NICU - Day 8

Date: November 30th

Day 8

Madelyn's feeding was raised to 9 mLs every three hours. Grandma Ann, Grandma Deb and Great-Grandma LaVerne all came to visit.


Madelyn had several spells this morning. The nurse said it could be related to too much stimulation. We tried to decrease our interactions with her for the rest of the day. Madelyn had a good rest of her day. Dan and I went out to eat for supper with his grandmother, mom and Trenton.

NICU - Day 7

Date: November 29th

I woke up and went to Cedar Rapids to watch the Iowa-Nebraska game with the family.

After the game, Mom and I went to see Madelyn at the hospital. She did not have any spells today either!

Day 7

Dan and I went to Target later in the evening and I bought a couple of nighties that Madelyn can wear next winter and they came with a matching nightie for her doll too!

NICU - Day 6

Date: November 28th

I apologize for getting so behind on the blog. It was a big weekend with lots of activities.

Maddie enjoyed wearing her new turkey hat and was wearing it when I got to the NICU. Maddie also practiced her posing for pictures next week.

Thumbs up! (For her cousin Cael)

Look how adorable I am!

Vogue it!

Madelyn did not have any of her spells today. She was able to get off her bili lights today too!

She enjoyed visits from Ryan, Shannon, Steve, Renae, Kelsey and Grandpa Wayne. (My picture of Ryan and Shannon was blurry so I'll need to get a copy of one from them.)

Dan and I were able to go to Steve and Renae's for supper and hang out with the family afterwards.

With her Thanksgiving hat and bib.

NICU - Day 5

Date: November 27th

Happy Thanksgiving Eve!

I realize that I am writing this after midnight, but that is only because Maddie and I were so busy all day. When we arrived at the hospital, Maddie was back under her tanning lights. Her bilirubin level was a 7.2 at labs this morning and the cut-off for her age and weight was 7, so she needed some more sunbathing. Several times today, I found that she had moved her mask to one side or the other so she could peek out and twice she had completely removed it from her eyelids.

Hanging out with one leg up on the other.

This morning Mom and I were present for rounds. They decreased her labs to once a day, which is great news because being poked in the heel has to suck. They also increased her milk to 5 mLs every 3 hours.

I asked one of the doctors about how long it usually is before a baby this young goes poop and he said 3-4 days. Previously a nurse had said it wasn't unusual for a baby to go 5-7 days after birth before their first poopy diaper. I pointed out that she is five days old today and the doctor ordered a suppository for Maddie. She didn't complain when they gave it to her and soon after she started farting. Who would have thought newborn baby farts could be so cute? The suppository worked and I allowed Mom the honor of changing the first poopy diaper. Maddie was so excited to have her diaper changed that she just kept on pooping. The diaper change took quite awhile before she slowed down. She had another poopy diaper later but I'm pretty sure it was just residual poop that we didn't wait for. Her tummy looks better and is softer now that she could get all that over with.

Grandma showed us how diaper changes are done!

Also, this should lower her bilirubin level for tomorrow labs and she should be done with tanning for awhile again.

Excuse me, but can we turn off these
spotlights? I'm trying to sleep.

We had some visitors today. The social worker stopped by to talk to us and the lactation lady brought a pump for me to use when I'm not at the hospital or Ronald McDonald House while Maddie is in the NICU. Sarah stopped by and let me borrow a phone charger (much needed!). Also, Sheila, who is in charge of Cherished Portraits came by. They take pictures of babies in the hospital who are stillborn or have a serious illness. They recently started taking pictures of babies who are long-term NICU babies and they wanted to know if I want Maddie's pictures taken next week. A parent from Renae's school will be taking them on Tuesday and I am so excited! Also, she gave me their pamphlet, which features a picture of my brother Matt, his wife Jill and their two oldest children on the front. It brings back memories of those wonderful days that we had with Grace here at the U of I. Now I have to prepare Maddie for the pictures. What do you say to a 29 1/2 weeker to make them smile nice for pictures? I don't think the tricks I use for Kate ("Be sassy") and Cael ("I'll give you candy") will work with Madelyn. All ideas for getting her to participate in her photo shoot will be considered (although some may be quickly discarded).

