The same Dr. Demosthanes who told me that I could go to church came in on Monday morning (Halloween) and said since things had gone so well over the weekend I could basically go home if I wanted to. I told her I had mixed feelings about it because I really would love to go home, but I was nervous about it since the other doctors seemed to think that I should stay at the hospital. She told me to just think about it and talk to Dr. Chasedunn Roark on Tuesday and let her know. I went back and forth about it with Jonathan and in the end we decided I should stay at the hospital. Ding ding ding...we made the right choice!
That afternoon I was on the phone with my sister and chatting about the quandry I'd been in about going home and how I didn't feel like I'd be having a baby anytime soon because I still felt fine. I told her I had to get off the phone and because I had to use the bathroom. Low and behold...my water broke while I was on the toilet. Conveniently enough. Jonathan had gone home to get some stuff to decorate our room and get candy for some trick or treaters that night. I called him and told him that he should probably hurry back as soon as possible. THEN I called the nurse and she came to check things out. At that point I was still feeling fine. The nurse called Dr. Chasedunn Roark to let her know what was going on. She checked me and said I was dilated to a 5. After that I started having contractions that fairly quickly got painful and pretty close together. My water broke at 3:20. Ideally they would have liked to wait until 8:00 to do the C-section (since Rylee still had not turned) because I had just eaten at 12:30. However, they determined that if they waited until 8:00 that Rylee would never wait that long to come. So they said they'd be doing the C-section in an hour. Wow! Talk about things happening quickly. (I was glad I hadn't decided to go home as soon as I was offered the choice. Aside from it being good that I was at the hospital, it was just really messy having my water break and it would have been a pain to clean up at home and/or in the car). It wasn't exactly an hour and by the time they numbed me up I was so ready for the contractions to stop. So painful. I was awake the whole time, but I'm sure I didn't appreciate it as much as I could have because there were so many other discomforts (that were millions time better than the contractions).
Rylee Bea was born at 5:53 and weighed 6 pounds 8 ounces. She was 18 1/2 inches long with a head of black hair. They showed her to me briefly before cleaning her and then again before taking her to the NICU. I cried which was terrible since my nose was already so congested from laying there (one of the discomforts I was referring to). Jonathan's mom stopped by while I was still pretty numbed up. My mom and dad stopped by a little while after that. Honestly, that part is all a little foggy. Not sure what all went on. They moved me to a new room that wasn't as good as the one I left unfortunately.
Rylee really was a great baby. She really didn't need to go to the NICU. Apparently the hospital has a policy that ANY baby born before 35 weeks has to go to the NICU. Rylee was born 2 days before 35 weeks. She was never on oxygen or never had anything except the IV for hydration. They didn't even use it after she started eating from the bottle.
I was told that I'd be there until Thursday and that Rylee would be in the NICU until probably Wednesday evening. Tuesday and Wednesday were long days for me. The previous 3 weeks had flown by, but once Rylee was out I was just ready to go home. Getting in and out of bed to go to the bathroom was just painful with the incision. And there were people coming in and out all the time. It was like Grand Central Station. And then I was going to the NICU to see Rylee. Yeah, just really ready to go home. It was so exciting on Wednesday when they gave the okay for her to be released from NICU. They brought her to me around 4:00 that afternoon. After wanting her there it was slightly overwhelming. The nurse brought her in and then just left. For once no one was there with me and all I could think was...how in the world do I take care of this little baby?? She had been fed by the bottle in NICU and at that point I was still not sure if I'd be able to breastfeed, but she had a sign in her bassinet saying she was a breast-fed baby. Ever since she was born I was trying to pump and getting just a few drops (literally) that that Jonathan would take to the NICU so they could add it to her bottle, but I hadn't tried to actually nurser her. I called the Lactation nurse who came to try and help me and gave me some direction. Rylee latched for just a few seconds, but that was all. So she got formula instead.
Thursday morning was even busier than the previous two mornings as we waited for Rylee to take the carseat test (the only thing at that point that would prevent her from going home that day if she were to fail the test). They photographer came and took some really cute pictures that cost a fortune, so we didn't order any. We finally got to go home right before 2:00.
My friend Beth is pregnant and due Dec. 22nd. She just posted pictures of this adorable nursery and all her baby preparations. I'm so jealous that she got to do that before the baby came. My house is a wreck. My mom thankfully tried to get things somewhat organized, but she couldn't really put it all away. I'm finally (after being home for 3 days) starting to get things put away and feel like I'm getting my sanity back. It was buried under all the piles of mail and cards and newspaper and stuff we brought home from the hospital.
