Ad Lib

Yesterday Blake was 6 pounds! He was gaining weight so well that they took him off the fortifier that was giving him extra calories. The other thing it was giving him was a bad diaper rash - poor little guy! So hopefully being off it will clear that up. He was consistently nursing 20 cc's yesterday - double the 10 cc's he had been taking the day before. The other big news from yesterday is they let me take Blake into the family room to feed him. It felt so weird not having him hooked up to the monitor, but it's good practice for when we get to come home!

Today he lost 1/2 an ounce - so back under 6 pounds, but I think that is normal since he was taken off the supplement. The nurse practitioner said that we're going to 'ad lib' it today, which means we're going to see how it goes not using the feeding tube. So far so good - he doubled what he was nursing from yesterday & now he's taking 40 cc's...funny how he's consistent! The nurse said that if all goes well they will take out the feeding tube at 9 tonight. He should be getting 61 cc's at each feeding, but he's been good so far today at taking what he didn't get nursing with a bottle. He's getting to be quite the little eater!

It will be so nice to have that tube out. He's pulled it out 3 times, so we have to keep little mitts (or socks) on him.

Campbell is having a good time Up North again this week, but I think she's missing me a bit more. She's gone to the door a couple times at Grammy's & said 'go get Mama.' I miss her, but am so thankful that I get to spend so much time with Blake.

Meeting Baby Brother

Campbell got to meet her baby brother for the first time today. Until now, she had only looked through a window at him. Siblings only get one 10 minute visit to the Special Care Nursery so we've been excited to bring her in. Campbell got to hold Blake & then she wanted to teach him the monkey dance.

Blake is up to 5 pounds 13 ounces - he is back up to his birth weight! Woohoo!

Campbell went Up North again for the week. We very much appreciate everyone's help in watching her so we can concentrate on getting Blake big enough to come home.

Saturday

Campbell was so fired up when she got here last night - she pulled out every toy on the shelf as soon as she walked in the door. She really had grown since we saw her last & she was talking clearer and saying new things like "I'm thirsty". I think she missed me because she kept saying 'oh Mama' and coming to snuggle with me, which was so sweet because I can't remember the last time she slowed down enough to snuggle! Campbell took a great nap today - almost 4 hours. She must have been wiped out from her fun week Up North. When she woke up, I heard her calling "Mama where are you?" Then I walked in & she said "Mama blue shirt, black pants." I couldn't believe she had learned some colors last week!

Blake was up another ounce today - up to 5 pounds 11 ounces. His umbilical cord fell off and he had a circumcision - so he was pretty tired. Deb & Paul got to feed Blake at a couple of his feedings & they enjoyed spending time with him. Dede & Paul covered the 9 pm feeding and had some good laughs about trying to change his diaper.

One Week Old

Happy 1 Week Birthday, Blake!

Blake gained 3 ounces from yesterday & he now weighs 5 pounds, 10 ounces! He's really bulking up! :) They increased his supplement & now the milk has 24 calories - so hopefully he'll keep gaining. The little stinker pulled his feeding tube out 2 times today - I watched a nurse put it back in & it didn't seem to bother him at all. His bilirubin is now on the way down, so it looks like he shouldn't have to go under the lights.

Gabe came to visit us at lunch & got to help give Blake his first bottle. The nurse said that the majority of nursing babies have to go home using a bottle in addition to nursing in order to get all the milk they need. So, if he can learn to use a bottle, we're that much closer to getting to bring him home! He did good with his first bottle, taking 20 cc's & they fed him the rest thru his tube. He's now up to eating 47 cc's every 3 hours, which is about 1.5 ounces.

Deb, Paul & Campbell are driving down here & should be here any minute. We can't wait to see Campbell - we really miss her!

Thursday

Blake gained an ounce from yesterday. They started adding supplement to the milk so that he'll get some extra calories & vitamins, so now the milk has 22 calories an ounce. They also started putting in some iron.

I had to change Blake's outfit because he made a mess...he wiggled right out of his diaper...it's hard to keep a diaper on when your butt is so tiny! Thank you Michele - the blue kimono is so adorable & it fits perfectly!

