Elise Faith's Debut

On Saturday evening Brad left the hospital just before 9:30 p.m.  He visited me every day I was in the hospital, but spent nearly all day there on Saturdays.  I began reading my book, Discovering Isaac: The Beloved Potter of Neiderbipp.  Suddenly, I started to feel like I was bleeding again...and it was enough that I didn't have to get up to check.  I paged my nurse and called Brad to come back to the hospital.  I told him I didn't know if I was bleeding enough for them to take the baby, but I'd like him to come back and stay with me.

By the time he walked in my room ten minutes later, I was being prepped for surgery.  My doctor was out of town, but I had met the great on call OB, Dr. Wes Davis, several times since I'd been staying there at the hospital.  They had put a compression sleeve around an IV bag so that I'd have the a full one inside me within fifteen minutes.  They had drawn some more blood and had me hooked up to the monitors.  Brad dressed in the blue paper operating room attire and at ten they were wheeling me into the OR.

Getting the spinal block made me really nervous, but everything went really well.  They put up a sheet and Brad held my hand as they started the c-section.  It was very weird to feel what the doctors were doing, but not have it hurt.  I started to feel nauseous several times, but the anesthesiologist gave me a shot of something into my IV and a few seconds later I'd feel better.  Apparently it is something that raises your blood pressure whenever it drops too low.

At 10:19 p.m. our little girl was born and by 10:30 I was recovering in another room.  Luckily our little baby was healthy and able to come with us right away.  We had mostly decided in advance, but agreed to name her Elise Faith. 

I look horrible, like someone who has just had their innards sliced:)  For me at least, a c-section has been much worse than a "normal" birth.  Each day gets a million times better, but that first 24 hours was extraordinarily uncomfortable.  Kudos to you moms who have all their children that way!

Our little sweetheart was born at 36 weeks and 1 day.  She weighed 6 lbs. 10 oz. and was 18 in. long.  Because she was so short, she actually looked pretty chubby.

We got to keep her in with us for almost two hours before they took her to the warming beds and then gave her a bath.  When they brought her back to eat again, she had these cute little bows in her hair.

She has by far the shortest hair of all my kids.  It is very even everywhere on her head, but had three weeks less to grow, ha, ha.

On Sunday we had visitors come up to meet Elise.

(Aunt Angie, Uncle Ben and both sets of grandparents.)

Our kids were thrilled to come meet their new baby sister!

Of course Daddy got to visit her a lot!

Look at that face!

I wasn't planning on being released until later, but when my OB came in on Tuesday morning she asked if I'd like to go home.  They expedited it since I had already been at the hospital for four full weeks!

My sister Julie crocheted these adorable Mary Jane style booties she wore home from the hospital.

I retain water in a serious way after each child.  Look at my puffy feet!

It has been wonderful to be home!  Even with my post-op injuries, our bed is so much more comfortable than the hospital's and so is the toilet paper, ha, ha!  The most wonderful thing about being home, of course, is the people here!  The kids adore Baby Elise!

We're so happy to be a family of six!

Minor Hardships

As a college student I used to donate blood all the time.  Your eligible every 56 days and that's about what I did.  I have O negative blood, the universal donor, and it was a simple service to those who needed it.  I never had any trouble and would warch the phlebotomist poke me with interest.

With pregnancy and nursing I haven't donated in a while.  The only pricks I've been getting are the one for my hospital IV when I've delivered my children.  It seems I have very deceptive veins.  With each child they had to try a few times to get a vein that didn't blow.  With Jason, I had a bruise from my wrist to my elbow.  But with only one IV every couple of years, it's not a big deal.

Because I could potentially start hemorrhage bleeding at any time, I always have to have an IV ready. IVs only last three days, so that means a lot of pokes. If it worked out the first time, it wouldn't be bad, but since it often takes three or four tries, getting a new IV line is a somewhat painful endeavor.

Now that I've been here almost three weeks, my forearms look horrible.  The older ones are greenish bruises and the new blown ones look like bee stings.  It's really only a very minor hardship, but I'm always a little bummed when my three days are up.

