This week we experienced our first taste of new parent paranoia! When I was rubbing the back of Anderson’s neck while feeding him, I felt a little lump. Dave checked it and felt it too! It moved a little bit and was about the size of a lentil bean. We got worried. I called the doctor the next morning and he was able to get in that day! Yeah!
Of course it was nothing. Apparently sometimes lymph nodes on the back of the head are more pronounced. The nurse practioner that examined him did check to make sure he was not sick with an earache or chest issues (which could cause the lymph node to be swollen) and everything was fine!
The fun part of taking him to the doctor is that he did get weighed and he is up to 9 pounds!! Probably within the next 1-2 weeks he will have doubled his weight!! Our growing boy!
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Today's thoughts....
Here is my random question for today. If we have a good system down for pumping breast milk and feeding it to Anderson via a bottle, should I really be worrying about trying to get him to breast feed? I mean he is getting the milk. Your preemie fact for today is that they do not take to the breast right away, as much as they may want to. Some preterm babies may take up to a month after their original due date to latch on properly. What are the advantages to having him actually eat from the breast?
In other news..... today is a bath day. People always talk about how great babies smell. Hello - that's only after a bath. Anderson tends to spit up a fair amount. That means he smells like sour milk most of the time. Seriously. The good news is that he totally loves his baths. His baby tub has this little hammock thing. He just lounges with his legs hanging over the side with his feet in the water. It's very cute. He is pretty cute in the towels too!
In other news..... today is a bath day. People always talk about how great babies smell. Hello - that's only after a bath. Anderson tends to spit up a fair amount. That means he smells like sour milk most of the time. Seriously. The good news is that he totally loves his baths. His baby tub has this little hammock thing. He just lounges with his legs hanging over the side with his feet in the water. It's very cute. He is pretty cute in the towels too!
3/7/10
Two Months
Where does the time go? Anderson is two months old - from his birth day, and two weeks old for his adjusted age. Why is this important? Developmentally we have to go by his adjusted age in order to make up for the months that he was early. For example, if babies smile at 2 months, he might not smile until 4 months from his birth date. I guess doctors do not want parents stressing over how their kids fall on developmental charts.
Here is the way this works out - which I find most interesting. Anderson went for his 2 month check-up on Monday. He got his 2 month old shots. BUT - when it came time to look at how he is falling on the size charts in comparison to other babies, he is listed as only 2 weeks old. In comparison to other 2 week olds, his weight (8lbs 2 ozs) puts him in the 50 percentile. His height (no surprise here - 21.5 inches) puts him in the 75 percentile!! Now, if you were to compare him to babies born at term at the same time he was, he would not even be on the chart! Talk about confusing!!
Here is the way this works out - which I find most interesting. Anderson went for his 2 month check-up on Monday. He got his 2 month old shots. BUT - when it came time to look at how he is falling on the size charts in comparison to other babies, he is listed as only 2 weeks old. In comparison to other 2 week olds, his weight (8lbs 2 ozs) puts him in the 50 percentile. His height (no surprise here - 21.5 inches) puts him in the 75 percentile!! Now, if you were to compare him to babies born at term at the same time he was, he would not even be on the chart! Talk about confusing!!
taken 2/7/10
taken 3/5/10
Oh the difference a month makes! These two outfits are the same size, but you can see how much more he fills out the newer picture!! Anderson has a little belly and is starting to get some chub on his legs & arms! Yeah!!
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Home over a Month!
Anderson has been home for over a month! The time goes so quickly! He has actually been home longer then he was in the NICU!
1/8/10 in NICU Pod B
At 3:59am on Thursday, January 7, 2010 Anderson Edwin came out with a cry. I was surprised! I was not expecting to hear him cry! That was a great sign! Then from the exam table I heard, "The pipes are working." Yes, he peed on the table. Happy Birth Day!
