Life with a Preemie

This is part #2 of our story about Difficult Pregnancies and Preterm Labor....

Trey finally came home on a very sunny and beautiful July 7th morning. He spent ten very long weeks in the NICU and at 6lbs 4oz's he was released to nervous parents.  I have to explain that in the beginning when your baby is in the NICU you are terrified.  You perfect tiny little baby is hooked up to what seems like hundreds of wires and tubes.  The machines bing and ring and every single time you jump and your heart races but some where in between then and the discharge date you become oddly comfortable with it all.  All of the machines and wires become a part of your experience with your child and you kind of learn to love them.  You don't have to worry if they will stop breathing or if their blood pressure is too low or high because the machine will just tell you.  Each alarm becomes nothing more then a set back to when you can bring your baby home.  When you little baby stops breathing instead of freaking out you just pick them up and pat them on the back and then go back to doing whatever you were before.  So, when Trey was being discharged I had a level of anxiety that I did not think I would have.  I didn't know how was I going to know if he stopped breathing or if something was wrong? I actually asked to be sent home on an O2 monitor...crazy maybe but I had become so dependent on the system that had kept him alive for 10 week already.I had learned to not believe in my ability as a mom.  We went and purchased an  Angelcare Deluxe Movement And Sound Baby Monitor.  The system monitors movement in the crib and the sensitivity can be adjusted.  When movement is not detected for a few seconds the alarm goes off. I don't know that I would have slept without it.  We only had one alarm. Trey had actually had a terrible case of reflux and had stopped breathing. I was able to stimulate him and he was fine.

For the prior 10 weeks I had pumped breast milk every 3 hours religiously.  I never and I mean NEVER missed a pumping session.  I had not slept much for those months but once he came home I didn't sleep at all.  I would just hold him and feel him breath against my chest.  This went on for at least 3 weeks.  I didn't allow visitor for fear of them bringing some sickness to my tiny little preemie that he couldn't fend off.  We just hibernated.  The only time I would venture out of the house was for doctors appointments and there were lots of them.  Trey was 6lbs 4oz and techniquely he was 3 months old.  So, we had lots of catching up to do in the growth department.  We also had eye appointments and appointments for his brain...and I did a ton of praying in those months that followed his discharge.  We were lucky.  Trey did not have any issues expect for catch up growing to do. 

The only thing we had to do was get a special shot every month called Synagis.  The shot helps to protect against respiratory syncytial virus or RSV. This is an illness that is not a big deal to normal healthy people but to preemies or elderly people it can be deadly.

Now that Trey is 3 we are dealing with some issues that may or may not be a result of his Grade1 brain bleed and early arrival.  Trey has since been diagnosed with a tactile and auditory sensory delay.  Basically, he needs his audio and tactile input to be at a level 10 for his brain to realize a sound or touch has occurred.  On a scale of 1 to 10 Trey's dysfunction is at a 3.  It could be much worse.  This does cause him some problems with focusing and being very loud.  We have recently found out about this and will be starting occupational therapy very soon...To be honest, I am looking forward to it.  I knew that something was going on with him but I was not sure what it was.  I was actually happy to know that it was not ADD and that medication won't fix it.  This issue just requires a lot of work on his part and mine as his mom and we can do that!By the way he is still perfect to me :)

Like I said before Trey was lucky. Many little ones come home on monitors for oxygen, G tubes or J tubes, physical issues ect.  I do know this..every thing Trey does is a miracle to me.  No matter how loud or annoying he may be to some I thank God that he has the physical and mental ability to get on my nerves.  Some moms and dads are not that lucky.

Difficult Pregnancies and Preterm Labor : Sharing Saturday

I have many thing that I would like to share with my Momville family but first I have to start at the beginning or it will not make any sense.

I have a beautiful son who is now three years old.  He was a planned pregnancy and before he was conceived I had taken prenatal vitamins for three months.  The day I found out I was pregnant I was filled with a whole host of emotions.  I was happy but very nervous. Scared but elated. He was my first pregnancy and I did not know what to expect. My first trimester went by extremely smoothly.  I only had a week or so of nausea but no real morning sickness.  To be honest, I was one of those women other pregnant women hate. I loved being pregnant!  I felt amazingly well and I had never felt more womanly.  I was doing something my husband could never do. I was carrying a baby.  Everyday that my belly became more round I was more and more happy.  I attended every prenatal appointment and took the best care of myself.

