it looks like a fighter pilot face mask with the tube coming up. He also has his eyes covered because of the jaundice lights. When Lincoln saw him he asked, "where's his face?" He was done pretty quickly and then wanted to go back to me. Oliver wanted to stay longer so he took his whole 5 minutes. It was a good little visit.
THURSDAY:
I woke up feeling pretty good today. By 8:45 a.m. I had already had my morning pump session, made the boys breakfast, hung out with them for a little and overall just felt very productive. It's a good start! I also feel like my milk is coming in nicely. I'm still swollen, but I think it may be going down.
After my doc appt, which I had to get another shot, we went to the hospital to see Rocky. We were very surprised by all of his changes! They took him off of cpap because they said he was very unhappy with it so they decided to put him on the cannula and he is doing great! So now he is breathing completely on his own and there are no more machines to help him keep his lungs open. Way to go little buddy. He is continuing to do well with his tube feedings although he has lost some weight. He is low 4lbs, but I bet he will be back up soon. He is still fighting the jaundice, but they changed his light to a light pad so now he looks like a glow worm. He now gets to be swaddled and he seems to like it! They were able to take his IV out of his umbilical cord, so now he just has a picc line in his thigh. He does have a pretty good cry the nurses say, but that tells me that his lungs are getting better! I'm so happy with how well he is doing.
FRIDAY:
Today was my first outing. I couldn't go see the baby in the morning so Dave took him his milk. After work Dave and I met Jon & Jhana and Tim and Tam at Texas roadhouse. We were going to go see Rocky before a show, but we ended up not having time so we went home so I could pump and then went to the musical that Sabrina and my father-in-law were in. During the show we got a call from the hospital and Dave called them back. Everything was okay, they just wanted to know when we were going to be there, but let me just say waiting to hear why the NICU is calling is the worst feeling. We headed out right after the show, but our headlights were both out so we got a ride home so we could get our other car.
We finally made it to the hospital and when we got there we were very surprised when the nurse asked us if we wanted to hold Rocky! Oh my goodness I've been waiting for that and I was so ready! I sat down and as she was getting him ready I started balling because I was so happy...I was finally going to be able to hold my son! When she handed him to me it was the best feeling in the world. He was crying and then she asked if I wanted to do skin to skin and as soon as I laid him on my chest he calmed right down, as if he knew mommy is holding me and I've been waiting for this.
While I was in the hospital I kept seeing a huggies commercial with a pregnant lady talking to her baby and at the end it says something about how the mom is the first one to give her baby a hug and to let the second be comfy (talking about the diaper). Well every time I saw it I thought...LIES! I'm not going to be able to give him his first hug or hold, I don't even know when that will be! So when I finally got to hold him it was wonderful. He is so small and I was very intimidated by all of his wires and lines he has, but it was great. Dave held him for a while and then we had to put him back because of him needing to be under the light. Best way to end his first week.
Tuesday, August 5, 2014
WELCOME ROCKY...a grand entrance!!
This morning was full of things that were totally unexpected! I woke up around 6:30a.m. because I was feeling some strong contractions, which are usually relieved by emptying my bladder. So I used the restroom and went back to bed. I felt little guy moving and it was pretty strong movements so my first thought was maybe he is turning head down, which would be good for Wednesday when it's time for him to come out. I fell asleep for a bit longer and then around 8:20 a.m. I got out of bed, walked over to the phone and called room service so I could order breakfast. Just as the person answered the strangest thing happened and I felt something fall out of me! I quickly told them I'd have to call them back and I carefully waddled over to my bed and laid down. I quickly started pushing the pain button and the call button so I could get a nurse asap. When she walked in she could tell my face looked freaked out and asked if I was okay. The only thing I could manage to say was, "I think something just fell out of me". She stayed calm and she took off my shorts, then pulled down the rest and says, "oh look we have a little hand and arm waving at us".
Seriously!! I started to freak out, but tried to stay calm. She took my blood pressure and put baby on the heart monitor. His heart rate was looking good, that made one of us because by that point I was super overwhelmed by all of it, especially being able to feel his arm and hand just wave around by my leg! She said she was going to go call the doc and I grabbed my phone to call Dave, by this time it was 8:29 a.m. I made the phone call as short as possible because I was freaking out and trying not to cry. Dave answered and I told him to get to the hospital now because we are having a baby today. I'm pretty sure that was the extent of the conversation.
The nurse came in followed by like 10 other people, including nurses and doctors. Everyone wanted to see the waving arm! They were calling the NICU and anesthesiologist and whoever else needed to be there. At 8:37 a.m. someone handed me my phone because Dave was calling. He asked me something and all I could manage to get out was something like his hand, his hand came out and then I told him I had to go because they were about to take me back. There was a team of about 5 people taking my bed to the surgery room and then when we got there 3 other people were already in there. The anesthesiologist quickly introduced himself and apologized for having to meet this way. They had me scoot from my bed to the surgery table and all I could think was there's an arm coming out and I don't want to smash him. I managed to scoot myself onto the operating table with their help. They rolled me over to my side, they put in an IV and catheter and then they put in my spinal block. I remember someone saying I need you to come and squeeze her and then two nurses came and put me in a ball and held me there. The whole time I was worried about smashing the baby's arm or hurting him somehow. Dr. Lind the anesthesiologist was very nice, he let me know exactly what he was doing and kept telling me I was doing a good job.
