One Month Old

2/24/11
I cant believe my little peanut is already a month old.  We have been through so much in the past 4 weeks but suprisingly it is all becoming a distant memory.

Today Dylan had his one month check up. He has gained 2lbs 2 oz since birth. He is now 7lbs 15oz. At this rate I might not be able to call him peanut for much longer.  We have really got set into our routine. He is slowly but surely letting me sleep a little longer at night. I now am averaging about 3 hours of sleep at a time before its time to wake for his next feeding. I have really gotten used to having my sleep interupted & having so little. I am really hoping that we could get to 4 hour stretches by the time I go back to work. Before Dylan, I didnt feel rested unless I had 8-9 hours of sleep! I guess this is just one more way parenthood changes you. 

Dylan is starting to make a lot of noises ( grunts & coo's) and is smiling a lot more. I love to see his many facial expressions. He is still trying to suck his thumb but hasnt been too successful. He also has started to grab and twirl his hair. He definitely has plenty of hair to grab!  I know I have said it before but I could just sit and watch him for hours.

I have 4 more weeks before I go back to work at the salon. I am already missing my co workers & customers. Being away has made me realize how much I enjoy my job.  I have to admit I do miss being around & socializing with adults, but I hate to think about leaving him in a few weeks. Although he is going to be in wonderful care while Im at work ( my mom & sister ) I know I  will be very sad to leave him. The next  3 weeks I am going to work 2 days at hometown. I thought this would be a good way for me to ease into leaving him. I will only be working 3 hours at a time & will only be a mile away!

I have started to take him out in public more. I am feeling more comfortable about his immune system but have to admit I am always using the hand sanitizer. I hate when other people go to hold him and dont use it. I usually try to tell them prior but sometimes its too late :(

I am looking forward to fri night. We are taking Dylan to his first dinner at Hometown Pizza. I look forward to seeing some of my regular fri night customers & for them to meet Dylan. So many customers from Hometown have asked about us, sent notes & gifts over the past month.  It is really touching to know that that many people care. Just another reason I love working there...we truely have the best customers, they are like family :)

Grandparents Day

Tuesday
2/15/11-

Today was Dylan's first official trip out in public ( besides Dr appointment). I asked my mom to spend the day with us whie we made a few stops. I figuired my first outing with him I may need back up LOL. First we made a quick stop at Babies R Us to exchange a few things, then the real fun began.

Next we decided to make a suprise visit at DeDe's work ( Ryan's Mom) She was very excited to see us & a few of her customers got to meet Dylan.  DeDe owns a hair salon in louisville, this is the same salon that I work at. There are only a few of us that work on Tuesdays so we will have to go back on another day soon so Dylan can meet more of my coworkers. It was so nice to see the ones that were there yesterday. I am not quite missing the "work" part of life yet, but I do miss the interaction with all my coworkers/friends. I think I will be ready to go back once my maternity leave is up. Although I know I am going to have a hard time leaving him those first few times. Im just happy I still have 4 1/2 weeks left!

Our next stop was to visit my grandparents. G.G & Ho Ho were so excited that Dylan was coming to visit them & they would finally get to meet him.  Since all of ( both Dylan & I ) our complications in the hospital very few of our family members have met Dylan.  G.G. held Dylan and loved on him most of our visit. She did share him with Ho Ho and of course he showered Dylan with love as well. They said he  was adorabe & perfect  ( of course I think the same!)  Nonna & Poppy ( my parents) were there too..so Dylan had an entire day of being spoiled by grandparents. I think everyone had permament smiles on their faces.

Wednesday
2/16/11

Today Dylan got to visit once again with Nonna, Poppy & Aunt B. After Nonna & Poppy left, Aunt B & I decided to take Dylan out on his first walk around the neighborhood. After about 10 minutes of trying to figuire out the stroller...we were on our way! Dylan slept the whole time but I really enjoyed being in the fresh air.

