Today has been the longest day so far! Let's see.. where do I start? I found out first thing this morning that I could be discharged today, but they would keep me if we didn't get into the Ronald McDonald House. After several discussions, we decided we would get released and if we didn't get in today, we would just go to a hotel. I called and checked on the babies and found out that Reid had a small set back during the night. Basically what was happening was his food was not digesting properly. They had stopped his feedings and were going to do an abdominal x-ray this morning. Once we got down there later, the x-ray had come back clear and they were ready to start him on feedings again. He is still having a little residual, which is the milk that doesn't digest, but they are not concerned because he is having bowel movements and his gastric sounds are good. He actually had a bowel movement for his daddy today! Way to go Reid!!!! So for now, he is back on feedings, still on a little oxygen, and had his naval line removed today.
Now for Ms. Rylee; the Princess of halloween! Rylee still continues to make progress! Her only set back is that she was put under a light also for Jaundice. She is still breathing on her own, and was moved from 3cc's per feeding up to 4 cc's today. I am so proud of her! For her we will pray that her feedings continue to go well, and that she continues to breathe on her own.
Now for my update. We have prayed and prayed, along with everyone else that we would get into the ROnald McDonald House. We got a call this morning that the two rooms that came open went to families before us, but we were next on the list. I was getting discharged when we got the call that we had a room. At first I was so relieved, but then the emotions of leaving the babies at the hospital set in. I was not prepared to leave my children at a hospital. I wanted them to leave with me. When Brent put me in the car I saw the 2 empty carseats in the back, and that was not easy. When you leave the hospital after labor and delivery, the babies are suppose to go with you. So that started my spell. We got to the RMH and were checking in and found out there is not wireless internet. Also there is no use of tobacco anywhere on this property, and all I could think is my husband is just going to have to sneak around! After all his love and support, I WILL NOT tell him he can't dip. We'll just take our own trash out of the room. The house is very nice, and well equipped. The kitchen is fabulous. But as the lady was giving us the tour, I was tired, starting to hurt, and busted out crying in the kitchen. I have been very emotional ever since. Mom saysI will look back and laugh at this. I hope she's right. Poor Brent tries so hard to comfort me, but there is nothing worse than the "baby blues!" I think he actually understands that I don't have a reason for crying... it just happens. This is just not how I had planned for my delivery to happen, and I don't like it when things don't go as planned.
My dad came todayand brought me clothes and other things, since all I had was PJ's. It was good to see him. He went to eat our first meal out of the hospital with us, and we ran to Target. While at Chili's, I had another small spell. There was a man, a lady, and a small boy probably 5 years old. THe boy had already cried because he hit his head. He said something smart to the man, so the man reached over and hit the child across his head. I wanted to tell him how lucky he was to have that child sitting at that table with him. Some people don't understand how precious it is to have a child in your presence. Throughout the entire meal he fussed at that child for every little thing. I teared up thinking what I would give to have my children sitting at the table with us. Please hug and kiss your children if you have them, and know how lucky you are to have them at your fingertips!
When we got back to the RMH, Brent decided to try the internet again. It is not wireless through the house, but we are picking up internet from the Medical Center. It goes in and out constantly, but it is internet. Brent said I may only be able to access it at night, and it is touch and go then. It has taken me almost and hour to type this because it doesn't keep up. I am going to try to post the videos from today, but it might not happen with this internet.
Margaret and Brooke are coming tomorrow, and I don't know who is more excited. Margaret to see the babies, or us to see her. THen my mom is coming Sunday and is going to spend a few days with me since Brent is leaving Sunday. I can't drive for 2 weeks, and since I'm so emotional, she wants to be with me when Brent leaves.
If the internet allows, I will update tomorrow. Please continue to pray for all of us!!! I have personally never needed it more.
With much love and thanks,
Brent, Jessica, Reid, and Rylee
Friday, October 31, 2008
Thursday, October 30, 2008
A Productive Day!
This morning didn't get off to such a great start, but the day got so much better!!! First the doctor came in this morning and told me I was not being discharged today, which turned into good news later. One of the nurses made me get up and weigh, and I have only lost 12 pounds. That was a let down, seeing that the babies were over 6 pounds alone! Then the social worker came in and told us we didn't get into the Ronald McDonald House today, and probably won't tomorrow either. We are second on the list, and one family is leaving tomorrow. We may get lucky and get in over the weekend. We will just have to play that by ear, and take it a day at a time.
