I can honestly say, with 2 kids I have been concerned, have fretted, but NEVER have I been petrified, until last Thursday.
My lovely little lady, Olivia was diagnosed with RSV, after being in daycare a total of 6 days, my happy little girl was coughing so hard, her whole body shook. PETRIFIED!
I left work early last Thursday and met Jeremy and Liv (my nickname for her) at the pediatrician's office. I knew something wasn't right, call it mommy's intuition, and made the appointment earlier in the day. I was hoping it would be one of those appointment's where our pediatrician told me I was just being paranoid, but I had that itchy momma feeling that something was up. After the nurse shoved what looked like a 8 inch cotton swab up my sweet girl's nose, the pediatrician came into the room and told us little Livi had RSV. I immediately felt my chest constrict in panic. She was way too little for this diagnosis, and my brain went into overdrive. Almost immediately I recalled that RSV results in a high percentage of pneumonia diagnosis, and my eyes welled up with tears. The pediatrician was quick to tell me there was nothing I could have done to prevent it, and it would be ok, but I thought differently. Maybe , just maybe, if I had taken another 2 weeks off work, and she was 3 months old before she went to daycare, or maybe if I was still breast feeding, it would not be a problem. He quickly dispelled both notions, but non the less,I melted down in racking sobs as soon as we got home. Livi is not a good breast feeder, and it just did not work for her like it did Audrey, so I gave it up thinking it was best for her, now I second guessed myself. She was not gaining weight because of her jaudice, and our pediatrician recommended supplementing. Fine with me. I did it. Then I tried pumping, feeding her with a bottle, etc. It was not going well and he recommended 75% formula to ensure she would catch up on her growth. I followed direction. Have you ever tried to pump breast milk with a 20 month old running around?? Well, it's not easy! Eventually, we decided it best just to put Livi on formula. I really thought it would benefit both kids.... after contemplating it for days. Meaning, I would be able to give Audrey the attention she needed from me, as well as making sure Livi was getting her nutritional needs, and growing appropriately.
After the RSV diagnosis, I was second guessing myself in a huge way. Of course, Jeremy was quick to dispell my paranoia, and point out how well Livi was doing, and how well Audrey was adjusting, but I was petrified. Audrey NEVER had any serious illness, other than ear infections. Was this my fault?? Was I sacrificing Livi's health just to make sure I was there for Audrey?? P.A.R.A.N.O.I.A
I literally, did not let happy little Liv out of arm's reach for the next 2 days. I slept with my hand on her chest to make sure she wasn't wheezing. Well, I don't think you could call it sleeping...I laid with my hand on her chest, watching her sleep, just in case she started wheezing. My boss was extremely understanding, and had no problem letting me take Friday off (Thank goodness)
I trekked back to the MD office Friday, they completed a "deep suction", to pull all the goo out of her chest, and he told me the next 24 hours would be critical. Thank the good Lord above, she turned the corner, and was on the mend by Saturday evening! Those 2 days were 2 of the worst I have ever experienced. Her little body was racked with coughing, and sneezing. Literally. Her entire body would convulse when she coughed, and I had no choice but to use a nasal aspirator every 2 hours to make sure she was able to breathe comfortably. Thankfully, by Sunday we noticed a drastic improvement with her condition, and my mother-in-law was able to keep her Monday for us. I was no where near ready to send her to daycare. I am so fortunate she is so flexible, and understanding!! She kind of adores her grandbabies too, so I knew the next best set of hands, other than mine, belonged to her. She would not hesitate to call Jeremy or I, if she thought Livi was in any kind if distress, which was a huge comfort to me.
Today, Tuesday, she seems like her normal happy little self!! Thank God! Maybe we can both get some sleep tonight ;) For now, I am trying not to be ridiculously paranoid and over protective....We shall see how that goes ;)
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Monday, January 9, 2012
Here we go....
