There and back again

I know that I haven't posted in a while. Life has been crazy!

A lot has happened in the past 3 months. For starters I went back to work on Jack's 3 month birthday. It was both exciting and so sad. I was blessed to get three months at home with my baby.

The week before I went back to work we were finishing up replacing the water lines in our house. Gavin had recruited some of our friends to help him and did an awesome job. They had all the lines in place and the next step was to hook the lines up to the main line. To do this we had to have the city shut off our water. We were only going to have it off for one day, so I filled up the bath tub with water so we could flush the toilet, filled up every water bottle and empty milk jug with water in the fridge and we were set to go. Gavin hooked every thing up and then had the city come turn the water back on. Every thing seemed to be great except for some mysterious water running sound that we couldn't find. We went to bed and didn't think much of it.

In the morning Gavin went out in the front yard to find a large damp area just in front of the house. The only think we could think of was that the main water line had burst. So Gavin and our friend Greg started to dig.

This what we found. Sadly, when the city turned the water back on it blew the main line due to the stupidity of former owners. They were the do it yourself type people. We have found numerous projects in our house they tried to do themselves and we get to spend all the money to fix they have done jobs. They must have had the main line burst closer to the street. Our house is on a slab and it costs money to replace the galvanized pipe into the house. So they replaced the rest of the line from the street to within 3 feet of the house with pex piping. Then they just connected it into the line going into the house. When the city turned the water back on the pressure coming out of the new line into the old galvanized pipe was too much for the it.

Gavin, being the smart man that his is, rented a mini excavator to dig a 4 foot deep trench from the street to the house. Lucky for us we have the best ward ever. We had a lot of people come over and help us.

This is the whole the drilled in the floor of my dinning room to run the new line into the house.

Finished product after the plumber came.

All said and done we had the water turned off for over a week at our house. We stayed at a hotel for two nights and then made due at the house the rest of the time. In the midst of all this craziness I went back to work. Ironically, I started my first day of work living in a hotel. It was only fitting for my first day back at work to be from a hotel as well. 

Part of going back to work was taking Jack to daycare. Not my favorite moment. I'll get more into that, but first Jack's blessing. They day before Jack's blessing Gavin and I managed to clean up our house and get all the water hooked up so that we could have over 40 people in our house. We were blessed to have a warm day so a lot off people and a lot of kids could hangout in the back yard. 

It was nice to have so many people come share in this special time with us. 

Our next adventure came after Jack had been in daycare for about a month. We were headed down to Utah to visit people and help Gavin's dad pack. Jack had been a little sick with a runny nose, but nothing crazy. When we were about 15 minutes from Kelly's house Jack started to breath really weird. We kept going figuring he had just been in the car forever and we were almost there. By the time we got up to the house Jack sounded awful. My next thought was to get him out of his car seat. We took him in the house and he just sounded so sad. I was worried that he had RSV and wasn't sure what to do. So we called my insurance company to make sure they would cover his stay if we went to Primary Children's Hospital. So we drove 30 minutes to the hospital.

We were in the ER for quite a while. They finally decided that he had croup and wanted to keep him overnight for observation. They gave him some steroids and his cough cleared right up. I wish that I would have taken a picture of the pullout bed Gavin and I slept on together. It was so small. Neither of us slept great. Jack did well during the night and we got to go home.

The next Monday started our current adventure. Gavin woke up from 20 minute nap and said he felt weird. After sitting in the living room for an hour he said that he couldn't really use his arms. I checked his strength and it was significantly diminished in both arms from his shoulders to his hands. He couldn't really control them well. Then he started to get pain going through both arms. I was freaked out think of all the things it could be. None of the options were very happy. So we called some friends over to give him a blessing.

I've been grateful for all my schooling and initiative to get the testing done that we need. It has been like pulling teeth and we still don't know what is going on yet. Gavin has done an MRI, EMG, nerve conduction testing, general blood tests, steriods, CT scans, dopplers, ultra sounds and I still feel like we don't have any answers. We do know what it isn't. He doesn't have anything wrong with his spine and his nerves seem to be intact. But due to the pain that he is in constantly now he had to quit his job.

