Getting the hang of things

I will say the one major benefit of Gabriel being in the hospital for two weeks is that he came home on a schedule! I was still struggling to work mine out between feeding him, pumping, my daily nurse visits (UGH), doctor's apppointments (weekly for both of us), sleeping and oh yeah... showering (which because of my open incision I was only allowed to do sideways and just before the nurse came).

Doesn't matter, none of it mattered, Gabriel was ruling the day! We were all getting used to each other. Gabriel's personality was starting to show more and more. Rahja cried everytime he cried, it was really cute. Keven and I would move him from one overly padded location to the next. I am surprised no one has come out with an actual baby bubble. I would have bought it!

Before he was born I was full "I am not going to do this" and "I don't want to do that" thinking that I was going to be so tough about the whole thing. Yeah right. He had me wrapped around his finger from the start. I think the fact that he was a preemie just amplified everything. I have to protect him from the world!...and play with him too...as you can see from his first mohawk below.



His meals were up to 50ML's now. I had to track every drop he drank.

2 weeks - Homecoming at long last!

I was released from the hospital on 3/14, four days after Gabriel was born. Since he hadn't quite learned to eat (suck/swallow/breathe reflex) and was still under 5 pounds he stayed another 10 days. Looking back now it is a blur, not because things were moving quickly but because I walked through my days in a fog. Even though I knew he needed to be there in order to get stronger I felt like everyday without him I was getting weaker. I had no other interest but him. Keven and I visited at least twice, if not three times a day. We were only allowed to hold him during feedings so as to conserve his energy.

Before he could be released to us we had to spend a night with him at the hospital and "nest," as they called it. If he ate all of his meals without the tube he could be released to us! The "nesting" room is a horrible joke. The most uncomfortable, small fold out couch. Needless to say he did it! It is almost like he too knew what was at stake. His meals at that time were 40ml, which is barely over an ounce. At two weeks old, almost to the minute, we left Chandler Regional Hospital as a complete family!

I think I must have stared at him for three days straight when we got him home. I couldn't stop watching him. He left the hospital at just over 5 pounds (5 lbs .05 ounces).


First Bath at home...


He was happy to be home too!

Our little guy.

It is amazing how this tiny little man can have such a HUGE impact on my heart. After visiting him at the hospital I would take home something of his so I could smell it and sleep with it until the next time I saw him. I actually smelled all of the smell out of one of his little hats.

The first week

"He smells like frosting," that is what I kept telling everyone. I was immediately in love. Even though I was supposed to be resting and recovering from my C-section (and 4 days of labor) I found myself in the nursery every chance I got, even if it was just to stare at him. He was my angel, my miracle, my new love affair. The flood of emotions was like nothing I could have ever prepared for...I know all of you moms know exactly what I mean. Pure love!

Due to his early arrival Gabriel had a few small hurdles. He had jaundice, which in the end is not a big deal, he just needed to spend a few days in the tanning bed (bilirubin light). He also had not quite mastered the suck swallow breathe reflex and since he was so little eating took all his energy. Since he needed energy to grow versus eat they had to put in a feeding tube. It was tough to see him with it but we had to just keep reminding ourselves it was helping him get big and strong so he could come home with us. Luckily I could hold him during his tube feedings so oddly enough this became my favorite time of day because I could hold my warm bundle of love close and just stare at him.

The wild ride began

Below is the first email we sent out, letting our friends and family know about the wild, crazy, beautiful, life changing adventure that we went on...changing our lives forever on 3.10.10



"Greetings Friends and Family,

You have all been so wonderful and supportive in this crazy adventure that Keven, Gabriel and I just went on. Many of your phone calls and emails have not yet been returned and I apologize for that. The days tend to get away from us. It was definitely nice to feel the love and all of the prayers. I know that some of you only know bits and pieces of our last week so I will try and fill you in, without ALL of the gory details of course. On Saturday, March 6th at 6:15AM my water broke. This was quite a shock as I was only 33 weeks 5 days (6 weeks early). Keven and I rushed to the ER hoping that I had just simply peed on myself. Once they determined it was in fact amniotic fluid I was admitted immediately. To reduce the risk of infection for both me and Gabriel I was given two different antibiotics as well as a Magnesium Sulfate to slow and/or stop contractions. The IV fun began! Keven and I were immediately hit with the reality of all the "worst case scenarios" for Gabriel. They prepared us for the worst. Also, the house wasn't ready, the nursery was not done, all my shower gifts were still in our front room for the most part and no hospital bag was packed. Heck, Keven and I were set to attend our birthing class that morning...missed that one ;-)

