Gabe Update 3/16/07

With the snow falling, we went to Hershey this morning, ready for our 10 am feeding, Mommy ready to put her little man to breast. The weather and driving was horrible!! We saw one accident on the way, 3 accidents, including one guy swerving then spinning out in front of us, on the way back.
Gabe was adorable in his little bassinet, we scooped him up, loving on him and waking him gently. Mommy got ready right away, he did great! He spent about 5 minutes total on each breath really doing a good job, then the hicci-puppies set in (hiccups) He was quite annoyed. The nurse gave him his full feed and vitamins after we were done, pulled back about 10 cc's - so I know Momma at least got 10 cc's down him! YAY! The snow was looking foul still about an hour later, so we decided to go before we were stuck. We drove home, it was a hair raising drive with the roads so bad, we had already had at least 4 inches to 6 inches down by this point.
We stopped only to fill the gas tank in case of an emergency and get some grocery items so we wouldn't have to leave the house. It's 2am and it's been snowing since we got home, The news is saying we've gotten around 16 inches total. yay fun.
The rotten part was no Gabe visit this evening because the roads were so bad.
I really hope tomorrow will be better and the roads get plowed so I can go and feed and be with him.
Tonight, Michelle, his nurse, weighed him in at 4 lbs, 14 ounces and he fed from a bottle with no problems, taking the entire feed. So, we have had wonderful progress!! WTG Gabe!
I forgot my camera, so no pictures today :( Hopefully we can go tomorrow so I can show off my "little big Boy" in his bassinet. I also left enough milk to feed him for 24 hrs. So, I am doing something with the pump besides getting aggrivated! YAY!

Gabe update 3/15/07

Gabe is moving!

Gabe is going to an open air crib today! He has been maintaining his temps so we are hopeful he will maintain his temps and get to stay in his crib.... one step closer to the door OUT! YAY!

Now, we need to get little man feeding good! I am still pumping away, but if it's not meant to be, I am not going to put myself through the stress and pressure, whether or not it's by breast or bottle, whatever he can do is good for me! His weight is still maintaining at 4 lbs, 11 ounces, nothing lost, nothing gained. So all in all, he is doing a great job!!

More later.... ;)

Gabe's Update 3/13/07

Today was an awesome day!

I awoke to Kevin, rushing into the room, "Honey!! She (the nurse) said we could breastfeed!" I was groggy and looked up at him, "she did? when?", "at the 10am feeding!" - it was 9:30am!! I bet you never saw a lil old fat lady, holding her tummy together and moving so fast! LOL! We raced off and called the Hospital to let Nurse Jesse know we would probably be just a lil late but we were coming! She said she'd hold the feeding for us! We couldn't get there fast enough (for me anyway, who needs stop lights?)

Well, we got there, 10 minutes after 10am. Rushing as best we could as I'm hobbling along... We got up to NICU and they were doing a preemie study on him (I had agreed to participate in this research study for preemies, they collect DNA and record video of his daily routine, diaper change, clothing change, all the normal things you do to see how they respond to different stimuli, etc) So, we had to wait until they were done recording a video of him and doing the cheek swabs they needed. I was disappointed at first because when we got there she said they had to do an NG feeding on tape, so I was full and leaking, didn't pump in a while, waiting to see if we could feed. The Nurse Practitioner then said, no, we could go ahead and feed, she didn't need it on video because she got great data already! - more on that later - So we were a GO!

The nurse brought over the screen and I got ready ASAP! We put Gabryel to breast at 10:34am and he latched on immediately and had a great latch, sucking away, we could hear him sucking and really getting it!! Daddy got it on video. He nursed for 8 minutes before Jesse said we should give him a break and give him the rest of his feed by NG so as not to tire him out the first try. I could not have been happier, I just sat there hoding him after, crying like some blubbering idiot as I held him tightly to me. It was the most wonderful feeling!!! - So, She gave me another pump kit to keep there and I pumped the rest of the time to empty out. I left her an almost full 70 cc bottle for the next couple feeds when I was done. Daddy sat and "breastfed" him the rest of the milk with the NG tube while I went and pumped.