Campbell is still having a blast up north. Ginia-mom & Papa Stan watched her for a bit last night and Campbell was Little Miss Manners, saying thankyou to Papa Stan for cooking supper & thank you to Ginia-mom for making cake. She had another success on the potty last night! Oh my goodness....what if she comes home potty trained...isn't that wishful thinking!?!? :)

Wednesday

Blake had a great night last night & he stayed nice & warm on his own. His bilirubin was up a tad to 14 this morning, but they still said they would wait to put him under the lights. He lost just a tiny bit since yesterday, so he still weights right around 5 pounds 6 ounces.

Today, I heard that Blake should be able to come home the beginning of May. It is very dependent on a lot of things though so we just have to take it day by day. He needs to keep him temp up, they want to watch how his sleep apnea is, and he has to be gaining at least an ounce a day. Also, he has to pass his car seat challenge test. That is where they put him in his car seat for an hour and monitor him to make sure he's ok in it.

Gabe came over to the hospital at lunch & Blake woke up when he heard Gabe's voice. He was really alert for his Daddy. It was really neat to see because Blake had been so sleepy all day.

Thank you for the adorable outfit Dede & Grant! The matching blanket is keeping him nice & toasty.

Tuesday

Big evening for Blake! He got his IV removed & also moved into a crib from the incubator. It's so nice to have that IV out - it looked so uncomfortable & it was always getting hung up when he moved around or you were holding him.

After they took out the IV they checked his blood sugar a few times & it was really good. I think one reading was 104 & it is supposed to be over 50 for his age. I'm so relieved that is ok - I had been so stressed out about my gestational diabetes and how it was going to affect him.

Blake had a brief sleep apnea episode last night when his heart rate when down & he forgot to breathe for a little bit. The nurse said this is very common & it's good that he started breathing again without any intervention.

His bilirubin is up a little bit again to 13. They said it's on the borderline of whether to put him on lights or not - they'll see how it is tomorrow.

Blake weighs 5 pounds 5.9 ounces today. He had a couple really good feedings today (50 cc's! in the morning!), but then was too tired to eat the other times so they fed him through his little feeding tube that goes down through his nose.

Blake got to wear clothes once they put him in the crib. He's all bundled up on a long sleeve t-shirt, polar fleece sleeper, 2 blankets & a knit hat. He looks like wants to go play in the snow. :) The nurse said the next 24 hours are really important to see if he can keep his temperature up above 97 degrees on his own. His temp was 98 degrees at 9 pm, so he was doing good so far.

Blake getting his IV removed.


Look! No IV!


Cozy with Dad.

Monday

I spent all day at the hospital..went there at 6 am and got home at 7:30 tonight. It was a relaxing day spending time holding and feeding Blake. In the Special Care Nursery they have a couple of private rooms, so I even was able to take a couple naps in between feedings.

Blake had a good day. Eating a ton at one feeding and then just too tired to eat at the next so they would feed him through his feeding tube that goes in through his nose. He is a bit yellow today, but his bilirubin level wasn't high enough to put him under the lights yet. They are reducing the amount of his IV at each feeding, so maybe tomorrow they can take the IV out?

We heard from Grammy Sharon that Campbell had a great day...here are some of her quotes from the day that Sharon was so excited to tell Gabe about:

-"C’mon Gammy"...then took her hand into the living room to play.
-What makin’ Gammy?" When Sharon was heating up soup to eat for lunch.
-"Hi Anders" When the dog walks in the room.
-"Where Nana go?" Sharon said she had to go to work & Campbell was fine with that.
-"I wanna go home." Sharon said not now because Mama was at the hospital with Baby Brother and Campbell went along happily playing.

Just got a report that my mom & dad got Campbell to pee on the big potty! I can't believe it...what a big girl!

Sunday

I got to come home from the hospital today. Weird leaving Blake there, but I feel good that he's being monitored so closely. We decided to send Campbell up North so that I can be at the hospital as much as possible feeding and spending time with Blake.

Campbell was very excited to go to Nana & Papa's house. She didn't even fuss when we were saying good-bye, she just said 'bye' and headed to the car. She is going to have a blast with spending time with her Nana, Papa, Grammy, Papa John, Ginia-mom & Papa Stan. We really appreciate all the help watching her. We are really going to miss her though.

