Hospital Stay: Day 4

We had a few more visitors today; Jodi, Brian and the girls, Olaf and Knute.

Today was the day to get my butt in motion. They told me I would be concentrating on getting my milk to come in. I was getting very discouraged. She was improving every time we went in to check on her, and I was still the same-pumping only a smear of milk onto the collection cups.

When we checked on Jolynn she was sucking away on her pacifier. The nurses have been working with her on the sucking so when I come in at least I have that. We have been trying different holds for breastfeeding. I like the football hold on the left side, but Jolynn does not. She doesn't mind it on the right side, but my right side isn't producing anything right now. When Jodi came she watched and suggested different things while I tried to feed again. It was really helpful. I was supposed to meet with a lactation consultant but they have very odd hours and had left early.

Jon has been absolutely wonderful. He is such a proud papa and really took today to be with her any moment he had. I have a thing about waking a sleeping baby-they look so peaceful I don't want to disturb them. He said he didn't want her being alone in the little tray they have her in, so he would rather be holding her. So sweet. He also asks all the right questions and remembers everything.

Jolynn's temperature was regulated enough that she was controlling it so she was switched to a regular bed instead of the warmer. Her glucose levels were normal and stayed there so the IVs were removed. Since the IVs were removed she still had to get nourishment and my milk has not come in yet, so they put a tiny tube in her nose down to her stomach. She is getting supplemental formula as well as breastfeeding and taking whatever I get from pumping.

Hospital Stay: Day 3

So Day 3 was really this post.

We had so many visitors, but they were all perfectly spaced out. First was Grandma and Grandpa Moritz, then Grandma and Grandpa Benson with Great Aunt Sally. Followed by Nate and Uncle Jason, Jared and Naomi, Erin, and Sara K. Doesn't seem like many people, but it worked out perfect to have time to rest, pump and take our time visiting.

Jolynn improved by leaps and bounds every time we checked on her. She had a good bowel movement and many wet diapers. She was spitting up a bit of amniotic fluid because the birth was so quick it didn't squeeze it out of her.

Jolynn Rochelle Moritz

Born 7/18/10, 7:17 am, 4 lb 11 oz, 18 inches

Our beautiful baby girl decided she needed to come out 4 weeks early. This is her story:

At 10am I was given a drug called Cytotec (a pill put next to my cervix that ripens it).
I slept until 2am and then was checked-1 cm-then given another dose of Cytotec. Because of having preeclampsia Dr. Hessel said she was surprised I was given a second dose of Cytotec; this drug is known to put you into labor.
Around 4am I was awaken by severe cramping and need to go #2. Very similar to most of my mornings when I was at home. Being new to pregnancy I did not know what contractions would feel like. Labor I knew was menstrual like cramps, but mine were accompanied by the need to go the bathroom, so I thought it was just that. Once I got in the bathroom I was stuck for a while because my "cramps" were so bad I couldn't get up. Once I got up we called my nurse (Jane). She said she had been watching my monitor for the past 2 hours and I was having some major contractions and then when I wasn't plugged in for a while she thought she better come check on me. She was absolutely right. It was breathing time. Jon was great. Jane checked my cervix and I was at 2 almost 3 cm. My pain was so bad she decided it was time to call for an epidural.
Epidural doctor showed up at 4:30. By 4:40 they were putting in a test dose. By 4:50 I was completely numb and feeling great. The other nurses were getting a little nervous because they were still watching my monitor. My contractions were not having a down time. I was given two shots to try and slow my contractions (which I was not feeling). I started to feel pressure in my groin and that turned into pain in my stomach. We called the epidural doc back to give me an extra dose. That dose helped me, but slowed Jolynn's heartrate. They put me on my side. That didn't work. They asked if I could get on all fours. Normally with an epidural you are not supposed to be able to move from the waist down. I somehow was still able to move, but didn't feel anything. So I got on all fours and then swayed my hips back and forth. They also put O2 on me. This all helped because Jolynn's heart rate came back up.
At this point I really don't know what time it was, but everything went VERY fast.
I started to feel pressure again in my pelvic bone area. The doctor checked my cervix and I was 5 cm. Around 7am she checked again and I was 9cm. There was not much time between the 5 and 9. Jon sent out a text message saying I was at 9cm. I told the doctor that it felt like she was coming out. She checked again and sure enough she told me to start pushing. Still having trouble with Jolynn's heart rate, they kept me on my side to push. I had 2 good pushes and then the doc said next push she was coming out. She wasn't kidding. At 7:17am, she shot out like a torpedo. Jon had wanted to catch her and then cut the umbilical cord. Unfortunately, she had the cord wrapped around her neck, so he wasn't able to. This was another reason her heart rate was so low. They wisked her to the NICU. I told Jon to go with her. He was fantastic. He knew everything going on and had the nurse report everything back to me.
Jolynn was doing great but because she was so small her sugar levels were low. She scored an 8 at the first minute after birth for the APGAR test and a 9 at five minutes (out of 10). Her blood sugar level was a 32 when she first got into the NICU she was put on an IV to get the sugar and a supplemental IV in her by 10:30 her level was at a 62 (normal is 50). As soon as I could I headed in there and tried to nurse. She was able to latch on! Now I just have to get something for her to drink.