So many things were happening all around me and I felt like I was being rolled from one side to the next. Each time I was rolled or moved I felt like one was going to fall off the table. It was all so overwhelming and quite stressful and of course a bit scary. I was trying to be brave and strong, but at some point I just started crying. I also remember at some point someone saying to call the front and let them know Dave was on his way so they could direct them to where we were. I wanted Dave to be there so bad because everything was happening so fast and there were so many things going on around me nd I just wanted my husband to be there with me.
The anesthesiologist came to my head and was asking about numbness and pain and then he pinched me to check and I just remember saying ow! He gave more medication for pain and then he starts saying if at any point I feel pain to let him know and he will give me something that will knock me out in 30 seconds. I just kept thinking what if they start cutting me open and I can still feel! Around that point I must have started to really let the tears fall and he asked if I was in pain, I managed to shake my head and say not and then he says your crocodile tears are making me sad. He stayed by my head and wiped my tears and rubbed my head. He let me know that the doc had already cut me open and that it all should be over soon. It felt like a lot longer than it actually was. I just remember at some point they were pushing on my chest to try to push him out and it felt like I was being punched on my heart! I kept grunting and crying because I just couldn't catch my breath and it was like I was being stomped on. I just kept thinking please hurry I want this to be done. The doc said that his head was all the way up at the top of my uterus and his legs were really low so he was just stuck and it took lots of pressure to get him out! They got him out at 8:56 a.m.and took him immediately to another room. I'm amazed that the whole thing only took 27 minutes!
Dave got there just after he was taken out of the room and I got to see Dave for about 30 seconds before someone said that they took the baby to another room and directed Dave there. They finished stitching me up and I heard someone come in and say that he weighed 4lbs and 14oz and was 17inches long. They were all surprised at his big size for being so early. They had me roll over onto my belly and then again onto my back to transfer me to my bed again. They then took me back to my room to give me some recovery time and to be closely monitored before being transferred to the mother baby unit.
I was really drowsy and could barely stay awake. Dave was texting me pictures and details of whatwas going on. The nurse came in and packed up my room, which was a lot of stuff after being there for 10 weeks. After a couple of hours I was looking stable enough to move downstairs. They rolled my bed to the NICU so I could see Rocky before I went to my new room. The nurse explained a few things to me about his status and then Dave came with me downstairs. I was glad I got to see him, even if only for 10 minutes. I started pumping and since I wasn't ready to get up yet Dave would run everything up to the NICU, which would give him time to see and check on Rocky. The nurses would check on me often, but in between I would doze off. My in-laws came by to see how I was doing and to see how everything went. Rocky isn't taking visitors right now, he is not that stable so the nurses say to give him about a week.
As far as his condition, this is what I gathered: he is on a ventilator that is doing all the breathing, he started of well but then started working too hard so they got him on the ventilator. His neck muscle on the right side is shorter than the other side because of how he was positioned. His foot was also turned so they are working on keeping it straight. He had some other lung issues, but I couldn't remember everything. They said to expect him to be on the ventilator 2-3 days and in the hospital for 4-6 weeks. I can deal with that! It was a very exhausting day, but we are so happy to have our baby and to have him doing well under his circumstances.
Seriously!! I started to freak out, but tried to stay calm. She took my blood pressure and put baby on the heart monitor. His heart rate was looking good, that made one of us because by that point I was super overwhelmed by all of it, especially being able to feel his arm and hand just wave around by my leg! She said she was going to go call the doc and I grabbed my phone to call Dave, by this time it was 8:29 a.m. I made the phone call as short as possible because I was freaking out and trying not to cry. Dave answered and I told him to get to the hospital now because we are having a baby today. I'm pretty sure that was the extent of the conversation.
The nurse came in followed by like 10 other people, including nurses and doctors. Everyone wanted to see the waving arm! They were calling the NICU and anesthesiologist and whoever else needed to be there. At 8:37 a.m. someone handed me my phone because Dave was calling. He asked me something and all I could manage to get out was something like his hand, his hand came out and then I told him I had to go because they were about to take me back. There was a team of about 5 people taking my bed to the surgery room and then when we got there 3 other people were already in there. The anesthesiologist quickly introduced himself and apologized for having to meet this way. They had me scoot from my bed to the surgery table and all I could think was there's an arm coming out and I don't want to smash him. I managed to scoot myself onto the operating table with their help. They rolled me over to my side, they put in an IV and catheter and then they put in my spinal block. I remember someone saying I need you to come and squeeze her and then two nurses came and put me in a ball and held me there. The whole time I was worried about smashing the baby's arm or hurting him somehow. Dr. Lind the anesthesiologist was very nice, he let me know exactly what he was doing and kept telling me I was doing a good job.
So many things were happening all around me and I felt like I was being rolled from one side to the next. Each time I was rolled or moved I felt like one was going to fall off the table. It was all so overwhelming and quite stressful and of course a bit scary. I was trying to be brave and strong, but at some point I just started crying. I also remember at some point someone saying to call the front and let them know Dave was on his way so they could direct them to where we were. I wanted Dave to be there so bad because everything was happening so fast and there were so many things going on around me nd I just wanted my husband to be there with me.
