Will vs. Henry

Henry & Aunt Kim at 4 weeks old

Will at 4 weeks

Henry

Will


So, do YOU think they look alike?

Where does the time go?!?

Will will be 4 weeks old tomorrow... boy does time fly! He's been great; I'm still waiting for the tables to turn and for him to be a crabby baby like Henry was! He eats great, which is evident by the double chin and chubby legs and arms. He naps wonderfully, which is evident by the fact that Henry is not "jealous" because I have time to play with him! He sleeps pretty well at night, which is evident by the fact that I am not crabby!

We had a nice Christmas, although we seem to be trading sicknesses... I had a stomach bug Christmas eve, Will seems to have gotten some of that because he had a day or so of diarrhea and now Henry is sick with a flu-like thing. The joys of Winter!

Santa was very good to us this year... we acquired a new video camera, vacuum, Spiderman accessories, race cars, Thomas toys and a few toddler toys... all in all it was a great holiday! We are however ready to start down the path of normalcy since we've lived anything but since I was first admitted into the hospital back in September! Henry should be starting preschool (I say should because he's still wait listed) and Chris starts his 80 hour a week busy season just after the new year...

I'll include some pictures, we took a lot over the holidays!

Some pictures...

Will is doing great! He's started to wake up a bit, opening his eyes more and eating more and making mommy & daddy MORE tired! We love it though!

Henry is doing great as well, he really loves his little brother and is conscience of where he is at all times, its adorable. He often asks to hold him and when he does, he just says.... "he's so cute" and he's right!

I had my first day totally alone with the boys; it went well. Physically I'm feeling so much better and the pain is very controllable by taking Advil. I'm pretty tired, but that's all part of the fun, right?!?

8 Days and counting...

Will is 8 days old! He is a great baby! Wonderful sleeper, great nurser, healthy pooper, what more can parents ask of a newborn! He rarely cries, at least not yet....

Henry absolutely adores his little brother. He often asks to hold him and we've gotten into a routine where Henry holds Will while he watches Diego cartoons first thing in the morning. Henry seems to have a sense of where Will is at all times because if he doesn't know, he goes looking for him... it's really cute. Yesterday i caught him talking to Will while he was just waking up from a nap and he was saying "hi there little brother, you're moving around do you want me to pick you up?".... hummm, I'll have to keep an eye on that one!

I am doing pretty well. This c-section is a bit harder to recover from than with Henry. Right now I have elephant legs (ie they are swollen and huge and look like Elephant legs) and my incision is a bit itchy, but overall I feel pretty ok. I finished taking my narcotic pain killers and the pain from the surgery has really minimalized in the last couple days. Hopefully before long I can think about working out... I think I'll start slow by going for walks; I think walking from our front door to the street will be exhausting considering I've been on hospital bedrest for so long! Maybe I'll work up to being a mall walker after that!

I'll update more later - hopefully with some cuter pics of our boy!

Home at last!

We are home safely with Will. Henry is beyond excited to have us home and loves his little brother! Once I recover a bit more and am finished taking painkillers, I'll write more... these pills make me very sleepy!

We welcome visitors anytime, so just say when and our door is open!

Henry meets Will

Henry came to the hospital today to meet Will... I wish pictures could capture just how excited he was to meet his baby brother! He wanted to hold him right away and even helped feed him a bottle. It is so reassuring to know that despite baby Will keeping mommy in the hospital, Henry is SO excited to be a big brother. He's also excited to have mommy home in 2 days!

1 Day Old!

I wanted to post a couple more pictures and give an update on baby Will! He's doing wonderfully!!! He is staying in the hospital room with me and has passed all his tests with flying colors... good hearing, good bloodsugar, and whatever other tests he's taken. He is pooping and peeing like a Rockstar, I guess he really is a Skinger! He's eating pretty well too; I have to say he is partial to mommy and daddy because the nurses can't get him to eat but so far he's taken bottles from both Chris and I well and is nursing just great! We're supplimenting with formula until my milk comes in - we want to keep those blood sugars up!

I'm doing well. C-sections are not fun, but so far recovery is going well. The surgery yesterday went as good as one could hope for. I had a lot more bleeding than a normal c-section because of the placenta previa, but my body dealt with it ok and I didn't need a transfusion. I did puke my brains out, not sure why. They kept giving me all kinds of drugs to make my uterus contract, which was the only "challenge" they had during surgery. The drugs must have also contracted my stomach because I puked for the entire surgery. Oh well, it's over.

Sneak Peak!

William was born this morning at 11:25 am, weighed 6 pounds 14 ounces and measured 20 inches.

Amanda and Will are doing very well. Despite him being a month early, he's breathing normally and is blood sugar is at a good level. Mom had a rougher c-section this time, but she's recovering nicely and enjoying her sherbet and apple juice. Both mom and baby are out of recovery and up in their hospital room - hopefully both get to come home this weekend.

Chris

The Results

Just got my amnio results back... our little man scored a 48!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! He got a 32 last week, below are the ranges:

Immature 10-40 (our hosptial's cut off is 38)
Intermediate 40-50
Mature to full term >50

The high risk OB who did the amnio this AM said that 48 is generally the low end of the range that they will deliver at, SO... TOMORROW IS THE BIG DAY!!!!

I can't tell you how relieved I am for this LONG road to end! The Dr. did reiterate that there is a chance this little guy will spend some time in the NICU getting some extra oxygen, but his lungs should be ok and he **should** come home with us on Saturday! He's been such a trooper through all this trauma, actually he has acted completely unaffected, so I'm confident he'll do great!

Because of the c-section I'll be here four more days, so I should be home Saturday! I can't believe it... I will have accumulated 51 days in the hospital! I can't believe it has been that long...