I have only been out of the house/ hospital a few times in the past 3 /1/2 weeks! My Dr gave me the ok to start some light walking and weightlifting so this was my first attempt. I wish I could just run to the gym and jump in an aerobics class but I know that I have to ease into it. I have 23 pounds left to lose & I am so ready to start a full on exercise regimen again. As soon as my 6 weeks are up I am joining the Y so I can take advantage of the daycare while I do the classes. As of now, I am a member at snap fitness but unfortunately they have no classes or daycare so I have to cancel.  I know these things take time so I have a goal of being back into ( hopefully even better)  shape by my 30th bday.  That gives me 6 months to become a stronger & healthier version of me!  I had really gotten into working out & became very healthy before I became pregnant. I also worked out consistantly during my pregnancy, so these past  5 weeks of being unactive are killing me ( I hadnt worked out 2 weeks prior to delivery because I had been feeling so crummy).  Also gaining weight after delivery ( toxiemia) instead of losing it doesnt help either.  Im excited & ready for the challenge of a stronger me.  Ryan & I want to teach Dylan through example on how to lead a heathy lifestyle. Let the soreness begin!!! LOL

Sweet Child Of Mine

Sweet Child O' Mine lyrics
Sheryl Crow Version

He's got a smile that it seems to me
Reminds me of childhood memories
Where everything was as fresh as the bright blue sky
Now and then when I see his face
It takes me away to that special place
And if I stared too long
I'd probably break down and cry

Sweet child o' mine
Sweet love of mine

He's got eyes of the bluest skies
And if they thought of rain
I hate to look into those eyes
And see an ounce of pain
His hair reminds me of a warm safe place
Where as a child I'd hide
And pray for the thunder
And the rain
To quietly pass me by

Sweet child o' mine
Sweet love of mine

As soon as I decided to start this blog & I had to name it...this song instantly popped into my head. Now I can get it out of my head..at least it is an awesome song. Because of this I will always associate this song to Dylan.
I am enjoying my time at home with Dylan so much. I can not get enough of him. I would be perfectly content just staring at him all day long. I also would be fine with holding him all day but I dont. I know better than that! Trust me he is still getting his fair share of spoiling.
He changes everyday.  Now that he is filling out a little more I think he is looking like a mixture of Ryan & I. When he was first born he was a mini Ryan Sale! His cheeks are now looking fuller like mine and he definitely has the "Sabo" chin. I am keeping my fingers crossed that he has my long eyelashes..its still too hard to tell.
Dylan is very active with his arms. Now I know what all those jabs were in my belly. It was all his kung fu hand moves !! LOL Its very entertaining to watch. He also likes to sleep with his arms straight up which ironically I did the same as a baby. ( its actually a running joke in my family " everytime you looked Brooke had those arms up") Ha also has a wide range of facial expressions. My favorite are his smiles..they just make me melt.  He has been trying to find & suck on his thumb since he was in the womb. He has found it a couple times but hasnt figuired out the concept of keeping it in his mouth. It will only be a matter of time. Ryan & I both were thumb suckers as children.
I am so happy his clothes are finally starting to fit. He was too big for preemies but too small for newborn clothes when he was born. Most of his pants are still too long but at least his sleepers & onsies now fit. He has so many adorable outfuits that people have bought him. I cant wait to have him wear them.
Dylan got his first official bath on Saturday ( 2/12/11) He did NOT like it one bit!! Hopefully he will like them the more we do it.  We did get some nice pictures that we can use to embarrass him when he has his first date over! LOL

This weekend Dawnyel, Allen, Barbara & Briahna all got to visit Dylan. Barbara got to see him at the hospital but it was everyone elses first time. They brought us dinner & we had a great visit. Brad & Amanda Woolums stopped by too!  On Sunday Debbie & Mark came over & also brought us dinner! We can definitely get use to this!! LOL

Feeling Guilty

Thurs Feb 10- Today I finally made the decsion to give up breastfeeding. After being put on the magnesium drip again on Sat it put me even more behind as far as milk production. I also can not breastfeed with one of my medications. My plan was to continue to pump until I finished the meds. I have finally realized that my plan just isnt practical.