Surprise...Early Arrival

We are happy and a still a bit shocked to announce the arrival of Blake Palmer Amundson. He was born on Friday, April 17th @ 9:20 am, weighed 5 pounds 13 ounces and was 19 inches long despite being about 6 weeks early. Livia and baby are doing very well, but as a normal precaution he will be staying in the Special Care Nursery at the hospital for a week or two while he settles into life on the outside.

Blake's Birth Story

Ok...I don't know how long this has been sitting in my drafts. Oh, yes, I actually do. Almost 3 years. I had written down notes but never gone back to edit. It's so weird reading this....I can barely remember anything from the whole experience other than a few things here and there.

So, I don't know who I'm writing this for. Probably myself to remember all that I went through. Not anything like I expected, but I still thank God that he was born healthy.

Without further ado, here's Blake's Birth Story.

Well, maybe a little background since I don't think I talked much about this in the blog. My pregnancy with Blake wasn't as easy as it was with Campbell. I had gestational diabetes, which was a complete shock and was very stressful and a lot to manage (eating set number of carbs 6 times a day, taking blood 4 times a day, checking keytones everyother day). Then when I was following the diet exactly and still couldn't get the numbers I was supposed to, I had to go on medication which was stressful in itself because I really didn't want to take anything. But then it caused a couple blood sugar lows which were scary and can be very dangerous. Then, I can't remember at what point, but I started having severe saitica pain where I'd wake up at night to go to the bathroom and fall to the floor in excruciating pain. It was horrible. I saw a physical therapist who did some very gentle adjustment/stretching to stop the pain. Looking back, not sure if this is what triggered labor? I was in horrible back pain and stressed. Could the pain be the cause of labor? Or the release of the pain? Or was Blake dropping by himself and that is what was causing the pain and I would've gone into labor either way? (Either way, I'm glad the pain wasn't there during labor because I'm pretty sure they would've had to knock me out if I would've had to deal with that plus labor pain.) The doctor was baffled by why he came early since after having a full term birth it's very rare to have a premie.

WEDNESDAY - FRIDAY
Ok, now really. Onto the actual birth story. Contractions started at 7:30 Wednesday evening as I was putting Campbell to bed. It was a very mild cramping feeling that I thought was weird, but didn't think it could be contractions. They kept coming so after a while I started writing them down & keeping track.

Called the PETU to tell them what was going on. They said to lay down and drink a bunch of water which I did and the contractions still kept coming.

Called again after a while since the contractions didn't stop. They said to eat some toast the lay down again & call again in an hour. I did that and laid and watched tv, the contractions didn't stop and still fairly consistent.

Called again in an hour and they said I better come in to get checked out.

We decided I would go in myself so Gabe could stay with Campbell and we wouldn't have to wake up someone. At this point we hadn't even made plans for what to do with Campbell because my due date was so far away. And the hospital was only a couple miles away. And I thought there was absolutely no way I was in labor and would be home in a couple hours.

Got in at 2:30 am. Started an IV. They did a test that would tell my likelihood of delivering in the next 2 weeks. At this point, I was 33 weeks and 5 days along, which if i had been 34 weeks, they would have just let me deliver. Days make a huge difference at this point. They did an ultrasound & saw that baby's head was down.

Checked me at 5:00 am & was dilated to a 2.5-3 cm so they admitted me and got me started on magnesium sulfate to try to stop the contractions. At 5:30 am was given a shot of steriods, just in case the baby came, this would help his lungs develop.

At this point I called Gabe to tell him to come to the hospital.

Gabe got there around 7:00 am Thursday morning. He had called Dede and she came over to watch Campbell until Deb/Paul could get there from Up North. 

Contractions still kept coming very often. 

Got a hand massage from volunteer around noon, which was nice, but the contractions were coming so often and hurt (from a 4-6 on the pain scale) and the drugs that were trying to stop labor were making me very out of it.

I couldn't sleep, only doze for a minute, but then the contraction would wake me up.

Then it was getting to where I couldn't talk through the contractions.