We will post pictures as soon as we can!

36 Days...

That's 36 days in the hospital! I've been here 17 straight days and in those 17 days, caught up on scrapbooking, started the baby's scrapbook, made a latch hook pillow and a few candy cane glass beaded ornaments... watched 100+ hours of TV, slept when possible and had over 10 IV's. My arms are tired.

I have my 2nd amnio tomorrow, wish us luck! IF the baby is born on Tuesday I should be home Saturday Dec. 6th. If the amnio shows his lungs are still too immature, he will be born on Dec. 11th and we should be home Dec. 14th. So let the countdown begin... I'm rooting for only 6 more days in the hospital, but it might be as many as 15 (UG!).

Thanksgiving was absolutely uneventful for me. I had some cold turkey and visited with my sister, brother-in-law and Henry and Chris. I'm glad it's past me... what a crummy way to spend Thanksgiving!

Henry and Chris and my parents have been able to visit almost every day this last week, which gives me something to look for. Henry has his **sad** moments, but he seems to be coping very well. We play games on the phone and pretend we're with each other, taking turns tickling each other, fighting and playing the same games we do when we are physically together. He came up with that on his own... his way of coping I guess.

Henry continues to be funny... for example, when he saw Dolly Pardon on the TV he declared "She's Beautiful!!!"... of all people. I guess he's going to be a boob man!

The picture above was taken a couple days ago while we watched Polar Express... we got to cuddle like that for a couple hours, it was GREAT!

35 Weeks today!

35 weeks and still cookin'! Dr. came in today and they are going to go ahead with another amnio next week. Given the fact that I am still passing baseball sized clots, bleeding and now contracting more than I was they want to try to manage, as much as possible, having a controlled or planned c-section. IF the baby's lungs looks moderately mature or better yet, fully mature they will deliver... so once again fingers crossed! Because each day makes a big difference, it is possible his lungs mature enough in the next week.

So, tomorrow is Thanksgiving. The nurses here actually bring in food and they invited me to join them, which is nice. There are two of us here that are in it for the long haul. The other girl came in a week ago but won't go home until her baby is born (she's only 24 weeks) and me, well... I may as well work here as well as I know everyone!!! So, hopefully being here instead of with family won't be terrible!

In case you're interested... Info on the baby at 35 weeks:

Your baby now measures about 20.25 inches in total length and weighs around 5.5 lbs (unless it is a Skinger baby, then he probably weighs closer to 7 lbs). He continues to grow and fatten up, especially in the shoulder area, and kicks regularly. The fine lanugo hair that covered your baby is shedding, though some may still be present when your baby is born. Your baby's eyes are blue, though this may change soon after birth or much later after birth. Your baby's fingernails are growing. They already reach the tips of his fingers and they may even look quite long and pointy by the time he is born. Your baby may even have some scratch marks from scratching his face with his fingernails. Your baby is probably feeling quite cramped right now and his movements are restricted by his growing size.

Two week sentence

I just received a two week sentence... In other words, we are not having the baby tomorrow. I had my amnio this morning and the lungs are not quite the numbers they want to see (baby got a 32 and they like to see at least a 38). The kicker is that they are estimating him at about 6lbs 6oz from the detailed ultrasound measurements, so we have a big kid with small lungs.

In case you're interested, below is the "scoring" for lung development - again our little man got a 32:

Immature 10-40 (our hosptial's cut off is 38)
Intermediate 40-50
Mature to full term >50

I'll write more later when I'm not so upset (upset only because being in the hospital this long is miserable!!!), but I wanted to let those of you who follow this know...

And Henry says...

Yesterday Henry came to visit and when it was time to go home he looks at me at says: "Mommy, I am going to go home and get my truck then I'll come back to the hospital and take you home with me".

He seems like he's doing ok with me here, but it does feel good to be missed!

Role Play: A Funny Henry Story

I've read in my mothering magazines and child development books that the 3's are the age of role play. It is amazing how children's behavior can generally be thrown into buckets, and this certainly applies to Henry... which leads me to a funny Henry story:

Gram and Pawpaw (my parents) took Henry to the Field Museum last weekend so that Chris could have some time to himself to get the baby's room set up. Henry has been to this museum a few times; for those that don't know, the Field Museum is the "dinosaur" museum with T-rex and other prehistoric animals on display. Apparently these animals were too close to real life because he was afraid to enter most exhibits.

SO, Gram & Pawpaw decided to take him to lunch at the Panera inside the Museum. Henry generally behaves himself at restaurants, but this day proved to be different. While Henry was eating, he was talking a lot, but it seemed to be a lot of gibberish. THEN, all the sudden Henry decides to spit, or spew, his milk all over Gram. Gram wasn't too happy and was very confused because Henry is generally well behaved.

They decided it was time to head home. When they got home they decided to watch a movie, Henry's current favorite is Madagascar. For those of you who are Madagascar fans, you remember the scene in the beginning where the animals are all talking while at the Central Park Zoo. I forgot what was said, but the animals all reacted to a comment made by the Zebra and the Giraffe dramatically spits out his drink. Suddenly a light bulb went on in Gram and Pawpaw's head... OHHHHHH...

Gotta love kids!

Excited?

Chris and I have both had a lot of people ask us if we are excited that the end is in sight and that we could have our baby boy this time next week... WELL, it has honestly been such a tough long road I don't think we've allowed ourselves to get excited per say. It all started with our difficulties to get and stay pregnant, getting through the losses we've had and now surviving this very difficult pregnancy. That doesn't include our necessity to manage normal day-to-day activities and hoping that the ball doesn't drop too soon with this pregnancy... let's just say we've been very distracted.