It is so frustrating because I am spending a huge part of my day pumping to build up my milk supply but I am not seeing much improvment. It is also so hard because I am spending all that time to pour it down the sink!

I was very upset today when I finally made the decsion. My entire pregnancy I wanted so bad to breastfeed. I read everything I could and took a class so I could be more than prepared. There are so many benefits to breastfeeding your child it makes me feel sad & very guilty that I am not going to.

I remember the Dr's at the NICU telling me that any amount of breastmilk your baby gets is better than none. I do feel good that we were breastfeeding ( not exclusively) at the hospital and he did get some of the added benefits for a while. I also know plenty of babies that are/were formula fed & there is nothing wrong with that at all.

It all comes down to dissapointment in myself.  I know I cant beat myself up for things I can not control.

2 Weeks Old!

Mon Feb 7th -
I cant believe its already been 2 weeks since I went into the hospital with contractions.  Today DeDe ( Ryan's mom) & grandpa Pete came to visit. DeDe brought me & Ryan chicken & rice so we wouldnt have to worry about dinner. Its one of our favorite dishes. Later Dylan had to go to his first Dr visit. I was a little nervous drving him there. This was the first time I have drove with him in the car. His pediatrician is very nice. She said everything looked  great & he didnt even look or act like a preemie! He has gained 9 oz since we left the hospital. He now weighs 6 pounds 6oz. Once we got home Aunt B ( my sister) came over & hung out with us. I think Aunt B is going to spoil Dylan rotten!

Wed feb 9th- Aunt B came over & watched Dylan while I went to my Dr apt. Ryan was at work. My blood pressure was better ( still a little high) but he said it was obvious all my meds were working. Apparently my water pill is too....when they weighed me I had lost 19 pounds since my last visit ( one week before). I finally have ankles again! We are hoping that my blood pressure will continue to improve as I lose more & more fluid. We really hope that I dont have to take blood pressure meds the rest of my life. Aunt B hung out with us for the rest of the night. Jacy even stopped by to meet Dylan. Late wed night Dylan finally found his thumb. I knew it was going to eventually happen. Of course once I got the camera he wasnt sucking it any more. I really didnt want him to be a thumb sucker but if he is going to do it I at least want a picture LOL

There's No Place like Home

Sunday Feb 6th- We spent Superbowl Sunday at home. We are not going to take Dylan out for a while. We want to be very careful that he doesnt get sick. We are very anxious to have visitors but are trying to only have a few at a time. Once again because of germs and because it really disrupts his sleep/feeding schedule when too many people are here & taking turns holding him.

Sunday afternoon Dylan got to meet my very good friends Amanda & Keri. He also got to meet his Great Aunt Teresa ( or Aunt TT) We all had a nice visit. After being in the hospital for 2 weeks with no visitors..it was nice to see my friends and family again. Poor Dylan was worn out the rest of the day after their visit. Lesson learned : dont let a baby skip his nap...he was a little grumpy afterwards.

Later that night Ryan's Dad, Grandpa Charlie & Aunt Lyn came over to watch the superbowl. Dylan pretty much slept the entire time they were here. I was happy to get a picture of the guys since there are now 4 generations.

I actually went and layed down towards the end of the game. I was tired & decided to take advatage of resting when the baby sleeps. Although I cant complain. Dylan is a great baby.  A positive of staying at the hospital for almost 2 weeks is that the baby gets on a routine. Most people dont get to bring a 2 week old baby home,  who with the help of an entire nursing staff,  has him on a sleep & feeding schedule. Our first night home I fed him at midnight, layed him down then he slept till his 4 am feeding then slept again till 8! I was expecting being up all night. I also think God may have blessed us with a good baby since we went through so  much after delivery!! LOL

Home Sweet Home???