I have been on a bit of a hiatus from the blog...but I am back and ready to catch up ;)
Sweet little Olivia joined our family October 28th at 11:51 am. Her birth was eventful in it's own way. I went to my OB appointment on the 27th and there was no change at all. The week prior to that the MD gave me the option of being induced on the 20th, just in case my blood sugar went crazy again and he was afraid my iron level was getting too low, but I wanted to go into labor on my own. FAT chance. This little girl was perfectly cozy and not willing to come out!! So the 27th he didn't give me much choice. If we waited much longer, the chances of serious complications could arise, and I didn't want to put Olivia in any danger, so I agreed to be induced at 9pm that night. I called Jeremy at work, he called his parents and I put my sister on high alert, since she was going to have Audrey. After I rechecked my hospital bag for "essentials" and triple checked Audrey's overnight bag, she left with my sister, and Jeremy and I just looked at each other. I was anxious and nervous, not knowing what to expect. When I went into labor with Audrey, I felt prepared. I read everything I could get my hands on, and felt like I knew what would happen. This time, it was all up to how my body handled the drugs, etc. I like to research and plan, so the whole induction thing was freaky.
At 9pm, we were in the hospital room, and I was being hooked up to all the machines that come along with having a baby. The 1st band went around my stomach and we heard Olivia's heartbeat, the second band went on and the nurse looked at me , and said " Do you feel that?" I didn't feel anything. Apparently I was having contractions 3 minutes apart. It's amazing how COMPLETELY different the labor was with each pregnancy. The MD decided to go with a Foley bulb instead of Pitocin since my body was already beginning labor. By midnight the Foley bulb was out, and we were on our way! The contractions were getting harder and faster, so they gave me some Stadol. (the nurse actually prepped the delivery area, they thought I would deliver before 6am) Wowee... That is some strange stuff. I had a dose with Audrey, but this affected me completely different than before. I felt like a bad scene in Alice in Wonderland. I slept for a while, then the nurse told me the contractions were leveling off, most likely a side effect of the Stadol. (Nice.) So I got a Pitocin drip at 5am. At 6am my water broke....boy did that bring on the contractions. Hard. and Fast. At 8 the nurse checked me and told me I was almost at 8 centimeters, and the window for my epidural was closing, so I told her to bring the anesthesiologist ASAP. I can honestly count on one hand the number of times I have cried because I was in pain...and I was so, so close to tears. There was barely a minute between contractions, and I was having a hard time catching my breath. I could have kissed the anesthesiologist!! Such Relief! I was so tired by this point, I could barely keep my eyes open. Then suddenly, it was time to push. Oy!! I started pushing at 11am, and Ms. Olivia joined us at 11:51. She weighed in at 7lbs 4 oz. and was 21 inches long. (It was kind of ironic since the doc told me several times I was measuring small.) She was perfect!! I was able to immediately have skin to skin contact and Jeremy cut her umbilical cord. AmAzInG!!!!
It boggles my brain at how different each of our girls (LOVE the sound of that) are , as were the pregnancies! We had to take Livi back to the pediatrician almost daily for 3 weeks due to high jaundice levels, then concern over her weight gain. But, we are on the right track now....my "baby" weighs almost 12 lbs at almost 11 weeks!! Looks like she is going to be bigger than her sister, which may not be a bad thing since she may have to defend herself occasionally ;)
Audrey is a great big sister, most of the time ;) She likes to help "urp" the baby, and give her blankies. We have had the "gentle with the baby" conversation several times... She is a little ruffian on occasion.
As I write this I am planning on going back to work in 2 days....BOOO!! I don't want to, and am less than excited about it, but it's inevitable. I do feel somewhat comforted since we are sending Livi to the same daycare Audrey goes to, and I LOVE the newborn "teacher" Ms. Debbie. She is wonderful with babies and has the same "give them what they need when they need it" philosophy that I have. She doesn't stick to the "schedule regimens" that several other daycares we looked at do.
I have so much more to catch up on, but Livi is waking up and I want to cuddle her every chance I get for the next few days ;)
P.S. I am thinking about changing the blog name to Moreland's Mayhem, or Mayhem at the Moreland house.. What do ya think???