I think it is really hard to explain how scary it is go get through each day not knowing if "IT" will be the day that I hemorrhage or "IT" will be the day we have to deliver the baby by emergency c-section. I have bled so much I am starting to become used to it, but "IT" is not normal and quite scary.

I think once we actually get to Tuesday we will breathe a sigh of relief because all of the unknowns will become known (with the exception of if I end up with a hysterectomy or how badly I'll bleed during the surgery), but at this point none of that matters...

We ARE getting excited, in fact Chris called me this morning because he had heard something on the radio where someone was talking about bringing their family to Disney World and he had a revelation that WE will have our family very soon. Of course we are a family with Henry and Brera but the dynamics change somewhat with another person to add to our roster and WE are very excited about that!

34 Weeks and counting!

I hit a few milestones today:
- The most important, I hit 34 weeks today!
- I have accumulated 25 nights in the hospital
- I have gained 25 lbs
- I am caught up with my scrapbooking!

Today is a big day... after being checked in at 27 weeks I didn't think I'd hit 34, but here I am! I wish I could say I felt good because I don't BUT it will all be worth it! I really have not completely stopped bleeding since last Thursday and my contractions have increased, neither of which is good but I'm dealing! I haven't needed a blood transfusion yet and hopefully can get through the surgery without one.

I thought I would include some information on the baby's development, in case you're interested:

Baby Boy at 34 Weeks:
Your baby weighs almost 5 lbs (2250 g) and is about 19.8 inches (44cm) long. If your baby were born now, he would be considered "pre-term" rather than premature. This distinction is based on fetal maturity, particularly the maturity of the fetal lungs. A pre-term baby, unlike a premature baby, is likely to have well-developed lungs and is less likely to need intensive care.

Your baby is surrounded by a red glow when sunlight shines on your belly and may be aware of this as he is able to differentiate between light and dark. Your baby's hair is getting thicker, though it may be a different color when he is older. He is currently shedding his lanugo, the fine downy hair that previously covered his body. More vernix, the waxy coating that protects your baby's skin while submerged in amniotic fluid, is building up. Your baby's adrenal glands are producing more steroid hormone, the androgen-like hormone that indirectly aids your milk production. Your baby is currently producing ten times more of this hormone than a normal adult and the adrenal glands are currently the same size as those of an adolescent. They will shrink after birth. Your baby is laying down bone. To do this, he will draw calcium from you. Your baby has taste buds and it has been suggested that he can taste and develop tastes for flavors found in the amniotic fluid, particularly flavors that you eat on a regular basis (so I guess that means this baby will only want broiled tilapia... you know, bland hospital type foods... fabulous!)

Isn't all that great info! If you're in the neighborhood, I LOVE visitors.... it really breaks up my day! I have very little energy these days, but if you don't mind pushing around a big fat pregnant woman in a wheelchair, I do have wheelchair privledges and we can go grab at tea at Argo !

My Pad

Thought I would include some pictures of my awesome room. I found out they might move me because techinically I am on the postpartum side, but I am HOPING they don't!!! Being in this room makes the day go by faster... I can sit and watch people walking along the lake or shopping on Michigan Ave and just daydream about being there myself!

There is a view of my room walking in (looks like a fishbowl... I love it!), view from my bed and views out the window... can't complain!

And she's back...

I checked into my lovely "confinement" room last night around 1am. Yes, back in the hospital. I used the word confinement because that is literally the terminology used by the insurance company in the letters we receive with regards to my stay.

As always, I had another bleed which landed me here. This one was not quite so scary but there was a pretty good quantity. I am officially anemic and my blood count dropped to the lowest level they would like to see me at (any lower and they would have delivered the baby last night). I did get an amazing room however, a corner "office" that I can see Water Tower Place, Michigan Ave., Lake Michigan to the East, Lakeshore Drive.... it's quite beautiful actually... I'll post pictures when I can!

My revised "plan" for baby Skinger is as follows:

Monday, Nov 24th - I am scheduled for an amnio so they can check the baby's lungs. I will be 34 weeks, 5 days.
Tuesday, Nov. 25th - IF (big word here!) the lungs look ok, they will deliver the baby on this day! Please say prayers, send good wishes or do whatever you think works to give this baby a chance to be born on the 25th!!!!

"IF" the baby's lungs do not seem well enough developed, then we will be hosting Thanksgiving in the Prentice cafeteria AND I will be here an additional 1-2 weeks and deliver the 1st or 2nd week of December.

That's it! If you want to reach me, my cell phone is best and my address is below.

Got a "Get out of Jail Free Card"!

I'm home! My Dr. sent me home on "good behavior"... he said that if I promise to stay on STRICT bedrest I could go home... it helps that I live close too!

Here's the kicker... the second I got home, literally walked in the door and went straight to the bathroom... BOOM, I was bleeding! Chris just kind of laughed, and so did I... it took us almost 30 minutes to drive 5 miles in horrible Friday traffic! We did hit a few bumps in the road that didn't feel so good and then we have these horrible speed bumps in the alley driving to our garage... so we chalked it up to that. The bumps really didn't feel so great and I'm convinced that is what caused the bleeding. YES, the placenta is that sensitive, especially with a big baby Skinger lying on top of it.

Anyway... we decided to wait this one out instead of running back to the hospital. Thankfully it stopped after 12 hours or so (I'd consider this one a slow leak). I do notice however that if I do much of anything, it starts up again. Following Dr's orders is a lot easier now that I have experienced the consequences!

SO... I'm happy to have HGTV back (my fav channel) and be at home with Chris & Henry. Hopefully they're happy to have me here too... especially Chris. He not only has the house to take care of but a 3 year with tons of energy and a wife that is useless!

