Update + Previa

Sorry for the silence! The past couple of weeks have caught up with us and we hit a wall of exhaustion. At this point we are kind of just going through the motions... and I don't mean that as negatively as it sounds. We are just taking everything day by day.

Caroline has been doing really well. She is still off of her oxygen. She has increased her feedings to 26 mLs and will go up to 29mL tonight at midnight. Once she crossed over the 25 mark, they took out the IV. So that was today!  They did get the IV in by the way! It was in her foot for a day and that vein blew so they got it with only one prick in her arm. So thank goodness we get to take a break from that...but hopefully done (knock on wood).

On Thursday I got to start breastfeeding a little. I wasn't expecting much but was pleasantly surprised at how well she latched. We have been getting the hang of it since and are making progress. I know to expect feeding set backs but it feels good to be off to a solid start. I clearly do not birth babies very well (I'm 0 for 2)... so maybe I can ace the breastfeeding portion of maternity/postpartum.

She did hit her birth weight last night! Which felt really good to hear. I know the lack of IV fluids will likely cause a drop in her weight in the next day or two, but it still felt like a milestone to get back to 4 lbs 9 ounces.   I even took a picture of her little chart to document it :) Oh.. and she can wear clothes now! Let the fun begin :)

I started thinking that many of you know that Caroline came early but are not entirely sure WHY she came early.  Well, at my 18 week anatomy scan I was told I had placenta previa, or low lying placenta. I was put on pelvic rest and told I would have another scan at 30 weeks but not to worry, over 90 percent of placenta previa cases correct as the uterus enlarges. Though statistics were on my side I became increasingly anxious as my pregnancy went on that it had indeed NOT corrected itself. I was carrying Caroline high but felt so much pressure low. I was tiring easily, my stomach was upset, things just didn't feel "right".  Disclaimer: these are not considered symptoms of placenta previa. I just knew my body was out sync.

At 28 weeks, 5 days I took Whitaker to the track to ride his bicycle. I made it a half a mile and had to sit down. Exhausted, I laid down with Whitaker and took a nap after we got home.  When I woke up I went to the bathroom and was bleeding. I knew then that my previa had NOT corrected. I spent 6 days in the hospital on bed rest. It was considered a small bleed so they sent me home on modified bed rest with the promise that I would not veer more than 10-15 miles away from the hospital and that I wouldn't be alone. Within a week and a half I was back with my 2nd bleed... this one much larger. It happened at 1 o'clock in the morning and felt like my water had broken. My mom had come to spend the night with me while Daniel was out of town for the night. I had almost fought her coming to stay but I knew everyone would feel more comfortable with her at the house so I decided to give up that battle. Well it was a good thing she was there because I was able to jump up and drive myself to the hospital in the middle of the night. It was quite the "no-no" to drive but I had to make a decision because I knew the hemorrhage risks and how quickly I needed to get there. Waking my mom up would have delayed me a minute or two which could have been crucial.

So here I was again.. in the hospital on bed rest while Daniel took care of everything at home and my precious boy went through a second week of me not being present. It was heart wrenching. This round I decided I wasn't getting out of bed until they discharged me. On Monday, August 25th I basically got the clear that after 6 days in the hospital for the 2nd time that I could go home on the 26th. My body had different plans.

Monday, August 25th was a great day. Whitaker spent several much needed hours with me at the hospital. We snuggled and went down to see the fish and had some good quality time together. That night, my friend Sara had come to visit. Several times while she was there I felt twinges of pain. I had been contracting a little a few days before and this felt different than that. I knew that if I called the nurse right away they 1. would have wanted me to just track the cramps and 2. delayed my discharge date. I also didn't want them to think that I was making something out of nothing. After Sara left, I sat  very still and tried to see if there was a pattern to these pains. Within minutes I felt the same sensation that my water had broken. I ran to the bathroom and the whirlwind began. I won't go into too much detail but Im sure you have gathered that I had a 3rd bleed.. much worse than the first two.  When you pull the nurse chord in the bathroom and tell them you are bleeding... they come fast and they come in a pack. This all began at 9:35 pm and our Caroline was born via "emergency" c-section at 10:17pm. It was a very overwhelming chain of events and I held it together fairly well until Daniel walked into the OR (2 minutes before Caroline was born). I cried at the relief of having comfort by my side. Daniel has a strange way of staying calm in the most stressful situations. But when I heard Caroline cry, well .. I bawled.

Last picture as an only child!  (taken on Mon. August 25th)