Maddie had two spells again today and one fake-out. With the fake-out, I was pumping and saw her heart rate numbers slowly decreasing and she started flailing her arms and legs. The alarm went off and I was kind of trapped in my chair. One of the nurses came in and informed me that Maddie had pulled on one of her cords, causing a tube to disconnect. The first real spell she had lasted 12-15 seconds and the nurses and I had to rub her down to get her to raise her heart rate. The second spell happened while I was at Target trying to print the picture of her and I from her birth day. I didn't ask for details on that one because the first one was still causing me some anxiety. These spells are completely normal for a baby of her age, but still throw me for an emotional loop.

Dan got to take Maddie's temperature for the first time tonight. He left the diaper changing to me. In honor of Thanksgiving tomorrow, Maddie did her best Home Alone face for me tonight.

"AAAAAAHHHHH!" 

NICU - Day 4

Date: November 26th

Wow, today was another big day in the NICU. Maddie was previously receiving 3 mLs of breast milk, 4 times a day and now she is getting 4 mLs, 6 times a day. She also had her labs decreased from four times a day to twice a day. They also went up a little bit on her c-pap to correct her "spells" where her heart rate drops. There are times when she becomes "lazy" and her heart rate drops below 80. Sometimes she brings it back up on her own and other times when she is touched by the nurses or me and then she is able to bring it back up. They keep track of how long they last and if they are significant, it has to be noted in her file. She typically has these at night. One of her goals for going home is that she not have any of these spells for 7 days.

With her new sock monkey.

When I came in this morning, Maddie had a new sheet in her warmer, a new blanket on her donut and new heart monitors that were purple. Her nurse said that she was going to give her a bath this morning, but then realized she wasn't old enough, so just changed all the other stuff so she could feel like a new girl! I honestly believe that the nurses Maddie has had in her time in the NICU are like angels. They are so awesome about explaining how things work and answering questions and they all seem to really care about her. She is a very lucky girl.

Day 4! Notice the new sheets and blanket. 

Maddie got to meet Uncle Steve today and Aunt Renae and Aunt Kelsey came over to visit too. I got to spend time with Renae's kids in the waiting room and Mom showed me the nutrition room upstairs that I can go to if I need a break or a snack. Mom hung out all evening with Maddie, Dan and I. Dan and I also went out to eat for the first time since I was admitted to the hospital. We brought back food for Sarah and Mom. Sarah and I went to Volunteer Services today and picked out a sock monkey for Maddie.

Maddie's Christmas stocking.

Tonight, Maddie got her pulse ox band hooked on her "leg warmer" that covers her PICC line wires and pulled off the "leg warmer". Grandma was available to put it back on. The nurses don't joke when they say she is feisty. She is very verbal when she is dissatisfied with the service she is receiving. Occasionally, she opens her eyes just a little bit to peek at me and make sure that I am actually there. I got to change her diaper and take her temperature again yesterday and today. She tolerates the diaper change a little bit better. I tell people that she gets upset and cries because she thought she would have 12 more weeks to float around and kick her mommy in the bladder and spleen and now instead everyone expects her to breathe, eat, and wear all kinds of wires all the time.

For those who want to see pictures from Maddie's birth until today, please look back on the previous entries. I added pictures including the first time that she and I met in the operating room. Definitely the best picture of me ever taken.

NICU - Day 3

Date: November 25th

Woke up this morning and had a visit from Dr. Santillan. Afterwards I went to see Maddie with Mom. Maddie got her first name outside her room and her new arm band with her name on it instead of "Ibeling, Baby Girl". We talked with the social worker in the NICU about resources available to families with babies in the NICU. While we were talking with her, I started to feel light-headed and dizzy. Mom got me a wheelchair and took me back to my room. After getting checked out by Lastacia and having labs drawn, it was decided that I probably just waited too long in the morning to eat. We finished packing up my room and I was discharged. I wasn't able to go see Maddie this afternoon because they were putting in her PICC line. No more belly button lines! Dan saw Maddie while I was still getting my labs drawn and while he was reading to her, she pulled off one of her heart monitor thingys and tried to throw it. The nurses described her as "one of the most fiesty 28 weekers we've ever had". Her fiesty-ness must come from someone, but certainly not her mother.