The anesthesiologist came to my head and was asking about numbness and pain and then he pinched me to check and I just remember saying ow! He gave more medication for pain and then he starts saying if at any point I feel pain to let him know and he will give me something that will knock me out in 30 seconds. I just kept thinking what if they start cutting me open and I can still feel! Around that point I must have started to really let the tears fall and he asked if I was in pain, I managed to shake my head and say not and then he says your crocodile tears are making me sad. He stayed by my head and wiped my tears and rubbed my head. He let me know that the doc had already cut me open and that it all should be over soon. It felt like a lot longer than it actually was. I just remember at some point they were pushing on my chest to try to push him out and it felt like I was being punched on my heart! I kept grunting and crying because I just couldn't catch my breath and it was like I was being stomped on. I just kept thinking please hurry I want this to be done. The doc said that his head was all the way up at the top of my uterus and his legs were really low so he was just stuck and it took lots of pressure to get him out! They got him out at 8:56 a.m.and took him immediately to another room. I'm amazed that the whole thing only took 27 minutes!
Dave got there just after he was taken out of the room and I got to see Dave for about 30 seconds before someone said that they took the baby to another room and directed Dave there. They finished stitching me up and I heard someone come in and say that he weighed 4lbs and 14oz and was 17inches long. They were all surprised at his big size for being so early. They had me roll over onto my belly and then again onto my back to transfer me to my bed again. They then took me back to my room to give me some recovery time and to be closely monitored before being transferred to the mother baby unit.
I was really drowsy and could barely stay awake. Dave was texting me pictures and details of whatwas going on. The nurse came in and packed up my room, which was a lot of stuff after being there for 10 weeks. After a couple of hours I was looking stable enough to move downstairs. They rolled my bed to the NICU so I could see Rocky before I went to my new room. The nurse explained a few things to me about his status and then Dave came with me downstairs. I was glad I got to see him, even if only for 10 minutes. I started pumping and since I wasn't ready to get up yet Dave would run everything up to the NICU, which would give him time to see and check on Rocky. The nurses would check on me often, but in between I would doze off. My in-laws came by to see how I was doing and to see how everything went. Rocky isn't taking visitors right now, he is not that stable so the nurses say to give him about a week.
As far as his condition, this is what I gathered: he is on a ventilator that is doing all the breathing, he started of well but then started working too hard so they got him on the ventilator. His neck muscle on the right side is shorter than the other side because of how he was positioned. His foot was also turned so they are working on keeping it straight. He had some other lung issues, but I couldn't remember everything. They said to expect him to be on the ventilator 2-3 days and in the hospital for 4-6 weeks. I can deal with that! It was a very exhausting day, but we are so happy to have our baby and to have him doing well under his circumstances.
Sunday, August 3, 2014
WEEK 33 HIGHLIGHTS
Wednesday (7/30/14)
YES!!! I made it to 33 weeks! Just one more week to go. The doc came in and he put me in the books for c-section next Wednesday morning. Of course I could always be induced if the baby changes position. We shall see. I've been praying for the best way for the baby so if a c-section is it then that's what's going to happen.
I crocheted Rocky a slipper, but I have to finish the second one. Poor boy is only going to have one slipper of different patterns. I guess I should get them done this weekend. The family came to visit. Oh they make me so happy! Lincoln wanted to play scripture heroes so he found the bag and he and Oliver sat on the rug and played. At one point Oliver wanted the one Lincoln had and was trying to grab it and Lincoln looks at him and says, "Ollie you have to say please." So Oliver says, "please" and then Lincoln hands it to him.They are such good brothers. We went on a walk to the life flight and the boys started a new thing...They want to know what all the signs say. They run up to one, look at it and ask, "what does this one say?". Now that I think about it I'm sure they started this a few visits ago, but now has become a part of the visit. I love how inquisitive they are. We went back to my room and did our goodnight routine. I'm so excited because they only have a few more visits and then they don't have to visit me because I'll be home. I will be sad that Rocky will still be here, but I've been trying to prepare myself for that so hopefully it won't be too difficult. Well happy 33 weeks...hopefully we will make it another week.
Thursday (7/31/14)
Hmmm...what did I do today? Well I guess you can say I almost had a baby! Yup, that's right another false alarm. I feel like with each false alarm the signs and symptoms get stronger and stronger. I was having contractions that started around 5a.m. and I also started bleeding, which hasn't happened for almost a week. The contractions were pretty strong and painful. They put me on the monitor and the contractions were about 10 minutes apart, then changed to 7, then 5 and then 2-3 minutes apart! They were going strong til around 10a.m. and then started to slow down. They were getting stronger and longer when they were about 2-5 minutes so I was getting pretty nervous. I'm glad they slowed down and given my history I should have expected it. I dodged another one. The rest of the day I continued to have contractions off and on, some strong some I couldn't feel although I knew I was okay. I just relaxed, watched tv and took a nap to pass the time. Dave came over a little earlier than usual so we got several episodes of Veronica Mars in before he had to leave. It turned out to be a good day!
Friday (8/1/14)
I can't believe it's August!! I have 5 more days and then I get to start walking around again!! I'm just excited to have made it so far! Talk about defying the odds. The doc came in this morning and reminded me that on Tuesday night I can't eat anything in preparation for Wednesday mornings surgery. He said even if baby turns head down we have to prepare that he might not tolerate labor and we would have to do a c-section so either way he wants an empty stomach. I talked with the nurse about what to expect that morning and she ran me through everything. When she came in to put me on the monitor she mentioned that the doc wanted to do another ultrasound to check baby's position and see if it changed. I pointed to a part of my belly and said, "that's his head". We both just laughed and she said she thought the same thing. She ended up doing an ultrasound and sure enough he was still transverse. I just relaxed today and took it easy.