We're hoping I can stay home at least a week or more. If I can get through Thanksgiving that would be awesome (I turn 35 weeks the Wednesday before Thanksgiving). I am still going to have the amnio either the Monday before Thanksgiving or the Monday after. Regardless, if I can get to 34 or more weeks, this baby will do great!

Gross details of the surgery

I met with the anestheologist for my surgery and she went into the details of what will happen during the surgery:

Senario A: A PLANNED c-section (controlled and scheduled):
I will get both a spinal AND and epidural. They use the spinal for the initial surgery BUT also have the epidural in case the surgery takes a long time (the spinal lasts only so long). I will also have an IV in both arms so they have access to do a transfusion if needed (possibly an IV in my neck). Baby comes out first (fast and furious) then they work on me. Because they cut through the placenta and because the bottom of the uterus (where the placenta is) does not contract as much or as efficiently as the top of the uterus (contractions stop the bleeding), there is a very high risk for major bleeding. Best case scenario they get the placenta out and control the bleeding right away then they can close me up. Worst case scenario, they will put me to sleep, put a tube down my throat and have to do some major surgery. IF I go to sleep, Chris can not be in the OR with me. Absolutely worst case scenario is that they can not control the bleeding and I end up with a hysterectomy.

Sounds like a party huh?

Senario B: Emergency c-section:
If we end up in an emergency situation where I have heavy bleeding and they have to do the c-section right away... they will put me to sleep right away and unfortunately Chris can not be in the room (he can see the baby once he's cleared in the NICU). Once I'm asleep they will basically get the baby out right away and then proceed to "fix" me (summarized above). Her warning if they put me to sleep is that when I wake up I will have a tube down my throat and most likely an IV in my neck as well as both arms.

Are we having fun yet?

So that's that...

The Sentence

I got my "birth plan" today and here is how it goes:

IF I have another significant bleed they will deliver the baby right away. The bleed has to be pretty significant not just a "little bleed" which means at least as big as my last one (which is described below). In all honesty I think this is fairly likely given that I've had 4 bleeding episodes and 1 big bleed. The big downfall to another big bleed is that means an emergency c-section with obviously a lot of risks including me hemorrhaging, requiring a hysterectomy and of course potential danger for the baby (although he is at lower risk than I am for problems).

At 34 weeks I will have an amniocentesis so they can check lung development. The amnio (for those that don't know) is where they stick a 4ft needle in your belly to extract some amniotic fluid from the fetal sac and somehow that tells them how lung development is. Really, it's not a 4ft needle, but close enough... IF the lungs look ok, they'll deliver the boy then.

All else fails, we will have a scheduled c-section at the beginning of December (around 36/37 weeks). No matter what I am not going home because there is too high a risk of me bleeding to death (literally).

SO... I'm here for the next 2-5 weeks, which means you are ALL welcome to come visit, I love visitors even if it is only for 5 minutes! I'm starting to go nuts... I've racked up 18 days in the hospital so far and all I can say is my butt and hips are killing me from sitting/lying down so much, TV is horrible, sick of reading, food... well who can really ENJOY eating broiled tilapia and baked chicken for this long?

Please send "baby be born" vibes... I'm ready for this to end!!! OH, and my address (for those who have asked):

Prentice Women's Hospital
250 E. Superior Street
Room 968
Chicago, Illinois 60611

Are you as smart as a 3 year old?

I was calling to check in on Henry today and chatted with our babysitter... she had a great story for me:

Like everyday, she took Henry up for his afternoon nap. They read some books in bed and she tucks him in. Well, today when she was tucking him in bed, she found an M&M candy and asked him where it came from...

Henry (very matter-of-fact) just hops out of bed, opens his little foot stool by the bed and says "I keep them all right here"... low and behold there was a lot of his Halloween candy, mostly M&M's that he has apparently been stashing in his bedroom!!! Then, he asked if he could eat some? And Chris accused me of taking all his Halloween candy...

Gosh I love that kid!!! He's keeps us in stitches and is such a sweetheart! Today he brought me a present in the hospital... all by himself he uses whatever paper he can find and wraps up a toy for me. Today it was his toy power drill. I'm so glad he is so thoughtful! He didn't let me keep it, but it was a nice gesture!

No big news here... which is good news I guess.

Election Day - 31 weeks, 6 days

It's election day, and I don't know about you but I'm ready for this to be over!!! I didn't get to vote; amazingly they do not have polls available in the hospital!?! It's ok, I live in an Obama state so I don't think my vote would have swayed the vote whatsoever!

Speaking of Obama... Chicago is crazy for Obama! This may as well go down as some kind of big holiday with all the happenings in the city getting ready for the big celebration tonight! This georgous weather isn't going to reduce the size of crowds either!

Update on me... no more bleeding so far, which is great. My only complaint right now is having to get a new IV every 3 days. I am running out of "good" veins very quickly. I've had many veins blown and they are starting to have a tough time getting a line in. They mentioned putting in a PICC line (permanent IV) which would be so nice because that way it can stay put until the baby is born and I don't have to have the 3 day IV changes. My arms hurt.

Henry has been able to visit me every other day or so. He's been great! Last visit he even brought me a present (a ball of his wrapped up in crumpled paper)... I love that he wants to bring me gifts though!

It looks like they really do want me here as long as I can stay. It is just down right depressing to think I could be here for 5 full weeks! I think I will need a prescription for Zoloft with my IV changes to get through the 5 weeks... seriously, how much TV watching, book reading, magazine browsing can I do!?!

Halloween Update

Not much news on my front... sleeping lots, eating too much and watching a lot of TV. Yes, still in the hospital!

Chris and his mom Nancy took Henry trick-or-treating and then to a neighborhood party, I wanted to include a few pictures. Apparently Spiderman is king among 3 year olds!