Later, the Nurse Practitioner doing the study came and told me what she had data on. She said Gabe was very much more developmentally able to deal with his surroundings than most of the preemies in the study as far as his temperament. He is very mellow and self sooths, he will curl up and snuggle his hands up to his chin or on his neck by his ears and will block out whats going on around him. He does not, however, like to be fiddled with, with cold touch - if the Nurses' hands are cold, he will bat his arms and kick his lil legs, he doesn't like cold touch. So, he's normal, I wouldn't like ice cold hands touching me either after I'm snuggly and warm! lol.

Later in the day we called for an update. Gabe apparently, at some point, pulled his nasal cannula out from under his nose and was content he finally got it - we've watched him try and get it off him before, he didn't really like it. So, she went to do her daily routine things, change the diaper, etc. when she noticed he was not having any issues, so she turned it off and decided to give him a chance without it. He has been off of it since and the discontinued it for good. (well, at this point, don't want to get ahead of myself thinking it may not be needed again, as we all know that situations may change.)

Well, here it is, 4am, 3/15/07 and he has not needed it since this afternoon. He has no tubes, IV's or O2. He has the NG tube for feeds and the electrodes to monitor him.
We've come a long way, baby!

Now, we have to get him to do 3 more things....

1. Maintain his own temp. So he can move out of the isolette and maintain his body temp.


2. Learn how to suck swallow and breathe thru all feeds. (or most)


3. Gain weight.

We certainly have come far in a pretty short amount of time, I want so desperately to hear the words "He can go home" But I am also waiting patiently for him, on his own timing so I know that when we all leave there, I take with me, a healthy baby boy!

For Kevin......

And so we walk along, our path full of uncertainty, our minds focused upon the quest and our will strong...
Where shall we journey today?
Some say the East, for that is where the sun will rise upon us, casting it's brilliance and warmth. Where the new day will bring us promise and hope.
Some say the West, for that is where the sun will set, and where the evening will guide us to another day of hope and promise.
I say, we stay where we are, face East each morning for the sun to honor our new day, and face West each night, for the moon to guide us until dawn.
For right here...in your arms, strong and warm, is where I shall forever want to be.. feeling your need and touch upon my skin.... finding hope and promise with your soul....finding love within your heart... that I may face each sunrise knowing that is where I will wake...in your arms always...and each night, I will lay in them with desire, passion and eternal love.
So, this I say to you....go to where your heart leads...where happiness is present, where love reigns above all....every day will be new to learn, share and feel.

My Love....I dedicate this to you...for in so many ways...my heart, soul and body, belong with you.
My Warrior, proud and strong, I shall love you all the days of my mortal life, and seek you when the Angels come for our immortal souls...

My Poetry Pages

Gabe's Update 3/12/07

Well today was a good day for Daddy and Gabe! We went up to the hospital, I had to go into the E.R., I pulled a bunch of staples out and have been in the most tremendous pain. I had called My Dr's Office and they referred me to the E.R. because of everything else going on. (the open wound, bleeding and pain and my prothrombin disorder) So I got to visit the E.R. waiting room while Daddy got to visit Gabe. Daddy went up and He changed Gabe's diaper, he looked and it had a lil poopie stain on it and he thought, "oh how cute" so he pulls the diaper out from underneath him and Gabe pooped all over Daddy!! *HE HE HE HE HE!!!!*
Kevin had to change him, his outfit, his linens and everything! So, Daddy had his first poopie encounter!
Gabe is up to 40cc's every 3 hrs and tolerating well, Tomorrow I am going to attempt to BF him!! I cannot wait! I have been pumping and trying so hard to get that going and it's just not going as I had hoped, maybe him feeding directly will give me the stimulation I need to produce more. He is off O2 and They removed the IV line. So, we are making good progress! And I had to miss it all! :( Talk about hurt and disappointed! I cried on the way home, and not just from pain.

I will be up to the hospital in the morning to be with him and hopefully get an Appt. with the Women's Health Center since I never got seen in the E.R. - I sat there in pain, more than 3 hrs with a possible wait of 2 to 3 more!?!?! I was hurting so badly I was shaking and sick to my stomach. I finally left and told them I would call the Dr. in the morning because I couldn't hang in there anymore and I had kids coming home from school and it was a big mess! - I saw people in that E.R. waiting room, one guy bleeding all over and he said he had been in there for 3 hrs like that with a soaked towel full of blood, and still bleeding!! WT#?? My Mom said we should write a letter to the Hospital Board & local paper and say something, that is just aweful, they provide such good care, I can't believe their E.R. would be run so poorly!

