David's Story Part 5

Today is the day I've been dreaming of since the day I looked down at the test with the two pink lines.  That moment that you expect to happen minutes after your child is born, not 4 days later.  But given the long and grueling wait, watching your tiny little child struggle to breathe on his own, this moment of holding him against your chest for the first time is just more precious than ever.  It's hard to describe the feelings I felt.  Just pure joy.

First time with my little guy

A little snuggler

He was still connected to tons of cords and tubes, but it didn't make the experience any less amazing.  He just laid there contently for about half an hour on my chest.  I didn't want the moment to end.  The next day, we would be going home.  It's a terrible feeling in the pit of your stomach when you have to leave the hospital without your baby.  We knew he was in good hands though and we would be up to visit every day until he was able to come home.

Friday we left bright and early and went to go get our other not so little bundle Emily!!  Boy did I miss her.  I hadn't seen her since Sunday night when we dropped her off at her grandparents house.  She did awesome with them and had a wonderful time.

Emily having a blast with grandpa

 

Emily was a bit uncertain when we got her.  She wasn't upset of course, I think she was just confused on what was going on and why she was away from us for so long.  It was a strange quiet ride home.  But when we got home, she was back to her silly self.

Emily is going home!

She missed her daddy

We went back to the hospital later to see David get his very first bath!  We brought Emily with us, but she was pretty freaked out by the whole hospital setting, so her and daddy hung out in the lounge, while I was with David.

Not a fan of the bath

Is it over yet?

All clean!

 The weekend was a blur, but we got to come up once a day to see our David.  We took shifts since Emily was with us and just spent some time holding him and cuddling up.  This was daddy's first time holding his son.

First time holding David

Happy dad

Sometimes when we went up there he would be under the bili-lights, so we could just sit with him.  How adorable are those darn shades.  I totally stole a pair to keep in the baby box.  They just crack me up!

Those cool shades

More cuddles

Can't wait to bring this guy home

Finally, on Monday, June 11th we got word that David would be soon able to come home.  His levels were all stabling and they just needed to run a few more tests to be sure he was ready for home.  They do a carseat test to make sure his breathing is steady in an upright position - he's been on his back since day one.  The one thing still holding him back was his bilirubin levels.  Tuesday rolled around and his levels were still a tad high.  They asked if we still wanted to bring him home and hope the levels start to taper, or if they would like us to keep him under the lights for another full day.  Well, I didn't want to go through the hassle of renting a light blanket like we had to with Emily, so we opted to keep him for another full day of light therapy.  We knew that would be the best plan of attack as hard as it was to say keep him another day.

Finally, the final chapter up next - David is coming HOME!

David's Story Part 4

The next morning (Tuesday, June 5th) I got to have my first real meal.  The hospital food wasn’t all that bad.  It’s relatively hard to screw up breakfast.  I had pancakes, hashbrowns and bacon.  It was pretty darn good.  I still had an IV in, still had a catheter in and was still pretty much bed bound.  I would be able to get those both removed soon.  David was doing well on the CPAP machine overnight which we were very thankful about.  However, later that night, they determined he still wasn’t getting the oxygen he needed.  They now wanted to intubate him (put a tube down his throat) and administer a synthetic surfactant to help coat and expand his lungs.  When we are born, we are supposed to produce surfactant naturally to help our lungs expand to breathe.  Since David was born early, his lungs didn’t quite develop enough on their own.  Since the oxygen and CPAP were not doing the trick to get him breathing without assistance, we knew this was the only way that things were going to progress. Also at this time, I was given a breast pump in my room to see if I could start getting things going there.

The procedure was quick and flawless on Wednesday afternoon.  They put him back on CPAP briefly afterwards until they could see the results of the surfactant starting to work.  They slowly lowered the amount of oxygen he was getting to see how he would do on his own.  He was starting to show a lot of improvement!  I also got to give him a few drops of breast milk on my finger.  It was such a sweet moment for me.

Around 2:00pm he was taken off CPAP and just had a little oxygen cannula placed under his nose!!  At this point, however, his jaundice levels had risen so he was given some of that great bright blue light therapy to help with that.

