Finally a Post Since Izzie was Born

I have had such a difficult time adjusting to life as a parent.  I love being a mommy, but it's been quite an adjustment!  Which is why I'm blogging for the first time since Isabelle was born and she is four months old!  I will give a summary of what's been going on in our lives since Miss Isabelle arrived.

March 15, 2011

Isabelle's Birth

After contracting for 20 hours we went to the hospital and I was dilated to a four.  I was in so much pain I asked for an epidural within 30 minutes!  I had planned on having a natural birth...now I just look back and laugh at myself!  I began pushing at 5:00 am.  After pushing for two hours the doctor used forceps to assist Izzie moving down the birth canal.  The forceps hit my sciatica nerve and I began to feel everything.  I was screaming like I had never screamed before.  The doctor apparently thought that if he left the forceps in me that the pain would subside.  Well, it didn't.  After yelling at him he finally removed them.  I realized at this point that if I didn't push Izzie out soon that I was going to have a c-section.  Somehow I was able to find the energy and strength to push her out at 7:36 am on March 16, 2011!  She was absolutely beautiful!  She weighed 7 lb 12 oz and was 20 1/4" long.  She had several visitors through out the day!

That evening around 9:00 pm I sat up in bed and began coughing uncontrollably.  I felt pain in my chest and back, my hands and feet were tingling, I was seeing flashing colorful lights, and my lips turned blue.  The nurse put me on oxygen and called my doctor.  He said to monitor my vitals.  My heart rate was high, my oxygen saturation was extremely low, and my blood pressure was high.  I was put on oxygen.  I was then given several tests which included radioactive material, therefore I couldn't hold or feed Isabelle for 24 hours.  I was devastated.  I hadn't slept in over 48 hours and was given tests about every hour in different locations in the hospital.  The doctor thought that I had a pulmonary embolism. 

The next morning at 6:00 am Isabelle's pediatrician came to the room for a routine exam.  Isabelle spit up bile during the exam.  The doctor said this should never happen to an infant and that she would probably be flown to Children's Mercy in Kansas City.  I remember thinking that she would be just fine and wouldn't have to leave.  Within a few minutes the doctor took her out of the room to empty her stomach and take x-rays.  She came back and said that her intestine looked like it was twisted and they suspected a bowel obstruction.  She has a tube in her mouth and was hungry, but was not allowed to eat.

The flight crew arrived at 11:00 am.  They were such wonderful people.  They explained everything to Nathan and me and answered all of our questions.  Izzie was taken at noon by ambulance to the airport so that she could fly in a jet plane because they said a helicopter wasn't fast enough.  Nathan drove to Kansas City so that he could have a vehicle because we didn't know how long she would be in the hospital.  We were blessed because Nathan's sister is a pediatrician at Children's Mercy in Kansas City!  She was able to give us helpful information and visit with Izzie while she was in the hospital. 

As soon as Izzie arrived they gave her a upper GI study which came back negative for a bowel obstruction!  I'm so thankful to God for healing our baby girl!  The doctors wanted to keep Izzie in the hospital for a few days to make sure she was gaining weight and didn't have any further complications. 

Mean while, I was in the hospital in Joplin being given blood thinners and lasix.  I was very lonely during this time, but at the same time I didn't want any visitors.  A few close friends came by.  The most difficult part was Nathan couldn't call or text me from the NICU.  I talked to him for about 5 minutes each day.  I was diagnosed with pulmonary edema, meaning there was fluid in my lungs and I was unable to get enough oxygen in my blood.  My doctor believes that I had a blood clot that broke up shortly before it reached my lungs.  I was released four days after giving birth.  I had Nathan's sister and brother in-law drive me to Kansas City!  I couldn't get there soon enough. 

When we arrived at the hospital we began walking through the NICU to get to Izzie.  Seeing all the ill babies made me cry.  I knew Izzie was going to be okay and my heart was broken for all the other babies who had been there for so long.  When we got to Izzie she was wrapped in a blanket sleeping in a crib.  She had an IV in her head and several monitors on her body.  I had the nurse show me how to hold her and I began to rock my sweet baby for the first time!  What I thought was so amazing is she immediately started rooting!

We went home the following night and began adjusting to living with a newborn.  Nathan was studying for a professional exam so he was home less than I would have liked him to be.  After one week he returned to work and continued to study.  When she was three weeks old he went out of town to take the exam for three days.  Talk about scared and lonely.  Fortunately, Nathan's mother stayed the night at the house with me and helped an enormous amount with Izzie. 

I then developed post-partum depression.  I called my doctor and was prescribed some medicine and within a few days I felt like myself again!