Jeannette was born on November 23rd, 2007 at 1 p.m. She weighed only 2 lbs 2 ounces, and was only 12 inches long. It was a battle to get her out.
I had a doctor's appt the day before Thanksgiving, and when I got there, I did my usual thing. There was something unusual though. Before I left to go to my doctor's appt, I threw up. It was not pleasant. What is usually clear was blue. Not reddish-brown to signify that it was blood, but BLUE!! That was not normal. So when the nurse told me that there was +4 protein and little trace amounts of blood in the catch, I was prepared for the worst. I knew I was going to go to the hospital. Hell, I was going to request that I'd be admitted to the hospital because of the color of my ralphing.
I was taken over to the hospital in a wheelchair. I was in the buildings mostly until we got to the one door, and the doctor n I were outside. (Before I was told that I was going to be admitted to the hospital...the outpatient center lost power. Actually, the whole hospital lost power...including the buildings that were also on the power grid...it must have been the construction that was going on.)
Anyways, the residents/doctors told me that they were going to try and induce me the next day. I was not allowed out of bed for any reason whatsoever. They tried to induce me on Thanksgiving. I went from 1 cm in the morning to 2 cm at night. (That didn't work quite like they wanted it to.) When they transported me to another room, they gave me the Epidural...that felt nice. Friday morning, they tried to dilate me some more. The first hour, I went to 3 cm. Then the next hour, I went to 4, and that's where I stayed. They took me to the O.R. so they can give me a C-Section.
When I got there, I told the nurses that I couldn't do it, but they reassured me that I could. When they took her out of me, I could hear her cry. I thought that's a good sign. (Because during the time that they were trying to induce me, they gave me two shots of steroids for her lungs. A good 12 to 24 hours apart.) Chris was in there with me, and he was the first one to see her while they were cleaning her off, weighing her, and measuring her. A nurse took a couple of Polaroids of her, and Chris showed them to me.
The next thing I remember was waiting for the portable x-ray machine to come so that they can make sure that everything was where it's supposed to be. It was sooo cold in that room. Sure, I had warm blankets thrown over me, but I still felt that coldness.
After the x-ray machine came and went, I was transported back to my room. Chris and my parents were upstairs looking at Jeannette. Since Chris is the father, he had to be there in order for my parents to be there. My mom came back to my room after she found out that I was back in my room. She said she was proud of me. I seen Chris after I seen my mom. My dad was the only one that couldn't be in my room.
I was finally moved out of the one room on Sunday, and I was in a room to where I could get more visitors. I wasn't discharged from the hospital until Tuesday. Boy, did I want to get out of there. I've seen her every day except for this past Monday. I was babysitting, and wasn't really allowed to drive during the day.
Right now, she weighs 2 lbs 8.5 ounces, and is 15 inches long. She was taken off the ventilator the first night...if that's not a good sign, I don't know what is. She's got the airway tube in her nose, but that's only to remind her to breathe.
She's doing so good now. I'm so proud of her. I can't wait until she comes home. I know a lot of people want to see her home and safe.
Well that's all for now.
Later,
Annie
