December 25, 2009

Merry Christmas everyone! This Christmas day is a bittersweet one--sad because Cooper can't be home with us for Christmas, but happy because this week he has made so many positive accomplishments. He's back on the nasal canula and they keep reducing his oxygen levels which means if all goes well he'll be breathing entirely on his own before long. He's handling his feedings well and they're upping the amounts he gets every day. He will probably have his IV's removed this week--yayyyy! Matt and I have been able to hold him almost every day, but only for a short time. We hope all these good things continue and we won't have to endure any other serious "bumps in the road". He'll be 4 weeks old on Sunday and now weighs 2 lbs. 11 oz. Thanks so much for all the prayers and please keep them coming.

December 17, 2009

Talk about being on a roller coaster, that's the way the last few days have been. We got great news on Monday--the small hole in the valve in his heart has closed and he's beginning to gain weight. I guess the mommy milk agrees with him. Then on Tuesday nite they had to put him back on the ventilator. He was having to work too hard to breathe and they didn't want him to overtire. They ran a blood culture to be sure all this grief wasn't due to an infection. Well, it was an infection, apparently coming from his "broviac" (central IV). He's on antibiotics and they're checking his blood again to make sure the antibiotics are working. They will remove the broviac but would like to wait until the first of next week when they feel they can take him off his "gatorade and fat" cocktail and feed him with only mother's milk. I sure hope so. Thanks so much for the prayers and good wishes. It sure makes the rough times a little easier to go through.

December 10, 2009

Little Cooper is doing well. He still has some "destats" which means lapses in his breathing, but the nurses say that condition will improve as his lungs mature. He's eating again-mama's milk-2 cc's 4 times a day-and if that goes well they will increase his feedings this weekend. He's still a bit under weight but hopefully the milk will put some fat on his little bones. In the meantime he has a yummy cocktail of electrolites and other nutritional stuff and lipids (fat) by IV. He likes sleeping on his tummy but they want him to be able to sleep on his back. So he tolerates that for a while and then the "wiggle worm" in him comes out and he moves his legs and arches his back trying to roll over. We catch him trying to put his thumb in his mouth which is ok with us because we want him to perfect his sucking reflex. Thanks for all the encouragement and prayers. It means so much to us.

December 8, 2009

We're feeling much relieved tonight. They ran a brain scan today to see if little Cooper has had any brain bleeds which are common in low birth weight babies. The results showed none. It was so hard to sleep last night wondering what they would find. We're so thankful. They also performed a spinal tap to see if there was any infection present, and that too was negative. Our little guy seems to be a real fighter. The nurse practitioner said she never would have believed he would be doing so well since he was really shaky when he was born. Next we have to see if a problem with an unclosed valve in his heart has been solved by medication, and, if not, another round of the meds. He's still on the light for his bilirubin levels, but they were lower today so maybe he'll be off that soon. I've been able to hold him yesterday and today for about 20 minutes , but I wish I could hold him longer. He still has some problems regulating his body temp, so we can keep him out of the isolette for so long. I guess as time passes all his bodily processes will mature and these things will clear up. Please don't forget us in your prayers.

December 5, 2009

Saturday, December 5--It's been an eventful couple of days. I got to hold my sweet tiny little baby for the first time yesterday. I couldn't believe the feeling--there's nothing like it. Cooper is doing better with his bilirubin levels and seems to be doing pretty well regulating his body temp. Today the doctors inserted a picc line which is a port for his iv's. Now he won't have to be stuck every time they need to give him something. He turns toward our voices when we talk to him. He loves it when they place him on his tummy. The doctors say he is doing very well, but we can expect setbacks. Since there was so much drama during my pregnancy, I'd love for there to be no drama with him. We'll see.

Thursday, December 3, 2009

Well, I'm at home and it's tough leaving little Cooper at the hospital. It's a whirlwind of activity there in the NICU--as of today 58 babies in some state of crisis or another. Cooper is doing fine so far. He lost about an ounce which is normal for all newborns, but he's made great strides in other areas. Today they removed him from the CPAP (which helped him breathe) to a Vaportherm, a small tube in his nostrils. I was allowed to change his diaper, pick him up while his nurse changed his bedding, take his temperature, and for the first time, see his face and head minus all the equipment. I see a lot of Matt in him, except for his nose. He has a good bit of hair and is well proportioned even though he's small. He was fed breast milk through a tiny tube that goes down his throat into his tummy. He's on a light for his bilirubin levels (liver function). He still has a long way to go, but it's a good start. Keep him in your prayers.