So I just got home a bit ago and took pain meds and I am ready to be poured under the covers. I am in bed where I will stay until 8 am when I call the Dr. to get an appt and then I'm going to see my little boy!!

3/11/07 Gabryel Update

3/11/07

Gabe is doing wonderfully today!

He is off IV fluids and will get his IV out of his head tomorrow! (man that looks aweful, can't imagine how it feels!) He is also off the phototherapy lights, they will do a biliruben level in the morning to make sure that is good. He is up to 35cc's per feed, and tomorrow, We can start to Breastfeed!!

I will have to pump first, to make sure i don't choke him up, but it will give me nipple stimulation for milk and also get him to start nippling and get to practice suck, swallow, breath coordination!

I cannot tell you how happy and excited I am for this!! My little man has come a long way in the almost week he's been born!! We took him clothes today, yes, size preemie! You can see his picture with one of his first outfits! He is looking like such a big boy now! He is soo tenny, such a little face! He really looks like his Daddy! I am so proud of him, growing and gaining!

His weigh is down to 4 lbs, 12 ounces, so he is peeing and pooping good, getting rid of more fuid that's kept him puffy! Pretty soon little face, pretty soon we will have you home! For now, gotta grow and gain to catch up with the rest of the bunch! ;)

The Updates 3/6/07 - 3/10/07

While in the hospital, I took notes on his progress, here is what I have together...

3/6 I didnt take any notes, Kevin was with him most of the time while I was trying to recover....

3/7 - (11:30am) Nurse Cindy
Gabe is put on CPAP, 30% O2
They were collecting his urine, he hasn't been voiding really well and has gotten a bit puffy. They were running labs and checking for kidney function and looking over his labs. Also tachypnic (breathing fast)

3/7 - (4pm) Nurse Linda
weight 5 lbs, 2 oz
Dr. ordered Lasix to help him pee and see if it would help with the puffiness and fluid retention.
Chest X ray was still showing some fuid althought it is a small concern. He is continuing on CPAP for the tachyphia.

3/7 - (8:30pm) Nurse Linda
Given the Lasix, Gabe peed alot, flooded his little specimin bag and the linens! Also, he had his 1st stool!
CPAP at 33%, He's been quiet and calm.

3/8 - (12:15am) Nurse Kara
weight: 5 lbs, 3 oz - CPAP 30%
his labs and electrolites are getting checked again, so far so good, The last 3 diapers were good n wet! He has good response from th dose of lasix.

3/8 (7:00am) Nurse Kara
weight 4 lbs, 14oz CPAP at room air
Labs were just taken and he is wetting diapers and had another good stool!
He is breathing ok with periods of tachypnia

3/8 - I went home late this afternoon from Hospital. My afternoon and evening calls were pretty much the same, no changes, all is doing fine!

3/9 - He's wetting diapers and going poop all good! He got TPN by IV today to help with some low calcium levels. Later on, they took him off CPAP and back on regular nasal cannula. They also started feeds at 10cc's every 3 hrs. and he tolerates it well!

3/10 - We increase his feeds! He gets 15cc's by NG tube and he tolerated it well! They upped it to 15cc's and then by the time we get there this evening, he is on 20 cc's ! They had him on the phototherapy lights, his levels were not of big concern, but they wanted to get it down a little, so they said it would only be a couple of days with that.
The big news is, WE GET TO HOLD HIM!!
I sat in the rocker by his isolette and held him and held his feed line, he is wide awake, looking around, his mouth open and tongue searching, what a good lil man!! He was rooting around! My little man was HUNGRY!!! YAY! We sat and looked at each other for a while, I was slobbering all over him with kisses and tears, Such a flood of emotion filled me, I was so happy, so filled with such love for this little tiny person, I cannot even describe to you how blessed and lucky I felt. I passed him to Daddy who also loaded him up with kisses and cuddles. They stared each other down, getting to know each other, it was beautiful. Grandma (Kev's Mom) Was there and got to hold him too. It was also Uncle Mike's first visit with Gabe, who decided he should grab Gabe and smuggle him out in his hoody! LOL - we took TONS of pictures and videos!!!
We left absolutely overjoyed and on cloud 9 !!
- At 4 am I called, they had increased his feeds to 25cc's and was tolerating it well. I don't there's going to be an issue come feeding time!