In a lot of ways we see this as a blessing. We hadn't been really impressed with Jack's daycare experience and this gives Gavin a chance to stay home with Jack, while he finishes up school. While there are a lot of ups and down in how Gavin feels during the day, he has been an amazing dad. I feel like I have a chance to give back for all the things Gavin did for me when I was on bed rest.

Some of the projects I've done for Gavin are insulating the water pipes now running through out attic, building a ramp for our shed and getting our front lawn ready for planting grass.

Here are just a few pictures of Jack being cute.

Gavin was trying to keep his hands warm. So he rolled him up like a burrito.

He is getting so big!

2 month check up

So before we go in to the check I just want to talk about the saga leading up to it. Since we brought Jack home a month ago we have been going to the pediatricians office at the hospital. We have been seeing the doctor the NICU set us up with. At first I didn't think we had an option to see someone else. Then we could get into anyone else because their schedules were full. Finally I was fed up with the doctor we were supposed to see and made sure that we changed Jack's 2 month check up to someone else.

Being a premie, Jack has a lot of extra stuff going on. I didn't think that our original doctor was really addressing any of them. When I would bring things up he brushed them off saying they would go away or that things were normal. He kept saying we would take Jack off the caffeine in two weeks but then have us set up an appointment for a month out. Best decision I ever made was not going back to that doctor. To all those new mom's out there, or mom's who still have small kids know that you never have to stick with the same doctor if you aren't getting the care you feel you or your kid's need. Even if it is just a personality conflict. It is so important that you feel comfortable communicating with your health care providers.

Now back to my original post. Jack had his 2 month checkup on Tuesday. It is crazy that it has been two months already. We hadn't been to the doctor in a couple of weeks (weird for us) and I was really curious how much weight he had gained. Plus I swore that he had grown taller. So his stats were 8 lbs 8.5 oz, 21 inches long, head circumference 14.4 inches. The doctor said he is growing great and right on track for being a premie. This was probably the longest appointment we have had so far. The doctor went over so many things with us.

He showed me a simple massage I could do for Jack's clogged tear ducts. He has had goopy eyes since we were in the NICU. When I had asked our last doctor about it he said it would go away and they were only concerned if it got red. I was so mad at him for not caring. The massage has done wonders in only just one day!

Jack has a little yeast infection in his arm pits. I'm guessing it is due to the monitor he has to wear. It keeps that area moist. We got a cream for that and are extra good at keeping it clean and dry. It seems to be clearing up nicely.

Jack's head is starting to get flat on the right side. No matter what I do he always wants his head turned that way. It doesn't matter how I put him to bed and what I try to prop his head up with he is always turned back to the right in the morning. We are going to start physical therapy soon for that. (I know what you are all saying ,"Aren't you a physical therapist?" Why yes I am, but I have never worked with babies before. Not my area of expertise.)

He is obviously behind developmentally for kids his chronological age, but still doing fine for gestational age.

The doctor had us stop his caffeine. So far his monitor hasn't gone off. If he does fine by tomorrow we can take the monitor off for good. Cross your fingers! It will be so nice to have that monitor gone.

Jack is Home!

Jack is currently sleeping on my lap so I get to write a few quick words here.

Jack got to come home yesterday. The whole process was nothing like what we were expecting. On Tuesday, Jack's nurse called Gavin and told him they were going to discharge Jack that day. Instead of excitement panic ensued. We had a different doctor from Boise here this week and apparently a few things didn't get passed along. We were planning on having a night to spend with Jack at the hospital before he came home. He was going to be on a monitor and we wanted to make sure everything was working correctly and that we knew how to take care of him before he came home.

Gavin called me and told me what had happened. I promptly called the hospital and had a chat with the nurse. Those of you who know me well, know that I hate talking to people I don't know on the phone. I didn't even hesitate calling this nurse. Turns out the nurse was from Boise too and didn't know how they did things here. We were a little upset because Jack was in the middle of his car seat test. He hadn't even passed yet and they were trying to get him out of there. I explained to her what we were expecting and she talked to the doctor. The doctor said it would be fine for us to spend the night.

So I gathered up everything I would need, after I called Amanda in a panic not sure what I needed to take for Jack :). Amanda is so good to me. I had a lot of stuff. We got to stay in the family stay room. It was almost like being at home except for the nurse coming in every three hours to bug Jack. I'll have to say it was much nicer being at home last night.

