Life Is Good: Last Day!

Thursday, June 10, 2010

Last Day!

After 155 days of bedrest, 60 in the hospital, tomorrow is my LAST day! I had an OB appt. last Friday and he asked me if I was regaining some strength and if I'd done anything fun yet. It took me by surprise because I was under the assumption that I was to remain on strict bedrest until 36 weeks. The way he talked led me to believe that he wasn't expecting that after I left the hospital. He even said that he thought if something were to happen it would have happened already. Since that conversation I've been taking it pretty easy, but the last few days I've been getting up more and doing a few more things. Part of it has been out of necessity. My mom and Ryan (mom has been taking care of Ryan for the last 5 months) have both reached their limit of my bedrest sentence. She is worn out and is in desperate need of being re-titled back to grandma. He has started bucking her authority and pushing every limit possible. Thankfully they both held out until just the last couple of days.

So anyway...tomorrow is it! The last day of terb. The last day of Procardia. The last day of all these measures we've been taking to stay pregnant. I never dreamed I'd see this day and still be pregnant. It's an amazing feeling and I know holding my healthy little baby in a week or two will make it all worth it! I'm a little nervous though...I have no idea what to expect. I've never been anywhere other than a hospital when labor started, so this is a brand new experience for me...having bags packed and ready to go for when "it's time".

2 comments:

Rebecca said...: I am so excited, cheering you on from around the world. I smile from ear to ear when I read your posts, and understand your being nervous. We were not sure what to do when we left with our baby coming along!

Rebecca; June 10, 2010 at 11:47 PM
Hilary said...: So AMAZING!!!! Can't wait to see Evan when he comes!! You and your family have done so great :); June 11, 2010 at 1:12 PM

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Brandy Danielle

Brandy is our firstborn, our precious angel baby girl. Her entry into this world wasn't without excitement. At 26 weeks I started preterm labor with contractions 5 minutes apart. With 10 weeks of strict bedrest, most of which were in the hospital, she made it to 36 weeks.
Brandy was diagnosed with "possible/probable" heart defect around 28-30 weeks gestation. After her birth she was whisked away to the NICU for monitoring and after a few days her defect was formally diagnosed and labeled...atrial septal defect and a cleft mitral valve.
Brandy, upon indications of failure to thrive and pulmonary hypertension, underwent her first of 2 open-heart surgeries at 4 months of age. A week after her surgery on the day of her anticipated discharge home Brandy coded for 13 minutes...a stoke.
From that point on Brandy's life was full of doctor's visits, endless crying, pain and suffering. She underwent another heart surgery, fundoplication and g-tube surgery, treatment for infantile spasms, and a mountain of tests and procedures. Her brain damage was extensive.
Upon counseling of our wonderful, most amazing heart surgeon, Dr. Christopher Knott-Craig, and many hours of prayer, we finally called in hospice and called off all of the extensive medical interventions and surgery needs that would prolong her suffering while possibly prolonging her life. Brandy, our precious baby girl...our angel...passed out of our arms and into the arms of her Saviour, Jesus at the tender age of 17 months.

Ryan Andrew

Ryan, our micro-preemie miracle, is a ball of life. After nearly a year of trying to conceive imagine our delight when we finally knew he was on the way. My pregnancy with Ryan was uneventful at first. It seemed perfect and with all of the precautions for preterm labor being taken and monitored we entered this pregnancy with cautious anticipation covered over by a whole love of naive excitement.
At 20 weeks we discovered our "Baby Peanut" was going to be a little boy. We began to make plans and began dreaming about the day we would meet our son.
Almost 2 weeks later everything changed in our lives. It wa a whirlwind of fear and emtions as I began to bleed, was sent for monitoring in L&D and eventually had an appointment with my OB only to find out that it was serious. I had incompetent cervix with hourglassing membranes. The doctor admitted me to the hospital immediately and an emergency cerclage was placed. The statistics were grim, but the hope was to keep our son inside for at least 10 more weeks. We only made it 10 more days.
Early in the evening of February 11, 2007 our son, Ryan, came into this world in emergency fashion at only 23 weeks 5 days gestation. He weighed 1 pound 8 ounces and was 12 ½ inches long. He was so tiny. All I could think of was “oh my goodness is he really that tiny? And is there any way he could actually make it?” I tried to hold on to hope, but in all honesty I had never met anyone with a baby born that early and that small that ever made it.
Ryan did make it! It was a long, hard road, but in the end he spent 90 days in the NICU. He was on a ventilator for 2 months. Finally on one fine glorious day in May we bundled up our 4 pound 4 ounce baby boy and went home...May 11, 2007.
Ryan is now a spunky, lively, strong-willed little boy. His laughter is contagious and his spirit is compelling. He is our miracle. There are no words strong enough to share our delight and joy that God has blessed us with this little boy.

Evan Alexander