Finally got her name outside her door.

Mom drove me over to the Ronald McDonald House and Dan and I got things sorted out and put away for the most part. Dan stayed there last night, so he showed me around and I got a key to our room. It was HOT in there and we had to open the door to the outside to cool things off. A fan went on my list of things that I want Dan to bring on Wednesday after work. We then went back to the hospital to drop off milk and hang out in the NICU. Madelyn was continuing the games she likes to play and was not cooperating all that well with the nurses.

First time out of the hospital in almost 4 weeks.

Dan and I went back to the Ronald McDonald House for supper as they had some community members who were providing a supper of salad and baked potatoes that we could choose toppings for. They had cheese, chili, onions and sour cream. Dan made sure to get his fill at supper. We also went to the mall so we could pick up some things that we needed. I also bought Maddie things that she didn't necessarily need, but will like. Dan pushed me in a wheelchair because I didn't want to overdo it. We got a family ornament that has three penguins and says our names (Mom, Dad and Madelyn). It was strange but awesome to be referred to as "Mom and Dad" instead of Mary and Dan. We have waited so long to be lame old parents and now the day has come. Maddie also needed a stocking and I got her a super fuzzy pink one.

Celebrating day 3 with Daddy

And Mommy

Dan dropped me off at the hospital after we got done shopping so that I could pump and spend some quality time with Madelyn. Her heart rate has been dropping intermittently, setting off the alarm and causing the nurse to come into her pod. She then usually boosts it back up to normal. Sometimes these episodes only last a few seconds, but sometimes they last a little bit longer. This is likely due to her early gestational age. The nurses today also pointed out that when they do her feedings, that they find she often was unable to digest the previous feeding. Part of this is due to her laying on her back and partially due to her young age. Hopefully this will begin to change. At her midnight feeding tonight, she still had 2.5 ccs out of her 3 ccs from the previous feeding in her stomach. At last night's midnight feeding, she had all of the previous feeding in her stomach. She also has a sign on her bed that says she needs to stay flat and midline until December 6th. It sort of bums me out because I want to hold her and cuddle her and all of that good stuff. I understand that it is due to the chance for brain bleeds and such. From what I understand, she will get a head CT scan at one week old. That should give more information to the doctors regarding what their plan should be. I got to change her diaper and take her temperature again before her midnight feeding. The nurse told me tonight that they give the babies caffeine to help them be more reactive so they don't forget to keep breathing. I was not surprised to hear from a nurse today that they were familiar with me due to my case being a "scary one". I am constantly reminded that Maddie and my path to this point has been an unusual one that has drawn a lot of attention to us.

I throw my hands up in the air sometimes,
saying "Ay-o, I'm a baby-o".

NICU - Day 2

Date: November 24th

I woke up this morning, ready to get my day started. I pumped and saw the doctors (including Dr. Krupp and Dr. Santillan who wanted to check in and see how I was feeling). I felt tired today but also less pain. They were able to take out my last iv today and I was able to get rid of my leg pump things as well since I am moving around more. I went and visited Sarah this morning and found out that Sara had her baby overnight, so went to talk to her as well. I went over to the NICU to see Maddie early and drop off some milk.

Sticking her tongue out at Mommy and Daddy

Then I took a nap. I think that naps are the best part of being in the hospital. It is amazing how much an hour nap can do for a person. Dan's aunts Pam and Teresa, uncle Joey, both of his grandmas and grandpa, Dave and Janelle all came down today to visit and meet Maddie. I didn't see them for long because I was tired and needed to pump regularly. I went over to the NICU and they were taking out Maddie's intubation, so Dan and I got to be there for that. I was approved to take my first shower since the surgery (Thank the Lord!) and it felt amazing. Because of needing to pump and shower, we were late to church by a few minutes.

Changing my first diaper.

After church, Dan went to get us supper and Renae, Steve, the kids and Kelsey came up to my room. Steve hasn't been able to see Madelyn yet due to his being sick last week, but Renae and Kelsey went and saw her again. Jordan came up too and went to see Madelyn with Mom and I. We ate supper and then Dan and I went and saw her again.

