And now, for something completely different....
I guess I have a longer post than I originally anticipated....
Jan 30 1130am - I am at my now weekly ultrasound and things don't look good for baby and I am being rushed to Rockyview General Hospital from my ultrasound. By 330pm, the assessment was that we were going to monitor for the next day or so and another ultrasound would be scheduled for Wed Feb 1 in the early am to see if there were any changes.
What didn't look good you ask? The placenta and umbilical cord were not performing and and she had not grown in a week. Her movements had gotten less intense and during the ultrasound she did not move at all.
On Wed Feb 1 at 845am, the ultrasound showed movement, however, the issues with the cord and placenta were still there. At 1145am it was decided I was being transferred to Foothills Medical Centre for immediate delivery as Foothills has the best centre in southern Alberta for babies less than 32 weeks in gestation. After some serious futzing around with getting an ambulance, I was transported there and arrived at 130pm under lights and sirens. After a few hours on constant monitoring the decision was made at 6pm for a c-section and we were getting a baby tonight. To keep the mood light for my own sanity, I did ask for a tummy tuck and some liposuction while they were in there. Dr Birch (the OB) said I wasn't asking for much. ;-)
At 814pm on Feb 1, Presleigh Helen Lenore arrived into this crazy place, weight 2.97 lbs (1340 grams) and 15 1/4 inches long with tonnes of curly hair.
She was immediately intobated and whisked off to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). After what seemed like an eternity, I was finally able to see her from a distance but I was reassured she was alright and doing remarkable.
Under a heavy epidural with clot stockings on, a catheter, IV pole, I was whisked off to my room to begin my own recovery. My mom was with me the entire time and was able to ensure that Presleigh was in good hands for me before she went home to sleep after having been at my side for almost 12 hrs.
During the time that they were stitching me up and putting my now very tender innerds back in, I did ask if they were working on the tummy tuck and lipo, but apparently Dr Birch forgot to pass on that message.
In order to get to see Presleigh, there were alot of goals that I had to meet so I started wheeling and dealing with the nurses as soon as possible. First was to get the horribly awful evil clot stockings off. I wanted to sleep, they wanted me to sleep but I couldn't because every 60 fucking seconds these damn stockings would inflate and then deflate and I was JUST drifting off and they'd start to inflate and I'd body zot and start to literally vibrate. So to get them off, the deal was I had to do a lap around the unit. I agreed. Wobbly legged, fluffy headed and all we did a lap. I got rid of the stockings. Next order of business was to ditch the catheter - "You have to void 250ml for me or it goes back in" "Here's 350" So out it stayed. Next was the IV - that had to wait til 12 hrs after her birth but I could suck it up for that long and take the silly pole with me if it meant I could see her. So off we went at 430am to the NICU so I could touch and see my baby.
By the time I got there, they had taken out the intobation tube and she was using just nasal prongs for oxygen and she had pinked up and was doing 1000% better than anyone had anticipated. I wasn't allowed to stay long, but I got to touch her and at least give her a kiss from my fingers before I was wheeled away in my chariot back to my room on orders to sleep.
I will blog days 1 thru 4 tomorrow but I wanted to keep everyone in the loop and updated. I was discharged today (Saturday) and came home this evening after spending the day with Presleigh and I will continue to commute between home and hospital... but we are all ok and she is doing leaps and bounds and she's definately a fighter against the odds.
Jan 30 1130am - I am at my now weekly ultrasound and things don't look good for baby and I am being rushed to Rockyview General Hospital from my ultrasound. By 330pm, the assessment was that we were going to monitor for the next day or so and another ultrasound would be scheduled for Wed Feb 1 in the early am to see if there were any changes.
What didn't look good you ask? The placenta and umbilical cord were not performing and and she had not grown in a week. Her movements had gotten less intense and during the ultrasound she did not move at all.
On Wed Feb 1 at 845am, the ultrasound showed movement, however, the issues with the cord and placenta were still there. At 1145am it was decided I was being transferred to Foothills Medical Centre for immediate delivery as Foothills has the best centre in southern Alberta for babies less than 32 weeks in gestation. After some serious futzing around with getting an ambulance, I was transported there and arrived at 130pm under lights and sirens. After a few hours on constant monitoring the decision was made at 6pm for a c-section and we were getting a baby tonight. To keep the mood light for my own sanity, I did ask for a tummy tuck and some liposuction while they were in there. Dr Birch (the OB) said I wasn't asking for much. ;-)
At 814pm on Feb 1, Presleigh Helen Lenore arrived into this crazy place, weight 2.97 lbs (1340 grams) and 15 1/4 inches long with tonnes of curly hair.
She was immediately intobated and whisked off to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). After what seemed like an eternity, I was finally able to see her from a distance but I was reassured she was alright and doing remarkable.
Under a heavy epidural with clot stockings on, a catheter, IV pole, I was whisked off to my room to begin my own recovery. My mom was with me the entire time and was able to ensure that Presleigh was in good hands for me before she went home to sleep after having been at my side for almost 12 hrs.
During the time that they were stitching me up and putting my now very tender innerds back in, I did ask if they were working on the tummy tuck and lipo, but apparently Dr Birch forgot to pass on that message.
In order to get to see Presleigh, there were alot of goals that I had to meet so I started wheeling and dealing with the nurses as soon as possible. First was to get the horribly awful evil clot stockings off. I wanted to sleep, they wanted me to sleep but I couldn't because every 60 fucking seconds these damn stockings would inflate and then deflate and I was JUST drifting off and they'd start to inflate and I'd body zot and start to literally vibrate. So to get them off, the deal was I had to do a lap around the unit. I agreed. Wobbly legged, fluffy headed and all we did a lap. I got rid of the stockings. Next order of business was to ditch the catheter - "You have to void 250ml for me or it goes back in" "Here's 350" So out it stayed. Next was the IV - that had to wait til 12 hrs after her birth but I could suck it up for that long and take the silly pole with me if it meant I could see her. So off we went at 430am to the NICU so I could touch and see my baby.
By the time I got there, they had taken out the intobation tube and she was using just nasal prongs for oxygen and she had pinked up and was doing 1000% better than anyone had anticipated. I wasn't allowed to stay long, but I got to touch her and at least give her a kiss from my fingers before I was wheeled away in my chariot back to my room on orders to sleep.
I will blog days 1 thru 4 tomorrow but I wanted to keep everyone in the loop and updated. I was discharged today (Saturday) and came home this evening after spending the day with Presleigh and I will continue to commute between home and hospital... but we are all ok and she is doing leaps and bounds and she's definately a fighter against the odds.
posted by Kristin at 2/04/2006 09:55:00 PM
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