So that's my story. I have a few more posts I'll do that are just goings on. In the mean time here are some pictures...(if you made it through all my ramblings good job. lol)
After my water broke. The nurse was putting in my IV and I was still feeling good at this point.
Ready for the knife. I was feeling a little loopy at this point I think.
Last picture as a family of two...
Dr. Chasedunn Roark. She also delivered my niece Kate.
Whoa! My first view of Rylee
Getting cleaned up and checked out
Proud daddy already in love with her. : )
This is about where I started to tear up. Our first picture together.
In the recovery room trying to move my toe. Yeah, it wasn't happening, but Jonathan thought my efforts were entertaining.
In the NICU. Everyone now keeps saying how tiny she is, but she seems huge to us since we saw her compared to all the tiny babies in the NICU.
lol...do you see these legs? Apparently this is very common for Frank Breech babies.
So for Halloween they dress up all the babies in the NICU. Here's our little ghost.
Feeding Rylee for the first time
A visit from Grandma Leckie after being released from the NICU
Visit from Grandma Buffington
Rylee loves to be swaddled! We have become pros. : )
Our first picture as a family of three!
6 comments:
That's funny that even in her swaddling picture you can see her little legs all spread out. Will she put them together at all? Guess it makes diaper changes easier! Loved the pictures and the story. Congrats!
Wearing breech babies in the correct way(there are a LOT of carriers out there like the baby bjorn and snugli type carriers that are what I like to call "dangling" carriers because they just dangle the baby by their crotch are very very bad for frank breech babies because they promote more instances of hip dysplasia...which frank breeches are more prone to) with legs either froggied underneath(tucked up underneath the bottom) or with their legs out but in a very deeply seated position will help her to have less risk of hip dysplasia and help promote normal development of her hips as she grows...so, that's more incentive for you to want to use the wrap I gave you(which I totally spaced on as she gets bigger you can just not fold it in half length-wise and that will accommodate her growth) :)
I also want you to know that a few drops the first couple of days of pumping is also perfectly normal. A newborn baby's stomach is about the size of a small marble the first couple of days then grows to the size of a ping pong ball or the size of the baby's fist around 3-5 days old and around 10 days old is about the size of an egg. I wish someone had told me that when I was trying to pump in the hospital after Bella was born and was only getting a few drops and felt completely discouraged about it but it's NORMAL! Also, with preterm babies, their suck reflex isn't as strong as a full term baby's is and you might see a drastic improvement as she gets closer to her due date so keep offering her your breast as often as possible and make your breast seem like a wonderful, inviting place.
Glad to hear everything is okay! It's so hard coming home to the initial adjustment of a third (not to mention new little baby) person in the home! I hope it goes smoothly for you.
I'm so happy for you guys! I've been waiting to hear how everything went so thanks for posting about it!
What a great post! I've been so excited to read the story, and am really impressed you got it up as soon as you did. I know a lot of new moms who don't get it up for a month or two-you are really on top of things! That's incredible how fast she came, and I loved all her just born pictures and that you cried! I actually started freaking out a little when you had her cause it makes it seem so much more real that I'll be having one soon too. I didn't know how often you put lotion on them and thought "I dont know how to be a mom! And they're going to leave her alone with me!!", so that made me smile you had some similar feelings when they left her there for the first time. She couldn't be luckier to have you for a mom though Crystal--you already have such a mothering spirit and worlds of preparation behind you that many dont have. I'm amazed how much she looks like you too! I'm glad you liked our little nursery, but if it makes you feel better, I'm a tad jealous of allthe great stuff you got at your first shower, the fact that you're having more than one, AND don't have to go through the last month and a half of pregnancy and the extra 10+ pounds people put on with that! Haha :) I sent you a gift that will help decorate the nursery a bit and not cause clutter, hope that helps. And it will all come together-I never met someone who could turn a room of clutter into a room of organized cleanliness as fast as you can :) loved the post! Congrats again!!
I have been looking and looking at your blog every day to see if you've updated. :) Thanks for sharing your exciting story and pictures!!! She is SO beautiful I almost want to cry (pregnancy hormones...).
Good luck with the breastfeeding. I recommend The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding or kellymom.com. You'll figure out what works best for y'all. :)
I'm glad you didn't go home and that you were at the hospital and on the toilet when your water broke. Awesome. :)
Okay, really I can't wait to see you guys and I have like a million questions for you! Get rested and let your body heal and keep taking pictures! :)
Thanks for sharing your story! So glad you are finally home and can begin recovering and settling into your new normal life as a family of 3. I'm just so happy for your Crystal! Looking forward to keeping up with Rylee's pics on here.
Post a Comment