Gabryel Joseph Orion Is Here

Gabryel Joseph Orion

Born March 6th, 2007 @ 5:41 am via C-section.

At 5 lbs even and 17 & 1/2 inches long @ 33 weeks.

Our sweet Baby Boy came into the world, butt first and yelling at all of us. Born just absolutely perfect, 10 fingers, 10 toes and one extra member to show off for Daddy ;)

On March 5th, all day I had been "off" had so much pain in my pubic bone, I was crying from hurting so bad, Kevin came home from work to check on us, he kept trying to convince me he would take the rest of the day off and we should go get checked out at L&D. I assured him I was ok, he got off at 6pm and things would be fine. I had cleaned the house a little, the window installers had been in and replaced the last of the windows in the master bedroom and kitchen. I was cleaning up and said I would lay down and try and rest to see if the pain would ease up.

A little after noon, I got Chaytie off the bus and Kevin went back to work. William came down and said he would watch the kids so I could lay down and take it easy. I took one of the pain pills the OB had given me for the pubic bone separation and laid down to try and nap. I was messaging back and forth with some friends, I was having contractions and we were timing them. They came about every 10 to 12 minutes. My friends said I should call the Dr's, I thought, well, they will probably fizzle out, I would nap first and see where we were. I got up around 3:30pm to make sure I got Talon off his bus. I was still having such bad pains in the pubic area. My contractions were different too. They were down low like menstrual cramps, I felt them more down low, not up high like BH, these also had a bit of pain & pinching through the cervix.

I called my Mom around 4 to tell her what was going on, ask her what she thought of it and get her advice. She said I should call the Dr. at least to ask about getting something for the pain I kept having. I called the OB office, spoke with the nurse. I explained everything to her, she asked if I was having contractions, I told her I was, but that I wasn't really paying attention to them and thought they were just the same ones as before, not doing much. She said she would check with the OB and call me back. She called back within the next 20 min's. and asked that I go to L&D to at least be checked out and see what they could do as far as the pain. I was crying on the phone, I had been pretty miserable all day. I told her that Kevin wouldn't be home until after 6pm, would that be ok? She said sure, it should be fine. So we hung up and I called Mom back to update her.

I talked to Mom, She was better assured knowing I was going in to L&D. I told her I wasn't going to tell Kevin anything right away so he wouldn't have to take off the rest of the day, after all, he had less than an hour and a half to go at this point. Kevin called right after, he must be psychic, lol. He asked how I was doing and said we should go in. I told him that I had already talked to the nurse and she said we could come in when he got off work, not to worry, I was ok for now and could wait. I didn't want him to freak out and come racing home, after all, I was only in pain because of my pubic bone and things were fine otherwise, right?

Kevin stopped at Wendy's on the way home, poor guy was hungry, he brought me food to eat before we headed out, I wasn't hungry, I ate some chicken nuggets after he kept insisting I eat something despite the fact I had no desire to eat at all. We left the house right before 7pm to go to Hershey.

By 8 pm I was checked in, gave a urine specimen, and was hooked up to the monitors. Baby looked great, I was still contracting away, apparently at 5 to 7 Min's apart! wow! why didn't I pay attention? I really thought I was just crampy from the pubic pain. The OB came in and checked me. I was at 2cm's and 25 to 50% effaced!! Oh? ok, so maybe something was going on down below!? She ordered indocin for pain and to stop the contractions, and steroid shots to mature baby's lungs, "just in case" and we'd wait and see. She tried to check position of the baby and thought baby was breech, so in came an U/S machine, there he was, butt down, breech. ooof! So she said if I were to progress any further, we'd have to deliver by c-section, I begged for them to turn him, They said they don't do it on preemies, far too dangerous, cord may prolapse, etc.