As for Jim and I, all we could do was sit and wait.  We would go across and visit a couple times a day - usually right after a pumping session so I could drop off any milk to the nurses.  It was only a few drops, but they took whatever I could give.

Meanwhile, Emily was having a blast with her grandparents.  On Tuesday she got to take a trip to the zoo with her cousins.  I missed her so much, but we knew it was best that she didn’t come up to see us at the hospital.  She totally wouldn’t understand what was going on, and if she had to leave us, she would most likely have a meltdown.  We were kept on constant update with phone calls and pictures.

Thursday, June 7th started like every other day.  Stop by and visit, go back to the room sitting and waiting.  That afternoon we got some great news - I would FINALLY get to hold him for the first time!  Four long days of waiting, I could not wait!

Mmm....real food!

CPAP machine

Emily and her cousin at the zoo!

Looking for polar bears

Having a great time

No more CPAP!

Sweet little face

Daddy with David

Haha, sporting some shades when they turned on the overhead light therapy

David's Story Part 3

Welcome to the World David!

Part 3

Part 1: Here

Part 2: Here

They sewed me up which felt like it was taking forever.  But soon enough I was ready to roll into recovery.  I was feeling pretty good really.  Still numb, and very little pain.  I was of course on a lot of drugs!  It only took about an hour to regain feeling back.  Apparently my body temperature wasn’t staying up, so during that hour they had to bundle me in some blankets, and then in this crazy blow up blanket that was connected to a big fan that blew hot air into it.  Eventually I started to get crazy hot, so it did the trick.  Regaining feeling was not as strange as I thought it was going to be.  I was terrified I was going to feel that “pins and needles” feeling throughout my body, but luckily it was nothing.  I could just all of a sudden start feeling more and more, starting from my chest, and finally my toes.  Dad had come back after about a half hour of being with David.  He was having some breathing difficulties and was placed under a clear oxygen hood to help him get air.  Jim said there was nothing much else to do there, so decided to come check on me.

When it was time to go, they wheeled my bed into the NICU so I could finally see my little man.  He was a tiny little guy and made a sweet yet sad whimpering sound as you could tell he was struggling a bit to breathe.  It broke my heart to see him there and I was sad I wasn’t going to get to hold him right away.  I was still hopeful that he would be out of there soon and I would be holding him before the end of the day.  Unfortunately, that didn’t end up being the case.

Some other bad news that I learned along the way was that I was not going to be able to eat anything until the next morning.  I was on a “clear liquid diet”.  Fabulous.  All I wanted to do was scarf down a subway sandwich.  In all honesty, I wasn’t that hungry actually, but I knew I would be and was stuck with chicken broth and italian ice.  Well, as a little bit of luck had it, I managed to ::ahem:: pass some gas within a couple hours, which bought me a ticket to a “full liquid diet” which meant I could have a milkshake or some creamed soups.  A little more appetizing at least.  I took advantage of that and had a large milkshake that evening.

The next few days have gotten a little fuzzy honestly, but luckily we have lots of pictures to remember what happened.  For Dad and I, we just did a lot of sitting around.  Not much to do in the hospital when I’m pretty much stuck in bed and we have no baby in the room.  We would make a few trips to the NICU - which was thankfully right across the hall - each day to check on David.

Dad had to run home to check on the kitty cats, and ultimately we decided it was best for him to stay home.  It wasn’t really that comfortable for him at the hospital and the air was so dry, it really affected his allergies.  I was sad that he wasn’t with me, but really, we would both sleep better with him at home.

Around 10:30pm or so, one of the NICU doctors came in and decided that the oxygen hood just wasn’t working anymore and wanted to put David on a CPAP machine.  Dad used to wear one to sleep, so we were very familiar with what that was.  Basically, it is a machine that pushes air into the lungs via the nose.  So David would then not have to struggle as much to get the air into his system.  He was still breathing on his own, but this was just a major assistant.

This was a setback, and we were now really getting worried about what this would mean for David.  All I wanted to do was be able to hold my baby!!

David under the oxygen hood

I see you!