A note from a special guest blogger:

Greetings from the NICU! Mommy says I can take over for a minute to explain all the exciting things that happened to me today. I was able to move from Bay 1 (the most serious babies) to Bay 2/3 which has less serious cases. Mommy found out when she came to visit me at 8:30 this morning. When she got to my room, I was still under the bili lights and had one hand on my ventilator tube, ready to yank it out. The nurse said that Mommy should discourage that and move my hand. Later in the day, I got the tube taken out and they put me on a c-pap machine (whatever that means) and Mommy got to change my diaper and take my temperature. I was a little bit cranky this afternoon and Mommy held my hand and talked to me until I calmed down. I have been able to have breastmilk every 6 hours, but only about 3 mLs. Mommy has been bringing it over for me every time she pumps in little syringes. They just hook them up to my tubes. Daddy was able to change my diaper tonight and I barely wimpered. He did a really great job and Mommy took pictures. After Mommy left the NICU, Daddy stayed and read to me from a really big book but I showed him that I liked it by kicking my feet and waving my arms. Today I also got off my antibiotics and my numbers went down, so hopefully I won't need my tanning lights much longer. 

Lovin' the new plug!

Mommy says we will post pictures on here soon, but that she needs to get some packing and sleeping done so that she can discharge from the hospital tomorrow.

Love, 

Madelyn

Daddy changing a diaper

Accomplished a lot today.

NICU - Day 1

Date: November 23rd

Mom slept at the hospital with me Friday night. It was fairly uneventful. I woke up at 4 am Saturday and wanted to try pumping, but could not find one of the pieces I needed for the pump. Mom ended up getting up with me to help try to find the piece. It was found hours later after we had asked for another pumping pieces set. I felt really good waking up on Saturday and had a lot of energy. I saw the doctors out in the hallway and they were shocked that I was feeling good enough to be up and around. I saw Maddie again in the morning and she was doing well, not needing any additional oxygen over the 21% in the room air. They started talking about taking her off the ventilator that she had been put on Friday due to grunting and struggling a little bit.

I began to feel nauseated in the afternoon while in the NICU and mom offered to go to the cafeteria to get me food so that I could rest or stay in the NICU. I felt fine, so went down to the cafeteria with Mom, Deb and Sarah to get some food. I started feeling worse while we were down there and Deb went to find me a wheelchair. Before we could even get out of the lobby area, I knew I was going to be sick. I feel really bad for the people who had to clean up my mess and also for the people with me that had to witness it. After my mess downstairs, I rested for awhile but made it back to the NICU to see Maddie get her 6 pm feeding. The nurse in the NICU was great and earlier in the day had offered to let Dan change a diaper, but he wanted to observe more. Saturday night, Maddie was under the "baby tanning lights" and had to wear a purple mask to protect her eyes.

Maddie's name outside her door

Tanning shades

One whole day old.

Chillin' in her fake sun. 

Just relaxin'.

I went to visit Jessie and it turned out she had her baby on Saturday in a big hurry! She was feeling good and her baby was doing well.

Kelsey and Renae came by and brought me clean laundry and brought us pizza for supper. I'm sure that was their whole plan for visiting the hospital, but they also went to see Maddie since they were in the area.

Mom stayed again Saturday night because Dan doesn't sleep well at the hospital and Mom can help me with pumping. After she went to sleep, Dan and I went back to the NICU to see Maddie for a little bit. I came back and pumped before going to bed.

Pictures are coming. I wanted to at least get everything written so that I wouldn't forget.