Dave took lots of video of the process of Anderson being checked into the NICU. It is interesting to watch. Anderson received the very best care there. Since he weighed in at 4 pounds, 15 ounces and was 18 inches long at birth, many people - even the nurses - said he did not look like a pre-term baby. He has his fabulous genes to thank for his size, but size alone does not mean a fully developed baby.
Luckily it only took 3 weeks to bring him up to speed enough to go home with us! It was a long 3 weeks. The first week I could not drive because I was still on my heavy-duty pain killers. I had several wonderful people step-up to take me to the hospital every afternoon so I could be with Anderson. I wanted to be driving as soon as possible, so I stopped with those pain killers so I could have my freedom (finally after how many months?).
Thankfully my biggest pain after the C-Section was not from the surgery itself, though I did have some abdominal pain. My legs and feet were super swollen and it hurt a lot to walk. When I would be with Anderson the nurses would bring in a reclining chair to his curtained area so I could have my feet up! We would just sit together. Banner Desert believes in Kangaroo Care. This means that the parents should hold the baby as much as possible, and whenever possible, chest to chest (skin to skin). Anderson and I would just be reclined back, relaxing in the afternoons!
Anderson at 6 days
We only had one set back. The doctors prepare for the potential of needing to take a step back after so many steps forward. That was when I finally broke down. Anderson had a little blood in his stool one night and he was rushed back to the most intensive set of pods in the NICU (he had been in the I'm-practically-going-home pod). It was so scary to see him hooked up to everything again. Tubes in his nose and mouth. IV in his hand (which he did pull out, so they moved it to his foot). I just wanted to cry all day. The doctors were wonderful. Quickly they determined that the situation was not as severe as they thought, but he had to go 4 days without eating and was on antibiotics. Basically they figure he had a small tear in his intestinal tract because they were not fully developed yet. He was NOT a happy camper that week.
I learned that week how very lucky we were with Anderson. The other babies in Pod C were extreme pre-term. Most of them were over a month old, and still not as developed as Anderson. He was the only one in there (out of 6 babies) strong enough to even cry. Those parents all came everyday when they could. Most had returned to work. I was lucky to be able to sit with our baby all day, every day. Dave came after work and held him for awhile too! And we knew that our baby would be 'going out for pizza' soon. (That is what the nurses said instead of 'going home').
I really broke down the weekend befor Anderson came home. We went to go see Avatar to get out of the hospital for a little bit. I just started crying at the end of the movie. As we walked through the lobby of the theater I was just blubbering that I wanted our baby to come home. Thankfully he did come home that week - after being moved back to the practically home pods. What a wonderful baby!
Going out for Pizza 1/28/10 - 3 weeks old!
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
It's Our Due Date!
Today is February 23rd, which means we have finally reached our original due date! This is a huge milestone for Anderson! Even though he was not born anywhere near today, doctors will continue to use today as the marker for developmental milestones. This day seemed so far away.....
We first went to the hospital on Saturday, November 21, 2009. I woke up with what I now know to be a very small amount of blood. Since I was diagnosed with Placenta Previa, bleeding is a big no-no so the doctors said to go to the hospital. At this point we were at 26 weeks, still 3 days away from 27 weeks. Since the bleed was so small, they were going to send us home, until they looked at the contraction monitor and realized I had been having contractions. At this point I didn't know what they felt like and really could not feel them. The doctors decided to admit us overnight for observations. While there we got our first cycle of steriod shots to speed up Anderson's lung development.
By Sunday my doctor (Dr. Warner, who was wonderful) decided I needed to be on modified bedrest for several weeks. This was something I could do at home, so she discharged us.
For those of you unfamiliar with Placenta Previa, basically my placenta was covering my cervix, meaning the baby could not come out that way. Oh and there is a huge risk to the mother to hemorrage and bleed to death (in about 10 minutes!). Many women who are diagnosed early in their pregnancy eventually have their placenta move. Mine was happy where it was when they did an ultrasound at the hospital.
