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.

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.

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.

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.

An Unexpected Turn of Events

Jamie finally fell asleep around 10:30 after the nurses had checked her blood pressure to make sure it wasn't too high. It was about 144/80, so not horritble. And had given her some Ambien to help her sleep. I finally got to sleep around 1:30 after posting some things on line and reading for a while. Jamie woke up around 3:00 AM to go to the bathroom. She seemed to make it in there and back to bed ok. But she started coughing and she seemed disoriented and incoherent unless she was staring me straight in the face and talking directly to me. Every time she looked around she became confused. I called the nurse to come in and check on her. The nurse asked if I thought Jamie's cough had changed. It had become more congested during the night. She put Jamie on oxygen and listened to her breathing. She said Jamie's right side sounded very congested. She put a monitor on the baby and an oxygen monitor on Jamie to see how her saturation level was doing. Her blood pressure was 148/99. Her oxygen level was 81% before she was on the oxygen but the oxygen helped to get it up to 97%. The baby's heart rate was at 145 to 151 which was a good rate.
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.

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.

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!