On Our BabyMoon

At my 16 week appointment I mentioned to my midwife that I felt a constant tightening and relaxing feeling in my uterus. It would happen 10-20 times a day. I learned later they were painless contractions. She just brushed it off.  I have to add that I love midwives but I was not blessed with the kind of midwife who was a good listener and cared for her patient. So because the "tightening" I was feeling was not painful I just brushed it off and went about my life cherishing my newly pregnant body.  My husband and I went on a babymoon around my 23rd week of pregnancy.  We decided to take a cruise.  It was amazing! There is nothing more awesome then food ever where while you are pregnant.  I consistently had that tightening feeling while on the trip but just brushed it off.  I actually begged my husband to allow us to go on a hike into the jungle of some island we visited just so I could hold a monkey! I had contractions the entire time. Some would make me stop in my tracks from the tightening of my muscles but other then that I was fine.

After we returned from the trip things got crazy in a hurry.  I was 25weeks pregnant and I was on my way to school.  I felt a sharp pain and I broke out into a cold sweat.  I had never felt a pain like this before.  I pulled my car over and called 911.  I was rushed to the hospital.  Once I got there I was checked out by my doctor and he said I was having contractions every 1 to 2 minutes and that I was 1cm dilated.  My instinct was to ask if it was normal and of course he said no.  He asked if I had let the midwife know about the tightening feeling and I said yes.  He shook his head and walked out of the room. I was given a shot of terbutaline to stop my contractions and they actually stopped. I was given a prescription of a  medication called Procardia and sent home.  I was told to return if my contractions returned.  That was a Friday. Sunday the contractions returned so we went back to the hospital. The really confusing part for me was that my contractions we totally painless with the exception on the one I felt on my way to school.  My belly would get hard as a rock but it would not hurt.  I always thought that labor would consist of earth shattering pain..mine did not.

At the hospital they gave me another dose of the terbutaline shot but I had an adverse reaction and my blood pressure tanked.  I was admitted. They increased my dose of Procardia but six hours later the nurse informed me of what I already knew....My contractions were not stopping.  I was started on magnesium.  I have never felt so sick in my life. Hot sweats, dizziness and dry mouth but I knew it was all to save my baby. One hour after the magnesium was started my contractions actually sped up.  I was rushed to another hospital that had a level four NICU.  I just knew he was going to be born.

I got to the hospital and I was given something to help me sleep.  I woke up and my contractions had finally spaced to 8-10 minutes.  I spent the next 10 day admitted to the hospital constantly being rushed back and fourth to labor and deliver from the high risk floor.  I received steroid injections to help develop his lungs and was placed on hospital bed rest.

My Dear Son's First Picture only hours old

On the 10th day I woke up feel great.  I had been losing pieces of my mucous plug for days but other then that I felt great.  At 10am the nurse hooked me up for my daily non-stress test.  I had gone 3 days without a single contraction and if I made it through this test then I would be able to go home.  At 10:15am the nurse came running in and asked me if these contractions felt different.  Yes, they did!  Still not painful but different. The doctor checked me and I was fully dilated and my bag of water was bulging.  I was rushed into labor and delivery and he came very quickly.  My lovely son was born at 12:40pm at 2lbs 10ox 15 inches long.

We had a very lucky and standard NICU stay, if there is such a thing.  We had the typically apnea and brady spells where he would stop breathing and have to be stimulated to breath.  The scariest thing we had to deal with was a Grade 1 inter ventricular brain bleed.  We were told that the bleed was minimal and that he may have some issues related to it but there is no real way to know.  The main concern was ADD later as he developed or a speech delay because his bleed was very close to broca's area of the brain. He also had an issue with MERSA that was very scary and he now has a permanent scar on the right side of his head where the MERSA destroyed all the tissue.  At the time when he had it until it healed you could actually see his skull.  He was only on Cpap to aid with his breathing and 10 very long weeks later he came home without any supplemental oxygen.


I felt very blessed to have my baby home with me.  I saw several babies go to God and had to watch their mothers and fathers as they lost their babies.  I can not even explain what that is like so I won't try.

I have much more to share with you all about my special little boy but first I wanted to start at the beginning.  My next post will be about life with a preemie.