November 14, 2009 - The nurses seem happy today for the progress Lily is making. Her IV is gone! Very exciting! She was off the CPAP for 5 hours today. That is terrific progress for our little girl. She is still in the Giraffe bed but she no longer needs the humidity. This is also a good step forward. She is keeping herself warm. She is now eating 17 CCs and growing like crazy.
November 17, 2009 - Lily is still growing and eating more all the time. She is up to 27 CCs at each feeding. She weighs 2 pounds 9 ounces and is 16 inches long now. She has gained back all her birth weight and added some as well. Way to go Lily!!!!
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Update on Jamie
We do on occasion have updates on Jamie. She went to the doctor on November 13 for a check-up. Her swelling was pretty much gone, which is fantastic! And her blood pressure was down to 122 over 86! Much better than it had been before. We love good news about you too Jamie!!!
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Our Lily and her Lily Pad
November 8, 2009 We had Jamie's baby shower today. She got a lot of nice things. I think it was good for her to go and enjoy the company of so many people. And to be able to open her presents for Lily. A pretty normal event compared to everything else that has been going on.
Jamie and Josh went to see Lily before the shower and gave us an update. Lily's oxygen was good and at 21% on the ventillator which is really good. Jamie was also excited that she may be able to hold Lily later in the day. That is very exciting news.
It was really cool to see Jamie hold Lily for the first time. The next week went by so fast. We got to celebrate Christmas and visit Lily every day. I imagine the nurses got a bit tired of seeing John and I and us asking so many questions all the time. We just knew that soon we would be gone and wouldn't be able to do it anymore. Any piece of information we could get and every picture we could have helped to make the leaving a little easier.
Jamie and Josh went to see Lily before the shower and gave us an update. Lily's oxygen was good and at 21% on the ventillator which is really good. Jamie was also excited that she may be able to hold Lily later in the day. That is very exciting news.
It was really cool to see Jamie hold Lily for the first time. The next week went by so fast. We got to celebrate Christmas and visit Lily every day. I imagine the nurses got a bit tired of seeing John and I and us asking so many questions all the time. We just knew that soon we would be gone and wouldn't be able to do it anymore. Any piece of information we could get and every picture we could have helped to make the leaving a little easier.
The Waiting and Watching and Praying
November 3, 2009 John sent an update at 8:35 AM that Lily was doing good. Half of the jaundice lights were off and maybe turn rest off soon. They were still working on weaning her off of the oscillating ventillator in hopes of converting back to standard ventillator. The 2:00 AM CO2 level was 37. Another check due around 9:00 AM. By 10:00 AM Lily was on the regular ventillator and were using very low settings. They may have to turn it up some if her CO2 levels aren't good but hoping to keep it low and possibly take her off all together depending on how she responds. They will probably use jaundice lights some again tonight. They listened to her heart and she continues to sound good.
Around 12:30 PM the nurse gave Lily some pink bedding. Before that she had plain white. It was nice to get some color in the bed. Made her seem more like a baby. It helped brighten the mood and make it seem less stressful. All those wires and tubes hooked up to her could be a bit intimidating so anything that gave a baby feel to her helped.
Around 7:47 PM Lily's CO2 level was 41 which is great. They are talking of lowering the machine even more in hopes of getting her off it and breathing on her own. She is doing great with the meds for her heart, no problems with the kidneys from the medicine.
I think this was the first night everyone actually went home for a good nights sleep and left her alone at the hospital. It was a bit difficult to do but we all needed the rest. Especially Jamie because she was still recovering from all the trauma that her body had gone through with the pre-eclapmsia and then the C-section. We know there is a long road ahead but everything possible is being done to help Lily grow into a strong little girl.
Around 12:30 PM the nurse gave Lily some pink bedding. Before that she had plain white. It was nice to get some color in the bed. Made her seem more like a baby. It helped brighten the mood and make it seem less stressful. All those wires and tubes hooked up to her could be a bit intimidating so anything that gave a baby feel to her helped.