Madelyn's Birth Story

Mary was taken to the OR prep room at 10:25 am. A nurse told Dan it was okay to be in on the first part of the c-section. Dan's face went white and gave Mary the please don't make me eyes. They would not accept Mom as a substitute. Mary met Mary the nurse anesthetist. She went through everything with with Mary, Dan and Mom. Then Mary took a shot of something that was described as "burning like tequila". Nurse Mary took Mary to the OR where she got her spinal.  Dr. K arrived and Mary said "We need to have a talk." He had ordered her blood sugar test to be right after the antepartum party (which was full of pop, brownies and cookies) from the doctors on Thursday  and he ordered labs at 4am for a 10:30 surgery. (Luckily, Mary's overnight nurse got them moved to 6 am.) The other doctors in the OR laughed when Mary "confronted" him. She reported that the spinal wasn't so bad; though at the same time there was a nurse sitting between Mary's legs, attempting to monitor Madelyn. . . . (awkward). Madelyn used this chance to hide from the nurse. When they tried to lay Mary down she started to feel nauseated. She told Nurse Mary this and that she was about to throw up and was told to turn her head. . . . a few moments later Mary woke up and heard "We've got her. We're good now."  Mary had passed out, vomited, and her heart rate dropped and blood pressure dropped out. (Later we were told by Dr. Santillan that when this happened they all "scrambled" and were scared, but it didn't last long.  The neonatologists (8 of them) were just entering and they heard "WE HAVE TO GET HER OUT!"  Mary quickly recovered and all was fine. Mary then asked Dr. Santillan what he was going to sing to her and he started singing "White Christmas."

Heading down to the OR!

When they made the initial cut they realized they were not able to cut the uterus horizontally due to the amount of blood vessels.  They then had to do a vertical cut.  The doctors were talking to Mary about all of this.

Getting the spinal.

Maddie was born at 11:24 and immediately started squealing.  The doctors said "She is PINK!"  Dr. Taylor reported that she was "really cute". They cleaned Maddie and wrapped her up and brought her to Mary for a kiss and a picture. Mary was overjoyed and began to cry.

Madelyn Elizabeth!

Meeting Mommy for the first time. 

The doctors pulled her uterus out to have a look and while doing this the placenta fell out.  (This was not expected.  They expected the placenta to have grown in to the uterus forcing a hysterectomy or at least a cornual wedge resection.)

Dr. Taylor: "Look I can see my finger through the uterus."
Dr Santillan: "Well don't stick your finger through it."

A lot of pictures were taken of the uterus and they confirmed it was a true cornual pregnancy. Dr Taylor kidded that she was going to sew Mary's uterus up like a baseball. After she put the uterus back in, Mary realized the OR had become very quiet because all of the doctors had left. Dr. Santillan and Dr. Ryan came up to talk to Mary and say goodbye before they left. There was no emergency and weren't needed! GREAT NEWS!

Dr. Krohn finished sewing Mary up and she could feel the needle!  YIKES!  Mary left surgery at 12:50 and headed to recovery in Labor and Delivery and was back in her room by 3 pm.

In the meantime a nurse came to get Dan at about 11:35.  He got to stay with Maddie for about 30 minutes and then had him leave so they could get all of Maddie probes and tubes set up. The nurse midwife came to the room shortly after and cried tears of joy with us.  She had taken pictures of Maddie and we (Dave & Deb, Kelsey, Mom and Renae) were OVERJOYED to see them!

Mary got to see Maddie again at about 8 pm. She was sleeping and doing really well. Breathing room air and her pulse ox was in the 90s and got to 100 while Mary was in there. Maddie is small obviously but with the giant feet of her parents.

Mary will need a follow up with the reproductive endocrinologist so they can evaluate whether or not the uterus is partially heart-shaped. A heart-shaped uterus increases the chance of a poorly placed implantation in the future. Because of the vertical cut Mary will require a c-section for any future pregnancies and will need to deliver at 36 or so weeks. This is fine news considering this is telling Mary she can have more children with beautifully shaped heads! (And much closer to "full-term".)


Stats:  2 lbs 10 oz 14 1/2 in long
          Born at 11:24 am
          November 22, 2013

Fun Facts: Maddie was born 7 years to the day Dan proposed to Mary. Maddie shares her birthday with Nell Rose (Mary's Cousin). Maddie was born on the 50th Anniversary of the JFK assassination.



Fun Moments from the day:

"I haven't gotten it in 40 years of marriage."  -Grandma Ann to Dr Santillan when talking about a romantic vacation.

Cael (after seeing Maddie's picture): Awwww! I want to build a lego train for Maddie.

