So much has happened, and I haven't been back on the board in a very long time, it seems. But I have big news to share! My LO, Jacob Aaron, came into the world 9 weeks early, on April 10. His due date was June 9, so he was born at 31 weeks, 3 days.
It started out as what I thought was a bad case of indigestion and heartburn. On Saturday, April 5th, I started feeling pretty terrible. The pain in my stomach kept getting worse, and I thought at first I may have developed an ulcer. I didn't want to eat anything at all, and occasionally I'd get nauseous and dry-heave. I took Tums, and Pepto... but on Sunday, when the pain started to radiate into my back, I decided something was very wrong, and went to my local hospital to get checked out. I went there, because it's 2 min from my house, and I thought they'd give me some milk of magnesia or something and send me back home. My hospital (and my OB) for the birth was 30 min away so I didn't bother going there, again, thinking it wasn't a big deal, what I was feeling. well... I was in for a very rude awakening!!
When I got there, they took my blood pressure, and then everyone freaked out. It was super high... 211 / 100. They told me I could have had a seizure or a stroke. I was told to lay flat, they stuck me with a bunch of IVs, hooked up a fetal monitor, stuck in a catheter (!!!) and told me I couldn't stand up at all. I laid there for hours, being monitored, with a nurse at the bedside the entire time, until I was told they were going to take me by ambulance to another hospital, which had a Level 1 Trauma unit and a Level 3 NICU. I was upset, confused, and and scared to death for my baby at this point. The ambulance got to the other hospital (which still isn't the one I had set up for my birth), and I was whisked into a Labor & Delivery room. a Neonatologist came in to talk to my husband and I about the possible complications a 31 week old preemie would face, and I just laid there crying, saying "what the heck? I just had indigestion!" They had me on quite a bit of medication, and constant blood pressure monitoring, as well as testing my urine for protein. Yep... you guessed it.... Preeclampsia had struck, sudden and hard.
They finally got my BP down to a reasonable level with the meds, and at first told me (on Monday) that I'd probably be staying there in the hospital with them for the next several weeks, on bed rest and monitoring. They said that they wanted to keep him inside me as long as they could, or at least to 34 weeks gestation. I resigned myself to staying in that little hospital room for weeks, saying I'd do whatever they said, as long as it was good for my baby. They repeated the urine test on Wednesday, and my levels kept rising, along with the fact that they could not keep my BP stable. It was decided they would have to do an emergency C-Section on Thursday morning. I was really scared, but they assured me he was in the best hospital for this to have happened, and that they would do everything for him that they could. I was taken into the OR at 12:30, and he was born at 1:03 PM on 4/10/14.
I was on so many drugs, including morphine and magnesium sulfate, that I had severe dizziness. My family was all there on Thursday afternoon for the birth, and they all got to go to the NICU to see him... except me! I was finally feeling better the next afternoon, and my husband and a nurse wheeled me down to see him. He was so tiny. But they said he was actually a really good size for being so premature. he was 3 lbs, 14 oz!! and 17 3/8 inches long.
He is now 12 days old, still in the NICU, and will be for probably another 2-3 weeks. He is doing GREAT! he was initially on a CPAP, but then had a setback, and was on a ventilator for about 4 days... but he's now off of both of them, and just has a little oxygen tube going to his nose with a small air flow to help support him. He is off of his IV, and is up to 32ml of food through his feeding tube, every 3 hours. I have been able to hold him every day for a bit, and even done the "kangaroo care" skin to skin the last few visits. He's doing great. and honestly is the very most precious and beautiful thing I've ever seen. I'm completely in love, and cannot wait to bring him home.
congratulations mama! he is absolutely precious! I'm so sorry you had to go through all that, I'm sure it was terrifying! T&Ps Jacob continues to grow and you get to bring him home soon!
HE IS SO HANDSOME!!!! I am relieved everything went well despite the horror you were feeling of the unknown. Praying for your precious family and recovery.
June 2014 February Siggy Challenge - Picture of me and DH
Congratulations he is beautiful!! So scary what you went through but thank God everything is ok and sounds like both of you are getting great care! T&Ps for you guys! XO
Thank you all so much! I do feel very blessed that he's doing as well as he is. I'm mending myself, from my C-section... still sore and very bruised, but trying to not rely on any pain meds and just resting as much as I can. I go to the NICU every day to see him, and it lifts my spirits every time.
He's just a sweet little miracle... a gift from God. I am an older mama (41) and was initially told I probably couldn't even get pregnant... so to see him doing so well... just makes my heart so full I could burst.
my 9 year old step-son cannot wait to have his little brother home, and my mom and aunt finished Jacob's nursery for me when I was in the hospital (bless them!). I was there for 10 day myself, so to come home to that gorgeous room was almost too much. I feel so blessed and loved... and I truly wish this feeling for each and every one of you mama's out there too!!! It's amazing, truly.
Here is a picture of part of his nursery... and a couple of Easter pictures of Jacob too! :x
Re: Introducing..... Jacob Aaron ! Born 4/10/14
Welcome baby Jacob! And congratulations to you!
A very scary situation for sure, but I'm so glad to hear the happy outcome and that Jacob is doing so well. I hope he gets to come home asap.
#3 DD June 2014
CP December 2015
M/C 8/2016
Rainbow & Babe #4 EDD 7.28.18
BFP #2 9/28/13....EDD 6/7/14
May Siggy Challenge - Favorite TV Mom
He's just a sweet little miracle... a gift from God. I am an older mama (41) and was initially told I probably couldn't even get pregnant... so to see him doing so well... just makes my heart so full I could burst.
my 9 year old step-son cannot wait to have his little brother home, and my mom and aunt finished Jacob's nursery for me when I was in the hospital (bless them!). I was there for 10 day myself, so to come home to that gorgeous room was almost too much. I feel so blessed and loved... and I truly wish this feeling for each and every one of you mama's out there too!!! It's amazing, truly.
Here is a picture of part of his nursery... and a couple of Easter pictures of Jacob too!
:x
Congratulations on your precious baby boy. I'm so glad that you guys are doing well, and I hope you can bring him home sooner rather than later!
BFP 3.8.16 EDD 11.20.16
BFP#2: EDD 2/11/14, MMC confirmed 7/15/13 (growth stopped at 6 weeks), D&C @ 12 weeks 7/25/13