Around 7:47 PM Lily's CO2 level was 41 which is great. They are talking of lowering the machine even more in hopes of getting her off it and breathing on her own. She is doing great with the meds for her heart, no problems with the kidneys from the medicine.
I think this was the first night everyone actually went home for a good nights sleep and left her alone at the hospital. It was a bit difficult to do but we all needed the rest. Especially Jamie because she was still recovering from all the trauma that her body had gone through with the pre-eclapmsia and then the C-section. We know there is a long road ahead but everything possible is being done to help Lily grow into a strong little girl.
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Rough Day
Today was a bit of a rough day at work. I was taking pictures at Luigi's Garage and a couple came up and just wanted to get a picture of the cars. It was pouring down rain but they ran over so that they could take it anyway. We told them to go on in between the cars so they could get dry and we could take their picture. They were happy to do it. Then they came out and the lady shared that cars was going to be the design for their grandson's bedroom. But last year on the way home from Disney his parents had been in a bad car accident and the baby just wasn't old enough to survive the crash. If he had been two weeks further along in gestation he probably would have made it. The grandparents got to hold him for a while. He lived for two days but just couldn't make it any longer. It was so hard to talk to them and then to think about little Lily. I thank God everyday that she was as far as long as she was so that she is still with us. And I thank God every day that my Jamie made it through as well. What a miracle those two are for me. Thankfully we can have a monkey room for our little monkey and her mommy.
Any way thought I'd share how my day went and the things that came to mind.
Any way thought I'd share how my day went and the things that came to mind.
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Up and Out of Here
November 2, 2009 Lily's oxygen level was around 93 and her CO2 was 48 at 12:07 AM. Getting more normal levels now that she is on the oscilating ventilator.
They were going to check Lily's CO2 around 9:00 AM but it was stressing her out too much when they changed the tape so they waited.
A new day dawns and two lovely ladies still in the hospital. Jamie had an x-ray of her lungs done around 9:15 AM. We got a message from John around 9:53 AM that Lily's CO2 was 30 so they may be able to wean her off the special machine and onto the regular one today. Her color is getting to be a more normal shade as well which is good.
We had some humor today. John said that Lily was giving him the Rock hand sign and then the Spock hand sign.
At 11:04 AM Jamie had her breathing excercise and got up to the 2000 mark The therapist said she is doing real good. Her lungs sounds better. Just a little mucous. Jamie is coughing good which helps bring up the mucous.
AT 1:11 PM the ultrasound showed a heart issue that they should be able to take care of with medicine over a 36 hour period. As long as her kidneys can handle the medicine. She also has some minor blood in the head that they will monitor.
John left Josh at the hospital to spend time with Lily while he went to get some food.
Gosh what a day of updates! And what a long day it seems to have been. Lily is one tough cookie. Grandpa was very impressed!
At 2:54 PM Lily's xry was a little better than the morning. They had a little trouble putting an IV in but that's not surprising because her little veins are sooooo small. Poor little baby.
At 3:20 PM Jame had another breathing treatment. Her temperature was normal but her blood pressure was still up. It was 145/95.
I know Jamie wanted to leave as soon as she could to go over to see Lily but I was so worried that they would let her out earlier than was good for her. They hadn't even really had her walking the halls to make sure she was okay from the surgery before they were ready to send her out the door. But she turned out okay. Just me being the usual worry-wart.
Around 4:30 PM we got a message from John that they had started weaning her off the oscillating ventillator. Lily was still under the lights for the jaundice and had her ski goggles on. She looked very fashionable.
At 9:00 Pm the doctor came in to say that if Lily continues doing so good they will try to put her on a conventional ventillator! Her blood gasses were so good that they weren't even scheduling special tests for them but just going with what the monitor says.
Sunday, November 29, 2009
The Next Move
November 1, 2009 was one of the toughest days I think we have ever been through. It was so hard to watch Jamie struggle through all the events of the day with her own body recovering and knowing that her baby was struggling to make it through.
