It's Empty Again........Our little boy is here

Things had been going better since last Monday (Nov. 15th), until Wednesday.  That morning my contractions started getting more intense and more frequent.  They tried giving me a mag bolus, but that barely touched them.  I also got a dose of nubain, which had helped before, but wasn't much help this time.  So things continued to progress and Dr. Bemenderfer came to check on me around 3 pm.  She did an ultrasound to check on Luke, and then tried to check my cervix, but all she could feel was my bag of water.  Since labor had already progressed to that point, she said it would probably be best to have a C-section to avoid the possibility of complications.  Matt and I both called our moms and told them that it was time.  So they started prepping me for the O.R.  My nurse for the day, Chrissie, who was supposed to go home at 3 pm, insisted on staying until I delivered, even though I told her she should go home.  What a great friend.  The whole time they were prepping me for the OR, my room was full of other nurses who just come in and wish us well and make sure we were ok.  I love the people I work with.

They took me back to get my spinal in, which turned out to be quite an ordeal.  The CRNA was having trouble getting it in because I had to lay down instead of sitting up to avoid breaking my water.  They finally got the spinal in after about 45 minutes and then went to get Matt.  Shortly after he arrived they started the surgery.  My leg had been pulled up with my knee bent in the air when it went numb, so the whole time I felt like it was in that position even though they had straightened my leg and laid it down again.

Once Dr. Bemenderfer got into my uterus, I think Luke changed his mind.  She kept trying to pull him out and he kept trying to go back inside.  I couldn't see anything, but Matt said he saw his feet sticking out 2 or 3 different times, but they kept disappearing.  So they had to cut my uterus a little more, vertically this time instead of horizontally like the first incision.  This ensures that if we have any more children, I will be having a C-section.  Then she was able to get him out and they laid him on my chest to suction his mouth and nose before the NICU people took over.  They immediately started to intubate him and check his heart rate and temperature.  They had a little trouble getting the tube into the right spot, but eventually got it in and got him stabilized.  They did an awesome job!!!!!  Matt was bouncing back and forth between me and Luke the whole time trying to make sure both of us were ok.  While they were working on him, we heard him let out a few small cries.  It was amazing!!!  Once the tubes were in and they had checked his breathing, they quickly took Luke from the room and upstairs to the NICU.

The official time and stats were:

Lucas Matthew Healy
Born: 5:13 pm, Nov. 23, 2011
1 lb. 13 oz. - 13 inches long

Then Dr. Bemenderfer finished stitching me up and they sent me back to my room.  We had a wait of about 2 hours before anyone could go see Luke, with not a lot of updates.  We just kept being told they were working on his IV and feeding lines and getting his breathing and heart rate stable.  Finally around 8:30 or 9 Matt was able to go up and check on Luke.  After both sets of grandparents were able to go up and see him everyone headed for home or hotels around 10.  I was feeling pretty good after the surgery, so Matt and I went up to see him around 11.

So far he is doing well.  He is really bruised from the delivery, but his skin color is improving daily.  He was  black, blue and purple from head to toe Wednesday night, but is starting to turn pink in his chest, hands, feet and even a little in his arms and legs today.  His heart rate and blood pressure are doing well along with most of the other levels that the NICU is monitoring.

This morning when Matt and I went up to see him, they let Matt take his temperature and change his diaper (Matt's first ever).

Right now we just hope and pray that our little guy can keep going strong and slowly improve with each day that passes.

We really appreciate the thoughts, prayers and support that all of our family and friends have given us this far and we know they will continue to be there as we move forward.

It's Been a Rough Couple of Days

Monday's cervical length started out ok.  Luke looked good and my cervix measured 3.5 cm. . . . but then I had a contraction and it went down to 0.6 cm with some pretty bad funneling.  I was HORRIFIED.  A little later one of the doctors came in and checked my cervix and said I was dilated and she could feel his head.  That got me extremely worried and I was just sure that he was coming out.  Luckily that was not the case.  There was also some bleeding and fluid coming out.  Dr. Bemenderfer was concerned that my water may have broke, but again, luckily that was not the case.  They gave me some more meds and upped my mag in the evening and things seemed to quiet down overnight.