Dave took the boys to a food truck gathering and then to Barnes and noble to see olaf from the movie frozen. It was supposed to be this big thing and it turned out to be a cardboard cutout of Olaf. Dave called me when they were done and we thought it would be good to just take them home because Oliver was pretty tired. Dave told Linc that they were going to go home and see mommy tomorrow and he started crying because he wanted to see me. They came over and we went on a walk. Linc had Dave's phone and was listening to and singing frozen and Tarzan songs. Oliver would sing a little with him. It was so cute and they did really well! Lincoln even sang one of the Tarzan songs in Spanish. We walked to the life flight and then back to my room. It was a good short visit.
YES!!! I made it to 33 weeks! Just one more week to go. The doc came in and he put me in the books for c-section next Wednesday morning. Of course I could always be induced if the baby changes position. We shall see. I've been praying for the best way for the baby so if a c-section is it then that's what's going to happen.
I crocheted Rocky a slipper, but I have to finish the second one. Poor boy is only going to have one slipper of different patterns. I guess I should get them done this weekend. The family came to visit. Oh they make me so happy! Lincoln wanted to play scripture heroes so he found the bag and he and Oliver sat on the rug and played. At one point Oliver wanted the one Lincoln had and was trying to grab it and Lincoln looks at him and says, "Ollie you have to say please." So Oliver says, "please" and then Lincoln hands it to him.They are such good brothers. We went on a walk to the life flight and the boys started a new thing...They want to know what all the signs say. They run up to one, look at it and ask, "what does this one say?". Now that I think about it I'm sure they started this a few visits ago, but now has become a part of the visit. I love how inquisitive they are. We went back to my room and did our goodnight routine. I'm so excited because they only have a few more visits and then they don't have to visit me because I'll be home. I will be sad that Rocky will still be here, but I've been trying to prepare myself for that so hopefully it won't be too difficult. Well happy 33 weeks...hopefully we will make it another week.
Thursday (7/31/14)
Hmmm...what did I do today? Well I guess you can say I almost had a baby! Yup, that's right another false alarm. I feel like with each false alarm the signs and symptoms get stronger and stronger. I was having contractions that started around 5a.m. and I also started bleeding, which hasn't happened for almost a week. The contractions were pretty strong and painful. They put me on the monitor and the contractions were about 10 minutes apart, then changed to 7, then 5 and then 2-3 minutes apart! They were going strong til around 10a.m. and then started to slow down. They were getting stronger and longer when they were about 2-5 minutes so I was getting pretty nervous. I'm glad they slowed down and given my history I should have expected it. I dodged another one. The rest of the day I continued to have contractions off and on, some strong some I couldn't feel although I knew I was okay. I just relaxed, watched tv and took a nap to pass the time. Dave came over a little earlier than usual so we got several episodes of Veronica Mars in before he had to leave. It turned out to be a good day!
Friday (8/1/14)
I can't believe it's August!! I have 5 more days and then I get to start walking around again!! I'm just excited to have made it so far! Talk about defying the odds. The doc came in this morning and reminded me that on Tuesday night I can't eat anything in preparation for Wednesday mornings surgery. He said even if baby turns head down we have to prepare that he might not tolerate labor and we would have to do a c-section so either way he wants an empty stomach. I talked with the nurse about what to expect that morning and she ran me through everything. When she came in to put me on the monitor she mentioned that the doc wanted to do another ultrasound to check baby's position and see if it changed. I pointed to a part of my belly and said, "that's his head". We both just laughed and she said she thought the same thing. She ended up doing an ultrasound and sure enough he was still transverse. I just relaxed today and took it easy.
Dave took the boys to a food truck gathering and then to Barnes and noble to see olaf from the movie frozen. It was supposed to be this big thing and it turned out to be a cardboard cutout of Olaf. Dave called me when they were done and we thought it would be good to just take them home because Oliver was pretty tired. Dave told Linc that they were going to go home and see mommy tomorrow and he started crying because he wanted to see me. They came over and we went on a walk. Linc had Dave's phone and was listening to and singing frozen and Tarzan songs. Oliver would sing a little with him. It was so cute and they did really well! Lincoln even sang one of the Tarzan songs in Spanish. We walked to the life flight and then back to my room. It was a good short visit.
Friday, August 1, 2014
WEEK 32 HIGHLIGHTS
Wednesday (7/23/14)
We did it again!! I made it another week. We have a really strong fighter in our family. I can't help but think of how often I pray to be able to keep this little guy growing in my belly until he is ready to make it on his own. My prayers are definitely getting answered and I thank my Heavenly Father for that all the time! Don't get me wrong, I don't expect him to come out breathing on his own and being able to take him home as we would a regular pregnancy, but I know he will be okay. He is already our miracle baby after all that has happened, he has defied the odds of survival (we were given about 1% chance that the pregnancy would even continue), twice we were told that delivery would happen within a few days (when they discovered that I only had 1.6 cm of fluid and when I got checked in to the hospital). My body wanted to go into labor a couple of times and we've beat those odds too! There have been several women on my support board who start to show signs of labor and with hours their baby is born. I keep expecting that with all the signs, but somehow my body just keeps holding on. I feel so blessed and so fortunate. We are going to make it...just two more weeks to go!
