Welcome to the World!

Please welcome Kayla Marie
April 26th, 2012 at 32 weeks 6days gestation
4lbs 7oz 18 inches long.

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April 25th, my nesting instinct kicked in like crazy. I made the husband move my 6 drawer dresser so I could set up the babies bassinet into our bedroom. I helped move the drawers, and I moved some of them with clothes in them. All day I had this pressure low, like a stabbing kind of feeling, but basically ignored it since I have been going through some changes lately. By 6pm I told hubs I wanted to go to the L&D just to check and make sure I wasn't ripping my stitch or leaking waters, so off we went. We were fine, the baby was head down and my cervix was almost gone, but my stitch was closed, and the on-call OB sent me home.
We got home at 10:30pm and I still wanted to do stuff. But i sat and watched Tv and went to bed midnight.

April 26th. I was dreaming about standing in water, about my water breaking, about peeing the bed....wait....am I peeing the bed? Why would I be peeing the bed? Maybe I am just dreaming about my water brea....um.....CHRISSSS! (hubby). I woke up at 3:50am to my water breaking. Called grandma back over to watch Isaac, and rushed to the hospital again. It was funny, all the nurses were like "oh, you're back! thought you said you weren't coming back for another 4 weeks" hahaha. I got sent to my own room pretty quickly, within the hour I'd say. They were quite worried about my stitch.

Stitch removal- Honestly, wasn't that bad. I felt pinching and was very paranoid that he would cut my cervix, but he didn't and there was a little pressure and a tug. The thing was huge, I don't remember that much thread going in, but no wonder it held so well, it was about 4mm thick.

After the stitch was removed, I bounced right to 3cm dilated, which is quite normal, you can walk around like that for a while. But, since my water broke, and I had the cerclage, they were worried I would get an infection. So, I was going to get induced.
They started the pitocin at 7:20am and I opted to get the epidural (OMG, why haven't i ever done that before?!). And every 2 hours they checked me, and I would still be at 3. The contractions I was having were no more then braxton hicks, but I had pressure, always pressure. About 1pm I was getting very uncomfortable. They upped the pitocin by this time to 19, 20 is the highest. I was getting this strange uncomfortable pressure but I wasn't feeling any contractions, nor was I registering them at all. Doctor came in to check me at 2pm, and holy crap! 10cm! Then the doctor walked out of the room. everyone did, thinking that I had a while of pushing before she came. At least 4 pushes, like I did with Isaac. So no one came. I had the nurse and the senior resident with me and the nurse told me to do a practice push. I got a "contraction" and I only had 7 seconds of push in me instead of 10 seconds....well...I stopped and took a break in ward to get read again and the baby popped out of me!!!! I didn't even push her out (insert baby walking out of me joke here). everyone panicked, the nurse pushed the call button 3 times before anyone showed up, but it happened quickly. So quickly that Chris never got to cut her cord, and she was prepped and whisked away. I got to see her from afar, but never got to touch or look... I see don't really know what she looks like thanks to her mask... Anyway.
She was breathing room air, but within seconds started to gasp. She was put on a machine called the siPap (cpap) machine which either gives oxygen, or pushes room air in the lungs to help dry up fluid or help the baby learn to breath. She is currently on room air with the cpap. She is having breastmilk via a tube, and she is tolerating it well. She has an central line in her umbilical artery and she seems to be maintaining her temperature on her own. They are very impressed with her. She did need to get some sufactant to help mature her lungs, but she only needed one dose.

I finally got to see her for the first time at 5pm, after my step-mom pushed the nurse in the postpartum unit to let me go. I was such a wreck, but wow, was she every beautiful. She was very red and very puffy and was drawing in her breaths. It all scared me at first, but they said I could touch her and hold her hand and talk to her. It was and is still very surreal. I miss her in my tummy.

So, we have at least a 3 week stay in the nicu, if not 4 weeks, and hats only if she is stable the rest of the time. But shes here. And shes healthy, and has a great doctor and nursing staff taking care of her.

So...the epidural. While pregnant, I tried to research this, step by step, and could not find it anywhere. So, my point of view.
I sat at the edge of the bed, the back of my knees right against the bed. I was told to curl up, ease my shoulders, but stick my back out as far as I could. The anesthesiology then but a solution on my bad all the way around in a huge circle, it was really cold. Then he told me he was going to do the freezing, which was just a local anesthetic, which he warned would burn, and it did, but it wasn't too bad, just like a pinch. Then he touched my spine a lot trying to find the right space. Then he told me he was going to slap my back a few times, then I would feel some pressure. Then he placed the needle and I felt a tugging sensation. He then said I was going to feel a popping sensation and a TON of pressure. Which I did, and it was very painful, but not really, just like a few seconds of baaad back pain. Like your sciatic nerve going off for a few seconds.
Then I got really nauseous, and dizzy. My blood pressure dropped and I nearly passed out. They laid me down and it went away. My toes started to tingle, and that was that. I was mostly numb in my butt and lower back. From belly button to knees. I could drag my feet back and forth, but couldn't lift them. I had to be moved side to side frequently because one side would lose the numbness, but it would come back when I moved. It worked very well as I didn't feel anything but pressure with the contractions, and I didn't feel the ring of fire burn when her head came out. Then, after they turned it off, I had feeling back within 2 hours. But don't be super woman and think you can stand on your own, or you will be eating dust bunnies. get help to stand the first few times. But I would recommend it. I have a high pain tolerance, and still felt pain, so I do recommend it.