Tuesday morning brought more contractions starting at about 5:30 a.m.  I got some more meds to help, which they did, but I am still contracting.  Some hours it may only be one or two, while others it seems to be 8 or 10.

A nurse practioner from the NICU (neonatal intensive care unit) came down to talk to us about what to expect if I were to deliver today or in the near future.  It was not a very pleasant conversation, but it was probably a good thing that we did it.  For now we are just hoping that doesn't happen for awhile.  Every day and week counts a lot right now and we are just hoping for the best.

Since all of happenings on Monday I have been restricted to my bed, I don't even get bathroom privelages.  My wonderful and loving husband (he is the one doing the typing now, so I don't really have control over what he says about himself) has had to do and see things that he is not particularly fond of.  He doesn't do well with dog poop, not to mention mine.  All in all, it has been a rough couple of days, but we are hanging in there and Luke is still inside - where he belongs.

Everyones' thoughts and prayers are greatly appreciated.

The Day Has Come...

Just when I was starting to relax....NOT! So let me update you on the latest....
Tuesday I had a scheduled ultrasound to check my cervical length. I went just like any other appt thinking everything would be fine and I would be back home in 30 mins. Again, NOT! The ultrasound started off just fine. She measured my cervix and it was 3.0 (this was shorter than Friday's measurement but only by 0.1 cm). Then we were just watching him move around (he has taken to head butting the ultrasound probe and it is quite comical) when I saw my cervix opening on the big screen and she saw it too. She asked what I was feeling and I was feeling a contraction, but not a bad one. What we were seeing was something called funneling (for my non-nursing friends it is too hard to explain, just Google it) and that isn't good. While this was happening my cervix shrunk to 1.6 cm, which isn't good again! She had me get dressed but placed me in a waiting area while she got my doctor. I knew what was coming so I started alerting the media (Matt, mom, etc). My doctor came in and basically said we knew it was probably coming and I was going to get taken over to the unit for some monitoring and then we would go from there. For some reason (why, I don't know...I should know better) I was starting to get hopeful that I would still go home.

Got to triage on the L&D unit (my second home) and got my monitoring started. It showed that I was very irritable (crampy) with a few contractions...which wasn't a change for me. But that was enough for my doctor to say, were done and it was time for me to be admitted. Not only was I going to be admitted, but I was also going to be started on a medicine called Magnesium Sulfate (Mag), which is an IV medication to stop my uterine activity, along with a slew of other medicines. This did not excite me one bit. I have see what this medicine does to you and I didn't want that. But I knew it would help keep him in there which is where he needs to be!

Luckily, a lot of my friends were working so they all were eager and ready to help get this going. They took me to my room (which was an inside room...without a window to the outside....not going to work...now I am in a new room with an outside window) and got everything going. They got the Mag started and it did everything I expected it to. Now, lets fast forward to today....

The Mag is still going, but I feel tons better than I did. My only big problems would be that I can't focus, so that make reading, etc (all things I was doing) not possible/much more difficult. Also, I am a walking furnace.  My room is kept cold (Matt is even saying he is cold) and I have a fan on me at all times, my face is also a wonderful "blush" color. The Mag also burns my arm, for which I keep an ice pack on it! Matt has moved our house into our room, and that is sad. I already miss my dogs (never thought I would say that) and my home. I have been told that I am going to be here until he comes out (unless my cervix decides to cooperate). We had another ultrasound yesterday (we will have many more) and the ultrasound lady who I have gotten to know quite well switched it over to 3D/4D so we could really see his little features and OMG! I wasn't sure how good it would look since he really doesn't have any fat on him yet, but it came out perfect....

I am in love with his little nose and chin. Too cute!!!