Everything went well Wednesday night. In the morning Gavin got up to go to class and stepping on his glasses breaking one side. Not the best way to start your day. We were hoping we would get discharged in the morning after he got back from class. We set up an appointment to get new glasses for Gavin at 1:00 p.m. I should know better than to think that we would get discharged when I wanted. The charge nurse was really nice and started all the paper work before the doctor had even written the discharge order. Good thing she did. The whole process took until 12:30 when we finally made it out the door.

Then after the lady said we were fine to go with Jack in the car we discovered our car seat (which is brand new) wasn't fitting right in the car. Gavin was going to be late for his eye appointment and we buckled Jack in with the seat belt just to make sure he was safe.

By the time we made it home it was 2:30. Jack was starving. I was starving but had to feed Jack. Gavin had to get ready to go to his other class. Then I had to head back to the hospital with Jack to see if I could add him to the insurance with out his birth certificate. They said I couldn't. I should have waited because it was in the mail when I got home.

So to make a long story, not so long, we love having Jack home. He is such a good baby. He doesn't cry very often and when he does he is pretty easy to calm down. He loves to snuggle with you and make noises all the time.

Thank you for everyone who has helped us out over the past three months. It has been a crazy ride. I'm sure that life will continue to keep us on our toes.

The blue cord is his apnea monitor to make sure that his is still breathing. 

One of our friend broke into our house and left us two signs, balloons and a gift. It was so awesome!

2 weeks old

So the past two weeks have been a whirl wind. I've just been trying to manage everything the best that I can. Having a baby in the NICU requires a lot of coordinating. They have hands on times every three hours. This is when they check his vitals, change his diaper and feed him. We try to make it to as many as we can, but that means we/I live at the hospital. Gavin is back at work so mostly I'm with him during the day.

We have had our ups and downs. They say this is pretty normal with premies. They ended up putting him on oxygen, not a lot, just enough to keep his saturation levels above 90. He absolutely hates the nasal canula in his nose. He does what ever he can to pull it out. He is pretty good at it. He also has the NG tube, that he has pulled out several times. It is hard because he loves to have his hands up by his face.

They thought he was getting sick a couple days ago. They ran labs over a couple days and everything came back negative. They were checking for RSV and the flu. They decided that he was probably fighting off a virus. That is when I started getting a sore throat and now have lost my voice. I have to wear a mask to go see Jack. I'm just hoping that I wasn't what got him sick in the first place.

The first week Jack lost some weight. This is pretty typical for all babies. Now he is just below 5 lbs, one more ounce to go. He is getting 42 mL of milk at every feeding now. Sometimes he eats half of that through a bottle with the rest going into his NG tube. Other times he is too tired and they just feed him all of it through the NG tube. Gavin got him to eat a whole bottle the other day. The nurses were telling each other that he was a miracle worker.

Everyone keeps asking if we know when he gets to come home. He is moving in the right direction. Right now he is eating 13% of his feedings on his own. He needs to be able to eat independently and be off his oxygen before he can come home. While he is making good progress we just don't know yet.

Here are a few picture of my cute boy.

Day after he was born

Snuggling with dad

Eating time

Lounging in the incubator

Sleeps so good on his tummy (don't worry he is hooked up to monitors)

Love his little hands

Gangster baby

Labor!

So I was 1 cm dilated when they started me on pitocin. My contractions were still going even though they had me on magnesium all night. Apparently, my body knew that I need to have a baby. Even though the pitocin and maganesium have opposite effects they continued the magnesium to make sure I didn't have a seizure. From 9-12 I dilated from a 1 to almost a 3. I was dilated enough for them to break my water.

Can I tell you that is the weirdest feeling ever having your water broken. I've heard it described several ways, but  I definitely had a gushing experience. I didn't even know the doctor was breaking my water and then bam! it was done.

Before they broke my water the anesthesiologist came in to discuss an epidural. The first this he said was that he wasn't telling me I could have one. I thought that was odd. He went on to explain that because I had HELLP Syndrome (I'll post about this) it was not recommended that I get an epidural. Because my platelets were so low if they hit any sort of blood vessel in my spine I was at high risk for bleeding out. I told him that I wasn't planning on getting an epidural in the first place. He told me at least three times that he wasn't trying to convince me not to get one. I thought it was pretty funny. I reassured him that I really didn't want on.