9:30 AM started with a message from Joshua saying that they think Jamie will be taken off the oxygen They are going to Xray Jamie's lungs to see if there is any fluid left in them. They don't think Lily's lungs are developing as well as they'd like. Her CO2 levels are marginal so they are adjusting her respirator to see if that helps.
We went out to breakfast with Terri before she went home. Then we went in to visit with Jamie and Joshua and hopefully see Lily. At 3:00 PM the doctor was in to see Jamie. There is some fluid in her lung but the doc doesn't thinkit's pneumonia. Giving Lasics to help get rid of fluids in the body and hope that works.
They took Jamie off of oxygen at 4:00 PM and her blood levels are staying normal.
At around 4:45 PM they taught Jamie how to use the pump so that Lily could get all the nutrients she needed to help her grow. She is hoping to see the Lily after dinner.
Around 5:30 PM the baby's doctor came in to say they want to move Lily to Royal Oak Beaumont because they are concerned that the ventilator she is on is stretching her lungs. The ventilator there is oscilating and much easier on her lungs.
A few visitors were in to see Jamie and Lily. I called Daniel to tell him what was going on while they stayed in with her. Then they all came flooding out as I heard deep sobbing and John came out to get me. Poor Jamie finally fell apart over Lily being such critical shape. Poor Josh was at work and didn't know what was going on and she was having to deal with this news without him. We tried to comfort her but I know we weren't much help. Then one of her nurses came flying into the room and asked what was going on. She was such a blessing at that moment. We explained the situation to her. She whisked a wheelchair over and made Jamie get in it so that she could go see Lily. She didn't care what anyone else said. Jamie was going to see her baby and spend as much time as she wanted with Lily before Lily went over to Royal Oak. Poor Jamie was distressed over everything that was going on. I think this was the best medicine she could possibly get at this time. That nurse had 3 babies the same way Jamie did and knew what she was going through which was a big help. It was about 6:00 PM when she took Jamie down to see Lily. She was able to touch Lily for the first time and look at her from above rather than from the wheel chair. It seemed to help calm Jamie down quite a bit to get to see and touch her before she left. Someone let Josh know what was going on. I can't even remember who at this point. Around 7:00 PM they took Lily by special ambulance to Royal Oak. Around 8:00 PM John left to meet up with the ambulance. Joshua arrived to be with Jamie. He took off the rest of the week saying that every time he left something bad happened. What a terrible burden he must have felt to say something like that! I can only imagine the fear and stress Jamie and Josh have been under through all of this. I know how much I've been under and I'm the grandmother.
John kept everyone updated on Lily while I kept everyone updated on Jamie. It was very hard to be apart and have to deal with everything like this.
At 9:30 they changed Lily to the other respirator after checking her blood gasses. AT around 10:24 Lily's o2 level was where they expected it to be on the ventilator. Her CO2 was at 63. 40 to 60 is normal but lower ranges are better. Her O2 level is in the mid 90s which is where it should be.
At around 10:30 Jamie got a breathing treatment.
At around midnight her O2 level was 92 and her CO2 level was 48. Both good numbers.
These days were so hard and stressful. As I look back at the pictures of Lily and Jamie they are both difficult to see. Lily so small and new with so many things hooked up to her. Jamie looking so swollen and tired and stressed. Thankfully they are getting better.
9:30 AM started with a message from Joshua saying that they think Jamie will be taken off the oxygen They are going to Xray Jamie's lungs to see if there is any fluid left in them. They don't think Lily's lungs are developing as well as they'd like. Her CO2 levels are marginal so they are adjusting her respirator to see if that helps.
We went out to breakfast with Terri before she went home. Then we went in to visit with Jamie and Joshua and hopefully see Lily. At 3:00 PM the doctor was in to see Jamie. There is some fluid in her lung but the doc doesn't thinkit's pneumonia. Giving Lasics to help get rid of fluids in the body and hope that works.
They took Jamie off of oxygen at 4:00 PM and her blood levels are staying normal.
