XP: My amazing 34 week preemie :-) (PIP)

Hello - I posted on this board a few weeks ago, when my water broke at 33 weeks and 5 days, and you all were a great help to me. I wanted to share my story and let you all know that I look forward to learning from you all and sharing in this journey, although scary and unexpected, it still is a wonderful journey. :-)

This is Charley Grace's Story :-)

My water broke on Saturday Feb 4th, at 33 weeks 5 days. I was admitted to the hospital, and started on a round of antibiotics and steroids for baby's lung development. I was scared and shocked, and still can't believe that this all happened to me. This was what you hear about happening to others, not what happens to you - but soon with Doctors and Neonatologists swarming around talking about "preemies" and the NICU and my baby weighing maybe as little as 3.5 lbs, and all the interventions to expect once she was born, it all became very, very real. I was content to lay in that hospital bed as long as they would let me, trying to get her every extra day and hour she could possibly have to grow and get stronger. But by Monday morning, exactly 34 weeks and 0 days - my body had different plans. I was starting to show some warning signs of infection. They started pitocin to induce me at around 9:30 that morning. Bye bye natural, intervention free birth plan. None of that really mattered now. I just wanted her safe and as healthy as possible. By around noon the contractions were definitely noticable. I was still trying to avoid any pain meds, and I did really well until about 5pm. That's when I started having to really focus and could not talk through contractions or even in between them. It was taking all of my strength and energy to get through one contraction and just sit still and silent in the 2-3 minutes until the next one hit. By 7pm, I was at my breaking point. Still pain med free, the contractions were coming one on top of another, with less than 30 seconds in between. I was crying, and I think the hugeness of the whole situation settled in my mind and I broke down sobbing and told my husband I couldn't do it anymore, I could absolutely not go through one more contraction... I asked for the epidural. I would only get the numbing medication in it, no narcotics. The nurse checked me and I was 5 cm. In my mind I thought I had hours more of this, and there was just no way I could endure that kind of pain any longer. I felt like I was being ripped in half (sorry ladies - I know you still have to go through this!). The anestegiologist finally got to my room around 7:40, and my DH stepped out because he didn't want to see me get the epi (still not sure I understand that, but at that point he could have left to go to China and I would not have cared!) The anestegiologist set up her sterile field, and had to wait to find a time when I was not having a contraction (haha yeah right!). She finally got the epi catheter placed and said that I needed to lay down on my left side and the numbing medicine should take effect in about 20-30 minutes. Wellllll, as soon as I laid down on my side, I had to push. I screamed this and the anesegiologist in shock says to the nurse "You told me she was only 5!". The nurse checked me and says I was 8. I still am sobbing and pleading for them to tell me that its ok to push - because not pushing was really not an option at that point. The doctor was in the room in less than a minute, she checks me and says I am 10 and the baby's head is "right there" - and then the real chaos started. Within a few minutes my room went from just me, the nurse, and the anestegiologist, to about ten more people and machines for the baby and someone finally had the good sense to go find DH and bring him in, and in about 3 pushes and no less than 10 minutes after my epi was placed, I delivered my beautiful baby girl at 8:15 pm!

 
 

As soon as she was born, she was taken to the isolette where she had a team ready and waiting to work on her. She cried when she came out, but had difficulty breathing on her own. They told me she weighed 5 lbs and 13 oz, and I was so relieved that she wasn't in the three pound range. She was placed on a CPAP breathing machine and rushed off to the NICU. I got to see her little body, but I didn't get to hold her or touch her. My DH went with her, and I was now stuck with numb legs fro the epi that was about an hour too late :-)




She spent one week in the NICU. She was weaned from the CPAP to a nasal canula, and she pulled that off several times and did well breathing on her own, so they left it off after the second or third day. She had a feeding tube down her throat at first, then it was placed through her nose. And she had an iv in her wrist, which she promptly pulled out on day 4 I think. I wish I could describe the heartbreaking feeling I felt the first time I saw her with so many wires and tubes, but there just aren't words. She also spent some time on a billi blanket, being a cute little glow worm :-) She was a very strong little girl and every day she fought to get out of that NICU. We would have a good day, then a not so great day, then a great day, then a not "as" great day... such is the life in the NICU I am told.




Thank God, she just needed to be a feeder and a grower in the NICU and our stay was relatively short compared to what could have been. We came home from the hospital this Monday, exactly one week after she was born. Our days home have been really great, even if they are filled with constant worry and sleep deprivation. She is happy, and healthy, and strong! She is eating really well, and today she had her first dr appt since discharge and she has gained 4 ounces. :-)




Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers! This board and the bump overall really helped me in those two days I was sitting there trying to keep LO in. She is my "little rocket" - she came into this world like a rocket and has rocketed past every goal the NICU set for her! She is so amazing!!