Brent and I took is easy this morning, and just hung out in the room until lunch. He caught up on some much needed rest and I just rested. Around noon we went to see the babies. That is when the day TOTALLY changed. When we got in there and they were taking the naval line out of Rylee that is used for lab work instead of poking them all the time. They told us that they were going to try to take her off oxygen totally, which they did around 2:30. You can see all of her beautiful face and head now. She still has a feeding tube in her throat, and IV in her foot, and of course LOTS of monitors.
Then we went to Reid's bed, and received more great news! They took him off the ventilator and put him on nasal oxygen. Boys typically develop a little slower than girls, so Reid is d
oing things a day or 2 after Rylee. He has developed Jaundice, so he has a bright blue light over his bed. Since the light is so bright, they have to cover his eyes using an eye patch strap. His Daddy calls it his cool sunglasses. I don't like it too much because I can't see his eyes. On a sweet note, we have learned that if he is squirmy or fussy, Brent takes his left foot and rubs the bottom. He immediatly calms down and goes to sleep. So Reid has made progress as well, and maybe we won't have to keep the blue light and "cool sunglasses" very long.
I love seeing Brent bond with these two. This has been a pretty tough week, and I'm sure it is going to get tougher at times, but I have to say my husband has been WONDERFUL through all of this. He was going to leave today just to get out for a while, but when he realized I was having a tough time with emotions, he stuck around all day. He has not left my side, other than to go to the nurse's station or to get me a wheelchair. I have learned so much about him during this time.
Brent's Aunt Kathie comes everyday to visit when she gets off work. Today she brought a special treat for me. She is a nurse, and knows more than enough about taking care of patients. She brought a bag of hair supplies, layed me down on a fold out chair, washed, dried, and fixed my hair. It felt like a day at the spa. It was wonderful!!!!! I needed that little bit of pampering so much.
We just got back from eating at McDonald's (There is a Subway and McDonald's in the hospital) and are probably not very far from bed. We are getting up every three hours so I can pump milk for the babies. I will update tomorrow if there is a change. If you don't hear from us, there has not been enough of a change for me to write about. Like I told mom today, we either want no change or good change right now. However, we are prepared for the fact that things can change at any time.
Please pray that the babies will continue to make such wonderful progress, that we get into the Ronald McDonald House, and that my emotions will level out a little. I'm very anxious over Brent leaving Sunday, but I think Mom is going to come stay with me for a few days. Hopefully these are just emotions and not the beginning of post pardum.
With love,
Brent, Jessica, Reid, and Rylee
Brent and I took is easy this morning, and just hung out in the room until lunch. He caught up on some much needed rest and I just rested. Around noon we went to see the babies. That is when the day TOTALLY changed. When we got in there and they were taking the naval line out of Rylee that is used for lab work instead of poking them all the time. They told us that they were going to try to take her off oxygen totally, which they did around 2:30. You can see all of her beautiful face and head now. She still has a feeding tube in her throat, and IV in her foot, and of course LOTS of monitors.
Then we went to Reid's bed, and received more great news! They took him off the ventilator and put him on nasal oxygen. Boys typically develop a little slower than girls, so Reid is d
oing things a day or 2 after Rylee. He has developed Jaundice, so he has a bright blue light over his bed. Since the light is so bright, they have to cover his eyes using an eye patch strap. His Daddy calls it his cool sunglasses. I don't like it too much because I can't see his eyes. On a sweet note, we have learned that if he is squirmy or fussy, Brent takes his left foot and rubs the bottom. He immediatly calms down and goes to sleep. So Reid has made progress as well, and maybe we won't have to keep the blue light and "cool sunglasses" very long.I love seeing Brent bond with these two. This has been a pretty tough week, and I'm sure it is going to get tougher at times, but I have to say my husband has been WONDERFUL through all of this. He was going to leave today just to get out for a while, but when he realized I was having a tough time with emotions, he stuck around all day. He has not left my side, other than to go to the nurse's station or to get me a wheelchair. I have learned so much about him during this time.
Brent's Aunt Kathie comes everyday to visit when she gets off work. Today she brought a special treat for me. She is a nurse, and knows more than enough about taking care of patients. She brought a bag of hair supplies, layed me down on a fold out chair, washed, dried, and fixed my hair. It felt like a day at the spa. It was wonderful!!!!! I needed that little bit of pampering so much.
