A small milestone

He reached 4 lbs today. He will get a "big boy" bed, meaning in the next few days, as long as he doesn't lose any of that weight, he will get put into an open bed, instead of an isolette. It will be easier to view him and touch him, instead of him being encased in the glass.

Next week they should be introducing the bottle/letting me try breast feeding. They have been putting a pacifier in his mouth when the "gavage" feed him (through the feeding tube) to get him used to having something to suck on when he is eating. The last couple of days I've noticed that he actually has been sucking on the pacifier instead of just having it in his mouth. That's a good step in the right direction.

He still has the eye infections, however, it did not spread and is slowly clearing up - just weapy, instead of matted like it was. That's also another good sign.

Tomorrow is the friends and family baby shower. I'm really looking forward to it. It would have been nice to be able to have him with me to show off, but I know that I will get plenty of chances to do that.

As far as my developement - so far, so good. The nurse comes Mon, Wed, and Fri to change the wound vac. She said that I prob. would only have to have the wound vac for another week. That's good, cuz when they pull that tape off every time, man, does that HURT!!. And NEVER will I get a bikini wax - although I keep getting a mini one 3 times a week.. lol

Also, for those of you that actually saw me within a couple of weeks of Gunnar's birth know how much weight I actually gained. I saw the video of the first time I held him, and WOW - that was already losing weight, I can't imagine what I looked like before that. I'm already down 45 lbs - and know that I still have some more water weight to lose, since it's still some in my legs. It's coming off slowly. As soon as I get the OK, I hope to start walking around the block and such to help facilitate losing some more weight.

Minor Set back

So today we were heading out to the hospital, and the phone rings. It's the nurse from the NICU. She starts out the conversation - I don't want you to be alarmed when you come in... well, that sets off the warning bells in the head.

He's had a minor set back. They needed to allow him to relax a little so they put the nasal CPap back on him. You can tell he doesn't like it because he took it out at least 2 times while I was holding him tonight.

She also indicated that he has a slight eye infection. So he's been put into an isolated room, as apparantly it's contagious. I held him for a few minutes - and he was wide awake and looking all around. His eye definatly looked better - not as matted. We put him back down when he got the hiccups as we've been told that is one indication of being stressed. His hiccups almost got worse when we put him back in his bed - so I stood over him, and gently talked to him and he finally fell back asleep. I wrapped his giraffe in his arms and took this picture.

Dan was right

So I was able to write in here - Sat? Maybe it was Sunday. Well, put it this way - by Monday night, I was being readmitted to the hospital. Not realizing it, but I had managed to open up my incision to the point that fatty cells under the skin had started to pertrude outside my wound. Dan was really freaked out, and I will admit, that I didn't take it as seriously as I should have at first. After calling the oncall Doctor, and being told that yes, I should go the ER, I succummed and had Dan bring me to the Hospital again. I knew it was serious when they didn't even tell me to wait in the waiting room, they put me on a gurney in the hallway and put a screen around me with an attendant right away.

That was about 11 pm On Monday night. By 7:30 am, my Dr. was performing surgery on me to close it back up. Only good thing, he didn't put the fatty cells back.. Yeah - I got a mini tummy tuck. :) It really didn't hurt, and that's pretty much why I think I didn't think too much out of it. I couldn't see what Dan could see.

I had a really hard time coming out of the surgery. I remember them telling me to breath, and I couldn't. That was a mixture of asthma, pre-eclampsia, and being scared to death I think. I do know that I wouldn't want to drown, that's for sure, because I'm pretty sure that's what it would feel like coming out of the surgery. I couldn't breath.

So for the last week, I have been lounging in the hospital again. Although this time, I truly feel like I was knocked down a peg from God to say - HEY, wake up and take care of yourself. I have a "wound" Vac that I have to have a nurse come take care of for me at the house. I also have to ask for help as much as possible now.

So I apologize for not passing the word on my situation, but my phone was lucky to make it through the week as it was.

On an upscale - Gunnar is doing Wonderful. He no longer has a breathing tube, or a C-Pap. He only has the feeding tube to help him continue to take the breast milk that I was able to give him before I got put back in hospital. He's our little man. Just as tiny as he is, he is doing wonderful for his size. As of today 3 lbs. 10 OZ. We will find if he grew in length on Sundays so I will update that soon, but as of birth he was 17 in.

Got to hold him. :)

Wow - it's been a while. :)

Ok, so I will tell it how I remember it - and add in commentary on what others tell me what happened as well.

After my 3rd week on bedrest, I went in for my normal Dr. appt. I guess it wasn't just normal, as the good Dr. had added in NST's (Non Stress Tests) to the curriculum.. Gunnar didn't wantt o do anything to show them that he was ok. Plus my Blood Pressure was skyrocketing again. So they told me I had an hour to go get my stuff and get checked into the Hospital. Good thing that Dan had just come home, otherwise, I prob. would have been lost.

I was admitted into the antepartum tower, and basically told that I would need to make myself comfortable, as I would be here for the duration of my stay. Which at that point was 10 weeks. I saw it as an eternity, but I tried to make the best of it. I made friends with the nurses, and even got moved to the "suite" of the rooms. Too bad I didn't last long there.

On Sunday, March 9th, I just didn't feel well. I told the Nurses and the Dr's, but really couldn't pinpoint what was wrong. I had a mild headache, but seeing as the weather was changing again, I didn't think much about it. I took some Tylenol around noon, and then asked for more around 5:30. I hadn't slept well the night before, so I had also requested a sleeping pill, and called Dan and asked that he just come keep me company until I could fall asleep. He came up, and by this time, my headache had progressed pretty badly, and the Dr. had been recalled to reevaluate. They gave me some Tylenol III, but I couldn't relax to lay back down and let the medicine do it's work.

I believe at this point, Dan called Mom and Amy to let them know that something was wrong.

This is where things are really hazy for me.

Dan told me that they then tried to give me a shot of Demerol. When that did nothing, they tried another, and a shot of Torvil? (Tordid?) Something like that. Still nothing. I do remember them telling me that I was going to get put into labor and delivery, just in case.

I remember them asking me to sign papers, and take off my earrings. I couldn't read what I was signing, nor would my signature be legal at that point I'm sure. I remember someone asking me if I have ever had morphine. Dan took over the converstation at this point, although he did say that he was surprised, since my answers to questions were still coherent. I don't believe he let them give me morhpine, as I had already had all the other stuff.

They did an emergency C Cection. and I remember them holding Gunnar to my right side to show me that he was born. I could see the outline, and consciously recognized what they were showing me, but couldn't respond.

I woke up in the L and D room, and they finally wheeled me to the Postpartum Tower for recovery.

I spent Monday pretty much out of it, trying to work the drugs out of my system. And then spent the next 5 days trying to get my own body to regulate itself to the point where I could come home. My Blood Pressure still is not consistant. The Dr. is hoping that with some time, and "normalacy" it will start to regulate itself again.

So here I am. At home, pumping for my baby who is in NICU. For the next 9 weeks (ish) we will have to try to transition to this new way of life, before we can bring Gunnar home with us. He seems to be doing really well. Very stubborn in fact, and wants to do eveyrthing for himself. Hmmm. Wonder where he gets that trait from.

Keep him in your prayers. We dont' need anymore excitement. For those that are asking, seems the shower is still on. Just remember that he is very PREMIE now. :)