Ticking Time Bomb

My friend who is a nurse at another hospital said they have a term for "pretermers" with placenta previa: "ticking time bombs".  I feel like a ticking time bomb.  Most of the eighteen days I've been here it's been kind of boring lying around in the hospital all day every day.  That said, always in the back of my mind, I'm anxious that I'll start gushing blood.  I know that here in the hospital I'd be taken care of, but it's still disconcerting.  I've bled a little off and on and quite a bit twice, so I know it could happen.

Yesterday I went to the perinatologist (specialist for high-risk pregnancies) again.  He looked at my ultrasounds and said that since we made it to 35 weeks (today), if I bleed a lot, they'll just deliver the baby, rather than try to stop it.  If I make it until then, they'll plan the c-section sometime between 36-37 weeks.  Obviously later is better for the baby's development, but they really want to avoid a potential blood transfusion for me, so that might push it up sooner.
Only time will tell if the planned delivery comes before the "bomb explodes" into an emergency.

We feel so blessed to get to 35 weeks.  I know all the prayers from family and friends are helping.  I hope not to experience another threat of hemorrhage, but either way we're happy to make it this far.

Looking Out

This is the view from my hospital room window.  We're nearly three weeks into August, but I haven't been outside for any of it.  I have only left my room three times, one of which was a couple hours after I was admitted on July 31st.  Twice I've been wheeled to radiology for ultrasounds.  Afterwards a perinatologist evaluated the results.  The baby looks great!:) I have a complete placenta previa:(. The other time I got out of my room was when I got permission for Brad to take me "joy riding" in a wheelchair around the Labor & Delivery wing of the hospital.  Those are the only times I saw any view of outside besides this one:

At least it's a nice view!

Last Sunday my sister and brother-in-law, Julie and Scott, brought our kids up to stay overnight.  Brad took Monday off, so he could let the kids sleep one night in their own beds before going back and forth between their grandparents again.  I had asked Brad to bring some children's games and books, so the kids would want to visit me a little longer.  I played a round of Rhino Rampage with each of the boys and looked at the pictures of our family on our homemade Memory game.  All the kids climbed up on the bed with me while I read them Officer Buckle and Gloria.

The kids were worn out and went to bed easily after Brad fed them a tuna sandwich dinner.  The next morning he made them scones and took them to the park.  Meanwhile, I was not having quite as much fun.  I started to bleed a little again, so I was put on 100% bed rest.  (Luckily Inwas taken back off after 24 hours.  I felt like a free woman!  I could go the three steps to the restroom or the five to the window again.  Hooray!). When the kids came to visit, they couldn't climb on the bed this time.  After a short visit Brad took the kids back home for lunch and naps.  Brad's parents met them back in my hospital room so they could spend this week with them.  This photo is of Liesel and Jason, my superheroes!  Parker and Jason had attended my nephew Isaac's party on Friday.  Parker was kind enough to share with his little sister.

Our Kids Visit

One of the most challenging things for me needing to stay in the hospital is missing my kids.  Brad and I call or Skype them everyday, but we still miss them.  They have been to visit twice and are on their way to visit again!  Here are some photos of their visit, including our Uno games.

Too Much of a Good Thing

Being the mother of three energetic children and trying to be a good wife and homemaker is a pretty busy job. Caring, bathing, playing, teaching, referee-ing, hugging, cleaning, cooking, organizing, tickling... it all takes time, energy and discipline.

Now that I'm here in the hospital on bed rest, I have time to relax to my hearts's content...and beyond, much beyond, ha, ha!

These are some of the things I have been doing with all my spare time:

I've been able to do lots of reading. I read Saving CeeCee Honeycutt by Beth Hoffman.  It's pretty funny and entertaining despite some heartbreaking situations.
Last Sunday I read Small and Simple Things by Marjorie Hinckley.  It has great advice, recipes and spiritual messages.  The photographs of flowers and scenery are absolutely gorgeous!

 I'm now about 225 pages into Heaven is Here by Stephanie Nielson.  You're probably familiar with her inspirational story.  She was a mother of four young children when she and her husband were in a small airplane crash and horribly burned.  This book is a memoir of her life before and after the accident, which happened four years ago.  It is very well written. She amazes me with her honesty about the difficult times and her strength in overcoming them.

