Better Late than Never.....
So as most of you know I wound up beng admitted on Dec 15 with my water being broken. I was 33 weeks at that point. The plan was to keep me there and induce me at 35 weeks on 30 Dec. Well the world had another plan for me!
On Christmas Eve I had bloodwork drawn. They did a CBC and just wanted to check everything out and make sure everything was okay. The next morning the doc came in to do her normal rounds with me. She let me know my CRP was elevated and that could potentially mean an infection. So she ordered another round of bloodwork. Fast forward about an hour and a half. Dr. Callaway came in and told me to call my mom and tell her to come down to the hospital. My CRP was extremely elevated and my white blood cell count was through the roof. I had an infection of some sort and they were going to have to induce me. With my water already being broken the baby was at extremely high risk of getting it. The doc examined me and I was 3cm, 90% effaced, and the baby was at station zero.
They waited until just before my mom got there to give me the pitocin. That was okay though because that meant I got to eat breakfast since she wouldn't be there for at least 3 hours. They started the pitocin at about 1130. My mom got there a few minutes later. I was having contractions, but nothing that hurt or anything. As they upped the pitocin they got worse and worse. I had discussed pain options with the doc and wanted to try going natural, but wasn't against pain meds if I needed them. At about 530 they examined me again, I was in a LOT of pain at this point. I was only 4cm dilated. GRRRR Doc said I wasn't relaxing enough for my cervix to dilate.
I opted to have an epi. The doc that did it was amazing! I barely even felt it. By 6PM my legs were numb! They rechecked me at 8PM and I was 6 and fully effaced. At about 855, I told my mom I something didn't feel quite right. I also noticed at the same time that the babies heart rate dropped to like 104. I hit the button to call the nurse and she was actually walking in the room at the same time. She had been closely watching the monitor. She checked me out and I was fully dilated.
They had me start pushing while the docs gowned up. I had 3 doctors and 2 nurses. Plus the NICU team was called in and that was another doctor and 3 more nurses. One of the docs said they had nothing better to do when my mom commented on how many of them were there. I looked at them and said "yeah that's how I wound up here too!" Yes I was in full blown labor cracking jokes!
They had me stop pushing and roll to my right side and then my left. They then had me get up on all fours. I knew something was wrong. Babies HR was dropping way low too. They had me come off all fours and start pushing really hard again. At 916 on Christmas Day, Alastrina Josalyn came into this world. She weighed 3lbs 15ozs and was 17inches long. She also had the cord wrapped around her neck and was blue. They had to use the Cpap to get her breathing.
They took her right to the NICU and I am proud to say that she didn't need ANY help breathing after that initial boost. Her little lungs were perfect! In fact the only things "wrong" with her were her weight and her bilirubin levels. She was small even for a 34 weeker. They caught my infection soon enough and she didn't get it. They put her under the bili lights for a couple days. When her level came down they took her out.. Only to have it shoot back up and need to put her in a bili blanket. They said the fact that I am breastfeeding her had something to do with that though.
Speaking of, she started latching on and sucking 15 hours after she was born and hasn't stopped. We have not supplemented her with formula at all and her NG tube was taken out in her first 24 hours. The Neonatalogists and lactation nurses were all amazed! I guess it is just very very rare for that to happen with a preemie who is so small!
The other obstacle she had besides bilirubin was her temp. She had to prove she could maintain before they would take her out of the isolette. Well 2 days ago they decided it was time to put her in the bassinet and as long as she gained weight overnight they would discharge her. And she did it! So on Jan 6, 12 Days after she was born, they let Alastrina come home with her mommy.
It felt great to be here with her last night. It was my first time home since my water broke. She is getting on her own schedule of nursing instead of the hospitals. She has her first doctors appointment at 8AM tomorrow. When we left the hospital she was up to 4lbs 2 ounces after having dropped to a low weight of 3lbs 11 ounces 5 days ago!! So she is a little piggy! The 3 pictures below are the night she was born, Jan 4th, and today!
I have lost 112lbs since my surgery in November of 2007. Ready for a baby now.