Luckily Monday (11/23) evening Dave stayed up to watch a bad movie and when he came to bed around 11pm, I woke up to go to the bathroom. I'll be honest and say I got hysterical. This was not a little bleed like Saturday. Chandler Regional Hospital is only about 2 miles away, so Dave rushed us there. As soon as I heard the baby's heartbeat on the fetal monitor, I was able to calm down. That sound is the best in the world! The staff told us that this hospital was not equipped to handle a baby less than 28 weeks, so I got to ride in an ambulance to Banner Desert. They have the highest level of NICU and an outstanding children's hospital. This is what they do!
So, our time at Banner Desert began in the early morning hours of Tuesday, November 24, 2009 - 27 weeks into the pregnancy. Tuesday night was the only night I needed to take anti-anxiety medication. Tara was my fabulous nurse while I was in labor & delivery and Tuesday had been an overwhelming day between the drugs (magnesium) and talking to the neonatal doctors about what it means to have a baby this early. The really cool news was that at my ultrasound that morning, Anderson weighed in at 2 pounds, 12 ounces, which I came to learn was great for 27 weeks.
Eventually I was moved to the antipartum wing of the maternity ward. I heard stories of women who were there for months before delivering, while others only needed to stay a little while. Our first goal was to get us to 28 weeks, when statistics for the baby improved a lot. The doctors debated sending us home on bed rest at that point, but that option was quickly eliminated.
For those of you keeping track, yes, we spent the holidays in the hospital. Lots of them. I told one of my blood techs that I was keeping track of how long we were there based on the holidays. Our big goal was to make it past New Year's Day because that meant we were at 32 weeks (which is a HUGE milestone).
As time went on we passed Thanksgiving, my birthday, Christmas, and New Year's Day. The staff at Banner Desert were beyond wonderful. Nurse Barb always had activities planned for us to do. I had many great conversations with the nurses and aides (and doctors too -- I loved visits with Dr. Spence).
People asked if I was bored. Not really. There was always someone coming in to check on us or to give me medications, etc. I never went longer then 4 hours without seeing someone. I had lots of visitors and everyone brought me tons of stuff to do. And of course, I love to read! Granted, holding a book was difficult between being on my side and having IVs in my arms. Thankfully I got a Sony eReader for my birthday from Carolyn, which made reading much easier!
Oh, did I forget to mention that during all this time I was mostly on my left side - too many contractions on my right. The only time I could walk was the two feet to the bathroom. I could sit up long enough to eat. I was granted wheelchair privileges for 30 minutes a day so I could go to activities, but I always seemed to have a bleed after doing that....
It was hardest on Dave. He got up early in the morning so he could come sit with me for a little bit before going to work. Then after work he would go home to take care of Sedona, then come to the hospital again. Even though Banner Desert is only about 5 miles away, in the city that translates to about a 20 minute drive! Through it all he was amazing and I could not have asked for a more supportive husband. I got lucky.
At first my bleeds did not happen that often, but as we moved through December they became more frequent and closer together. Basically, if I started to have contractions too severe, I would bleed. The doctors were still hopeful that we could make it to 36 weeks, but I just wanted to get to 32.
On the evening of Sunday, January 3, 2010 I had yet another bleed. Usually they could get the contractions under control with different medications, but this night they could not. We had made it to 32 weeks, and were only 2 days sigh of 33 weeks! By Monday they put me back on the magnesium at a high dosage and had me call Dave to come to the hospital. They moved us back to labor & delivery. Thankfully our friend Paula was visiting and she was able to pack up our room!!
Since I was going to need a c-section, I was not given food or drink beginning on Monday --- just in case. It really didn't matter to me, though, because while on the magnesium I was completely out of it. I had to keep a damp cloth over my eyes because it hurt too much to open them.