Cael: What does Maddie do?
Kelsey: She lays there.
Cael: Oh

Renae (after Dan left to walk Mary to OR) to Dave: How is Dan doing?
Dave (without skipping a beat): Let's stop the stupid questions right now.
(followed by lots of laughter: we love you Dan)

After the news of Maddie and Mary came through text message the room ERUPTED in crying, laughing, screaming, jumping, and hugging.
Dave: That was the coolest thing I have ever seen.  We should have had that on video tape.

We are pretty sure we broke some sort of record with the amount of texting, calls, and emails that went out in a very short amount of time.

Renae: Someday you'll get to wrestle with her (Maddie).
Kate: (disgusted) Mommy, I'll have to be careful because I will be so much huge-er than her.

Wayne (to Mary as she returned from recovery): She's about the size of a small meatloaf.

Renae: We should get a picture of her next to a dollar bill.
Dan: Do you know how dirty money is?!
Renae: That is why we put the dollar in a baggie.

Look how big that dollar bill looks!

.

Update #2 Birth Day

The lead Dr in the OR today just came and saw us; he is famous to us and for us!

Some big news from the Dr:
  Maddie was born crying!  This is great news, as we didn't expect it.  We know she has some great lungs.
  12:30pm She has oxygen and is being intubated in order to give her Surfactin.  The Surfactin will help open up Maddie's lungs. She will be on a vent to help her breathe for at least 24 hours.  She is breathing on her own, but this helps her have more control over it and keeps her from getting too tired.  She also has artline in her belly button to deliver meds and check her heart rate.  She has an IV in her arm, monitors on her chest, a lot of tubes and wires that are not hurting her, but are helping monitor her and keep her safe and healthy.
  We got to see a picture of Mary's insides!  WOW!!  There is a reason Mom is the nurse and I am a teacher, because I am not really a fan of insides.  However, Mary has a nice uterus to keep apparently!  GO MARY!!
2:30pm We just met Maddie! The Doctors and Nurses are thrilled with her!  They are confident she is doing very, very well!

  More later. . . .

Daddy going to meet Madelyn for the 1st time!

Size comparison!

If you ask us: she is perfect!  

TWO HEALTHY GIRLS!!!!

At at 11:33 we received a text from the OR that Mary and Maddie were both GREAT!!!!  It read:

"Mary is great.  Baby Girl is great.  Mary gets to keep her uterus!"

Dan, Dave and Deb, Kelsey, Mom and I all erupted in to tears and hugs and shouts of joy!!!  Shortly after the nurse mid-wife came and show us pictures of Maddie and a picture I will cherish FOREVER. . . one of Maddie all bundled up meeting her Mommy!

A nurse came to get Dan and said "Let's go meet your baby!"

We are overjoyed.  Mary is well, but we know 28 weeks is EARLY.  Keep those prayers coming!

When we hear more details we will let you know!

10:25 Off to the OR

We sent Mary off to the OR slightly before 10:30.  She is in GREAT spirits and so excited for today. Keep the prayers coming.  I will update with news of the baby soon!

Today is the Day!

The biggest positive of tonight being the night before the surgery? Lots of shows on JFK to watch while I don't sleep. Nothing like a little obsession to keep me occupied. I asked Mom if I woke up from the anesthesia tomorrow and looked at the clock and said to the nurses, "At this time 50 years ago, John F. Kennedy was shot," if the nurses would think I was really drugged up. She told me no, just obsessed.

I cannot believe that in less than 12 hours that all this pregnancy craziness will be over and I will have a baby. It feels so unreal to think that after all the months of trying to get pregnant, surgery to remove a cyst that didn't exist, hormone pills to make me ovulate (and didn't work any better than my body did but made me WAY more crazy), weeks and weeks of being warned I was risking my life, and three and a half weeks in the hospital, that today is the day.

Dear Madelyn, I hope you realize that all of this was for you. But it wasn't really a sacrifice. I would have given up WAY more to have you in my life. Someday, when you grow up, get married and get pregnant yourself, you will finally realize how much I truly love you.