Fri feb 4th- I woke up this morning very excited because I knew in just a few hours we would be going home. As I was showering I had a dull headache and my vision was a little blury. I figuired I just needed some food. I ate a pop tart & then Ryan & I headed to the NICU to feed Dylan. We knew that he needed to have another head ultrasound done before we would be discharged. ( just a precationary step). We were so suprised when we got there that the ultrasound had already been done. All we needed to do was feed him, And meet with Dr 's & nurse to go over discharge papers!! After everything was ready to go the nurse walked me & Dylan out to our car and we were on our way home.

Ryan & I were so happy once we got home. We also had that feeling of "ok now what"? A couple hours later my mom & aunt came over. I told my mom I had a headache all day & couldnt get rid of it. Once I mentioned the vision problems that morning she quickly told me to check my blood pressure. It was 165/103. I called my Dr & they told me to go to ER. I was so upset. We took my pressure a few more times and each time the bottom number was over 100. We had only been home 3 hours & I was headed to the hospital. Ryan stayed home with Dylan & My mom and I headed to Tri County.

Once in the ER & explaining my recent health problems to ER Dr, they quickly started monitoring my Blood Pressure. They gave me a EKG, a chest X Ray, checked my blood for liver/ kidney problems ( can be a problem with the toxiema) and checked my urine for protien. Every test came back fine with the exception of my fluid levels which was obvious. They gave me blood pressure meds and we waited. My blood pressure went down & quickly went back up. They decided to admit me to the hospital. I was so upset. I didnt want to spend another night away from my son.  The staff at Tri County were so nice. They found me a room on the labor & delivery floor so Ryan & Dylan could stay with me. To make a long story short I was hooked to a magnesium sulfate drip through the night along with other IV to help eliminate fluids. It was a repeat of what I had been through a week before. I barely slept all night. This was my first time being with Dylan through the night so I was constantly watching him to make sure he was ok. His crib was right next to my bed because I could only get out of bed with help of nurses ( because of everything I was hooked up to) Ryan slept in the bed next to me because he had to work he next morning. He didnt get much sleep either.

Sat Feb 5th- When Ryan left for work my mom came to sit with me. That was the only rule from the hospital I was not to be alone with Dylan out of precautions. I was stuck in bed so if something happened I wouldnt be able to respond fast enough.  Through the night my blood pressure had improved & they had taken 3 liters of fluid off of me! My Dr came in & said I could go home. They sent me home with blood pressure meds, a water pill to help wih fluids & potassium ( it had been  low). I was to come to Dr office for follow up on Tues. I was finally going home with my baby
That night was awesome. Ryan & I spent the night just us & Dylan. Dylan was great and only woke up when it was time to feed during the night. After such a stressful & crazy 2 weeks it was so nice to finally be home and be a family.

I cant wait for Dylan to get older and I can share this story with him . Those 12 days in the hospital were the Worst & Best times of my life. We all went through a lot but I wouldnt trade it for the world. Dylan is worth everything I experienced. Everyone told me that I would fall in love the momoent I saw him....They are so right. I fall in love more & more every hour I am with him. I cant get enbough of him. I am so happy to be his mom.

I have also fallen even more in love with Ryan. Hearing how he stepped in & took control when I wasnt able was amazing. In these situations you hope that is what your spouse will do,  but you arent sure till the day comes. The nurses at the NICU showed Ryan how to change a diaper, how to swaddle, ect. When I witnessed Ryan doing all of this like a pro,  my heart melted. He jumped into the "Daddy Role" and never looked back. He is an awesome dad & husband. I couldnt ask for more. Life is Good