By Tuesday night (33 weeks!)my contractions were not stronger and I was no longer actively bleeding fresh blood (I learned all about the different colors of blood). The doctors decided that on Wednesday they were going to take me off of the magnesium and let me eat. The decision was that they were just going to let me ride it out, and if something happened, they were not going to try and stop it this time. Can I just say that they still were talking about making it to 36 weeks!!
I was SO happy on Wednesday to be off the magnesium. The world came back into focus. I could get up to use the bathroom (with a nurses help) and by dinner I was able to keep down solid food! Yeah!
Since being in labor & delivery I was on a contraction monitor and a fetal heart monitor constantly. Late Wednesday night I woke up to use the bathroom and my nurse asked if I had been feeling any contractions over the last hour. Nope - I was sound asleep. It seems I had about 15 in that hour. Oh. Since I wasn't bleeding, we were just going to be a little more vigilante (and of course I could not fall back asleep because then I WAS feeling them). To be safe she changed into her surgical scrubs (that should have been my sign).
The doctor on call was hoping we would make it until morning when my regular doctors were back at the hospital. I was given a shot of terbutaline to help at some point in the wee hours of Thursday, January 7, 2010. Literally not 5 minutes later I knew I was bleeding - and a lot.
Everything moved very quickly after that. The room was full of folks prepping me for surgery and waking up Dave to get to the hospital. I just could not believe it was all happening.
We were wheeled in surgery and just as they were getting me comfortable on the table Dave walked in. At 3:59am we heard a cry........
We first went to the hospital on Saturday, November 21, 2009. I woke up with what I now know to be a very small amount of blood. Since I was diagnosed with Placenta Previa, bleeding is a big no-no so the doctors said to go to the hospital. At this point we were at 26 weeks, still 3 days away from 27 weeks. Since the bleed was so small, they were going to send us home, until they looked at the contraction monitor and realized I had been having contractions. At this point I didn't know what they felt like and really could not feel them. The doctors decided to admit us overnight for observations. While there we got our first cycle of steriod shots to speed up Anderson's lung development.
By Sunday my doctor (Dr. Warner, who was wonderful) decided I needed to be on modified bedrest for several weeks. This was something I could do at home, so she discharged us.
For those of you unfamiliar with Placenta Previa, basically my placenta was covering my cervix, meaning the baby could not come out that way. Oh and there is a huge risk to the mother to hemorrage and bleed to death (in about 10 minutes!). Many women who are diagnosed early in their pregnancy eventually have their placenta move. Mine was happy where it was when they did an ultrasound at the hospital.
Luckily Monday (11/23) evening Dave stayed up to watch a bad movie and when he came to bed around 11pm, I woke up to go to the bathroom. I'll be honest and say I got hysterical. This was not a little bleed like Saturday. Chandler Regional Hospital is only about 2 miles away, so Dave rushed us there. As soon as I heard the baby's heartbeat on the fetal monitor, I was able to calm down. That sound is the best in the world! The staff told us that this hospital was not equipped to handle a baby less than 28 weeks, so I got to ride in an ambulance to Banner Desert. They have the highest level of NICU and an outstanding children's hospital. This is what they do!
So, our time at Banner Desert began in the early morning hours of Tuesday, November 24, 2009 - 27 weeks into the pregnancy. Tuesday night was the only night I needed to take anti-anxiety medication. Tara was my fabulous nurse while I was in labor & delivery and Tuesday had been an overwhelming day between the drugs (magnesium) and talking to the neonatal doctors about what it means to have a baby this early. The really cool news was that at my ultrasound that morning, Anderson weighed in at 2 pounds, 12 ounces, which I came to learn was great for 27 weeks.
Eventually I was moved to the antipartum wing of the maternity ward. I heard stories of women who were there for months before delivering, while others only needed to stay a little while. Our first goal was to get us to 28 weeks, when statistics for the baby improved a lot. The doctors debated sending us home on bed rest at that point, but that option was quickly eliminated.
My countdown in my room!