At around 4:45 PM they taught Jamie how to use the pump so that Lily could get all the nutrients she needed to help her grow. She is hoping to see the Lily after dinner.
Around 5:30 PM the baby's doctor came in to say they want to move Lily to Royal Oak Beaumont because they are concerned that the ventilator she is on is stretching her lungs. The ventilator there is oscilating and much easier on her lungs.
A few visitors were in to see Jamie and Lily. I called Daniel to tell him what was going on while they stayed in with her. Then they all came flooding out as I heard deep sobbing and John came out to get me. Poor Jamie finally fell apart over Lily being such critical shape. Poor Josh was at work and didn't know what was going on and she was having to deal with this news without him. We tried to comfort her but I know we weren't much help. Then one of her nurses came flying into the room and asked what was going on. She was such a blessing at that moment. We explained the situation to her. She whisked a wheelchair over and made Jamie get in it so that she could go see Lily. She didn't care what anyone else said. Jamie was going to see her baby and spend as much time as she wanted with Lily before Lily went over to Royal Oak. Poor Jamie was distressed over everything that was going on. I think this was the best medicine she could possibly get at this time. That nurse had 3 babies the same way Jamie did and knew what she was going through which was a big help. It was about 6:00 PM when she took Jamie down to see Lily. She was able to touch Lily for the first time and look at her from above rather than from the wheel chair. It seemed to help calm Jamie down quite a bit to get to see and touch her before she left. Someone let Josh know what was going on. I can't even remember who at this point. Around 7:00 PM they took Lily by special ambulance to Royal Oak. Around 8:00 PM John left to meet up with the ambulance. Joshua arrived to be with Jamie. He took off the rest of the week saying that every time he left something bad happened. What a terrible burden he must have felt to say something like that! I can only imagine the fear and stress Jamie and Josh have been under through all of this. I know how much I've been under and I'm the grandmother.
John kept everyone updated on Lily while I kept everyone updated on Jamie. It was very hard to be apart and have to deal with everything like this.
At 9:30 they changed Lily to the other respirator after checking her blood gasses. AT around 10:24 Lily's o2 level was where they expected it to be on the ventilator. Her CO2 was at 63. 40 to 60 is normal but lower ranges are better. Her O2 level is in the mid 90s which is where it should be.
At around 10:30 Jamie got a breathing treatment.
At around midnight her O2 level was 92 and her CO2 level was 48. Both good numbers.
These days were so hard and stressful. As I look back at the pictures of Lily and Jamie they are both difficult to see. Lily so small and new with so many things hooked up to her. Jamie looking so swollen and tired and stressed. Thankfully they are getting better.
Friday, November 27, 2009
Interlude
This post is not going to have any updates about the delivery and beginning of Lily's life. I just felt like writing about how I'm feeling in the aftermath of it all for a bit.
As I look back now I struggle to remember the order of everything that happened. I know the notes I took are incomplete and that I probably will write somethings out of order. I do remember how relieved I was when I heard that Jamie was going to be okay. I was so afraid and nervous when they released her so early from the hospital. I just didn't know if she was well enough after all she had been through. I know they wanted her to be able to go to Royal Oak to see Lily but I feared that she would have some kind of set back or still have trouble with her lungs or high blood pressure. But I also felt her pain and need to see Lily. I can't imagine having to let my small fragile daughter be somewhere that I wasn't even if she was in good hands. I am so proud of the way Jamie has handled these trying times. She has put Lily first in every decision. She has maintained a calm about her that I'm sure has helped keep Lily calm and peaceful as she grows stronger everyday.
Life has certainly thrown me some curve balls and I know I don't always manage to handle them very well. But I guess I'll get through this too.
I miss Jamie and Josh and Lily very much. And I miss Dan so much too. It is so hard to be away from all of them. It makes the time with them even more precious. I love them all so very much.
Well I guess that's it for my blathering for now. I have to get to work and help families have a magical day! My great escape from real world stuggles!!! Hoping to hear good news tonight about little Lily.