Well, that is all for now. I leave you with this...I am always welcoming visitors and if anyone has an idea how I can see Breaking Dawn I am all ears (I am not above breaking the law).  I will update more since now I REALLY have nothing to do!!!!

Half Way :)

Wow, 20 weeks.....wow. I had my doubts about even getting pregnant and now I am half way through. I am still in awe of this whole process everyday. Every ultrasound (and there are many), every kick in my belly (even in the middle of the night or very early in the morning), every ache/pain/contraction will be all worth it soon!

To update....my cervical lengths this week went well. Monday it was 3.3 and today it was 3.4, so all is good there. Today was supposed to be our gender ultrasound (but we found that out 6 weeks ago) so it was just another ultrasound. They checked to make sure he had all of his organs (kidneys, heart, stomach, bladder, etc) and he did. He was actually quite cooperative today (usually he isn't, he wants to move around too much). And get this....he is still a boy...he even showed us!

This was the first thing we saw, as if to say "hi mom and dad"!!

Saw more than just his "thing" today....

Love this picture, his cute little feet :)

Right when the lady needed to measure his leg bones he stretched one leg out for her...good boy!

Waving bye! See ya next time :)

My doctor appointment after the ultrasound went well too. I was excited to actually see my doctor since recently she has been out of the office or not on call when I have needed her! How dare she have a life ;)
She was glad to see my cervical length is stable. She also made me feel better but just saying she understands how nervous and scared I am and she is here for me whenever...I just love her! She is a little concerned with my weight gain (or lack of). My pre-pregnancy weight was 104 lbs and I am just now at 107. The baby's growth is still fine, but she is worried. I feel like I am eating enough, but maybe I am not. I really thought gaining weight while pregnant would be easy...guess not! She is having me keep a food log for the next week to see where I can improve. Hopefully she can give me some ideas :)

In other news, here is the belly shot everyone is anxious to see...I feel huge and I know I am not even close to that yet!

Also, the nursery is coming along. We finished painting and putting up the chair rail. Now we just need mattresses and bedding stuff....and a little decoration.

 What you see when you enter

The crib and my rocking chair that was my grandma's. The stuffed animals on it are mine and will be put somewhere.

The changing table

The dresser

My Scentsy warmer with the "newborn nursery" smell (it smells like baby powder)...thanks Meg!!

Grandma Janet has been hard at work....shopping :) There would be more but Matt won't let me buy anything :(

That is all for now...will update next week after my doctor appointments!

I know....sorry

Well, 19 weeks is here! I would like to say it has been uneventful lately but it hasn't. My time since my last post has involved doctor appointments, sitting on the couch, and more doctor appointments. No real change. We stopped the Procardia a week after starting it because I wasn't tolerating it and it really wasn't working :( I spend my days sitting on the couch pretty uncomfortable most of the time, my body does give me a break every now and then and I use those breaks for showers, etc.
Monday night into Tuesday I really wasn't getting any relief and was starting to get concerned so I called the doctor and they had me come in for yet another ultrasound/appointment. My ultrasound showed my cervical length had gone down to 3.5 (which is normal) but with me being uncomfortable they thought they would send me to triage for monitoring. I was there for a while and the monitor showed I was having some contractions and lots of irritability. So they decided to give me a dose of a medicine called Terbutaline. It is a shot that is supposed to help "calm" my uterus down. Well, it did that but made the rest of my body go nuts!! I felt awful. My heart rate increased badly and I was shaking. I made Matt go get the nurse at one point because I thought I was going to pass out! Eventually it wore off and we were back to where we started. They gave me the option to keep me overnight and have another ultrasound in the morning or go home. I decided to stay because I was scared and being there gave me some sense of security. My night in the hospital went about as well as to be expected. I didn't sleep much (I usually don't anyway). In the morning I had my ultrasound and my cervical length went up to 4!! I guess I am just nuts! It made me happy to see this but I still remain weary because I won't know if what is going on in my body is doing something or not and based on work experience I know that if something does happen it can happen quickly and silently. They decided from now on they would bring me in for ultrasounds twice a week for reassurance and to catch it if anything does happen. As far as my discomfort goes, well, nothing. We have now tried the medications that I could possibly take while at home and they didn't work. The only other option is a medication that is an IV one and I have to be in the hospital, and it can make me feel like crap! I am not ready to do this yet and they don't think it is needed until I started having cervical change. So I went home and now am back to doing my usual :)
I have my 20 week ultrasound/appointment next week and I am hoping to then post a belly picture and maybe some pictures of the nursery since it is coming along as well!