Daddy and David

Mama and David

All those yucky cords

Tiny little leg

Dad's home checking on Devo

Sadie in her favorite spot

Dad's bedtime aresnal!

David's Story Part 2

Welcome to the World David!

Part 2

Part 1: Here

Monday, June 4th was a surreal day.  We awoke bright and early - 4:30 am to be exact and got ready to go.  It was just a strange feeling packing up and heading to the hospital knowing you were going to meet your baby that day all the while not feeling an ounce of labor pains and such.  We arrived and went through the battery of tests and questions for 2 hours prior to the big event.  It all went pretty smooth and pretty quick.

Around 8:00 it was time to head to the OR.  They opened the doors and I was immediately pretty freaked out.  It looked straight out of the movies or TV!  Bright white lights, machines, doctors and nurses all standing there waiting in their scrubs.  Dad had to wait outside for the initial period while they got me all set up and ready to go.  This was all very routine stuff for the staff, but for me....not so much!  The anesthesiologist came in and started to get me prepped.  My doctor pulled out his phone and picked some soothing music for me to listen to.  One little poke in the back and I was ready to go.  That’s when things got weird.  In almost an instant my legs were warm and heavy.  They laid me out on the table, IV in one arm, blood pressure monitor on another.  Oxygen in the nose, curtain in front of my face.....yikes!  Then the nausea kicked in (which I was told would be a side effect).  I just laid there with my eyes closed feeling rather uncertain.  Then dad came in and thought for sure I had been knocked out!!  He said, “Hi honey I’m here”.  No response from me.  A minute later my response came - “I’m going to throw up”.  The nurse scrambled for a little pan and dad loving held it up to me as I did what I said I was going to do.  After that I did feel a little better.  I could open my eyes and try to relax just a touch before the show was about to begin.  I had to try my hardest to stop thinking about the fact that I couldn’t feel my toes.  It was almost like a panic would set in when I would try with all my might to move my feet and I physically couldn’t.  I had to focus on other things.  I would flex my arms and hands a lot to focus on them more since they were pretty much the only things I could move.

While in the waiting area, prior to surgery, a med student had come in to ask if he could assist in the procedure.  I figured hey, they need to learn somehow, and said that was fine.  I trusted my doctor and new that everything would still go smooth.  I was in good hands.  So during the whole procedure it was surreal to hear them talking about what they were doing, what was what, and why.  The sensations I felt were just tugging and pulling.  Sometimes uncomfortable, but never painful.  Then at 8:28 am the big moment came.  They pulled him out and a mere minute later he cried his first cries.  David Russell Choate was born! They were so soft and small compared to Emily (she is a loud one through and through).  Tears came to my eyes as I saw him rushed over to the isolette to get wiped down and checked over.  His little legs were stuck straight up in the air practically over his face still, since that’s how he was comfortably living in my belly.  Dad and I asked over and over - How much does he weigh? How much does he weigh?  He didn’t look too small at first glimpse.  We held our breath in anticipation as the nurse yelled “6 lbs 3 oz.”  The collective sigh of relief was huge.  He wasn’t too small!  I asked the doctor - “That’s not considered IUGR is it?”  He said no.  We thought we were in the clear.  Well, unfortunately we weren’t quite out of the woods yet.  David wasn’t doing very well breathing on his own.  They decided to take him over to the NICU for awhile.  Meanwhile I was getting sewn up.  Dad went along with him to keep an eye out and find out what was going on.  I just laid on the table feeling the relief and pressure of the last few weeks melt away and looked forward to holding my new son for the first time.

Bags packed and ready to go

Last belly shot!

Dad all scrubbed up

Almost time!

Dad being silly

Welcome sweet David!

Happy mama

Hehe, look at the legs

David's Story Part 1

Welcome to the World David

The story of how David got here is quite different from that of his sister Emily's.  Hers was the classic story of awaking in the middle of the night finding you are in labor and proceeding to the hospital to have a text book (practically storybook) type of labor and delivery!  Little David on the other hand starts back about 33 weeks gestation....

It was a rather general ultrasound checkup at 33 weeks to see if my pesky placenta had moved up and out of the way.  Apparently at 20 weeks it was down a little low.  Doctor had said this was pretty common and it should move out of the way by then, no biggie.