I did a ton of job searching for Dave today. I found a few things, but who knows what will happen. I do know that we will end up where we are supposed to be, it always happens and I have faith that this time will be no different. Maybe one day our lives will calm down.
This evening the boys went to Chuck e cheese and they had lots of fun. After that they came to see me for a short visit since they were delayed from all their playing. It was a good little visit. I'm always glad when I get to see them, it brightens up my day!
Thursday (7/24/14)
Today is Pioneer day in Utah! Dave didn't get the day off today, but they did have a good evening. I took another NICU tour today. It's nice to get an updated tour now that we are at 32 weeks, I think the last time I was only 26 weeks and the 6 weeks definitely make a difference! They showed me where I would deliver, which has a room attached for them to get the baby prepped and ready to go into the NICU just a few feet away. We talked again about pumping as soon as possible after delivery, which fortunately isn't a new thing to me since I exclusively pumped for Lincoln for 12 months (again another blessing). He will be started on the most intensive oxygen contraption, which is a stiff tube that goes down to his lungs. It will keep his lungs open and vibrate them about 600 times per minute. This will stop his lungs from opening and closing, which could damage them. We won't be able to hold him while he is on that machine. Unfortunately our roller coaster of a journey won't end when he is born, I have been told that the NICU is more difficult than the pregnancy because there are so many hurdles and so many ups and downs. A saying comes to mind with all of this:
Dave sent me a text with some numbers and wanted me to guess...he received his bar license number! I'm so proud of him. He has worked so hard and he deserves good things to happen. I made the boys their survival bands today. They are so cute and so tiny, I can wait to give it to them.
They all did fireworks tonight at the house. Dave said the boys had so much fun! I wish I could've been there, but I'm glad they enjoyed it. I asked Lincoln if he saw fireworks and he said "we got to make our own fireworks!" He was very excited about that.
Dave came to visit tonight after he put the boys to bed. It was nice to be able to see him and spend a little time with him. He hasn't been able to come on his own for a while so it was nice to just relax a bit. We definitely caught up on Veronica Mars.
Friday (7/25/14)
I had the best dream ever! I dreamt that Dave and I went to a water park together and we got to hang out. It was lots of fun and so carefree and relaxing, I wonder what that would actually be like!
The doc came in and shared the updated delivery plan. I will be getting a second round of steroids starting Wednesday (@ 33 weeks), which means a painful shot in the deep muscle of my his Wednesday and Thursday. Totally worth it because it helps with baby's lung development. Then the following week on Tuesday night they will check baby's position to plan for either regular delivery or a c-section. If at any point before that happens it appears in an going into labor or the baby needs to be delivered then I will get the steroid shot at that time.
Today I started to feel more contractions than I usually feel and they are bit stronger. Hopefully this doesn't mean anything!
Rocky continues to look good and there are no concerns. I continue to leak a lot, but it's probably because he is still transverse and no longer head down. I don't seem to have pink fluid anymore, it's basically clear again. Not sure how that plays into it all, but I know they always ask about color.
I had a wonderful visit today with an old zumba friend Shelly! I have to say that she is the only visitor I have had that I have cried with. She was talking about how special this baby is and what a true miracle he is and how he is definitely being blessed. It was a very sweet thing to hear so of course I started to cry a little. It was a very uplifting visit to say the least! I was her first zumba teacher so maybe before we leave I will be able to go to one of her classes. I actually tried to go to one of her classes when I first got back out here, but it was probably a good thing that I never made it to one. Now that I think of it we wanted to take a family hike up to the Y a week or two before my water broke, but things kept coming up...talk about blessings!
Later in the evening Jhana, her mom and Ivan came to visit. Ivan leaves on Monday so they wanted to visit for a bit. It was very nice to talk with them, but it was a big reminder of how long it's been since I spoke Spanish and how bad my Spanish is now. Jhana's mom brought me a cute pearl earring set from Peru. She is very thoughtful. After a couple of hours they had to go because the boys were playing halo for one of Ivan's last night's here in Utah.
Saturday (7/26/14)
The boys came for an early afternoon visit. They brought some cut up fruit and brought me a nectarine. It was delicious! They played a bit and then they wanted to go on a walk so they got a wheelchair and both boys sat in the chair. I grabbed the band's I made them and when I showed them they both said, "cool!" On the way downstairs Lincoln says, "dadda can you please not run over my foot with the wheelchair". That kid remembers everything! We went outside and I took my shoes off so I could get a tan or at least some sun. Well the plan worked! I was pretty red after just 10 minutes. I watched the boys play and Oliver ran off at one point and brought me back a couple of flowers. He ran up to me saying, "fowar" and then he ran over to tell Dave, "momma, fowa, momma, fowa". It was so cute because he wanted to tell his daddy that he got mommy a flower. Dave was playing with the boys and having them kick the fountain water, Linc wanted to keep doing it, but we told him he was going to go play in some fountains at the park so we went to see the life flight before going upstairs.
Before they left Lincoln wanted to do some scripture heroes, he separated the "old" from "new" ones. He likes it when I pretend I'm the hero and have the little hero tell his own story. We cleaned up and as they were leaving to the park Dave mentioned how red my legs were.