As I look back now I struggle to remember the order of everything that happened. I know the notes I took are incomplete and that I probably will write somethings out of order. I do remember how relieved I was when I heard that Jamie was going to be okay. I was so afraid and nervous when they released her so early from the hospital. I just didn't know if she was well enough after all she had been through. I know they wanted her to be able to go to Royal Oak to see Lily but I feared that she would have some kind of set back or still have trouble with her lungs or high blood pressure. But I also felt her pain and need to see Lily. I can't imagine having to let my small fragile daughter be somewhere that I wasn't even if she was in good hands. I am so proud of the way Jamie has handled these trying times. She has put Lily first in every decision. She has maintained a calm about her that I'm sure has helped keep Lily calm and peaceful as she grows stronger everyday.
Life has certainly thrown me some curve balls and I know I don't always manage to handle them very well. But I guess I'll get through this too.
I miss Jamie and Josh and Lily very much. And I miss Dan so much too. It is so hard to be away from all of them. It makes the time with them even more precious. I love them all so very much.
Well I guess that's it for my blathering for now. I have to get to work and help families have a magical day! My great escape from real world stuggles!!! Hoping to hear good news tonight about little Lily.
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Calm Before the Storm
October 31st started was not overly eventful. Terri came to town to see Jamie and Lily. We had called the hospital and all was going pretty well. We met Terri at El Charro for lunch and then went to see Jamie and Lily. When we got to the hospital Jamie and Joshua were visiting with Lily. I think it was the first time Jamie was able to see her but she was in a wheel chair so she wasn't able to touch her or hold her yet. I'm sure it was pretty overwhelming for both of them. We could only see them through a crack in the blinds.
Terri brought a bunch of newborn outfits from Grandma Boblenz for little Lily to where when she gets home. It will make it easier for Jamie if she doesn't have to worry about washing clothes every few days.
Josh took Terri down to see Lily and Terri took about 3 minutes of video of Lily. It was awesome. Lily was doing well. Her lungs were pretty underdeveloped which was no surprise. The doctor talked about hopefully taking her off the ventilator in 4 or 5 days. (We now know that didn't happen). She also looked a little jaudiced. If she is they will put her under some lights to help with that. That's not unusual either for preemies.
The nurse said that Jamie had a little fluid in her right lung that they were watching to make sure it did not turn into pneumonia. She would hopefully cough it up and be ok. They are going to x-ray her chest tomorrow to check on the fluid.
That's about all I have for this day.
I'm sure everyone came to visit that day but I just can't remember who all came and what else happened. I know I was worried about both of them. I know Jamie was tired and sore and so worried about her little baby. And I had asked so many people to pray for all three of them. They all wanted updates too. It helped to know people were praying for them. It gave me some comfort.
Terri brought a bunch of newborn outfits from Grandma Boblenz for little Lily to where when she gets home. It will make it easier for Jamie if she doesn't have to worry about washing clothes every few days.
Josh took Terri down to see Lily and Terri took about 3 minutes of video of Lily. It was awesome. Lily was doing well. Her lungs were pretty underdeveloped which was no surprise. The doctor talked about hopefully taking her off the ventilator in 4 or 5 days. (We now know that didn't happen). She also looked a little jaudiced. If she is they will put her under some lights to help with that. That's not unusual either for preemies.
The nurse said that Jamie had a little fluid in her right lung that they were watching to make sure it did not turn into pneumonia. She would hopefully cough it up and be ok. They are going to x-ray her chest tomorrow to check on the fluid.
That's about all I have for this day.
I'm sure everyone came to visit that day but I just can't remember who all came and what else happened. I know I was worried about both of them. I know Jamie was tired and sore and so worried about her little baby. And I had asked so many people to pray for all three of them. They all wanted updates too. It helped to know people were praying for them. It gave me some comfort.