Today I read One Bright Shining Hope: Messages for Women by Gordon B. Hinckley.  It is filled with inspiring quotes that praise and inspire women.  Two of my favoritr are: "No other work reaches so close to divinity as does the nurturing of the sons and daughters of God." and "Of all the creations of the Almighty, there is none more beautiful, none more inspiring than a lovely daughter of God who walks in virtue, with an understanding of why she should do so, who honors and respects her body as a thing sacred and divine, who cultivates her mind and constantly enlarges the horizon of her understanding, who nurtures her spirit with everlasting truth."

 I still have a stack of books that I may get through if Baby Girl holds on another few weeks.

A few years ago we had a Relief Society activity where we learned how to make a Swedish Weave. I was excited about it at the activity, but somehow I never got around to working on it. (Yes, I'm kind of lame.)  Now that I definitely have the time, I've beenw working on it again. I've really been enjoying it!

I'm lucky that the Olympics are going on while I'm here, because it gives me something interesting to watch. I've had a chance to watch some of the less popular sports...and the popular ones as well. Some of my favorites have been gymnastics(artistic, rhythmic and trampoline), swimming (traditional, open water and synchronized), track and fieldraces, BMX racing, diving and volleyball (beach and court). I've watched portions of all kinda of things, like handball, wrestling and Judo. I hadn't even known all of these events existed. It's great to have the time to watch, but I would prefer not having the time:)

Brad told me that he and his co-worker were joking about how they'd go crazy staying in the hospital for weeks. Their wives would have to buy them a Play Station or X-Box to help them pass the time. I hadn't thought of it before, since I never play video games, but my brother is lending me his Nintendo 64, so I'll probably start playing some Mario tomorrow.

I have this internal pressure inside me most of the time to be productive. That's what drives me to work hard cleaning, cooking and caring for the children. When I do have a few spare minutes I try to read good books, catch up on the blog (my journal), enjoy time with Brad or do some other "productive" activity. I very rarely watch shows or anything.

This hospital stay has been quite an adjustment for me, ha, ha! I now watch hours of tv, mostly Olympic coverage, movies when good ones are on (or on Netflix) and HGTV shows, like Property Brothers and Love It or List it. I still try to spend a lot of my time well listening to Mormon Channel, doing Indexing for FamilySearch and reading good books. I post occasional updates here on the blog and on Facebook and read what others have been doing as well. A little time on social media can be productive, but it's easy to waste time that way too. Of course my favorite way to pass the time is visiting with people in person or by phone.

I look forward to returning to busy life, now as a mother of four. I'm trying my best to appreciate all the down time, because once our sweet baby comes, I'm not getting any for a long time.

Ups and Downs

For the last week, I've felt pretty good. It's a little boring staying in a hospital bed for eleven days, but boring is good, right? At least for me it means no bleeding or other complications. Early this morning, around 4:30 AM, I started having contractions. They weren't really strong, but enough to make me a little uncomfortable. I called my nurse in to atart monitoring me. (Whenever I bled, I had a constant IV drip and constant monitoring of the baby and my contractions. My nurses would take vitals every couple hours too. When I haven't been bleeding, I only get hooked up to the monitors 2-3 times a day.) Anyway, my contractions were regular enough that the doctor ordered a shot of Terbutaline. It sent my heart racing, but slowed the contractions. A few times since I've been here they've given me a Nifedipine pill for the same reason. The pill gives me a headache, but the shot makes me feel jittery like what I imagine Speed feels like and then gave me a headache, but at least it was milder than the others. 

 IVs only last about three days, so I had to get a new one. Three blown veins later they got one in. Ow! Normally I make sure to keep my days and nights straight so that I'll be able to sleep at night, but this morning's ordeal wore me out, so I rested/slept for most of the morning. 

 Spending weeks as a hospital patient isn't ideal, but I honestly feel so blessed! I'm 34 weeks today and for now, baby is still in. We're so grateful she's been able to further develop. I have access to the wonderful medical care the baby and I need and our other children are well cared for. Thanks again for all the prayers, love and support!

Tender Mercies

When Brad came to visit me yesterday, I asked him about church.  I knew it had been his turn to conduct fast and testimony meeting and asked him about the testimony he shared.  He said he was grateful for the tender mercies of the Lord.  He was thankful that I was already in the hospital when the emergency came.  When we requested an LDS elder at the hospital to come help Brad give me a blessing, it ended up being the brother of one of Brad's coworkers.  Brad testified that small things can be a reminder of God's love and watchful care.