As time went on we passed Thanksgiving, my birthday, Christmas, and New Year's Day. The staff at Banner Desert were beyond wonderful. Nurse Barb always had activities planned for us to do. I had many great conversations with the nurses and aides (and doctors too -- I loved visits with Dr. Spence).
Christmas 2009
Oh, did I forget to mention that during all this time I was mostly on my left side - too many contractions on my right. The only time I could walk was the two feet to the bathroom. I could sit up long enough to eat. I was granted wheelchair privileges for 30 minutes a day so I could go to activities, but I always seemed to have a bleed after doing that....
It was hardest on Dave. He got up early in the morning so he could come sit with me for a little bit before going to work. Then after work he would go home to take care of Sedona, then come to the hospital again. Even though Banner Desert is only about 5 miles away, in the city that translates to about a 20 minute drive! Through it all he was amazing and I could not have asked for a more supportive husband. I got lucky.
Dave New Year's Eve after Iowa State bowl win
On the evening of Sunday, January 3, 2010 I had yet another bleed. Usually they could get the contractions under control with different medications, but this night they could not. We had made it to 32 weeks, and were only 2 days sigh of 33 weeks! By Monday they put me back on the magnesium at a high dosage and had me call Dave to come to the hospital. They moved us back to labor & delivery. Thankfully our friend Paula was visiting and she was able to pack up our room!!
Since I was going to need a c-section, I was not given food or drink beginning on Monday --- just in case. It really didn't matter to me, though, because while on the magnesium I was completely out of it. I had to keep a damp cloth over my eyes because it hurt too much to open them.
By Tuesday night (33 weeks!)my contractions were not stronger and I was no longer actively bleeding fresh blood (I learned all about the different colors of blood). The doctors decided that on Wednesday they were going to take me off of the magnesium and let me eat. The decision was that they were just going to let me ride it out, and if something happened, they were not going to try and stop it this time. Can I just say that they still were talking about making it to 36 weeks!!
I was SO happy on Wednesday to be off the magnesium. The world came back into focus. I could get up to use the bathroom (with a nurses help) and by dinner I was able to keep down solid food! Yeah!
Since being in labor & delivery I was on a contraction monitor and a fetal heart monitor constantly. Late Wednesday night I woke up to use the bathroom and my nurse asked if I had been feeling any contractions over the last hour. Nope - I was sound asleep. It seems I had about 15 in that hour. Oh. Since I wasn't bleeding, we were just going to be a little more vigilante (and of course I could not fall back asleep because then I WAS feeling them). To be safe she changed into her surgical scrubs (that should have been my sign).
Everything moved very quickly after that. The room was full of folks prepping me for surgery and waking up Dave to get to the hospital. I just could not believe it was all happening.
We were wheeled in surgery and just as they were getting me comfortable on the table Dave walked in. At 3:59am we heard a cry........
Monday, February 1, 2010
Happy February!
It is very hard to believe that Anderson's original due date is still 22 days away when I sit and look at him! He is almost a month old already!The fabulous news is that he came home on Thursday and we spent most of the weekend just watching him. Thoughts of schedules and routines have totally gone out the window!
I am hoping to post pictures and our full story here in the next few days. Some folks have wondered what the hospital was like, etc. I actually have a few pictures from while we were there! When we discharged on Thursday we wandered down to antepartum to see if anyone who worked with me were there so they could see that all of our hard work paid off! I did tear up a little bit saying good-bye to them. They were all so nice!! All things considered I could not ask for a better experience in the hospital.
Now we are able to enjoy our home life!
I am hoping to post pictures and our full story here in the next few days. Some folks have wondered what the hospital was like, etc. I actually have a few pictures from while we were there! When we discharged on Thursday we wandered down to antepartum to see if anyone who worked with me were there so they could see that all of our hard work paid off! I did tear up a little bit saying good-bye to them. They were all so nice!! All things considered I could not ask for a better experience in the hospital.
Now we are able to enjoy our home life!
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