Since I'm just starting this at Victoria's first birthday, I have a lot of catching up to do. This year was filled with ups and downs, challenges and triumphs. I think I need to take a post to document some of the challenges that we have encountered as a way for me to come to terms with them and finally let them go.
When Victoria was born, she had a little difficulty breathing and a slightly high heartrate. The nurses were a little concerned , so shortly after she was born, they took her to the nursery for observation. I was told that it would only be for a couple hours until her breathing and heartrate stabilized. This was at about 11-11:30 the night she was born. They didn't bring her back to me until about 6am the next morning. By that time, she had already had her first feeding, been introduced to a pacifier, and had not stabilized her blood sugar. But I was so happy to have her in my arms, I didn't care how long she had been gone. Every couple of hours they came to check her blood sugar and it still wasn't stabilizing. So by 2pm that day, the decided to admit her for a 48 hour stay in the Special Care Nursery. Which means she didn't get to stay with me. This made me so sad. The nurses started antibiotics and I went to visit every 2-3 hours to try to nurse and feed. I had a really hard time with this. I didn't want any visitors in the hospital because I didn't have her and couldn't show her to them. This was the beginning of the challenges that I faced in the first few months. With having a history of depression, all this kicked off some mild PPD in me. Add on top of that my hormones out of control and a number of other things that I couldn't control, and it made for a lot of difficulties for me. Anyway.
We were able to bring her home Thursday, July 21 in the late morning. The next day the home health nurse came to visit and checked bilirubin levels. They had gone from a 12 to a 16 in one day. Later that day we received a call from the doctor's office that we needed to head back to the hospital on Saturday to have the levels checked again. So we did. This time they were up to a 19. Later that day we received a bili-blanket at our house that V had to be on until her next doctor's appointment on Monday. Andrew and I were diligent that she stay wrapped up as much as possible to help her get better quicker. Through all this, I tried to continue to nurse, but with the jaundice, V had difficulty staying awake and still didn't have an efficient suck. More challenges. We went to the doctor on Monday for another bili test. This time it came back as a 1. Yay! From then on, we continued to monitor growth and weight gain for a while. While we never got nursing down to where we could do that exclusively, I found a way that I could provide the best nutrition for her, the best way I knew how by pumping. With heading back to work at 7 weeks post partum, I knew that I would have to pump anyway, but I didn't realize exactly how much of a part of my life it would become!
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
The beginning
In hindsight, I should have started this blog so long ago, but with having a baby, time is so valuable! But with today marking Victoria's 1st birthday, it's time. My plan for this blog is to write things down for Victoria to see later in her life, a way for me to document her growth and development. It all goes way to quickly. So, we'll start at the beginning.
In 2010, Andrew and I decided we wanted to try to start a family. After 6 months of trying, we were finally thrilled to find out that we were expecting on December 10, 2010, and that our new little addition would be joining us in August of 2011. The pregnancy was like a dream. I had very little complications and felt great the whole time, though I wasn't looking forward to going the majority of a hot, humid Minnesota summer at full term. Somehow, that little baby had other plans. July 16 & 17 Andrew and I were taking our hospitals birthing class, when I realized that I wasn't feeling the same. It had felt like the baby had dropped a little and I was having some very minor difficulties. Thinking nothing of it and knowing that I had my 36/37 week check up on the 18th right away in the morning, I brushed it off. In the evening of the 17th, we went to dinner with Andrew's brother, Gary, and his wife, Sam. We were then to see the final installment of Harry Potter. After dinner, I knew there was no way that I could make it through a movie. I was in a bit of pain and just really uncomfortable. So Andrew and I went home instead. The morning of the 18th I was still feeling out of sorts, but knowing that I had a doctor's appointment, I just kept pushing through. I went to the Dr for my 8am appointment only to find out that the Dr that I was seeing was actually in L&D with one of her other patients and my appointment needed to be rescheduled. I was not happy. I ended up calling into work and staying at my parents house a few miles from the Dr's office until my appointment at noon.