Repeat Performance

I really should have saved this post to share cute pictures of Henry at Halloween, BUT... I landed myself back in the hospital yesterday at 2am (apparently my "witching hour").

Now I am certainly in until the baby is born. Thursday at 2am I had serious bleeding, like more bleeding than you've seen in a scary movie... disgusting really, but more than that terrifying. Chris was awesome, we managed only to ruin a couple towels in our bathroom (saved our new bedsheets!) and I made it down the stairs without passing out. In hindsight (and based on many comments from nurses at the hospital) we should have called 911, but thankfully we live close and no one is on the road at 2am so we got to Prentice quickly.

Both my Dr. and the high risk OB said that if I had been 32 weeks along or further they would have delivered the baby, BUT because I was only 31 weeks, they wanted to just supervise me closely and hope to keep the baby cooking at least another week if not more. I imagine if I bleed like that again, we will welcome our newest Baby boy into the family!

So what happens now.... well, this AM I had an MRI so they could get a better look at the placenta and my uterus. Boy was that horrible! Not only is lying flat on my back hard with a huge belly uncomfortable, but my huge belly makes it difficult to breathe.... oh and did I mention I am claustrophobic!?! Having to sit in a tube for 45 minutes barely able to breathe was pure torture. I had to come out twice because I started to panic, but I kept telling myself not to be such a baby... Anyway, I should get those results tomorrow I think?

Sometime in the next couple days I will also get a consult from an Oncologist and Radiologist. No, I do not have cancer. Apparently the oncology surgeons are the best in the business so, God forbid, I need reconstructive uterus or worst case scenario, bladder surgery they will be on board to assist in the procedure. They want radiology involved because apparently they can put a stint in the main arteries that serve the uterus region in case I start to hemorrhage or bleed out. They can inflate a little balloon in those arteries to significantly reduce the bleeding, which reduces the need for transfusion and essentially can save my life if, God forbid the bleeding got out of control.

Sounds like a blast huh!?! You know what is crazy, through all this my absolutely worst fear is of course something happening to this baby (although I am confident he will be just fine) but more that I end up with a hysterectomy and losing the ability to have another baby... but can't count those chicken before they are hatched, right?

Anyway... I am safely celebrating Halloween from my hospital room. Hopefully I won't be here through Turkey day, but it is certainly a possibility!

I will continue to update as I have more news... for now... HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

31 glorious weeks

I made it to 31! I was getting nervous the last few days because I had a few gigantic blood clots that I swore would throw me back into L&D. Well, they haven't yet! I happened to have a Dr. appt the day after I passed a couple of them so I just went in to talk to the Dr. about it. He seemed only slightly concerned that they were as big as they were and very confident that I will deliver before the magical 37 weeks because clearly I am still bleeding, just a very slow bleed.

Funny story: I had my Dr. appt at 8am on Monday and left the house before Henry was awake (he slept in until 7:30 that day!). Anyway, Chris took advantage of the free time and was organizing some stuff in the garage when Henry woke up. He heard Henry calling for us and when Chris got up to Henry's room, Henry said "mommy and daddy forgot about me". He's funny. He also thought I was back in the hospital since we've left in the middle of the night twice now... no tears though, just kind of matter of fact about the situation! I think he understands when I go to the hospital it is only temporary, so it is a bit easier!

Anyway, aside from that nastiness, I feel ok. I don't do much these days, mostly spend time breaking in our new king bed and catching up on daytime TV. Thankfully our babysitter has been very accommodating and my mom has been able to help out in evenings. One thing is for sure I can't keep up with Henry these days! He's got more energy than a gerbil in one of those running wheels (hey, do they make those for toddlers?)!!!

Next post I'll include some pictures of our little Spiderman!!!

Homeward Bound

Well, I am going home today. It became a maybe in the middle of the night when I had a little more bleeding as a result of this wonderful cough I got from Henry. I had a few coughing fits last night and that caused me to bleed a little. They said that's "normal" with the placenta previa, so as long as it stops by morning (now) I can still go home. Well, it stopped and I'm drinking Robitussen like Gatoraid so that I won't cough any more! Hopefully I can stay home for a couple weeks, or better yet... till Chris's birthday on Nov. 11!!!!

Big Boy

Henry and Chris came to visit last night and it went so well! Chris had a sit down with Henry and explained to him that I am in the hospital again, and of course Henry chimes in to say "because my baby brother is sick again" (he's so smart!). Chris went with that and said yes because your baby brother is sick, and then explained that I have to stay here for a few nights but that I will come home as soon as I can.

Well, I think it helped! How amazing is it that we can talk to our 3 year old like an adult and he seems to grasp concepts we previously put past him!

Anyway, so he came in obviously excited to see me and we played, shared some chocolate cake and watched a Sponge Bob movie (not sure why that cartoon is so hilarious to him!?!). They stayed with me for about an hour and when it was time to go, Henry left without a tear! Chris also figured out that there is an escalator from floor 2 to 1, so they get off a floor early so Henry can ride the escalator (he loves them... kind of like a kiddy ride!).

Phew... a sigh of relief for both mommy and daddy!!! I makes both Chris and I feel so much better that we got through our first day with no tears!

Happy Day (30 wks, 1 day)

Today started out great! I love those days you wake up feeling pretty good (for me that means rested) and you also get good news... Dr. Feldstein came in and he said I can go home tomorrow!!! I am beyond excited because he had me thinking I was here for the long haul!!! He met with a High Risk OB (who saw me when I was in last time) to go over my case and they both decided it was ok for me to go home, here's why:

• My body is tolerating the bleeds very well. My blood count is good, iron levels good and I am seemingly unaffected physically by the blood loss.
• The baby is tolerating the bleeds and contractions very well. What can I say, he's as strong as his brother, growing very big and actually fighting back against each contraction :) In all seriousness though, he has passed all the stress tests with flying colors and is thriving to say the least.
• My amnotic fluid levels are great, so no risk to baby
• My uterus looks great, nice and thick and it does not appear that the placenta is growing into the uterine wall at all (I am at risk for placenta accreta, you can google it if you're curious).
• I live close to the hospital.