Not too long after they left my parents in-law came to visit. It was good to chat with them for a bit and catch up on how their cruise went and how things are at home. They brought me a lime Ricky, which I've never had before and I have to say it was really good! They had to get going to continue with Saturday chores and such. I sent Dave a text to let him know they stopped by and he called me about half an hour later. He said the boys had fun at the splash park and they were just leaving. I let him know that my redness had turned tan and let's just say he was jealous that I can get a tan from being in the sun for 30 min. Since it was already 4p.m. He decided to forego the boys' nap and just put them to bed early.
I took a nap and when I woke up the nurse came in to check on me. I let her know I felt a little nauseated and could be having contractions. She put me on the monitor and took my temp, which was 37.2c higher than normal. The baby's heart tones were having some delayed reactions to my contractions that were indicating possible placental failure. So given all the information it indicated that I could be getting an infection in my uterus and placental failure the doctor decided to start the steroid shots and to take away all food and drink. The nurse suggested that I call my husband to let him know what was going on because basically they were waiting for me to deliver. They did an ultrasound and he was still transverse, which means automatic c-section. They were basically watching for heart tones to steadily look bad or my fever to get to 38.0c, which they would then call doc and take baby out.
When I called Dave he was just getting ready to leave to go paintballing, but after hearing everything decided to cancel because he didn't want to risk it. He put the boys to bed and then came over. They were checking my temperature hourly at that point and it fluctuated
Between 37.2-37.7 c . Talk about a roller coaster of a night!
Sunday (7/27/14)
By morning my temp was back down to around 36.8c so that was good. I did have fluctuations throughout the day, but nothing like last night. It was nice to have Dave here in the morning, although I bet he would have liked to sleep with less interruptions. I guess I've gotten used to the nurses checking on me several times a night and having the door open and close and the early morning checks. The nurses said that the heart tracings were looking a lot better, but still had a few questionable areas once in a while. Also, my contractions were about 4 minutes apart. She checked in with the doctor to see what he thought and if I could drink and eat again. I was given the go ahead, but we were still waiting for him to get in. When he eventually got here early afternoon he looked at everything and said we should be okay, but that he thinks my body will just go into labor soon and that is probably what we are waiting for. Hopefully I can hold out for 10 more days, but if he doesn't at least I will have had steroids to help his lung development. The contractions slowed and then pretty much stopped, maybe having one every 20 minutes or so and then at time 10-12 minutes which means I've gone back to normal, except I can feel them all now. Dave went home to see the boys.
I had lunch and then look a nice long nap, which was good since I had been up since 5am and felt exhausted! I woke up at 6pm just in time for my second and final steroid shot. Man they really get you, but luckily the pain only lasts about 20 minutes. The nurse said that I would probably be able to come off the monitor if things continue to look good. I ordered dinner, watched a bit of television, said goodnight to my sweet boys and then went to bed.
Monday (7/28/14)
I woke up at 5:30a.m. Today and couldn't go back to sleep so I decided to catch up on my blog. It kept me busy for the morning. I was already done with my morning monitor by the time the doc came in. He said he was all ready to come in a take baby out on Saturday night, so he was surprised that I was still going! He said that tonight the steroids should be kicking in so at least if we have to deliver he will have the steroids. My tracing looks good although I'm back up a little in my temp. Hope it doesn't get to 38c or it will for sure be time to deliver, well hopefully I don't have an infection but if I do then I hope my temp gets up to 38 for the safety of me and baby!
I've been feeling lots of movement or contractions, or can't totally tell...maybe Rocky is turning back to head down. That would be wonderful!! Today I got some financial things done so I don't have to worry when I get out of here. I also got a new hospital mug because the one I had cracked on the top. They let me keep it so I have it to use now for the boys. They love drinking out of my mug so now they have their own.
They came for their visit and when I told Linc about the mug he got so excited and happy. He wanted to fill it up right away. We went on a walk and Dave was telling Lincoln that mommy was going to get to go home soon! He was excited and was saying that the baby will get to come home too, but we explained that the baby would have to stay at the hospital a while longer after he is born because he will be sick, but he will get to visit his brother in the hospital. He was okay with that. It was a good visit.
Tuesday (7/29/14)
Today I did some more job searching for Dave. Then the rest of the day I worked on some t-shirt designs for the boys and Rocky. I took a nap and passed the day. The parent support group came by and brought three little plush toys, Buzz, Woody, and Mickey...one for each of the boys. We talked about me only having one week left. They said that they took a walk the night before they delivered and it was great. That gave me an idea and I'm sure I'll take a walk next Tuesday. Dave came over to watch some Veronica Mars and we enjoyed relaxing and watching TV, although the internet was extra slow. I was tired and it was late so Dave went home. I got ready for bed and laid down and I heard my door open, I figured it was just the nurse, but then I heard footsteps and when I opened my eyes Dave had come back because he forgot his phone. Not a good thing to forget in our situation. Overall a good day.