Hospital Stay: Day 2

Slept way better last night. Only got up two times. Both were for my BP check, which were within range and no alarms. Things are going well, so I hope Dr. Hessel will go as planned with getting my cervix prepped. Jodi brought us some preemie outfits yesterday and Jon picked out a cute one again. With all this being unplanned, Jon's mom thought for sure we were going to have this 10 lb baby because her boys were both big and long. With the ultrasounds showing her growth, she has been within normal range to be about 8 lbs at normal gestation. So I figure with being 1 month to go, she is probably around 6 lbs. So the outfit we had was for a newborn and Jodi's sister-in-law, Jenny, said her baby was swimming in that when they left the hospital and suggested getting the preemie.

Jane told us yesterday that the reason they have been late on getting things to me and I have to keep buzzing them is because I am a patient that they have not had before. The have those in labor and delivery, and those in postpartum. I am what they are calling antipartum. Basically, a sick pregnant person. They have not had someone who is pregnant and on bedrest stay at the hospital. This is a fairly new hospital so I can see that. I told her I understand and hopefully they don't mind me buzzing them when I know it is time for a BP reading or my medications. She said not at all and explained the whole thing above.

10:30- met with Dr. Hessel. She explained that my 24 urine collection showed proteins and I definitely have developed preeclampsia. My BP readings have been good, but not consistant and always from a laying down position. She is afraid if I were to go home the BP would not be good and I could have seizures. So they are starting Cytotec (a pill form) that gets inserted every four hours starting at 10pm (then 2am and 6am). It is possible for this pill to put me in labor. If it doesn't then they will start pitocin tomorrow.

11:00- Neonatal Nurse came in and talked to me about what to expect at delivery. Worse case scenario if she needs a ventilator she will be transported to North Memorial. Most times with 36wk babies she only sees a nasal canula to supply O2. If Jolynn comes out screaming (normal), they will put her on my chest. Then they will bring her to the warming unit and do their tests, measurements, and return her to me to be with me 24 hours. If she doesn't score well on the APGAR test or is in distress when she comes out, then they will take her over to the NICU for more observation. She said to plan on a weeks stay here (worse case), that way if everything goes well she will just go home as normal and everyone will be happy. She said she has seen many 36wk babies come out just fine and all they end up doing is saying "congratulations and good bye".

No visitors today so I slept a lot. Jon showed up around 6:30 and then went Target for snacks.

10:00- got first dose of Cytotec. Slept for a while, then Jane came in to check me at 2am and give another dose. I was at 1cm already. I woke up at 4am with very bad cramps and having to go #2. I didn't think I could get off the toilet the cramps were so bad. Jane checked me again and I was close to 2cm. She ordered the epidural. That doc showed up at 4:30. By 4:50 I was numb from the waist down. Jane said I was having contractions and I never felt them. Wonderful thing.

Hospital Stay: Day 1

So it's not technically day 1, but it is the first full day being here.

thanks to Jodi for dropping what she was doing and going to my house to pack my hospital bag. And to those that watched her kids so she could drop everything.

When I was admitted yesterday they had the NST machine on me constantly and were taking my BP every hour. Luckily they took everything off at night otherwise going to the bathroom would have been very tricky. I had a slight headache yesterday that was gone this morning, but was replaced with a neck ache (slept wrong). They told me when I woke up to go to the bathroom if it was around 2am to buzz the nurse and they would do a BP check. Then they did another one at 6am. Both times the buzzer went off on the machine. This usually means that the lower number is over 90. So far this morning they have not had any machines hooked up to me. I'm a little surprised. Yesterday they also checked my cervix. It was soft and she said a finger. If you have been or know someone that has been pregnant you will know what that means. I don't know what the size means. I figure I just need to get through today and tomorrow they will start prepping my cervix so there will be more things going on to distract me.

Sounds like when I get home, besides having a beautiful baby girl to look at, there will also be the sliding glass door installed and the window downstairs will be done. Possibly even have the craft room painted. I really wish I would have had another week. That's all I needed. I had all these plans to get this stuff done by 7/25. That would have been week 37 and I knew there was a possibility of being induced at that point. Not hospital bed bound at week 35 day 4.

2:30pm: snack cart just came by. I've been posting my BP readings on facebook. Sounds like they won't be constantly monitoring me unless the results come up unfavorable. So far they have been good so they just keep letting me rest with out all the cords. My hair is starting to feel a little grubby. A few people have mentioned coming to visit today and tonight. Don't mind the dreads. Tomorrow I try taking a quick shower. They have to make me into Michael J (one glove) to cover the IV in my hand.

From 2:30 until 10pm I had guests here. First Jodi, Carrie, and Tamara. Then Jon got here and his parents, Olaf and Sara, and then my mom and Aunt Sally. Not everyone was here at once, so that was good too.

We found out that our nurse for the weekend is going to be Jane. She is fantastic. Lots of experience. We also found out that the doctor for the weekend is Hessel. WOO HOO! I'm feeling good about my team.