So, now we're back in the waiting game... it is inevidable I will bleed again, but hopefully I can hold off for a few weeks! My gut tells me I'll make it to 37 weeks and move forward to my scheduled c-section the first week of December, but we'll see... it is a waiting game.

I included some pictures of my room (I know some of you are curious about the new Prentice)... it's nice. I have a 42" plasma TV, my own bathroom (door is closed), a nice rocker and my comfy bed. There is also a pull-out type bed for guests, but Chris says it isn't too comfy. I also included a picture of my view... not so great. I can't see any trees, which are so fun to watch this time of year.

Back to reality

Well, I have to first say that this post might get long, but bare with me!

First of all, I am back in the hospital. Came in last night around 2am. For those of you who have seen me walking around probably doing too much, not to worry the thought did go through my head that maybe that is why I am here again. HOWEVER, they keep reassuring me that my activity level did not cause the bleeding, however what is most likely is that as the baby grows more strain and pressure is put on the uterus and placenta causing the bleeding.

Anyway, thank goodness that Catie and Michael live so close because they have really been lifesavers with this pregnancy. I had my 3rd bout of bleeding, so Chris and I came back to Labor & Delivery. When I got here they determined that I was not having an active bleed (meaning that I was not continuously bleeding), which is a very good thing. An active bleed would probably mean that Henry and this little guy would have had their birthdays one day apart (Henry's birthday was yesterday for those that didn't know). My vitals are all very good, good blood pressure, heart rate and blood count (meaning my body is handling blood loss well).

I have been having more contractions, and for me any contractions are a very bad thing because it disrupts the uterus and the placenta, which is in a very delicate position. The contractions and cramping has subsided and for the most part I am not bleeding much anymore -thank goodness!

The baby looks great (got to see him in an ultrasound), getting big enough that it is hard to get good profile or body shots - we can only see small parts at a time. His feet and hands are adorable. He is head down and appears to be using the placenta as a pillow. His position doesn't matter much except that when I do have my c-section they can get him out faster and easier if he is in the head down position.

I actually asked my Dr. about how they get around the placenta since it is basically covering up where my old incision was. For those that know anything about the placenta, it is the lifeline for the baby and as soon as the placenta is cut into the baby is in danger. Anyway, he simply said, we make the incision right through the placenta and get the baby out FAST! Once the baby is out they will work on me because the placenta will be harder to get out because of its position.

So what's next. I guess Dr. Feldstein is consulting with the high risk OB to make a decision as to whether or not I am here for the long haul and to discuss when it might make sense to deliver the baby. Obviously hitting the 34 week target is optimal!

As far as me, I am ok but quite honestly very sad to leave Henry and Chris. I also have a certain amount of guilt I guess when it comes to leaving Chris to do everything while I sit on my butt and just "be pregnant". When your 3 year old looks at you and says "mommy will you stay with me for a long time" or "mommy please don't go back to the hospital" or even just simply stops what he is doing to give me a big hug and say "I love you"... trust me it is absolutely heartbreaking to leave him! I know I can get through this but it breaks my heart that I have to hurt him this way. I know, he probably won't remember much of this when he is older, BUT he gets it now and it has been really upsetting to him. He will get through it and so will I... it just kind of stinks!

Signing off for now... will update when I know more!

The Party

Henry will offically be 3 tomorrow! His party was a lot of fun! Henry was super excited before the party and couldn't stop jumping up and down! Thankfully we had a lot of help getting ready for the party, so it was a success! We had a hefty crowd of 18 kids and 27 adults... keep in mind we only invited our neighbors and cousins because we wanted a "small" party... efforts were kind of lost but it was a lot of fun regardless! He got some great presents which have kept him happy and entertained!!! The kids had fun decorating pumpkins like monster faces, making monster masks and jumping in our inflatable wrestling rink (bouncy house).


Well, I'm absolutely exhausted so I'll have to post more later. I hit 30 weeks this week in my pregnancy! Very excited about that!!!!

Separation Anxiety

I've received so many emails and phone calls from everyone wondering where I've disappeared to and if I was ok... Yes, I'm doing ok, still very pregnant (29 weeks today) and sleeping in my own bed! The baby is moving around like crazy, but I love that I can actually see him moving around in there. Henry even has been able to feel him and likes to put his head on my belly and talk to his baby brother :)

Henry has managed to define separation anxiety for me, worried I am going away again and wants me or Chris around at all times. I feel so bad we put him through this... any tips? He's had a lot of out bursts and temper tantrums, which is not what we've been accustomed to because he is usually a very laid back kid (wait, maybe we are just experiencing delayed terrible 2's?). Anyway, each day gets better, but I usually go to bed exhausted so I have not been as good about responding to emails, Facebook and blogging!

What I am left to wonder however is how or if I should talk to Henry about the fact that I do eventually have to go back into the hospital (at least for 4 days when the baby is born). I know all kids recover and generally do not remember days away from mommy, so I think we just have to be patient through this whole process!

This weekend is Henry's birthday, a "Monster Party". I'll post some pictures when I have them! I can't believe he is ONLY 3!!! I swear sometimes I feel like I live with a very short teenager!!! We're having a small party (only 18 kids) with just our neighbors and cousins... should be fun!

Have a great week!