We just got back from eating at McDonald's (There is a Subway and McDonald's in the hospital) and are probably not very far from bed. We are getting up every three hours so I can pump milk for the babies. I will update tomorrow if there is a change. If you don't hear from us, there has not been enough of a change for me to write about. Like I told mom today, we either want no change or good change right now. However, we are prepared for the fact that things can change at any time.
Please pray that the babies will continue to make such wonderful progress, that we get into the Ronald McDonald House, and that my emotions will level out a little. I'm very anxious over Brent leaving Sunday, but I think Mom is going to come stay with me for a few days. Hopefully these are just emotions and not the beginning of post pardum.
With love,
Brent, Jessica, Reid, and Rylee
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Wow How Things Change!
A week ago today I went to the doctor and they told me that I could probably work two more weeks, then I would probably be put on bed rest. Reid had other plans... For those of you that have not heard, we had quite an eventful, yet stressful Monday!
Monday afternoon I got home from work and was going to put the electric blanket on our bed, since it was going to get cold that night. I went to open the blinds in the bedroom and felt a slight gush. At first I thought I peed on myself, but after two more large gushes I realized what was happening. My water had broken at 30 weeks and 1 day! Brent was on a fire call, my mom had jury duty and was locked up in Rosedale, but thank God for a Mother-in-Law!!!! I called Margaret crying hysterically and she came right over. We called the doctor and she told us to go straight to the emergency room in Clarksdale. We finally got Brent on the phone, he loaded me up and off we went.
I have never been too keen on my husbands lights and sirens on his truck, but Monday they were my best friend. Brent turned on the lights, sirens, and drove around 80 to Clarksdale. We went straight to the emergency room, got checked in, and they moved me upstairs. They checked me and I was dilated 1 cm. Reid's sack was grossly ruptured and he was ready! They started me out on magnesium to slow the contractions down until they decided what they were going to do. Once Dr. Balthrop told me the babies would probably have to be transported after delivery, I lost it! She looked at me and said, "I can't imagine being a new mom and sending my new babies off.... Let me send you to Jackon." I totally trust this woman with everything in me, and trusted her judgement. Within what felt like minutes I was in an ambulance and off to Jackson. The ride was TERRIBLE!!!! Every bump brought on a contraction and they got pretty strong!
Once we got to Jackson, they checked me and I was dilated to a 3. The resident that checked me didn't hook me back up to magnesium because she didn't want to stop labor, but wanted to see how far and fast I would progress on my own. After about an hour they checked me again and I was dilated at 5. There was no stopping it, and we were having those babies that night. By this time, it was actually probably Tuesday morning, or very close. They began prepping me for surgery and took me off pretty quick.
Reid was born at 1:46 A.m. weighing 3 lbs 4 oz, and Rylee was born at 1:47 A.M weighing 3 lbs even. I didn't get to see them or touch them, and that was hard. They took them into a small room behind me, and I did hear both of them cry. They immediatly sent them both to the NICU and we are still there. Reid was very bruised when he was born, but is looking MUCH better!! Today's great news is that when I called to check on them this morning, Rylee is breathing on her own! They took the vent tube out sometime during the night. They both received their first feeding this afternoon by tube and took it well.
Prayer requests for today: 1) That Rylee will continue to breathe on her own. 2) That Reid will be taken off, when HE is ready. 3) That they will both continue to feed well 4) That we get accepted to the Ronald McDonald House tomorrow if I am discharged.
Monday afternoon I got home from work and was going to put the electric blanket on our bed, since it was going to get cold that night. I went to open the blinds in the bedroom and felt a slight gush. At first I thought I peed on myself, but after two more large gushes I realized what was happening. My water had broken at 30 weeks and 1 day! Brent was on a fire call, my mom had jury duty and was locked up in Rosedale, but thank God for a Mother-in-Law!!!! I called Margaret crying hysterically and she came right over. We called the doctor and she told us to go straight to the emergency room in Clarksdale. We finally got Brent on the phone, he loaded me up and off we went.
I have never been too keen on my husbands lights and sirens on his truck, but Monday they were my best friend. Brent turned on the lights, sirens, and drove around 80 to Clarksdale. We went straight to the emergency room, got checked in, and they moved me upstairs. They checked me and I was dilated 1 cm. Reid's sack was grossly ruptured and he was ready! They started me out on magnesium to slow the contractions down until they decided what they were going to do. Once Dr. Balthrop told me the babies would probably have to be transported after delivery, I lost it! She looked at me and said, "I can't imagine being a new mom and sending my new babies off.... Let me send you to Jackon." I totally trust this woman with everything in me, and trusted her judgement. Within what felt like minutes I was in an ambulance and off to Jackson. The ride was TERRIBLE!!!! Every bump brought on a contraction and they got pretty strong!