The whole day was a huge vicious cycle of contractions and then I'd have to go to the bathroom. So we'd ring for the nurse & she would come unhook the things from my legs (I had compression things to keep my legs from swelling). Then I could go to the bathroom, pulling my IV stand with me. Then back to bed to get hooked up and then I would contract more when I got back into bed. Repeat, repeat, repeat, repeat, etc, etc, etc. 

My Ob/Gyn, Dr. Witztke was in the hospital so stopped by a couple of times & she said that it was possible that I stay a a  3-4 for a long time. I guess people can do that for weeks. I almost lost it when I found out that I might have to do this for weeks. But if  went much further than that I would probably have to deliver

Special Care Nursery nurse came in and went thru things with us about what to expect if he was born. He'd have an IV and he wouldn't be able to go home for 2-3 weeks, etc.

Nurses kept checking me. I was a 4.

Didn't think I could handle the almost constant pain anymore & asked for pain meds. I hadn't used any up to this point because what they could give me would only last an hour. Then I went to bathroom & the mucus plug came out. So the nurse checked me & i was a 6! So it's off to labor we go! Took me off the mag sulfate and broght to the labor room.

I felt so much better off mag sulfate. It had made me fuzzy, a bit of a headache, and just generally didn't feel good on it.

I got into labor room and got an epidural pretty much right away. I don't think there was ever a person as excited to get an epidural as me. The anesthesiologist didn't have a very friendly bedside manner, but I didn't care. Pain relief after 30 hours of constant contractions was amazing.

The goal was to hold off delivery until 5:30 pm Friday. That was when I could get the second steroid shot (24 hours after the first shot). Then even if that steroid had a couple hours to work it would be great for baby's lungs.

Nurse Barb was my nurse for a while. Sometime here is when I had a bit of a meltdown because the reality was sinking in that this was really happening, and I was scared. I remember asking what the baby would look like and if he'd be ok. She answered my questions and helped me to relax.

New nurse, Heidi, started her shift at 7:00. We really liked her, she was so very friendly & good.

At about 1:00 am Friday morning, I finally got to sleep. I was woken up every hour until 6:00 am, but it felt so great to get some sleep. I hadn't slept since Tuesday night....so I was going on many hours with out sleep.

Checked again and was a 10 and I felt pressure. The baby's head was still up, so they said to just let it come down & not rush things.

Heidi told story about patient that had very strong epidural and when she came back into the room after being gone for 5 minutes the baby's head was out & the patient didn't even know it. I got scared and didn't want her to leave. The good news is that they got the second steroid shot in for the baby's lungs.

Someone said that I would probably have to push just 2 times and he'd be out. Yeah, wished they wouldn't have said that. I pushed for 2 hours. Heidi was great at telling me how to push and what to do. I started to lose it a couple times and she really helped me pull it together again.

Once it was time to deliver there was quite the crowd - a student nurse, a resident, the doctor, the delivery nurse & 3 people from the Special Care Nursery who were getting things ready once the baby was born.

The baby was born at 9:20 am Friday (a long time from Wednesday evening when I went to the hospital). I only needed 1 stitch which was nice. Baby's head was turned wrong way/he was sunny side up, so that is why it took longer to push out. Not sure why they didn't know that before I was pushing?

The baby started crying immediately, which was the best sound I'd ever heard. It was so awesome to hear that sweet cry. It was a great sign that he was breathing good and he was moving around a lot too. He got a 8/9 out of 10 on apgar score, so that was great. He weighed 5 pounds 13 ounces, which was a good size for being so early.

I got to hold him for a couple minutes before they took him to the Special Care Nursery. He looked a lot bigger than I thought he would, but still tiny! I was so grateful that he seemed to be ok.

Both his and my blood sugar was good, which was a relief.

When they took him to the Special Care Nursery, Gabe went with him while I got fixed up. Then after a while it was only me in the room all alone, which I thought was funny because it had been so hectic with so many people buzzing around. Then the baby came & I got left in the dust! I was on such a high. I called Nana & Papa who were in the middle of ECFE class with Campbell. Then I called Ginia mom & Papa Stan & Grant/Dede.

