Did I mention we are home?

No?  Sorry, I was too busy snuggling with my little nugget.  She has an apnea monitor in case she stops breathing (a common thing with preemies, they usually start breathing again on their own) and we made it through the first night without incident.  This evening I am proud to announce that she took her entire feeding by breast for the first time!  We are not allowed to wear her out too much yet but I am very pleased.

Outfits are limited because of the monitor cords - we need to get to her chest quickly to fix a lead if it comes off, and the cords need somewhere to stick out.  Pants are out.  Gowns are too restrictive in the chest unless they have snaps.  We are pretty much limited to snapping footed sleepers and we only have a few items in newborn, which are too big but not ridiculously so.

We sit and snuggle a lot to make up for lost time in the NICU and to try to recreate the third trimester that she is missing out on.  I look forward to every day with her!

Breaking jail!

Home as a family!

Gown FAIL

A day in the life of the NICU

I really hope this is our last full day here. This is what the schedule is like:

6:00 AM - get up, pump and wash parts, shower, eat breakfast and pack up what we need for the day.
7:20 AM - leave the house
7:45 AM - arrive NICU, put milk in fridge and settle in. Chat with nurse about how the night was.
8:00 AM - scheduled care session - take temp and change diaper, nurse 15 min and let her eat what she wants from the bottle.
8:45 AM - snuggle and wait for rounds. Chat with doctor.
9:30 AM - sleeping soundly and back in crib. Pump and wash parts, label and store milk.
9:45 AM - check e-mail and send a report to my family, have a snack and some water, use the bathroom.
10:30 AM - pump and wash parts.
11:00 AM - scheduled care session - temp, diaper, nurse, bottle, snuggle.
12:00 PM - lunch in hospital cafeteria, make any necessary calls from lobby.
1:30 PM - return to NICU to pump and wash parts.
2:00 PM - scheduled care session.
3:00 PM - nap in recliner in the room if possible, check e-mail, read up on breastfeeding.
4:30 PM - pump and wash parts.
5:00 PM - scheduled care session.
6:00 PM - dinner in hospital cafeteria.
7:30 PM - pump and wash parts.
8:00 PM - scheduled care session.
9:00 PM - reluctantly go home. Possibly cry a little.
9:30 PM - home - try to get a few things done to finish the nursery, clean up the general accumulated mess.
10:30 PM - bed.
12:00 AM - pump and wash parts, drink water, snack if hungry. Up for 20-30 minutes depending on how slowly I move.
3:00 AM - pump and wash parts.

That's our life for the last few days - it's not fun, it's not easy, but it's what we need to do. Can't wait to get home and settle into our own routine!

A few Hannah pics

 

General cuteness



Contemplating life (that's mommy's milk she is getting!

Family photo

Meeting grandad for the first time

Aunt Angela is in love!

Mommy snuggles

Baby Hannah is here!

She was born on Thursday at 34 weeks 3 days. Labor was fast, she was born 6 hours after my water broke and 5 hours after contractions started. I am working on a complete birth story but it is taking too long! She was 5 lbs 11 oz and just over 18 inches long.

I was released yesterday but Hannah is in the NICU, mostly because of the simple fact she was early. She is eating well and is stable, maintaining her glucose and body temperature. Her bilirubin came back a bit high this morning so she will be spending 24 hours under the lights. She also had an "episode" last night so that is a 48-hour minimum stay. It is frustrating to be home without her but it is comforting to know she is going to be just fine.

A brief post about my feet

This is what they look like:

They feel pretty much how they look - swollen, stiff, itchy.   Putting on shoes is so uncomfortable and makes them even worse.  Those permanent fold marks make me feel especially attractive. 

I am walking, resting, hydrating, taking nettle supplements.  I don't really know what else to do other than suck it up and deal.

33 weeks

Midwife appointment was last night, everything (blood pressure, urine, etc.) is still good.  Baby was head down even though I'm pretty sure it was transverse a few times this week.  So no real news on that front.  My weight gain for the last few weeks has been reasonable although I feel like it's all in my face.  I had a rough week physically (increased swelling is leading to some nerve pain and just dragging this weight around is tiring) and energy-wise and talking to her always makes me feel better.  I also made sure to get enough rest this weekend and am starting to hand off projects at work when I can.  I have given myself a bed time and what is not done by then doesn't get done.

Steve was very sweet and got us takeout for Valentine's Day (I specifically did not want to go out) and some gorgeous flowers.  Tomorrow I head out for my last business trip for a long time!


How far along? 33 weeks.




Maternity clothes? Yep. I put a top on for work the other day and it was too tight.



Stretch marks? A few very light ones on my lower belly.



Sleep? Still pretty good, but I got up a couple times last week to eat something...



Food cravings: Still pineapple.



Gender: Still trying to get back to being neutral...



Belly button in or out? Still in.


Movement? Still pretty consistent and I try to let Steve get a good feel when there is an opportunity.



What I miss? Not being a hormonal mess.



What I'm looking forward to: Spa day.  Maybe next Monday if I can muster up the energy to book it...



Milestones: Ordered the glider this weekend.

31 Weeks!

Is it just me or am I starting to carry a lot higher?  For the first time I have had a couple of people guess boy.

I had a post mentally written about how I would not be able to blog this week because of my business trip to Florida.  Then, they canceled my flight 12 hours in advance and I find myself working from home because of the weather and with some free time on my hands.

Boy, is time starting to fly.  The big event this week was my baby shower on Saturday.  It was awesome.  I loved seeing everyone (my dear friend Amanda gets bonus points for coming up from Atlanta and lying to me about it so that I was totally shocked to see her there) and there were 4 babies, including my nephew Noah from Vermont.  Steve's brother and sister in law created a lovely atmosphere and provided a great spread.  I hope to have some pictures to post at some point, I did not take any but I know others did.

Of course, we received many lovely gifts.  Everyone was so generous, and after dropping my sister off at the airport I spent Sunday organizing and installing things like the lamp and mobile while Steve painted the dresser and book shelves.  My feet were killing me by dinner time.  We also started working on the birth kit, which involved a trip to Wal-Mart, some internet shopping, and lots of laundry of sheets and towels.  I figure if we do a little each weekend we will be done by 36 weeks.  


How far along? 31 weeks.



Maternity clothes? Yep. I got out the tops that were too balloony in 2nd tri.



Stretch marks? Still keeping my eye on the same area as before.  No developments, though.




Sleep? Still good, but if I wake up too early I have a hard time going back to sleep.



Food cravings: My milk craving seems to be popping up again.




Gender: Trying to get back to being neutral...



Belly button in or out? In.  It's not even that shallow.




Movement? Yes, finally having some movement that can be felt from the outside!!!  It is up near my right ribs.  Steve got to feel some real rolling in that area this week and that was very cool.  I often feel movement both up and down at the same time.




What I miss? Putting on my socks with ease.



What I'm looking forward to: Finishing our shopping and prepping.



Milestones: Baby shower.  Again, it was awesome.