16 Weeks!!

Well, we made it another two weeks! They have gone by pretty slowly though :( Not much has changed with me. My belly is getting bigger, it has grown another 3/4 inches in the past two weeks. Matt says he can tell, but I don't think it will look much bigger in a picture yet. Still no weight gain though, I am almost to my pre-pregnancy weigh though!
Matt and I went to Babies R Us over the weekend to register. I know it is early but people are wanting to buy us things so we thought we would get the list together so they can! It was soo much fun, I didn't feel great for the whole trip but it was still fun. Matt was scanning everything....he had the most fun in the clothes. This child will be well dressed! He still doesn't have a name....it has been a topic of discussion everyday. We really like the name Lucas (Luke) and that is his temporary name. If we find something we like better than we will change it. But every name I look at I don't like better than Luke!
We had a doctor appointment with an ultrasound yesterday. All is well with him...he is getting so big! I am amazed at his size on the ultrasound :) They didn't do much with the ultrasound but check my cervical length, but they did manage to get this one picture...

He says hi!!
The doctor also started me on a medicine called Procardia to take for contractions (which I am having more and more of every day). They hurt and my belly gets soo hard. I don't like it. Thankfully, they aren't doing anything to my cervix, which is good. They just really annoy me and wake me up at night. This medicine should help. I took my first dose today...it doesn't make me feel all that great and I have noticed a slight decrease in the intensity and frequency of the contractions. I hope it gets better with more doses!

Also, for the first time today..I am now officially positive...that I felt him move! I have felt things for the last few days but wasn't sure if it was him or not. I am sure today....he gave me a good kick and has done it a couple more times since! I love it!!!!!
I have another appointment next week and will post if anything changes!!

NEWS!!! 14 Weeks!!!

14 weeks....wow. I am still amazed every day by this little bean growing in my belly. Bedrest is going well, I am starting to get pretty lonely. Matt is working soo much and we really only see each other in bed when we are sleeping so that is tough. I love when I get visits from friends and family!

I ended up in triage at the hospital again last week because my cramps were getting soo much worse and it was concerning me. They had me come in and checked my cervix, it was closed and firm per MD (that is good). So we just continued with what we were doing...

I am amazed at my body changes lately. The pregnancy journal that I bought has me measure my waist every week and keep track of it (along with my weight)...while I have gained no weight since getting pregnant (still 2 lbs down) my waist size has grown...in fact it grew 1.5 inches in a week!!! Wow! I decided it was time to post some belly pics. Below is the most recent picture of me with a lemon (a friend of mine from nursing school did this with her pregnancy...you take you picture with the fruit/veggie that is the same size as your baby at that point). I am getting there!

Today, I had a scheduled appointment to check on my bleed and my cervix and my cysts. They started the ultrasound and Matt and I immediately saw "something". I asked the ultrasound lady to check that area, when she asked if we wanted to know and we said yes, she said "I already saw it, its a BOY" Matt and I were floored!!! We were for sure thinking it was a girl! But, none the less our baby has a penis and had no problems showing it off....

I still have one cysts that seems to be hanging on in there...but getting smaller. I still have the bleed, but again getting smaller. So.....bedrest resumes! At least for another two weeks. Also, they are going to watch my cervical lengths a little closer (today's was great) because I feel like I am contracting all the time and they want to make sure that my cervix remains sealed shut! Here are some more additional pictures of our little BOY!!!!

Will update soon!!!!