Once the epidural wore off, I got up right away & took a bath & got ready because I wanted to go see the baby. I was feeling awesome and on such an adrenaline high.

Deb, Paul and Campbell came later that day. Campbell was very cuddly with me - I had really missed her! Campbell was very interested in looking at the baby thru the glass. Visitors are restricted and no kids are allowed in the Special Care Nursery, so Gabe just held baby brother up to the glass to show her. I had to explain to her that baby brother had to stay there and get bigger before he could come home with us..

My high was starting wear off and I was getting tired, so we went back to the room and ate lunch & Deb/Paul took Peanut home for a nap. I napped & Gabe went out and bought a laptop. He brought me back my first choice on my list of food I was dying to eat while I was pregnant but couldn't because of the gestational diabetes. A chocolate shake from Pot Belly with a ton of crackers on the straw. SO AWESOME, but I barely tasted because I sucked it down so fast.

Deb, Paul and Campbell came back after dinner to visit. Campbell had wanted to 'go see baby brother' and had been talking about him a lot. She was very interested in him even though she can only look at him thru the window. She was quite the hit with the nurses when she was walking down the hall telling everyone that she was 'going to teach baby brother the monkey dance' and then 'ooh ooh aaah aah' like a little monkey.

Later that night, Dede, Grant, GG, Michele, Todd & Ellie came to say hi. and we went to look at baby. Grant and Dede came back later and brought me Big Ten wings & a Dairy Queen Heath Blizzard, which was awesome, I've never appreciated food so much!

That night, Gabe was so out of it and exhausted and starting to feel a bit sick. Since he wasn't going to get a good sleep at the hospital in the vinyl sweaty chair, I sent him home to get a good night's rest.

SATURDAY
I went to feed Blake every 3 hours and also pumped afterward since he's only strong enough to drink drops at a time. He has a feeding tube in his nose that they feed him my milk through. He's also in an incubator to keep his body temperature up since premies can't stay warm enough on their own.

SUNDAY
Discharged at 9:00 am. Went to feed Blake and then went home. Deb & Paul went to feed Blake for his noon feeding, while I went to get Campbell packed up for her trip Up North. Deb/Paul/Sharon were going to take her for the week so I could be at the hospital as much as possible with Blake. Campbell seemed to be totally fine with leaving. She just loves her Nana & Papa!

We had forgotten in all the commotion to tell Paul the baby's name! He found out by the sign over Blake's crib!

I went back to the hospital to feed at 3:00 & 6:00 pm. Then Gabe & i went to Macaroni Grill for a really nice dinner. I felt super good, nothing like after having Campbell. I loved being able to eat all the carbs - bread and pasta - I wanted and not having to worry about blood sugar anymore! I even had lemonade....so good! We had a really nice date & talked about the labor & how lucky we are that everything is working out so well so far and Blake is doing so good.

MONDAY
I was up at 5:00 am to pump at home and then off to feed Blake for his 6:00 am feeding, where he ate 35cc!!!! He's been eating so well! His bilyrubin was 10 and looking  a bit yellow, so they may put him under the lights. The nurse said the lights do a great job & better to do it here than have to at home.

They said that Blake had some PPS, which is a heart murmur that's common in premies & will go away. If was more serious, they would hear more as he got older &amp it sounds different.

So I guess that was longer than the actual birth, but there it is. So weird reliving it by editing. Brings back alot of emotions. Stress of the pregnancy and super stress of the whole labor ordeal and then alot of gratefulness of what a healthy boy we've been blessed with.

First Joke

Campbell just told her first joke. Not very funny, but it sure was cute.

"Knock-Knock, who there, knock-knock, Nana who? Nana who?"

She had just been watching the Backyardigans & they told a knock-knock joke on there, so I think this is where she got it from.

She also this past weekend sang Twinkle Twinkle Little Star 3 times. She won't do it if you ask her, but sometimes she just sings it. It is so sweet.

Easter Bunny

We went to the mall with Michele & Ellie to see the Easter Bunny. The girls looked so adorable in their Easter dresses. I thought that Campbell would be scared of the Easter Bunny, but she did great - she even sat by him for a picture! Great idea, Michele - thank you for inviting us!