Once we got to Jackson, they checked me and I was dilated to a 3. The resident that checked me didn't hook me back up to magnesium because she didn't want to stop labor, but wanted to see how far and fast I would progress on my own. After about an hour they checked me again and I was dilated at 5. There was no stopping it, and we were having those babies that night. By this time, it was actually probably Tuesday morning, or very close. They began prepping me for surgery and took me off pretty quick.
Reid was born at 1:46 A.m. weighing 3 lbs 4 oz, and Rylee was born at 1:47 A.M weighing 3 lbs even. I didn't get to see them or touch them, and that was hard. They took them into a small room behind me, and I did hear both of them cry. They immediatly sent them both to the NICU and we are still there. Reid was very bruised when he was born, but is looking MUCH better!! Today's great news is that when I called to check on them this morning, Rylee is breathing on her own! They took the vent tube out sometime during the night. They both received their first feeding this afternoon by tube and took it well.
Prayer requests for today: 1) That Rylee will continue to breathe on her own. 2) That Reid will be taken off, when HE is ready. 3) That they will both continue to feed well 4) That we get accepted to the Ronald McDonald House tomorrow if I am discharged.
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Trying Something New
I wanted to find a way to keep everyone updated on our pregnancy, and this site seems to be easy to use. I will update the site weekly for now, since that is how often we are going to the doctor. As of right now things are pretty good. Some of you may not know that we spent the weekend in the hospital last weekend with contractions, but came home Sunday. They ran a test called Fetal Fibronection, which detects a fluid leading to labor in the next 7-10 days. When the test came back negative, they knew the contractions were not actually labor.
I am still having contractions, but they are not concerned with this since I am not dilating. My ankles and feet have become very swollen during the past week, but today when I got up they were not as bad.
I am 30 weeks now, and everyday is a gift from God. I'm so glad to get up in the mornings, and glad to get in MY bed at night. The babies both weighed around 2lbs 11 oz each, as of last Sunday. Our original goal was to make it to 36 weeks, but Dr. Balthrop doesn't think I will make it that long. She is thinking it will be more like 33 weeks. I am determined to prove her wrong. This may be one time in my life that being hardheaded will pay off!!
As of work, yes I am still working. People are amazed by that and can't believe I am still working. Dr Balthrop said I could continue to work as long as I stay in my classroom and sit most of the day. I actually think that is why I am swelling as much as I am. I turned in Nov. 14 as my last day, unless Dr. Balthrop sends me home before then. I'm willing to do whatever it takes to carry these babies a little longer.
I have another appointment Wednesday, October 29 at 4:00 and will post after that. I am in the process of figuring out how I will let everyone know if we go to the hospital again, since the hospital doesn't have wireless.
Please pray that I will carry these babies longer than 33 weeks, and especially that they will gain as much weight as possible during these next few weeks. I can't stand the thought of them having to go to Memphis or Jackson without me. Thank you for your thoughts, prayers, and messages.
I am still having contractions, but they are not concerned with this since I am not dilating. My ankles and feet have become very swollen during the past week, but today when I got up they were not as bad.
I am 30 weeks now, and everyday is a gift from God. I'm so glad to get up in the mornings, and glad to get in MY bed at night. The babies both weighed around 2lbs 11 oz each, as of last Sunday. Our original goal was to make it to 36 weeks, but Dr. Balthrop doesn't think I will make it that long. She is thinking it will be more like 33 weeks. I am determined to prove her wrong. This may be one time in my life that being hardheaded will pay off!!
As of work, yes I am still working. People are amazed by that and can't believe I am still working. Dr Balthrop said I could continue to work as long as I stay in my classroom and sit most of the day. I actually think that is why I am swelling as much as I am. I turned in Nov. 14 as my last day, unless Dr. Balthrop sends me home before then. I'm willing to do whatever it takes to carry these babies a little longer.
I have another appointment Wednesday, October 29 at 4:00 and will post after that. I am in the process of figuring out how I will let everyone know if we go to the hospital again, since the hospital doesn't have wireless.
Please pray that I will carry these babies longer than 33 weeks, and especially that they will gain as much weight as possible during these next few weeks. I can't stand the thought of them having to go to Memphis or Jackson without me. Thank you for your thoughts, prayers, and messages.
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