By this time the pain was definitely worse and coming at specific intervals. I started using my contractions tracker app on my phone wondering if that's what this pain was (I was a first time mom, I had no idea!). I go into the Dr office at noon. Very little talking as the Dr I saw was not my regular Dr. At the end of the appointment, she gave me a prescription to help me sleep (!) and then asked if I wanted to be checked. Seriously. I had her check me to find out that I was 2.5cm dilated and 80% effaced. A change from 0cm and 30% the previous week. She then told me to go to the hospital when I was about 4cm. And how am I supposed to know when that is?? Still not convinced that I was in labor, my mom and I went to Target to pick up some last minute things to put in my hospital bag (which wasn't put together). At that point I needed to get home. So my mom started driving us out to our house. On the way I called Andrew and told him he might want to start making his way home. Mom and I were almost home when I felt a gush. I didn't realize it at the time, but my water broke around 2pm that day.
Andrew got home, packed my bag, we loaded up the car and headed into the hospital. We arrived at North Memorial Maple Grove around 4-4:30pm. The admitted me to a L&D room to check my progress and see if my water did break. They confirmed that it did and said that I was now 5cm dilated. Okay, then. I guess we're having a baby! I then labored all afternoon and then at 10:37pm, July 18, 2011, Victoria Rose was born. I am thrilled to say that I was able to go the entire labor and delivery with no pain meds and that she was born at a healthy 6lbs even and 19 3/4 inches long.
And there ends Victoria's birth story!
In 2010, Andrew and I decided we wanted to try to start a family. After 6 months of trying, we were finally thrilled to find out that we were expecting on December 10, 2010, and that our new little addition would be joining us in August of 2011. The pregnancy was like a dream. I had very little complications and felt great the whole time, though I wasn't looking forward to going the majority of a hot, humid Minnesota summer at full term. Somehow, that little baby had other plans. July 16 & 17 Andrew and I were taking our hospitals birthing class, when I realized that I wasn't feeling the same. It had felt like the baby had dropped a little and I was having some very minor difficulties. Thinking nothing of it and knowing that I had my 36/37 week check up on the 18th right away in the morning, I brushed it off. In the evening of the 17th, we went to dinner with Andrew's brother, Gary, and his wife, Sam. We were then to see the final installment of Harry Potter. After dinner, I knew there was no way that I could make it through a movie. I was in a bit of pain and just really uncomfortable. So Andrew and I went home instead. The morning of the 18th I was still feeling out of sorts, but knowing that I had a doctor's appointment, I just kept pushing through. I went to the Dr for my 8am appointment only to find out that the Dr that I was seeing was actually in L&D with one of her other patients and my appointment needed to be rescheduled. I was not happy. I ended up calling into work and staying at my parents house a few miles from the Dr's office until my appointment at noon.
By this time the pain was definitely worse and coming at specific intervals. I started using my contractions tracker app on my phone wondering if that's what this pain was (I was a first time mom, I had no idea!). I go into the Dr office at noon. Very little talking as the Dr I saw was not my regular Dr. At the end of the appointment, she gave me a prescription to help me sleep (!) and then asked if I wanted to be checked. Seriously. I had her check me to find out that I was 2.5cm dilated and 80% effaced. A change from 0cm and 30% the previous week. She then told me to go to the hospital when I was about 4cm. And how am I supposed to know when that is?? Still not convinced that I was in labor, my mom and I went to Target to pick up some last minute things to put in my hospital bag (which wasn't put together). At that point I needed to get home. So my mom started driving us out to our house. On the way I called Andrew and told him he might want to start making his way home. Mom and I were almost home when I felt a gush. I didn't realize it at the time, but my water broke around 2pm that day.
Andrew got home, packed my bag, we loaded up the car and headed into the hospital. We arrived at North Memorial Maple Grove around 4-4:30pm. The admitted me to a L&D room to check my progress and see if my water did break. They confirmed that it did and said that I was now 5cm dilated. Okay, then. I guess we're having a baby! I then labored all afternoon and then at 10:37pm, July 18, 2011, Victoria Rose was born. I am thrilled to say that I was able to go the entire labor and delivery with no pain meds and that she was born at a healthy 6lbs even and 19 3/4 inches long.
And there ends Victoria's birth story!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)