Portion control revisited

Today I had my 28 week check-up... yes, at the doctor's office already even though I just left the hospital yesterday! Well, they weighed me and guess what... I lost 3 pounds from the last time I was there! I suppose that is proof that portion control really works (or maybe the hospital lied to me when I thought I was eating about 3000 calories a day). I guess one could also theorize that my metabolism just rocks when I'm pregnant!

I attached a picture of a meal... keep in mind the place is the size of our salad plates at home... the pumpkin dessert is about a 1 inch square! That is an egg salad sandwich, peaches & cottage cheese!

Home Sweet Home

Ahhhhhhhhh, it's nice to be here! I have to be honest that I think I am going to miss the geratic pressure bed they have in the hospital, but I'd trade that for being with Henry and Chris (and Brera) any day!

Gosh, I didn't realize how much Henry actually missed me and understood what was going on. When I got home he was kind of hyper-crazy and couldn't get enough of me. Once he settled down a bit, he stared at me for a second and then said "mommy, you are staying home right? No more hospital?" It was hard not to cry because the seriousness in his face made me realize this was a really hard week on him... I hate that I put him through that! Ok, I did cry but I didn't let him know it!

The other thing Henry said to me was this: "Mommy, I tried to come see you at the hospital but daddy took Gram's keys". Seriously, how can a 3 year old comprehend this let alone say this to me???

My mom watched Henry today and I guess at some point he missed me and got a little teary eyed and asked Gram to take him to the hospital to see me. Literally, Chris accidentally took my moms key's to work with him so she couldn't go anywhere. To get Henry to calm down she had to take all the keys off our key rack and show him they do not work on her car. SO, he simply said, "Gram you can drive mommy's car"... then she had to explain there was no car seat for him in mommy's car.

Let's all hope and pray I don't go to the hospital for an extended period of time again... I don't think I can handle what I would be putting Henry through!

That's it for me.... Now I am off to just take it easy! I have so many reasons not to go back to the hospital for as long as my body can hold off!!!!

Passing the time...

Hello!

First of all, I have to say catching up on TV hasn't been all that bad. I think I'm ready to vote for our next President (learned a lot these last few days) and I am very caught up on primetime TV!

I also wanted to share my favorite commercial... it's not that time of year yet, but if I was going to give an award, it would go to Stanley Steamer!!! I'm sure you've all seen the commercial where they show this immaculate house with white carpet, then you hear a kid in the backgound shout "Hey mom, Bowser learned a new trick"... then across the screen you see a yellow lab looking dog dragging his butt across the carpet with is front two legs. I'm not sure what that says about my sense of humor, but I laugh outloud everytime!!!

UPDATE: Paperwork went in today to have me released tomorrow (yeah!). I'm excited, maybe I'll pack tonight :) Hopefully you won't hear much from me after I go home!!!

Bedrest

Dr Feldstein came in this morning (wearing a Cubs shirt!) and said he will definately send me home Tuesday, assuming there is no bleeding. So that's great! He did reiterate however that I need to take it easy. For all of you who know me, "taking it easy" is not something I know how to do well... SO I asked a lot of questions, specific questions, so I could get a feel for what I can and should not do because God knows I do not want to come back here sooner than necessary!

Basically he said "take it easy". To me "taking it easy" means slowing down only slightly but that I can still be in constant movement like I tend to always be in! He laughed I think because he knows I am a bit of a busy body. SO, he got frank with me... he said I need to restrict my activity level, including no walks, cutting back on work, avoiding heavy lifting, avoid stairs (yeah right) or prolonged standing, and resting for a few hours each day (he said to try and be off my feet for at least 5 hours a day)

Ok, that alone took the wind out of me... I barely have 5 hours a day to myself to get stuff done because I spend so much time chasing Henry! Anyway, he said no walks around the block with the dog or Henry, limited time on my feet preparing food and only minimal housework, as long as I do not lift anything.

All that aside, I DO NOT want to come back here until the baby is born, hopefully after 34 weeks so I guess I have to do whatever to keep this kiddo cookin'!

I have to say I am thankful I live in these modern times... I can order groceries online or shop for just about anything online and even order food online! I'm also thankful to have so many people around to help entertain Henry... he's got a little energy these days and likes to play rough!

Signing off to order my "portion controlled" dinner!

About nurses...

I've gotten to know a lot of the nurses since I've been here through so many shifts. Last night I had my night nurse in my room until after midnight. We covered the debate, mortgages, racial issues, debt, housing crisis, you name it! I haven't had a conversation like that in A LONG TIME (aka an ADULT conversation uninterrupted)! Generally I'm in Henry's world discussing backhoes, Wiggles and now Spiderman. It was nice but a late night for me... if only I could have been drinking a nice glass of wine and it would have been the closest thing to a girls night out that I've had in awhile! I like my nurses :)

Update on me - not much to update (which is GREAT). Like I mentioned my ultrasound looked good, they are keeping me here until Tuesday mostly so they can monitor any bleeding, blood count, etc. and of course monitor the baby. I am now hooked up to an IV thing (open vein?) so the thing is sticking out of my arm but I don't have the tubes to carry around... basically they can "plug" me in whenever/if ever they needed to for a blood transfusion or for IV fluids. That's fun. I feel somewhat machine like!

I had a Dr. from the Neonatal floor come to meet with me to discuss what will happen when the baby is born (assuming he is coming early, less than 37 weeks is considered preemie). She said they will take the baby right away, get him on heaters and a ventilator to help him breathe. I will get to see him once he's stablized and set up in the NICU. She said that every baby is so different when they born, no matter what the gestitational week, so once again, it is a wait and see. She did reassure me that being at 27 weeks with steriods administered is good for survival . SO, we will hope for the best and hope that the baby can stay put at least another month or more!!!