I lay for a while, The Head attending OB came to visit me and we discussed the plan. I was given the C-section consent forms to sign "just in case" and he explained he didn't want me to progress too far with baby butt down and he would deliver if the indocin wasn't working. He was also confident that we would stop the contractions and only spend a couple of days in L&D while I got steroid shots for the baby and let the contractions settle down. He left us, and we thought all would be well soon, after all, we were just going to let the contractions settle and all would be well. The indocin was a bit much (they give a double dose to start off with) and I fell asleep soon, Kevin pulled the recliner out into a bed and he slept next to me. I was still contracting but not paying attention and trying to just get some rest. A little while later, the OB came in and she said I would get a visit from the Anesthesiologist, to talk to me about the c-section and spinal, etc., again, "just in case". So she left again and the nurse took vitals as usual. My contractions had picked up to every 3 to 5 mins. They gave me another round of indocin.

The Anesthesiologist came in and we decided should I need the C-section, I would get the spinal because it lasts a couple of hours and was only one injection. So he left, we lay around a bit more. The Ob came in again and said she wanted to check me again and see if anything else was going on "under the hood" since I was still contracting. It was about 3:30am.

She checked me, I was at 3cm's and 50% effaced. She left to talk with the head resident again. Kevin woke up as soon as he heard 3 cm's. We just sat there a little surprised and wondering what was going to happen next. The Head resident came in, very nice as usual, and explained if I progressed any further, I had to go for the C-section to avoid having to end up with an emergency C-Section and letting things progress to far it would be guaranteed. He also had another OB come in and check me again. It had only been about 20 minutes since the last OB came and checked me.

She checked and I was at 4 cm's! Well, Kevin and I were shocked, really, It was almost unreal and things were happening so fast! The head Resident came back in, and I started to cry, I knew he was going to say it - "You are going to OR, now" I was crying, I had so many thought running through my mind, thoughts of another preemie and all we went through with Gracie, all she went through, all the time she spent in NICU getting better, I was scared to death. The Head res. assured me that at 33 weeks and getting the 1st round of steroids, all would be fine, told me the baby was going to be fine and not to worry (me? worry?) I cried for a bit yet, then they said we would be prepped and ready to go in about 15 minutes as he didn't want to wait much longer for me to progress more. I called my Mom, he called his parents. they prepped me and took me to the OR. Kevin stayed behind to get his scrubs on and prep for the C-section as well.

The OR was cold, I was scared, crying and shaking. The anesthesiologist came in and said, well, we spoke about everything, we will take good care of you, don't worry. I scooted to the OR bed and we started the spinal. That done, my legs became warm and I didn't feel as bad. They gave me morphine in the IV and meds to make sure I didn't puke. I lay there, what seemed like forever, waiting for Kevin to be called in. they sat him up by my head next to me, and they started the c-section. I was still crying and a bit emotional, and just kept listening for what was going on and etc. The Head Res. told me baby was coming out - butt first no less, and I could hear the baby let out a good cry! I picked up my head and was so relieved to hear that cry!!

Kevin and I looked at each other, they let Kevin peek over the drape and see the baby, he described him to me and they announced, It's a boy!

They moved Gabryel over to the exam table prepped for him, which was within my sight, they were evaluating him and cleaning him up. they let Kevin cut the cord and got him wrapped up and he got to hold our son. He brought baby to my face for first kisses and cuddles. I touched his lil face, rubbed his eyebrows and told him over and over and over how much I love him, Kevin started to cry as well... Our Son, our beautiful son. We've waited so long for this day!! We couldn't believe we were holding our son finally!

They took Gabryel off to NICU, he was grunting a little bit, I knew he had some fluid in his lungs by that. They finished me up and we went to recovery. The NICU staff said they would call us as soon as Gabe was settled and we got to our new room as well.

We got to our post partum room at around 8am. We called the parents back and waited for a call from NICU. We were still very much in shock!!

When NICU called, Kevin went down right away and took the camera with him so I could see more of our precious little boy. NICU said he would be staying a while as he needed the nasal cannula for the retained fluids in his lungs. All in all, Baby was doing great and he would be there maybe a couple of weeks, just to get stable on his breathing and to make sure he would feed and etc.

It was a very good day. Our Son was born and we are the proud new parents of our much anticipated, Much Loved, Gabryel Joseph Orion.