The phrase "tender mercies" comes frome the Book of Mormon.  In 1 Nephi 1:20 it reads, "But behold, I, Nephi, will show unto you that the tender mercies of the Lord are over all those whom he hath chosen, because of their faith, to make them mighty even unto the power of deliverance."
Ever since Apostle David A. Bednar gave his talk on tender mercies, I have loved that scripture.

Here is a short clip:



Throughout this hospital expeience I have been overwhelmed when I. think of how fortunate we are.  Here is a list of some of the things I've been considering:

• I am so grateful to live in a time and place with advanced medical care.  If I lived long ago, or in a third world country, I most likely would die in chilbirth and the baby might too.  Isn't that a sobering thought?
• Brad and I are thankful to have great insurance and a high deductible plan.  We would be paying the same $4,000 saved in our HSA if I had a regular delivery or if I spend a month in the hospital and have a newborn in the NICU.  Can you imagine having to weigh the risks of possibly hemorrhaging at home to save money or staying in the hospital and paying hundreds of thousands of dollars?
• I am grateful that I was over 32 weeks when the bleeding started and am now about 33 1/2 weeks.  If she were to be born now she'd probably still spend time in the NICU, but she should be okay. Women with Placenta Previa can occasionally bleed as early as 24 weeks.  Spending three months on bed rest in the hospital would be awful, but would be so much better than having a baby so premature.
• Most of the time my family and I have excellent health.  Other than my zero complications baby deliveries, I haven't ever spent time in the hospital.  Parker missed one day of kindergarten due to illness and that is pretty typical of our family.  When we do get colds, they're usually mild and we recover quickly.  Even now on my 7th day in the hospital I feel pretty good, but it does help me better appreciate the health challenges of so many.
• Our children are staying with their grandparents who love them dearly. We have kind neighbors who have offered to help out too.  I can't imagine what would happen if you didn't have anyone to care for them.  I miss them  terribly, but know they're in good hands!

There are so many things that I could mention, but that gives you the idea. I am so grateful for the tender mercies of the Lord.

Hospital

A couple days ago my doctor prescibed some pretty sweet leg gear. They're called a sequential compression device and help avoid blood clots. They plug in and take turns inflating to keep the blood flowing through my legs while I'm on long-term bed rest. Thankfully they're not uncomfortable. Come on, I know they're so attractive you're jealous, ha, ha!

Also, look at the beautiful flowers Brad's work sent. They really brighten up my hospital room. They also sent a bag filled with treats and a Chick-Fil-A gift card. They're perfect for Brad to enjoy while he's been spending every spare moment here. The kids live ut too. Treats help make visiting their mommy in the hospital much more appealing, ha, ha!

Scare

(Warning: This post contains descriptions of a lot of blood.).

I am still here in the hospital and probably will be here a long time.  Yesterday we had quite a scare. I hadn't bled since about 1:00 p.m. on Tuesday.  Wednesday evening I started to bleed again, but it was very slight.  I could only tell by the faint smear on the toilet paper after usung the restroom.  My doctor wasn't concerned so that night and early morning were uneventful.  I couldn't sleep well again, just being out of my own bed.  I never sleep well pregnant anyway.  I spent Thursday morning reading my book and then watching a show on HGTV, while I ate my breakfast.

About nine o'clock I got up to use the restroom.  As I took the two steps from my bed to the bathroom, I could tell I was bleeding again.  I sat down on the toilet and blood started pouring out of me.  It was as though I was peeing for three minutes straight, but it was bright red blood.  I pulled on the emergency cord they have in the hospital restroom and a bunch of nurses rushed in to help me.  The got me a bunch of pads to try to contain the blood that had slowed, but was still trickling out at a steady pace.  They helped me lie down and handed me my phone so I could call Brad to rush over from work.

I was scared.  That was A LOT of blood and I hadn't been exerting myself in the least, not for a few days.  I couldn't stop the tears that came to my eyes.  It wasn't that I had any doubt of the medical staff's ability to care the baby and I, but until that moment I hadn't fully grasped the gravity of my situation.  If that would have happened at home, I would have had to call an ambulance to avoid hemorrhaging.  A nurse gave me a new IV line on my other arm so I was prepped for surgery if necessary.  Of course, having just eaten, they would try to delay it, even more than ususal.