We did it again!! I made it another week. We have a really strong fighter in our family. I can't help but think of how often I pray to be able to keep this little guy growing in my belly until he is ready to make it on his own. My prayers are definitely getting answered and I thank my Heavenly Father for that all the time! Don't get me wrong, I don't expect him to come out breathing on his own and being able to take him home as we would a regular pregnancy, but I know he will be okay. He is already our miracle baby after all that has happened, he has defied the odds of survival (we were given about 1% chance that the pregnancy would even continue), twice we were told that delivery would happen within a few days (when they discovered that I only had 1.6 cm of fluid and when I got checked in to the hospital). My body wanted to go into labor a couple of times and we've beat those odds too! There have been several women on my support board who start to show signs of labor and with hours their baby is born. I keep expecting that with all the signs, but somehow my body just keeps holding on. I feel so blessed and so fortunate. We are going to make it...just two more weeks to go!
I did a ton of job searching for Dave today. I found a few things, but who knows what will happen. I do know that we will end up where we are supposed to be, it always happens and I have faith that this time will be no different. Maybe one day our lives will calm down.
This evening the boys went to Chuck e cheese and they had lots of fun. After that they came to see me for a short visit since they were delayed from all their playing. It was a good little visit. I'm always glad when I get to see them, it brightens up my day!
Thursday (7/24/14)
Today is Pioneer day in Utah! Dave didn't get the day off today, but they did have a good evening. I took another NICU tour today. It's nice to get an updated tour now that we are at 32 weeks, I think the last time I was only 26 weeks and the 6 weeks definitely make a difference! They showed me where I would deliver, which has a room attached for them to get the baby prepped and ready to go into the NICU just a few feet away. We talked again about pumping as soon as possible after delivery, which fortunately isn't a new thing to me since I exclusively pumped for Lincoln for 12 months (again another blessing). He will be started on the most intensive oxygen contraption, which is a stiff tube that goes down to his lungs. It will keep his lungs open and vibrate them about 600 times per minute. This will stop his lungs from opening and closing, which could damage them. We won't be able to hold him while he is on that machine. Unfortunately our roller coaster of a journey won't end when he is born, I have been told that the NICU is more difficult than the pregnancy because there are so many hurdles and so many ups and downs. A saying comes to mind with all of this:
you never know how strong you are, until being strong is the only choice you have.
Dave sent me a text with some numbers and wanted me to guess...he received his bar license number! I'm so proud of him. He has worked so hard and he deserves good things to happen. I made the boys their survival bands today. They are so cute and so tiny, I can wait to give it to them.
They all did fireworks tonight at the house. Dave said the boys had so much fun! I wish I could've been there, but I'm glad they enjoyed it. I asked Lincoln if he saw fireworks and he said "we got to make our own fireworks!" He was very excited about that.
Dave came to visit tonight after he put the boys to bed. It was nice to be able to see him and spend a little time with him. He hasn't been able to come on his own for a while so it was nice to just relax a bit. We definitely caught up on Veronica Mars.
Friday (7/25/14)
I had the best dream ever! I dreamt that Dave and I went to a water park together and we got to hang out. It was lots of fun and so carefree and relaxing, I wonder what that would actually be like!
The doc came in and shared the updated delivery plan. I will be getting a second round of steroids starting Wednesday (@ 33 weeks), which means a painful shot in the deep muscle of my his Wednesday and Thursday. Totally worth it because it helps with baby's lung development. Then the following week on Tuesday night they will check baby's position to plan for either regular delivery or a c-section. If at any point before that happens it appears in an going into labor or the baby needs to be delivered then I will get the steroid shot at that time.
Today I started to feel more contractions than I usually feel and they are bit stronger. Hopefully this doesn't mean anything!
Rocky continues to look good and there are no concerns. I continue to leak a lot, but it's probably because he is still transverse and no longer head down. I don't seem to have pink fluid anymore, it's basically clear again. Not sure how that plays into it all, but I know they always ask about color.
I had a wonderful visit today with an old zumba friend Shelly! I have to say that she is the only visitor I have had that I have cried with. She was talking about how special this baby is and what a true miracle he is and how he is definitely being blessed. It was a very sweet thing to hear so of course I started to cry a little. It was a very uplifting visit to say the least! I was her first zumba teacher so maybe before we leave I will be able to go to one of her classes. I actually tried to go to one of her classes when I first got back out here, but it was probably a good thing that I never made it to one. Now that I think of it we wanted to take a family hike up to the Y a week or two before my water broke, but things kept coming up...talk about blessings!
Later in the evening Jhana, her mom and Ivan came to visit. Ivan leaves on Monday so they wanted to visit for a bit. It was very nice to talk with them, but it was a big reminder of how long it's been since I spoke Spanish and how bad my Spanish is now. Jhana's mom brought me a cute pearl earring set from Peru. She is very thoughtful. After a couple of hours they had to go because the boys were playing halo for one of Ivan's last night's here in Utah.
Saturday (7/26/14)
The boys came for an early afternoon visit. They brought some cut up fruit and brought me a nectarine. It was delicious! They played a bit and then they wanted to go on a walk so they got a wheelchair and both boys sat in the chair. I grabbed the band's I made them and when I showed them they both said, "cool!" On the way downstairs Lincoln says, "dadda can you please not run over my foot with the wheelchair". That kid remembers everything! We went outside and I took my shoes off so I could get a tan or at least some sun. Well the plan worked! I was pretty red after just 10 minutes. I watched the boys play and Oliver ran off at one point and brought me back a couple of flowers. He ran up to me saying, "fowar" and then he ran over to tell Dave, "momma, fowa, momma, fowa". It was so cute because he wanted to tell his daddy that he got mommy a flower. Dave was playing with the boys and having them kick the fountain water, Linc wanted to keep doing it, but we told him he was going to go play in some fountains at the park so we went to see the life flight before going upstairs.