Cooper is here

He is here, he was born at exactly 26 weeks, on Thanksgiving day, I started bleeding, it went away, they started me on magnesium friday morning, by that night, I refused the mag, the side effects were just too much, I thought I was having a heart attack, my face was burned, i had a racing heart, chest pains, headaches, nausea, and light headed. Contractions started at 4 am on sunday morning, which we didn't think were contractions, they weren't picking up on the monitor, so we thought just gas pains, until about 4 that afternoon when i got up to go to the restroom, and I couldn't get off the bathroom floor, the pain was uncontrollable. They drug me back to the bed, and rushed me to l&d, I was in such pain, i begged for pain meds, and you know it was bad if I was begging for meds. They got the iv started, got the dr in there to talk to me, not sure what he said, they did and ultrasound and he was breech. I said I have to push, and the dr finally checked me, I was at a 10 and figured I had been that way for 20 mins. So I was rushed in for an emergency c-section. I was in the OR for 2 mins before I was out. He was born at 4:35, weighing in at 2lbs 1.5 ozs., 13 3/4 inches long. They took him straight to the nicu and he was placed on the ventilator with 50/50. He was taken off the ventilator about 8 this morning and placed on the c-pap machine breathing 77% on his own. Hes doing really well and weighed more than they expected of a baby born at 26 weeks. So we are trucking along, praying a lot, and going to see him a lot. They said I'd be released on Wednesday. We can't touch him for 72 hrs, although they let my husband touch his foot today.

day who knows....

I know I'm behind on my blog. I'll probably update every week or so from now on. I got moved to another room which is now at the end of the hallway and much quieter. Its been a rough week for me. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday and I was kinda sad that we couldn't do our regular Thanksgiving traditions. But it was a rough day for me, I had the nurse come in around 10 to hook Cooper up on the monitor and I always get up to use the restroom before they hook me up. And I had major bleeding. I just knew that Cooper was going to be born that day. The nurse called the Dr and Dr Hill came in and did an examination and told me everything was ok, that Cooper was ok and he wasn't going to be born that day. I was so relieved. But I just broke down. It was so stressful. This pregnancy has been eventful to say the least. They put me on magnesium on Friday morning, and for the nurses trying to find a vein to put the iv was a task. My hands look like pin cusions. I felt ok during the day with the magnesium, just really tired until around 5. And after 5 I have never had this kind of reaction with any kind of drug. My heart was beating fast, I felt like I could crawl out of my skin, my chest hurt, my face was on fire, it looked like I had been in the sun for days. And around 10 Friday night, I was begging to be taken off of the magnesium. The nurse called the Dr to ask what else she could do before I was taken off, but it took the Dr so long to call back, I finally refused the magnesium. They took it off and I immediately felt better with the exception of my chest hurting. It hurt all night, and this morning they finally did an EKG to make sure my heart was beating right. I felt completely better around 10 this morning. Mom stayed with me last night and I'm so glad she did. I found out today that I'm RH Negative, so I had to get a shot today which wasn't bad. But I'm so tired of being stuck with needles.

Day 9

Mom and Carson came by today for a little bit. I'm always happy to see Carson, he always makes me feel so good. He told me today that he wanted Cooper to be here.

My noisy neighbor was quiet all day until around 7 tonight when there were about 20 people in her room with a screaming baby. The nurses finally told them to leave. I'm still praying that she is here for a short stay!

Day 8

Today was pretty uneventful. Pretty much the daily routine, wake up at 5:15 to talk to the resident Dr, fall back asleep and wake back up at 6 for the tech to take my vitals, and then wait for the nurse to come in and give me my antibiotics. Then I sleep until 8 then wake up again for breakfast. My mom usually comes around 9:30 and we just hang out all day. I get my 30 minute escape which I look forward to everyday. But around 7 I got some new neighbors, some lady who doesn't speak English. She had around 15 visitors last night and they were so loud. And stayed loud until after 12. The walls here paper thin. I'm hoping shes only here for the weekend, otherwise its going to be an extra long 10 weeks.

Day 7

I woke up feeling better today, that ride around the hospital really helped. As everyday the doctors came in today and I was told that Cooper was a very active baby. He acted more like a 32 week fetus than a 24 week. Which is a good thing, I think, although that might mean that hes going to be very active baby.

Lin brought chickfila in today and I think that was the best chicken sandwich I've ever had.

I got my daily ride around the hospital and when I came back I got to see my little Cooper. I had an ultrasound today, they were looking to make sure he was practicing breathing, moving, and the fluid level. The fluid level was still low, which is expected, but he was breathing and moving just fine. He's my stubborn little boy when I get on the monitor though. He doesn't want to stay still.

I get an ultrasound every Thursday, so I'm excited about that.
I was also told I was the happiest patient they've had so I get requested a lot by the nurses, because I'm not any trouble. lol, they don't know me too well.