Renae told me once that you don't realize how much you can love someone until they place your baby in your arms. It almost scares me that I could love this child more than I do now. Sometimes, during this stay in the hospital, I just lay in bed and talk to Madelyn. There has only been one thing that I've ever really wanted to be in my life and it is a mother and today is the day that it becomes a reality. Lots of hormones are running wild tonight.

There are so many productive things I could be doing right now (or I could be sleeping), but I don't think I can focus on anything that requires any sort of attention.

I told Dan tonight when we said prayers over the phone, to get a good night's sleep tonight because starting tomorrow night and for the rest of his life, he will have a daughter to worry about.

I am so grateful for all of the people that have supported Dan and I through this journey. Especially our family, friends, and the amazing doctors and nurses that I have encountered through all of my appointments and this long stay at the University of Iowa. I couldn't imagine a better experience that I could have received with the circumstances that we were under.

The next time I will be typing on here, we will have our little bundle all born and I should be recovering.

Thank you in advance for all the prayers and positive thoughts, we really appreciate them.


Countdown to Baby: 10 1/2 hours

Hospitalization - Day 24 (Part II)

For those that read this blog and will be awaiting news of Madelyn's birth in the morning, you will have to wait a little longer. When Dr. Taylor went to see what OR was assigned and it was apparently one of the smaller ones. I had to be moved to a bigger OR, meaning a later surgery time. Scheduled surgical time is now 10:30 am. Despite this, they are still doing my labs at 4 am. How lucky. (UPDATE @ 11:57 pm: Awesome overnight nurse got labs moved back to 6 am. Whoop whoop! I might actually sleep a little bit tonight!)

Over the last few weeks, I have done my vitals and labs and received my medications in other rooms than my own. For the first time since we've been here, Sarah did her vitals in a hallway. Sarah and I also insisted that we get weighed today. I am still at least 3 lbs down from before I got pregnant. I guess this weight-loss plan worked!

Sarah and Alex (this time there was no pinching!)

Dad came to visit this afternoon. He will be coming back down tomorrow, but says when he comes tomorrow it is all about Madelyn. One last picture with him before I'm a mommy.

We had our ante-partum party today with all kinds of sugary foods. I had a brownie, some cookies and Dr. Pepper. We took lots of pictures too. Then I came back to my room and the nursing assistant came in because one of the doctors ordered a blood sugar test.

With Dr. Krupp

With Dr. Taylor

With Eli

Antepartums

With Lastascia

With Dr. Cowman

Kyle showed up to see me once more before Madelyn is born. He brought the two most important things that a new mother needs - diapers and Diet Mountain Dew (well, he couldn't exactly bring sleep).

Kyle and I

Deb and Dave came up tonight to visit before they went to check in at the hotel. Dan came down tonight too. He decided to sleep at the hotel so that he could make sure to get one more good night of sleep before he has the rest of the nights of his life to worry about his daughter. Mom is staying with me tonight. We decided to take our first 3 generation picture with Madelyn.

You can't see it here, but Madelyn was smiling. 

Tonight, before bed, I had to wipe down my body with antibacterial wipes. Now I have an unbelievable itch, everywhere. The nurse hooked up iv fluids for me and got me some allergy medication so I won't scratch my body until it bleeds.


Daily Info
Date: November 21st
Gestational Date: 28 weeks
Countdown to Baby: 11 1/2 hours

Hospitalization - Day 24 (Part I)

I took two Ambien last night so I could sleep better as my sleep has been really messed up lately. Woke up this morning and realized that it was only 23 hours until the medical extraction!

My plan for today (and tomorrow)

Saw the doctors for rounds and then went down to visit with Sarah. Got monitoring done and all of my vitals by 10:10 am so I could take a shower.

The black bars show when Maddie was moving.

Then Sarah and I went and got massages. It was so great!

We came back and spent some time with The Doctor Formerly Known As Dr. Taylor. Might try to see one of the previous ante-partums babies today. He got moved to NICU Bay 4!

The new children's hospital that is being built.

Gifts I received today (well technically they are gifts Maddie received).

The koala bear outfit is especially cuddly!

Daily Info
Date: November 21st
Gestational Date: 28 weeks! Who would have thought I would make it this far?
Countdown to Baby: 18 hours!