Sunday, November 22, 2009
The Music Plays
Oct. 30, 2009 At 1:37 PM we heard the music play that meant a baby was born and we knew it was out Lily Renee!!! Everyone was so excited to hear the music. We could hardly wait to see how Jamie was and to go check on Lily. The nurse came to the waiting room around 2:00 PM to tell us that Jamie and Lily made it through surgery okay and brought us the camera with the first pictures of Jamie and Lily together. They were so beautiful my heart just melted and I was so relieved that Jamie was doing okay. Joshua was beaming, he was so happy to hear the news. He wanted to rush back to see Jamie right away and make sure she was okay. I know he was worried to death about her and I know he was relieved to see that she was okay.
We passed around the camera for everyone to see Lily for the first time. We could see Jamie reaching out to her little crib after her delivery. Such a touching picture to see. Lily's Great Grandparents cried at the sight of her picture. What a joy to behold!
I called Dan to congratulate him on being an uncle. We hadn't told him what was going on until then. He asked if Jamie was okay then asked about Lily. He was happy that Jamie was doing well and happy to be an uncle. He was sad that he couldn't be there to see them. But we are making plans for him to visit early next year. While I was talking to him, Josh came up and asked if I wanted to go see Lily with him. What a silly question!!! I said goodbye to Dan and got ready to head up. The nurse told me to get my camera but I already had that in hand. So off we headed to the nursery to see our precious little Lily. I was so honored and thrilled that Josh picked me to go see Lily with him.
I'll never forget when he first saw her. He said "She has toenails!" It was so cute and funny at the same time. What a thing to focus on yet so amazing that she did. The nurse and I took pictures of him as he met his daughter for the first time. You could tell he was in awe and loving every minute of seeing her but amazed and nervous at how small she was.
The doctor said she was stable and her blood levels were good. Her oxygen was about 95% and her blood pressure was 67/37 which is good for her. Her heart rate was 154 and her breaths per minute were 67. Also good numbers.
I was so amazed by every little bit of her that I had to take pictures of everything. Her body, her head her hands, her ears, even her little feet. She is just so beautiful it was hard to stop.
We finally had to leave which was okay because we went to visit Jamie and see again that she was doing okay. Her breathing got much better and her oxygen levels improved. She was still on oxygen but not the fighter pilot mask any more. She still had some fluids in her lungs and her blood pressure was still up so the kept her on the blood pressure medicine. They were also giving her medicine for the pain so I think she was out of it just a bit.
All in all it was a crazy, stressful, emotionally draining yet exciting day for the family. My daughter survived a life threatening situation and I became a Grandmother to the most beautiful baby girl (next to my daughter) you have ever seen.
We went home that evening leaving Jamie in good hands with Joshua watching over her.
We passed around the camera for everyone to see Lily for the first time. We could see Jamie reaching out to her little crib after her delivery. Such a touching picture to see. Lily's Great Grandparents cried at the sight of her picture. What a joy to behold!
I called Dan to congratulate him on being an uncle. We hadn't told him what was going on until then. He asked if Jamie was okay then asked about Lily. He was happy that Jamie was doing well and happy to be an uncle. He was sad that he couldn't be there to see them. But we are making plans for him to visit early next year. While I was talking to him, Josh came up and asked if I wanted to go see Lily with him. What a silly question!!! I said goodbye to Dan and got ready to head up. The nurse told me to get my camera but I already had that in hand. So off we headed to the nursery to see our precious little Lily. I was so honored and thrilled that Josh picked me to go see Lily with him.
I'll never forget when he first saw her. He said "She has toenails!" It was so cute and funny at the same time. What a thing to focus on yet so amazing that she did. The nurse and I took pictures of him as he met his daughter for the first time. You could tell he was in awe and loving every minute of seeing her but amazed and nervous at how small she was.
The doctor said she was stable and her blood levels were good. Her oxygen was about 95% and her blood pressure was 67/37 which is good for her. Her heart rate was 154 and her breaths per minute were 67. Also good numbers.
I was so amazed by every little bit of her that I had to take pictures of everything. Her body, her head her hands, her ears, even her little feet. She is just so beautiful it was hard to stop.