Day 6

It was cloudy when I finally decided to open the blinds today. It makes for a sluggish day. The room is so small and it gets to be a little much. I opened my door today just for some different views, which doesn't say much because it's just the hallway.

Today was the same as yesterday, my friend Amy brought me some lunch which was nice to not have to eat hospital food.

But the Dr and the many many residents came in today and I was told that I get thirty minutes a day to ride in the wheel chair around the hospital. I couldn't wait to get out of my room. Mom pushed me around and that 30 minutes went by so fast.

Day 5

I woke up this morning feeling kinda blah. My days are running together. I know its way too early for my days to be running together. Its going to be a long 10 weeks.

If Cooper cooperates and my body cooperates, he should be here sometime mid January.

Not much different than yesterday, antibiotics, monitoring, and laying in bed. The highlights of my day.....breakfast, lunch, dinner, and getting to see Matt.
I miss him, I miss having him beside me in bed at night. I miss my puppies. I know this is all worth it, but its hard.

I asked if I could get out of the room for a little while in a wheel chair ride and I was denied.

Day 4

Today was pretty uneventful, filled with antibiotics and vital checks. They are still checking Cooper's heartbeat 3 times a day. Which means they hook me up to a monitor and as long as they can track his heartbeat, they leave it on me for a hour.

He was pretty cooperative for the first two times, but I ate a donut right before the last monitoring and he was hyper so they couldn't track him until 11:00. So I stayed on the monitor until a little after 12.

The boredom is starting to get to me.

I'm thankful for my mom who has been coming up here everyday and keeping me company. And I get to see Gail everyday that she works, so its nice to have her working here.

Day 3

Day 3. Matt spent the night again last night, I don't know how well he sleeps, the chair is a pull out and his feet hang off the end. I was checked on every two hours so they could take my blood pressure and my temp. Although I slept really well last night. But tonight I get a do not disturb, so I will get to sleep from 12 to 6 with no interruptions. So I'm excited about that.

I started my morning off with the attending Dr (Dr Oakley) stopping in my room at 5:30, to check on me before she went off shift. So I was wide awake after that. I got more rounds of antibiotics and 3 hours of monitoring Cooper's heartbeat, which is the best sound in the world.

Ginny, Russell, McCulloch, Abby, Charlotte, Kedron, Gail, and Gail's mom stopped by today.
I pray everyday that I make it for the next 10 weeks. I talk to Cooper a lot about being a good boy and staying put.

I'm getting a little stir crazy and I'm hoping tomorrow they will let me out of my bed for awhile.

I'm looking forward to tomorrow, I finally get to meet my high risk doctors and I meet with the neonatologist sometime this week to talk about the risks of delivering early and Cooper's growth. So I'm taking it day by day.

Day 2

Day 2 in the hospital. I didn't sleep well, the nurse came in every two hours to check Cooper's heartbeat and my blood pressure. But I was looking forward to changing rooms to a more comfortable bed. I had my second and last steroid shot today and it wasn't as bad as the first one. I'm still hooked up to an IV with saline solution and antibiotics. My day nurse, Amber, on the labor and delivery section was really nice and I tried to take her with me to my new room which is right down the hall but its called the antipartum section and she had to stay in l&d. So I had to start all over with new nurses. I still have all the same drs and I see them once or twice a day. Tonight I have a do not disturb on my file so I hope to get some sleep tonight. They won't come in after 12 tonight and no earlier than 6 in the morning.

Tomorrow will mark 24 weeks for me, so its my first mark to make it to. My next mark will be 28 weeks. They are hoping I will make it 10 more weeks. So Cooper and I have many discussions on how he needs to stay in for that long. :)

His heartbeat is really strong and he is a bit stubborn, they check for his heartbeat and they will get it and he likes to kick the machine and move to a different spot, so they have to move the machine again.

Cooper

On Thursday November 5, my water broke at 22 1/2 weeks, freaked out I went to the dr, and she was hopeful, so I was put on bed rest for the next week at home. At 23 weeks 5 days I was admitted to Palmetto Richland Hospital to stay for the next three months(hopefully).

Today is my first day at the hospital. And I've found that PRH is a learning hospital, so its kinda like Grey's Anatomy. So for my first ultrasound and check, there was the attending dr, the intern, a resident, and a nurse all in my room. I've been hooked up to an iv and just getting fluids to keep my amniotic fluid up. I also just got my first steroid shot to mature Cooper's lungs. And that is the most painful shot I've ever had. It was given in the thigh and felt like the worst charlie horse ever.

And now I'm just hanging out trying to get comfortable for the next three months.

I'll be updating the blog daily.