Brad arrived 15-20 minutes after my call.  At my request, he and a hospital employee gave me a  Priesthood blessing  It calmed me and I knew that everything would turn out just as it was supposed to.  The bleeding gradually subsided and the immediate threat was averted.  That experience, however, cemented in my mind the seriousness of my condition.  Previously I had hoped to be released this weekend.  I figured would be more comfortable at home anyway.  After what happened, I would have to go five days without bleeding for my doctor to consider releasing me, but now I'd be afraid to be at home, almost thirty minutes away from the hospital.  


This is my fourth day in the hospital and I will likely be here in the hospital until I deliver, plus the five days post C-section recovery.  Today mybaby girl is 33 weeks.  Hopefullywecan wait longer, but it's comforting that I'm at least that far along.


I am so thankful that my parents and Brad's have offered to keep the kids as long as needed.  I miss them terribly and can't wait for their visit on Saturday.  It gives me great comfort to know that they are with their grandparents, who love them and will take good care of them.


Thank you again to all who have been praying for us.   i am sure they helped stop the bleeding yesterday.  Thank you also for your phone calls, texts, facebook messages and offers to help out.  I am overwhelmed by your kindness in our time of need.

Emergency

So, I am in the hospital. Yesterday at 4:30 in the morning I woke up bleeding. I woke up Brad and he piled the kids in the car. I asked him to give me a Priesthood blessing that the baby and I would be okay and we rushed to the hospital. Parker and Jason each said sweet prayers blessing the baby and I too. Immediately afterwards I felt the baby kick and a rush of reassurance that everything would work out fine.

When we arrived at the Women's Pavillion of the hospital, I was admitted into a room. The kids watched an episode of Backyardigans on my phone while I got my IV, a steroid shot to develop the baby's lungs and waited for the different specialists.

We had called my mom on our way to the hospital and she arrived to take them to our house. We had been planning to head up to Bear Lake with Brad's family that afternoon and were all packed and ready to go. Brad's parents offered to take the boys up with them through Saturday morning and Liesel is staying with my parents.

Back at the hospital, my ob/gyn was doing rounds and came to see me. She said that bleeding happens sometimes with Placenta Previa, a condition I already knew I had this pregnancy. As long as the bleeding stops, I can be put on full bed rest until 37 weeks, when they'll take the baby by C-section. I would have to have 2-5 days without any bleeding before they'll consider releasing me from the hospital to do my resting at home. Next I was wheeled over to radiology where they did a complete ultrasound checking every organ in the baby and seeing exactly where the low-lying placenta is located.

The baby looked great! Everything looked just how it should for the 32 weeks, 4 days development. The ultrasound estimated the baby's weight at 5 lbs. 3 oz. Even if it's a pound off, that's pretty good. Then we saw a perinatologist, who is a specialist in high-risk pregnancies. She confirmed what my ob had said. She explained that bleeding in Placenta Previa patients is very unpredictable. Sometimes they can't stop it or it starts again in the next day or two. If they can't stop it, they may have to take the baby early. Other times women can go another month or two until they get to 37 weeks. They do all they can to keep the baby inside until then. They have to stay on total bed rest, no walking more than to the restroom and no picking up kids.

I stopped bleeding yesterday afternoon, so, as long as it doesn't start again, I might be released on Friday. So far I've been spending my time reading (Saving Cee-Cee Honeycutt), watching the Olympics and HGTV, trying to rest, listening to scriptures and Conference talks on the Mormon Channel and checking out facebook and email. I have Netflix on the ipad if I need it.

My favorite way to spend my time is visiting with family and friends in person, by phone or through texts. Brad is willing to take days off from work, but besides yesterday morning I told him to save the days. He calls me in the morning, visits on his lunch break and after work. My sister Angie also drove up to visit me yesterday.

Thank goodness my wonderful mom offered to take the kids as long as needed and Brad's parents are willing to help out too. We are so grateful for all of the family and friends who have offered their prayers and support.

With my children taken care of and knowing that the baby is heathy and well, my biggest challenges will probably be missing my kids terribly and boredom. A month is a long time to lie down.

Something tells me, however, that I should enjoy the rest while I can get it. A newborn and three other little children will be crazy and may just push me over the edge for a while, ha, ha!

Thank you again to all of you for your thoughts, love and offers to help!