During initial exams they tested my amniotic fluid to check lung development, as that is one of the main concerns with premature babies. They went ahead and ordered a round of steroid shots for me which would help develop the lungs. Surprisingly the test came back showing that the lungs were mature! The steroids would now just be an extra push. They decided to take me off the Magnesium and let things happen. They gave me the first of 3 induction medicines that I would receive over the next 3 days.

(Meanwhile, in Woodstock, GA, Grandma was packing a bag and heading to the airport. Her baby was having a baby...early.)

Starting Sunday, and continuing until Wednesday, I began having contractions. These contractions started slow but by Monday night they were rolling in pretty heavy. I tried to ignore the pain as best I could. My main goal was keeping my precious baby safe and as long as the monitors showed that he was okay I was game to try anything. I just wasn't dilating so we keep trying more powerful drugs. By Tuesday night and early Wednesday morning the contractions were unbearable....and 1 - 2 minutes apart.

Normally this would be great, it would mean that it was time to go. Well, the contraction monitors had not been consistently picking up my contractions for the last 24 hours. I think several of the nurses thought maybe I was suffering from first time mom exaggeration. Luckily Wednesday morning God brought me my guardian angel nurse, Carla. My mom had arrived at 5AM and had been watching me go through these excruciating contractions every couple minutes to the point that I couldn't breathe, talk, move, anything. She spoke for me with Carla who began noticing that every time I would contract Gabriel's heartbeat dropped. Since the monitor wasn't picking them up the nurse watched and charted for the next two hours. She didn't leave my side. She put me on oxygen and coached me through each contraction. She called the on call Dr., who at first seemed irritated that Carla had called her in. After an exam and review of charts I was given the option of a C-section or to receive medicine for pain and wait to dilate.

My decision was easy. I was exhausted, I didn't have much left in me. Keven could see the pain on my face and agreed that a C-section was the way to go. It was time to meet our son. Within an hour of the decision we were prepped for surgery and in the operating room. One of our friends and neighbors, Tom Alfano, is an anesthesiologist at Chandler Regional and had agreed to come in (at anytime) and administer my epidural. Tom was great, he really put me at ease. It was nice to hear a familiar voice. I received a spinal block and we were on our way at 10:20AM. Keven was on one side of my head and Tom on the other. I was finally pain free. At 10:45AM on March 10th our beautiful son arrived!



The next part of the story is a bit emotional. In fact, it is good that you are reading this because I still can't say it without crying. Once the C-section began the Doctor realized that the cord was wrapped around both Gabriel's chest and foot. They could tell by the shape of his head that he had in fact began trying to get out for a while but because he was trapped in the cord every time I contracted (Wednesday morning when they were 1-2 minutes apart) his oxygen supply was cut off. This is why his heart rate dropped with every contraction. Per Dr. Ragani, my delivering OB, had I tried to deliver or waited much longer on the C-section Gabriel would likely not be with us today. I thank God that he gave me the medical team that he did on Wednesday morning and that they chose to listen to me versus results on a machine. My precious baby is a fighter for sure! God is great!

Gabriel is doing great, no major problems so far. His lungs and heart are strong. Due to his age (only being 34 weeks) and working so hard in the days leading up to his birthday he is just pretty pooped. He is building the strength to eat enough to begin packing on weight and he also has jaundice so he gets to spend some time in a tanning bed. Neither is a major problem and he is NOT in NICU as they warned us he might have to be. He doesn't know he is a preemie! Once he builds his energy he will be home with us!

As you look at the slideshow, now that you know our story, you can enjoy some of the moments with us.

WARNING!!!! There are a few shots in the operating room.

Click on this link to see our pictures. I recommend watching the slideshow. Once you click it you can adjust speed. Also, click on show options as this will show you the titles to some of the pictures which will help with the timeline. http://www.flickr.com/photos/chacosta/sets/72157623484968771/

Thanks again for all of your prayers, good wishes and support!

Love,
Keven, Chase & Gabriel"