All is well

32 and a half weeks now. It feel pretty awesome to be this far along. Still getting daily contractions, new pains and symptoms coming every day. I have been getting bed spins lately, which I think might be an inner ear thing, but I got all kinds of blood work done just in case. My tummy is stretching and hurting a lot, baby is growing and hurting my ligaments. I have sciatica pain, upper back pain, menstrual like cramps, new discharge, pubic pain...you name it, I'm feeling it. Luckily, no more then a spot here or there of blood. The baby is fine, and I haven't gained any weight, and neither has she really, but shes doing well, scoring 10 out of 10 on her biophysical profile. My OB and I discussed that I will be getting the stitch removed in the OR under some kind of sedation, depending on what we want to do, so if we induce, it will be removed with epidural, or if we want to wait and see, she will just use a local, but she wants to do it in the OR because she thinks my water is going to break right away, with how low and ready everything has already been. 4 and a half weeks about, left.

Growth Issue (maybe) and contractions. 31 weeks 1 day.

I went for my ultrasound at 29 weeks 5 days and they discovered that the baby had kinda fallen on her growth pattern, normally being within the 40th percentile, she dropped down to the 30th, so I have to repeat the ultrasound on April 17th to see if it is truly what is happening, or if it was the technicians error. I am getting bigger, just differently now. She still moves and kicks around, shes been flip flopping breech to posterior nearly twice a day, I like to watch her move, its really neat.
So, I have been having contractions non-stop for about two weeks now, they have no rhyme or reason to them, so obviously braxton hicks, but they have been coming up to 6 an hour. I discussed this with the OB and he said he doesn't really see us making it very far from now, that 32 weeks is our goal, 37 weeks is the ultimate goal, but he doesn't see us making it past 34 weeks. I have already shortened and funneled, and with the contractions, they baby is getting ready to come soon. The bonus is that one more week and we get to deliver at my OBs hospital instead of the level 3 hospital. Basically, if I start bleeding at any time, its time to go in, it means that I am dilating against the cervical stitch and have to get it removed asap. I am really scared and excited that it is getting to that time! less then 6 weeks left ultimately.

Have my babyshower tomorrow, very excited about that, hubby and I have been prepping all day. Its been fun.
Ill update after my next ultrasound, unless I have something more interesting before then.

Almost There!!!

This coming Friday I will be 29 weeks. My OB is beyond the moon that we have made it this far, stating also that our magic number is 32, which means I can deliver at the level 1-2 nicu and that she will also be the one doing it, instead of the level 3 hospital. She said that the baby could really come at any time now and since I have had the steroids, they wouldn't stop it. She is measuring a little ahead of schedule, no info on that though, just what she said. The scary part is my cervix is down to 1.7cm, which is quite low for my gestation and means that I am at quite a high risk for preterm delivery. If all is well, we will be induced at 38 weeks, which is just over then 8 weeks from now, after May 25th. That is amazing that we are sooo close to meeting this little girl. We will also be getting another ultrasound at 30 ish weeks. I am currently 28w/5d along.

Still Can't Catch a Damn Break...

I just cannot believe what this freaking pregnancy has put me through. 27 weeks of hell, being dragged back and forth threw deaths door for both of us. I just don't know what more I can handle.
Today I got a call from the OB. Last Monday, the 12th, I did a glucose screen, which I failed, as most people do. My peak number being 9.9mmol/l or 180mg/dl. So I was sent to do my 3 hour test on Friday. Fast being 4.6mmol/l or 84mg/dl, peak being 11.4mmol/l or 207mg/dl, and fall being 7.6mmol/l or 138mg/dl. I was told I was going to be sent to the diabetes clinic here. I have been pregnant so many times and have never had this issue. I haven't gained any weight in this pregnancy, I have been eating the healthiest I have ever eaten, and I have been watching every step I take. I am so pissed off that I have yet another craptastic ailment to add to the effing chart.