We finally had to leave which was okay because we went to visit Jamie and see again that she was doing okay. Her breathing got much better and her oxygen levels improved. She was still on oxygen but not the fighter pilot mask any more. She still had some fluids in her lungs and her blood pressure was still up so the kept her on the blood pressure medicine. They were also giving her medicine for the pain so I think she was out of it just a bit.
All in all it was a crazy, stressful, emotionally draining yet exciting day for the family. My daughter survived a life threatening situation and I became a Grandmother to the most beautiful baby girl (next to my daughter) you have ever seen.
We went home that evening leaving Jamie in good hands with Joshua watching over her.
Saturday, November 21, 2009
An Unexpected Turn of Events
The doctor came in and listened to Jamie's chest and said that she thought Jamie may have blood clots in her lungs. They gave Jamie a shot of Heperin to help with blood clots, if she had any. Then they took Jamie down to do a CT scan on her lungs and an MRI.
Jamie had the CT scan at about 4:00 AM and when she came out she was in a panic because she could not breath. They immediately took her to Surgical Intensive Care Unit (SICU). I had to go to the waiting room while they got her settled in the room. At that time I called and told John what was going on. And around 5:30 we decided it was time to tell Josh so that he could come to the hospital because they had begun discussing taking the baby.
When they finally let me back in the room around 5:30 AM with Jamie the doctor said that she didn't have blood clots but they thought she might have pneumonia and they were giving her a breathing treatment. They also began givng her medicine to try to get her blood pressure down. It was rising to 160 /108.
After the breathing treatment they decided that she did not have pneumonia but that the pre-eclampsia was causing the problem of fluids leaking into her lungs and essentially drowning her. They put her on an oxygen mask that actually forced the fluids out of her lungs as well as supplying her oxygen to breath. Her oxygen levels improved to between 92 adn 97 as long as she was on this mask.
The doctors decided that it was necessary to take the baby as soon as Jamie was stable. First they needed to get her blood pressure down and get her oxygen levels to stabalize. They were giving her blood pressure medicine every 20 minutes or so to try and bring it down. And also gave her a diuretic around 8:30 AM to help reduce the fluids in her system.
At 9:30 AM they checked her legs for blood clots. They also checked her heart to make sure it was okay before they did the surgery. Around 11:00 AM the a group of doctors and nurses came in to prep Jamie for surgery. They put in IVs, and arterial line or something like that. Checked her blood pressure, ran blood tests to make sure she could have the spinal so she could be awake during surgery.
Around 12:00 noon family came in to say hello to Jamie before she went in to surgery. at about 1:00 PM they took Jamie down the hall and off to surgery. Let me tell you, that was one of the hardest moments of my life becasue I couldn't go wtih her and I couldn't protect her from what was happening. I felt so helpless yet knew she was in very good hands.
The good new in the next post.
A Day in the Hospital
We begin a new day with Jamie doing well in the hospital on Oct. 29. John and I get ready and head to the hospital to see how she is doing. The doctor was continuing the protein test and would have the results soon after we arrived, or so we thought. It wasn't until mid-afternoon that we got the results. The nurse said that the protein level in Jamie's urine was 1032 which wasn't good considering the normal level is about 150. Needless to say I was pretty worried about my little girl. They decided to continue to monitor her and would start another test on Friday through Saturday.
With these results we decided to visit with Jamie and just hang out with her in the hospital. They told her she wouldn't be going home without the baby. I'm assuming that meant without delivering the baby which could have meant a couple months in the hospital if necessary.
Around 6:35 PM Jamie called the nurse to ask for some medicine for her back pain. The nurse seemed worried about this and called the doctor to let her know what was going on. The doctor said to keep an eye on things for now and see how things progress. The nurse put a monitor on Jamie to see if the pain was from contractions but they were not. She also ran two tests on the baby to see how she was doing. The test consists of watching her heart rate over a period of time to see if it increases for at least 10 seconds beating 10 beats higher than normal rate. Both tests were fine so they continued to monitor both Jamie and the baby.