OH, for those interested in Henry's bowel movements... he is now 2/2 on the potty! Such a big boy!!!!

Have a great night everyone!

Poop!

Our big news today... Henry took it upon himself to poop in the potty! He's been doing great with peeing in the potty for months now, wearing underwear, etc. Pooping has been another issue, he goes to his room, grabs a diaper and asks you to put it on. Not a fight I was ready to fight but encouraged him to go on the potty instead. WELL, someone (we don't know who?) gave him the idea to try to put his poop on a square of toilet paper in the potty... now it is a game and he won his first battle! Chris and I are so proud!

Update on me... I had another ultrasound today, my uterus looks great, no thinning or issues with the placenta growing through the uterine lining, which is awesome. They may do an MRI to take another look, but that is on a wait and see basis. I got a 3-D picture of the little man, but unfortunately didn't get a good look at his face because he had his arm and hand draped over his head (he was being shy). I did get a good look at his butt though... who doesn't love a baby's butt!

Definately here through the weekend, probably until Tuesday. Please update me on you, it is my favorite form of entertainment!

Everyone have fun watching the debates tonight... should be almost as good as Saturday Night Live!

GO SOX!!

A history lesson

I just realized many of you don't know the whole history of why I am in the hospital, so here it goes:

Little baby Skinger, due Dec. 31st 2008, has a placenta that is not cooperating. It is called Complete Placenta Previa, which means the placenta (organ that keeps the baby healthy and growing) is covering mommy's cervix. That causes two problems 1) no way out for the baby! the placenta can not come out before baby or baby dies. 2) bleeding for mommy, most often in 3rd trimester. Bleeding can become severe mommy is at risk for hemmoriging and bleeding to death. Not so much an issue for baby.

SO... at 26 weeks and 3 days, I started bleeding pretty heavily (last Saturday) Pretty much soaked my pants and passed a few blood clots. Needless to say we ended up in Labor and Delivery all day Saturday. NOTE - we were supposed to be leaving for vacation Saturday! Our vacation was already downgraded from Mexico to the Dells, now it's been down-graded once more to Northwestern Memorial Hospital.

Then, at 26 weeks and 5 days (Tuesday 1:30am) I woke up very wet and more bright red blood. I actually thought I was leaking amniotic fluid as well so freaking out a little. The good news is that I just peed myself... how lovely! I'm blaming it on the baby for kicking my bladder too hard! There was also a lot of red blood (which means new blood) Well, all my stats are good, examined by I think every intern in the hospital and my cervix looks good, contractions are not regular (good) and baby is doing great.

SO, they sent me off to get a detailed ultrasound, baby is doing great. The baby is still measuring a little big, which may be beneficial depending on how early he's born. The only two numbers I got was that his forearm bone is just over 5cm long (TINY) and he weighs around 1 1/2 to 2 lbs. Still a peanut and needs to cook a bit longer!!!

I was told this AM I will be in the hospital through the weekend, perhaps longer (hopefully not!). As a precaution they also started me on steriod shots for the baby to help the lungs develop quicker. I guess the maximum benefit from the steriod shots happens the first 48 hours. Ideally I'll make it until 28 weeks, even more ideal is 32. They seem very doubtful I'll hit my targeted 37 weeks, but who knows... I've been examined by anestheology, a high risk OB doctor and many, many interns (as well as my own doctor) so I think I'm in good hands and everyone that needs to know me, has met me. We're supposed to also meet someone from the neonatal unit so we understand our risks at delivering at different stages... good to know, but I'm still hopeful I can hold out until at least 32 weeks!

SO... that's it! Thankfully Chris is home with Henry and able to be there because we were SUPPOSED to be in Mexico this week (or should I say the Dells). As Chris says, this is the most expensive vacation we've never taken!!!

Henry's doing ok, misses mommy for sure.

Learning Portion Control

Learning Portion Control

That is what I am learning the most about during my hospital stay! The food is good here, they have an actual room service menu so I get to choose every meal daily which is nice. What is even nicer is that they are teaching me portion control. They are nice enough to include the fat content, protein grams and calories with every piece of food they give me. I am SHOCKED and AMAZED at how little adds up to so many calories! I swear I am eating half of what I do normally and it supposedly accounts to about 3000 calories a day! Shocking! If I can post a picture I will... it's always amusing when I pull the silver cover off my food to find a peitry dish of oatmeal or chicken pot pie... and for dessert I got a strawberry short cake the size of a mini muffin with a spat of whipped cream and not two but ONE strawberry!!!

So, looks like I am here through the weekend, if not longer. I go for another detailed ultrasound tomorrow where they check blood flow in my uterus. It's pretty cool, they can see the blood flowing in blue and red (directional based) and can see where there might be problems. I am hoping it looks perfect and they'll just send me home (doubtful!). My OB came to see me today which was nice since he knows my history the best. He is the one however that wants me to stay through the weekend if not longer - I kind of think they might keep me here until I hit 28 weeks. I am REALLY hoping they will send me home in time for Henry's birthday!!!

Henry and Chris came for a visit today... It was a nice long visit. They brought me flower which according to Henry "are to make me feel happy". I got to eat a picnic for lunch with Henry in my room and I even got to take a nap with him for a couple of hours which felt great. He was also able to eat dinner with me which was fun. He was adorable when he commented that I have to be in the hospital because his baby brother is sick. I think he kind of gets what is going on! The worst part of his visit was leaving... he wanted to stay with me so badly and was kicking and screaming as he got on the elevator... that threw both Chris and I into tears. His visit was worth it though!

So that's my latest... I hope you are all doing well! Hopefully you don't mind these emails, it gives me something to do :)