Can't Seem to Catch a Break

I got out of the hospital on Friday, March 2nd and was feeling great, other then this horrendous pain in my inner thigh/hips from lying down so long. The "feel better" lasted about 2 days, when on Sunday I got this raging chest pain, so bad that hubby called 911, both of us thinking it was heart related. Off to the Foothills we went, again.
Luckily, this time, I was only there for 2 hours, all my blood and heart tests came back normal. The OB oncall said that I may just have soft tissue issues in my back from laying down for so long. They were going to do a chest x-ray but nothing ever came of that.
Tuesday I started getting this nasty cough, it hurt so bad, and I tasted blood every time I would cough. Then my throat got sore, I got a headache, my nose was so stuffed and I started getting a pain in my ears like someone was shoving a burning q-tip in there and this pressure under my ribs and because of the pain I had the past Sunday, everytime my body would ache or I would start sweating, I would have a panic attack. It was awful. I made Hubby take me to the doctor, because the Tylenol cold I was taking was making the baby stay awake in my tummy for hours and hours, poor thing didn't have a break for 12 hours.
So I finally got to the doctors by Friday, and I was checked out. Turns out I have a duel ear infection, sinus infection and likely a chest infection.
After a damn week of IV antibiotics and a 3 days out of hospital prescription that I finished on Monday, I still managed to catch this nasty infection! I am not on Biaxin for 7 days, and last night, after 5 hours of my first dose, i felt so much better. But was still unable to sleep. I am still getting panic attacks, but not as frequent, and the Biaxin doesn't make the baby anxious. Shes quite pleasant today.

On top of it all, Chris went back to work on Thursday, and that was the first night of no sleep and extreme sickness, so I was very much on my own. Taking care of a 3yr old while feeling like you're on deaths door is not fun.

A Bump in the road. Hospital time.

On Monday, February 27th at approximately 10am, I lost my mucous plug. It scared the bejebus out of me. I know that sometimes they regenerate, but 24 weeks is really early for that. Right after that, I started to cramp real bad on my lower half, like menstrual cramps. I called the OB and madly panicked to the receptionist, who tried to calm me down and told me to go to Labor and Delivery at the local hospital, about a 10 min drive from our house. I called Chris to come and get me...And so starts the week.

I have had a lot of issues and scary steps in this pregnancy, but nothing as scary as this was. We arrived at the hospital and I had to wait for them to let me in, it was really busy and they needed to clean a bed. I sat in a wheel chair, I was in so much pain. I finally get in and settled. The baby was good. Her heart rate kept jumping a little, but she was ok. I was registering contractions on the monitor, and when the resident doctor checked my cervix, it was funneled...they didn't say this, they said it was opening... So, my heart starts racing, thinking, omg omg omg, shes to little, we can't do this!!! They told me they were going to do steroids and start me on something called Trebuline and hopefully that will stop the cervix from opening and get the contractions to stop. The steroids are called beta methasone, and you get two wonderful doses in 24 hours.
So they gave me the first shot at 1pm and I thought I was going to die, it was the most painful thing I have ever had done to my hip. Not really, I just wasn't expecting a burning sensation.
By this time, I am in what is called threatened labour. My stitch is holding for the time being, the trebuline stopped my contractions and so far my cervix has just started to funnel, nothing more. If it stays that way, they are going to leave the stitch in and hope that the contractions don't continue to open. I am also told that I am being transferred to the Antepartum unit at the Foot, which is out main general hospital with a level 3 nicu and is right next to the Alberta Childrens Hospital. If anyone was equip to deliver a micro preemie, it was them. I got to take an ambulance over, it was pretty neat, I had a couple of fantastic ems people. It was quick and painless.

So, we get to the Foot (other hospital) and I am told I have chorioamnionitis. Um, no one mentioned that at the other hospital. But I was having intense pain through-out my uterus, my urine was sky high in white cells and blood and my white blood cell count was at 16....I don't know what the norm is.. So they figured this. Then when they did the ultrasound, there was no indication at all of the chorioamnionitis. They said they wanted to be sure (perinatal doctors) but would have to preform an amnio, but at this stage in pregnancy they didn't want to, especially since I could be something else and the baby needed some growing time. But if it wasn't something else, they were going to have to deliver me. Ok, thats ok.

I met with the NICU doctors who told us all about preemies and what to expect at such a little age, and her survival rate, which was pretty good in my eyes. The made it sound pretty and easy and cheery...I told them to stop and tell me the real stuff, the scary stuff. And they did. And its pretty terrifying to think that a human being could live through, or nearly not, brain bleeds, lung collapsing, heart surgery, bowel surgery. Scary stuff.

So, after a few rounds of antibiotics the pain in my uterus went away. The nasty discharge I had went away, and the only pain I had was in my lower half, my bladder area and my back. So they decided on testing for bladder issues. Turns out I had a raging infection in both my bladder and kidneys...

After we were certain that baby was ok, growing and strong, that my cervix was in place, unchanged and still stitched, they sent me back to the other hospital to live out the next few days on mixed antibiotics and fluids. I am so thankful that the bump in the road was nothing more then an infection that was NOT within my uterus. I am thankful she is still inside of me and growing (she started at 1.6lbs on Monday, up to 2lbs today)And that we are on our way out and home to rest and relax. I still have atleast another day here though, if not 2. But its not to bad, as long as I can sleep.

Thanks to those who did know and for all the prayers you sent, I believe you have saved us once again. We are so appreciative.
I would also like to say Rest in Peace to an old friend who passed away on the 25th of February, Matthew Acton. To his family, I am so sorry for your loss, he was a great person.