I figured since it was just going to be a quick in and out appointment, daddy didn't have to come with me, so instead Grandma Choate came along.  It was supposed to be a lighthearted and fun appointment.

Well, things suddenly changed when the tech started to do his measurements.  Something wasn't right, however, not a word was spoken.  Next thing I know he's telling me he's going to bring in the doctor to double check a few things and try to accurately find where the placenta was as well.

Doctor "no beside manner" came in and did his thing.  The tech and him whispered things back and forth and proceeded to scare me even more.  Finally the news.  "Your amniotic fluid is rather low and your baby is measuring too small."  Huh?  What does that mean??  "Oh and he frank breech (butt down, feet up against face).  Fabulous.

They put me in a small office and said they were going to call my doctors office.  I sat there and tried my best to hold it together.  I had no clue what was going on.  Finally they came back and simply said "Your doctor will call you later."  Wow.  So I just had to leave and speculate on what the heck was going on.  Me and Grandma went down to Starbucks and had a coffee, trying to figure out what to do next and what was going on.  Without talking to my doctor, all we could do was just hope it was nothing and try not to dwell on it too much.

We parted ways and I went to my car and just lost it.  I called dad and he instantly said he was coming home.  Figures, the only appointment he doesn't come to is the one where I needed him most!!  I just thought it was going to be the same old humdrum thing - look at the baby, tell me the placenta has moved, get a few pictures, send me on my merry way!!

I called the doctor and got the "diagnosis".  Baby was measuring under the 5th percentile.  It was something known as IUGR (Intrauterine Growth Restriction).  Typically is can happen when the placenta is not developing well or if the mother is not taking care of herself properly (poor diet, drinking, smoking, etc).  I was instructed that I would now need to monitored quite heavily and go to the doctors and hospital about 4 times a week for numerous scans and checkups.  I took a deep breath and immediately set up all the appointments I needed for the next few weeks.  The doctor also said he felt the baby would need to be delivered at around 37 weeks, which is full term.  That was only 3 1/2 weeks away!!

After the shock wore off, I did a little research and set up an appointment for a consultation with the doctor.  I came in with a laundry list of questions to get to the bottom of what was going on.  We left feeling confident that baby was just going to be a little on the small side, but that there shouldn't be any other issues.

Mere days later (a Saturday morning), I went in for one of my many appointments to get monitored.  They hooked me up just to check out baby's heartbeat and movement.  They also decided to take a peak at my fluid levels as well.  Not so good.  Need to stay for observation.....

Well, my phone didn't work in the hospital so getting ahold of dad was proving to be a problem.  I had to end up borrowing a nurses phone to call home.  As soon as I relayed the news, he sprung into action, got Emily to her grandparents and came to the hospital to be with me.

Four IV attempts, two steroid shots, three ultrasounds and a four day stay total we finally came out of there in the clear.  What exactly happened is completely unclear and really seemed like just a little bad luck in the chain of events.  But it was just a relief to know that baby was okay and we still had a couple weeks left before delivery.

The last few weeks went quickly with all the appointments keeping me busy.  Since everything was going as well as it was besides the small factor, I now was given the option of an induction under one condition - baby needs to flip out of the breech position!

Well, mama tried everything.  Exercises, cold packs against baby's head, and even acupuncture with moxibustion - now that was some interesting stuff.  But nothing happened.  He moved a ton, but still not in the right direction.

We dropped Emily off the night before at Grandma and Grandpa Choate's house without incident.  We then headed over to one of our favorite restaurants for my "last meal" as I wasn't allowed to eat prior to surgery and who knew when I would eat next.  We went to Kona and ordered our favorite appetizer and split our favorite entree.  We shared a creme brulee for dessert.  It was definitely a great last meal!

Here are some photos of my last weeks of pregnancy, including the pesky impromptu hospital stay.....

32 weeks! Emily's birthday party.

33 weeks!

Contractions picked up on the monitor....

Yucky IV

Mom just wants to get out of here

35 weeks

36 weeks - The day before the big day!

Stay tuned for Part 2!