35 weeks

Doc Appt: I was a little concerned when they had asked me to come back for another appointment on Tuesday after just having my last appointment on Thursday. BP 136/88. Lost weight, so down 3 lbs from starting weight. Jolynn's heart rate was around 146. She moved more during the NST than she did last time. I don't know how to read these things because apparently she still isn't responding the way they would like. So my appointment this morning at 8:30 ended up with me coming back at 4:30 for ANOTHER ultrasound. This time they were looking at her lungs and blood flow through the umbilical cord. Both were not what they wanted to see. The blood flow through the UC shows restricted. Most likely because of the high BP. Dr. Florey asked me to see the Perinatal Unit for another ultrasound tomorrow (Wednesday). She mentioned bed rest. I don't know how much bed rest. If that is just to see how Jolynn reacts to rest and unrestricted blood flow by laying on my left side only, or if it is bed rest only to get me to 37 weeks and then they will induce. I know they know best, so I will do what they say and hope that Jolynn will be okay.

Doc Appt #2: Ultrasound #2 for the week at North Memorial Hospital. Jolynn was more active - enough to qualify for their standards. She also had the hiccups (which count for breathing patterns) and was breathing in between the hiccups. The umbilical cord was still showing signs of restricted blood flow. The doctor asked if I could go to Maple Grove Hospital for another ultrasound Thursday morning.

Ultrasound #3 for the week: Started at 8am at Maple Grove Hospital. Ultrasound went great. Jolynn was moving and breathing (no hiccups). Then they decided (for the heck of it) to take my BP-146/109. They were concerned about preeclampsia so they admitted me to the labor and delivery area. I stayed in the triage room for 2 hours, then they moved me to a postpartum room. They have 11 deliveries going on today - busy day.

I think we have had a total of 6 ultrasounds. Most people get one. I've started to fall asleep during them - same with the non-stress test. Just laying there listening to the heart beat. Or during the ultrasound where they are monitoring the breathing there really isn't anything to look at. Unfortunately in these later weeks you can't tell what things are on the screen; too little room left and the screen isn't big enough. The technicians are nice enough to try and get a profile photo each time.

So here I am in the hospital and they are not letting me out until Jolynn is born. Doctor came in and said with my BP being so high they do not want to send me home. I am at risk for seizures and the placenta separating from the uterus. All things not good. So the plan now (according to the doc) is bedrest on my side, constant BP monitoring, and if my BP stays around where it is when I am resting they will prep my cervix on Saturday and induce Sunday. Sunday will be week 36. At that point, Jolynn will most likely only need a few days of observation. If BP goes up before Saturday then they will induce before.

Jolynn's progress (she's the one that is doing great):
According to Babycenter:
Your baby doesn't have much room to maneuver now that he's over 18 inches long and tips the scales at 5 1/4 pounds (pick up a honeydew melon). Because it's so snug in your womb, he isn't likely to be doing somersaults anymore, but the number of times he kicks should remain about the same. His kidneys are fully developed now, and his liver can process some waste products. Most of his basic physical development is now complete — he'll spend the next few weeks putting on weight.

34 weeks

Doc Appt: BP was 134/82. Gained another pound. Still one pound down from starting weight. Guess I have to expect it at this point - baby has to grow. The ultrasound was first. Everything went and looked good. We got some more pictures. Not much room left in there. She was head down and the technician thinks she's pretty much going to stay there. If she moves it is from side to side, not doing flips from head to rump. Which but the way her rump seems like it is constantly in my ribs. Love that. After the ultrasound we had our regular OB appt with the non-stress test. She had been moving like crazy all day, during the US, and while in the waiting room. Then we get in to do the non-stress test and she doesn't move. Dr. Haxton came in and said her heart rate looked good and steady and there were a few points where it was accelerated so she wasn't worried. The fact that she wasn't moving probably just meant she was sleeping or comfy where she was. The doctor figures by the US that Jolynn is 5lb 2oz give or take 6oz. Which means she could be 5-6 lbs right now. There is still talk of being induced at 37 weeks. It was mentioned actually more than the 39 weeks at today's appointment. She did say we would make the appointment to be induced in week 38 so we can pick what doctor will be there and when we want to go in. If it happens naturally after making the appointment-all the better.

This week didn't see much going on. Been pretty low key. Went to a movie (Eclipse). Put up the mural (peel-n-stick). Jon put up a shelf. Hope to have the book shelves by next week. (Blogger is acting funny - won't load photos - see Facebook for photos of mural and shelf.)

Jolynn according to Babycenter:
Your baby now weighs about 4 3/4 pounds (like your average cantaloupe) and is almost 18 inches long. Her fat layers — which will help regulate her body temperature once she's born — are filling her out, making her rounder. Her skin is also smoother than ever. Her central nervous system is maturing and her lungs are continuing to mature as well. If you've been nervous about preterm labor, you'll be happy to know that babies born between 34 and 37 weeks who have no other health problems generally do fine. They may need a short stay in the neonatal nursery and may have a few short-term health issues, but in the long run, they usually do as well as full-term babies.