Sweet little Olivia joined our family October 28th at 11:51 am. Her birth was eventful in it's own way. I went to my OB appointment on the 27th and there was no change at all. The week prior to that the MD gave me the option of being induced on the 20th, just in case my blood sugar went crazy again and he was afraid my iron level was getting too low, but I wanted to go into labor on my own. FAT chance. This little girl was perfectly cozy and not willing to come out!! So the 27th he didn't give me much choice. If we waited much longer, the chances of serious complications could arise, and I didn't want to put Olivia in any danger, so I agreed to be induced at 9pm that night. I called Jeremy at work, he called his parents and I put my sister on high alert, since she was going to have Audrey. After I rechecked my hospital bag for "essentials" and triple checked Audrey's overnight bag, she left with my sister, and Jeremy and I just looked at each other. I was anxious and nervous, not knowing what to expect. When I went into labor with Audrey, I felt prepared. I read everything I could get my hands on, and felt like I knew what would happen. This time, it was all up to how my body handled the drugs, etc. I like to research and plan, so the whole induction thing was freaky.
At 9pm, we were in the hospital room, and I was being hooked up to all the machines that come along with having a baby. The 1st band went around my stomach and we heard Olivia's heartbeat, the second band went on and the nurse looked at me , and said " Do you feel that?" I didn't feel anything. Apparently I was having contractions 3 minutes apart. It's amazing how COMPLETELY different the labor was with each pregnancy. The MD decided to go with a Foley bulb instead of Pitocin since my body was already beginning labor. By midnight the Foley bulb was out, and we were on our way! The contractions were getting harder and faster, so they gave me some Stadol. (the nurse actually prepped the delivery area, they thought I would deliver before 6am) Wowee... That is some strange stuff. I had a dose with Audrey, but this affected me completely different than before. I felt like a bad scene in Alice in Wonderland. I slept for a while, then the nurse told me the contractions were leveling off, most likely a side effect of the Stadol. (Nice.) So I got a Pitocin drip at 5am. At 6am my water broke....boy did that bring on the contractions. Hard. and Fast. At 8 the nurse checked me and told me I was almost at 8 centimeters, and the window for my epidural was closing, so I told her to bring the anesthesiologist ASAP. I can honestly count on one hand the number of times I have cried because I was in pain...and I was so, so close to tears. There was barely a minute between contractions, and I was having a hard time catching my breath. I could have kissed the anesthesiologist!! Such Relief! I was so tired by this point, I could barely keep my eyes open. Then suddenly, it was time to push. Oy!! I started pushing at 11am, and Ms. Olivia joined us at 11:51. She weighed in at 7lbs 4 oz. and was 21 inches long. (It was kind of ironic since the doc told me several times I was measuring small.) She was perfect!! I was able to immediately have skin to skin contact and Jeremy cut her umbilical cord. AmAzInG!!!!
It boggles my brain at how different each of our girls (LOVE the sound of that) are , as were the pregnancies! We had to take Livi back to the pediatrician almost daily for 3 weeks due to high jaundice levels, then concern over her weight gain. But, we are on the right track now....my "baby" weighs almost 12 lbs at almost 11 weeks!! Looks like she is going to be bigger than her sister, which may not be a bad thing since she may have to defend herself occasionally ;)
Audrey is a great big sister, most of the time ;) She likes to help "urp" the baby, and give her blankies. We have had the "gentle with the baby" conversation several times... She is a little ruffian on occasion.
As I write this I am planning on going back to work in 2 days....BOOO!! I don't want to, and am less than excited about it, but it's inevitable. I do feel somewhat comforted since we are sending Livi to the same daycare Audrey goes to, and I LOVE the newborn "teacher" Ms. Debbie. She is wonderful with babies and has the same "give them what they need when they need it" philosophy that I have. She doesn't stick to the "schedule regimens" that several other daycares we looked at do.
I have so much more to catch up on, but Livi is waking up and I want to cuddle her every chance I get for the next few days ;)
P.S. I am thinking about changing the blog name to Moreland's Mayhem, or Mayhem at the Moreland house.. What do ya think???
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