Since Jamie was doing okay Josh was able to go to work and I planned to spend the night with Jamie so that he could get some rest at home when he was done working.
The best laid plans don't always work out.
With these results we decided to visit with Jamie and just hang out with her in the hospital. They told her she wouldn't be going home without the baby. I'm assuming that meant without delivering the baby which could have meant a couple months in the hospital if necessary.
Around 6:35 PM Jamie called the nurse to ask for some medicine for her back pain. The nurse seemed worried about this and called the doctor to let her know what was going on. The doctor said to keep an eye on things for now and see how things progress. The nurse put a monitor on Jamie to see if the pain was from contractions but they were not. She also ran two tests on the baby to see how she was doing. The test consists of watching her heart rate over a period of time to see if it increases for at least 10 seconds beating 10 beats higher than normal rate. Both tests were fine so they continued to monitor both Jamie and the baby.
Since Jamie was doing okay Josh was able to go to work and I planned to spend the night with Jamie so that he could get some rest at home when he was done working.
The best laid plans don't always work out.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
A long drive north
Some posts will be short and some will be long as I put down the memories of the past several weeks. I kept notes in a red book to help keep myself grounded and from having a melt down as I watched Jamie struggle to live and then Lily struggle to survive. As I look back on it I can't believe I was able to hold it together as well as I did considering all that I saw and experienced.
Our drive to Michigan seemed like the longest drive I have ever been on, and believe me I've driven to some pretty far away places. We left around 6:30 PM on Wed. Oct. 28 and got to the hospital to see Jamie by 10:30 PM on Oct. 29. We were getting updates from Jamie as we drove. She was doing well in the hospital. They were doing a 24 hour urine protein test to see if it was high or not. If it was, then this could be a problem. She had visitors and was feeling pretty good even though a bit swollen and having high blood pressure.
We were able to visit Jamie for about 20 minutes the evening we got there. Then we went to my in-laws and slept the last of a good nights sleep for probably a week. In the next 4 or 5 days John and I probably got about 8 hours sleep total. I don't think Josh got much either. Poor guy. Every time he went home to sleep he got a call to come back to the hospital because something bad was happening. But at least that night we all got a decent nights sleep.
Our drive to Michigan seemed like the longest drive I have ever been on, and believe me I've driven to some pretty far away places. We left around 6:30 PM on Wed. Oct. 28 and got to the hospital to see Jamie by 10:30 PM on Oct. 29. We were getting updates from Jamie as we drove. She was doing well in the hospital. They were doing a 24 hour urine protein test to see if it was high or not. If it was, then this could be a problem. She had visitors and was feeling pretty good even though a bit swollen and having high blood pressure.
We were able to visit Jamie for about 20 minutes the evening we got there. Then we went to my in-laws and slept the last of a good nights sleep for probably a week. In the next 4 or 5 days John and I probably got about 8 hours sleep total. I don't think Josh got much either. Poor guy. Every time he went home to sleep he got a call to come back to the hospital because something bad was happening. But at least that night we all got a decent nights sleep.
It all started with a phone call.
This is my first blog and I know it may be rambling and confusing at times. I just need a place to write down the events of what happened to my lovely Jamie and my little Lily as she was being born.
It all started with a phone call. Now you wouldn't think this unusual except that Jamie only calls when it's important or she's worried. Otherwise, we get text messages from her. So when I got a phone call saying that the doctor told her to go to the hospital and that she may be admitted I knew something odd was going on. She said that her blood pressure was high and that she had a lot of swelling and the doctor was concerned. She was going to go have a test done and then possibly be admitted. The obvious thing for me to do was "google" high blood pressure etc. We came up with a condition called pre-eclampsia. Not a good thing.
With this information we began to try to figure out what we should do from so far away. The first decision was that I should fly up to be with her in case they had to deliver the baby or something bad happened to Jamie. Then John decided that we should just start driving up and he could be there too just in case things went bad. And so our adventure began!
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