They said they could give me another drug for pain, but I don't remember the name. But they followed that by telling me it would make me a little loopy and would cross the placental barrier. I wanted to give Jack the best chance that I could so I declined that too. My contractions started to get more intense after they broke my water. They were pretty manageable until around 3:00. At that point I had Gavin give me some counter pressure and rub my legs. He did an awesome job taking orders from me, even though what I was asking was really hard for him. He doesn't do well when he has to keeping doing the same thing in one spot for very long. After a while that wasn't working anymore and I tried turning on to my side. I stayed there for a while with Gavin putting pressure on my back. I has so much back labor. It was hard because the only thing they had for him to sit on was a stool with wheels on it. Not so good when you are trying to push the opposite direction.

I think around 4:40 the NICU nurse finally came in to talk to me about what we could expect when the baby went to the NICU. She was nice and stopped her discussion while I had contractions. The NICU doctor came in while she was wrapping up. My contractions were getting pretty bad at this point and I had asked Gavin what I was thinking when I said I didn't want any drugs. The NICU doctor just taking through my contractions. I guess that was a good thing. I tried to listen and contribute to the conversation, but I was hurting pretty bad by that point.

They left just before 5:00. I was scheduled to get up and go to the bathroom again. I hadn't been checked since noon and the nurse decided that since I was hurting pretty bad she would check me before I got up. I thought it was bad when I wasn't dilated, but it felt a lot worse when I was more dilated to get checked. She let me know that I was 9 cm dilated and 100 effaced and Jack was dropping. After she checked me my pain started to get even worse. She asked me if I was feeling pressure down low and I said yes. Honestly I didn't really know. I just felt like the only thing I could do at this point to get rid of the pain was to push.

The nurse had rushed out of the room to get the NICU crew back in and to get my OB/GYN in the room. It as time to have a baby! So I started pushing while all these people were coming in. It is amazing how you don't really care about modesty at that point. I probably had at least 7 other people besides Gavin in the room.

We had never got to go to a birthing class because I got put on bed rest. We watch a video that was pointless and really had no idea what we were doing. I don't know if going to the class really would have helped. The doctor was trying to stretch me out, that didn't feel pleasant. Then they had Gavin grab a leg and the nurse grab the other leg. I just kept saying, "Tell me what to do. I don't know what I'm doing!" The NICU doctor jumped in behind me holding me up and coached me through it. I think I pushed probably 12 times in 20 minutes. They put the oxygen on me once because I was sure I was going to pass out from not breathing.

There was a light above my bed that was pretty reflective. I keep looking up trying to see if I could see Jack's head. I didn't feel like anything was happening. Finally his head appeared. Even though I was numb that part still hurt a lot. He was pretty bluish-gray when he came out. It took a few minutes (it seemed like) to get him breathing and then I heard him cry.

Then there is the part when you have the placenta come out. That was not anymore exciting then having the baby. After than they come and push on our abdomen to squish out all the blood. Why does no one talk about this part. It would be nice to know before it was happening. That hurt a lot.

After that I was exhausted. They doctor stitched me up which seemed like forever. I'm not sure how many stitches I got but it was probably a good 2 inches long. Fun fact (thanks Laura) when they do episiotomies they cut at an angle instead of a straight line. Mine was definitely on the left side.

They ended up no having to keep Jack on oxygen. I was so happy for him. Then they told me he weighed 4 lbs 8 oz and was 17 inches long. That was huge in my mind. They left me hold Jack for a few minutes before they took him off to the NICU. Gavin stayed with me for a while until he was sure I was okay. Then they let me try to take a nap and Gavin went to the NICU to see Jack.

I don't think I ever fell asleep but it was awesome to not be having contractions anymore. They told me I needed to get up and use the bathroom because It had been six hours since I went. I wanted to remind them of the time when I had a baby and that should count. I hadn't eaten in 24 hours and I did not feel good when I got up. After I got into the bathroom and sat down I started to see spots. I told them that it would probably be better if I ate something and tried this later or else I was going to pass out.

I'll stop here because this post is getting too long.

We didn't get any pictures in Labor and Delivery because everything was so crazy, sorry.