Before they left Lincoln wanted to do some scripture heroes, he separated the "old" from "new" ones. He likes it when I pretend I'm the hero and have the little hero tell his own story. We cleaned up and as they were leaving to the park Dave mentioned how red my legs were.
Not too long after they left my parents in-law came to visit. It was good to chat with them for a bit and catch up on how their cruise went and how things are at home. They brought me a lime Ricky, which I've never had before and I have to say it was really good! They had to get going to continue with Saturday chores and such. I sent Dave a text to let him know they stopped by and he called me about half an hour later. He said the boys had fun at the splash park and they were just leaving. I let him know that my redness had turned tan and let's just say he was jealous that I can get a tan from being in the sun for 30 min. Since it was already 4p.m. He decided to forego the boys' nap and just put them to bed early.
I took a nap and when I woke up the nurse came in to check on me. I let her know I felt a little nauseated and could be having contractions. She put me on the monitor and took my temp, which was 37.2c higher than normal. The baby's heart tones were having some delayed reactions to my contractions that were indicating possible placental failure. So given all the information it indicated that I could be getting an infection in my uterus and placental failure the doctor decided to start the steroid shots and to take away all food and drink. The nurse suggested that I call my husband to let him know what was going on because basically they were waiting for me to deliver. They did an ultrasound and he was still transverse, which means automatic c-section. They were basically watching for heart tones to steadily look bad or my fever to get to 38.0c, which they would then call doc and take baby out.
When I called Dave he was just getting ready to leave to go paintballing, but after hearing everything decided to cancel because he didn't want to risk it. He put the boys to bed and then came over. They were checking my temperature hourly at that point and it fluctuated
Between 37.2-37.7 c . Talk about a roller coaster of a night!
Sunday (7/27/14)
By morning my temp was back down to around 36.8c so that was good. I did have fluctuations throughout the day, but nothing like last night. It was nice to have Dave here in the morning, although I bet he would have liked to sleep with less interruptions. I guess I've gotten used to the nurses checking on me several times a night and having the door open and close and the early morning checks. The nurses said that the heart tracings were looking a lot better, but still had a few questionable areas once in a while. Also, my contractions were about 4 minutes apart. She checked in with the doctor to see what he thought and if I could drink and eat again. I was given the go ahead, but we were still waiting for him to get in. When he eventually got here early afternoon he looked at everything and said we should be okay, but that he thinks my body will just go into labor soon and that is probably what we are waiting for. Hopefully I can hold out for 10 more days, but if he doesn't at least I will have had steroids to help his lung development. The contractions slowed and then pretty much stopped, maybe having one every 20 minutes or so and then at time 10-12 minutes which means I've gone back to normal, except I can feel them all now. Dave went home to see the boys.
I had lunch and then look a nice long nap, which was good since I had been up since 5am and felt exhausted! I woke up at 6pm just in time for my second and final steroid shot. Man they really get you, but luckily the pain only lasts about 20 minutes. The nurse said that I would probably be able to come off the monitor if things continue to look good. I ordered dinner, watched a bit of television, said goodnight to my sweet boys and then went to bed.
Monday (7/28/14)
I woke up at 5:30a.m. Today and couldn't go back to sleep so I decided to catch up on my blog. It kept me busy for the morning. I was already done with my morning monitor by the time the doc came in. He said he was all ready to come in a take baby out on Saturday night, so he was surprised that I was still going! He said that tonight the steroids should be kicking in so at least if we have to deliver he will have the steroids. My tracing looks good although I'm back up a little in my temp. Hope it doesn't get to 38c or it will for sure be time to deliver, well hopefully I don't have an infection but if I do then I hope my temp gets up to 38 for the safety of me and baby!
I've been feeling lots of movement or contractions, or can't totally tell...maybe Rocky is turning back to head down. That would be wonderful!! Today I got some financial things done so I don't have to worry when I get out of here. I also got a new hospital mug because the one I had cracked on the top. They let me keep it so I have it to use now for the boys. They love drinking out of my mug so now they have their own.
They came for their visit and when I told Linc about the mug he got so excited and happy. He wanted to fill it up right away. We went on a walk and Dave was telling Lincoln that mommy was going to get to go home soon! He was excited and was saying that the baby will get to come home too, but we explained that the baby would have to stay at the hospital a while longer after he is born because he will be sick, but he will get to visit his brother in the hospital. He was okay with that. It was a good visit.
Tuesday (7/29/14)
Today I did some more job searching for Dave. Then the rest of the day I worked on some t-shirt designs for the boys and Rocky. I took a nap and passed the day. The parent support group came by and brought three little plush toys, Buzz, Woody, and Mickey...one for each of the boys. We talked about me only having one week left. They said that they took a walk the night before they delivered and it was great. That gave me an idea and I'm sure I'll take a walk next Tuesday. Dave came over to watch some Veronica Mars and we enjoyed relaxing and watching TV, although the internet was extra slow. I was tired and it was late so Dave went home. I got ready for bed and laid down and I heard my door open, I figured it was just the nurse, but then I heard footsteps and when I opened my eyes Dave had come back because he forgot his phone. Not a good thing to forget in our situation. Overall a good day.
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