Things are looking up

Monday Jan 31st- Ryan went back to work today. I feel bad for him because since we are staying at the Ronald Mcdonald house he has to get up even earlier to make it to work on time.  I am spending my days going to each of Dylan's feedings ( we are breastfeeding twice a day & supplementing formula and the rest of his feedings are formula only) after his feeding I walk back to Ronald Mcdonald house. Usually by the time I pump breastmilk and get myself fed its time to walk back across the hospital to the NICU.  My whole body is still very swollen with fluid. My Dr says it will take weeks before I am back to normal. After each walk to the NICU my legs and ankles look even worse. I try to prop my feet up while I feed Dylan & then again as soon as I get back to our room. It is very painful. It feels like I am walking around with ankle weights. My legs are so big it hurts to bend down. I literally have rolls where my ankles should be! Cant believe its still this bad 7 liters & 7 days later.

This is the only picture I have and this was taken on day 11...If you look at the picture from earlier post you can see how swollen my fingers were!

Nurse at the NICU suggested to Dylan's Dr that he be switched to a sensitive type of formula. This is the best thing that could have happened. All of the sudden our baby boy had his appetite back. We think it was a mixture of change of formula & him feeling better after the round of antibiotics. Now all we need is for him to keep up the good work.

Tues Feb 1st- Dylan & I had a very sucessful breastfeeding today, Up untill now they have been hit or miss. Today he latched on like a pro. The rest of his feedings today went just as well. They have decided to take his feeding tube out sometime tonight! Today I was crying again but this time they were tears of joy!

I actually left the hospital today. My mom came & picked me up and took me to lagrange for my Dr apt. I had to have my staples removed. Suprisingly it didnt hurt at all. Similar to plucking your eyebrows. My blood pressure was high so my Dr wants to see me again next week. They have not put me on medication for it yet so I assume he wants to wait till next week to see if it has improved. He told me to monitor it at home & if my bottom number gets 100 or higher to go to ER.  When they weighed me I was actually heavier than I was the morning I went to the hospital to deliver! I wish I knew how much I weighed after delivery when my fluid levels were the highest.We are guessing that I put on a good 30 pounds of fluid. The sooner the fluid comes off the better my blood pressure should be. Keeping my fingers crossed.

Since we were in Lagrange I got to stop by my house. This was my first time home in 8 days! I got the chance to look at all the baby shower gifts we had recieved & it was nice to spend a little time with our dog Shelby.

Wed Feb 2nd- I was so excited to see Dylan with out a feeding tube this morning. They also did his hearing test and he passed. Later today he wil get circumcised. After that only a few more basic test and the Dr says we will be discharged on friday. I am so excited I cried!! My mom picked me up again and took me to the mall. I got a pedicure while I was there. My Dr said the massage would be good for my swelling. I was supposed to get one at the salon I work at on Thurs but now have to be at the hospital all day to get ready for our discharge for friday. It was nice to be pampered.

Thurs Feb 3rd-  Today was a busy day. Dylan had his hospital pics made, I met with a nutritionist from the hospital to discuss the best eating plan for Dylan once we are home. Since he was so early he needs to be supplemented with a higher calorie formula. He needs to be on this formula till he reaches full term ( 40 weeks). hopefully by this time I can switch to full time breastfeeding insted of just 2 feedings a day & a lot of pumping!

Emotional Roller Coaster

Fri Jan 28th- I finally was becoming myself again & now fully aware. The hardest part throuh all of this was I hadnt realized that I had no memory. I felt like I was going crazy.  I remember Ryan & I going to the NICU to visit Dylan. The nurse asked me if I would like to breastfeed. I got excited & told her yes I had never tried before, Ryan then told me I did it the day before. There were several incidents like this that made me realize that something was wrong with me. How did Ryan all of the sudden learn how to take care of Dylan? Why did each nurse I met in the NICU already know me? I had all these questions in my head but was scared to ask Ryan. I finally asked my mom and sister a few days later. They filled me in on everything that had happened. It was nice to know I wasnt crazy! Its funny to look back at my FB post those days. They make complete sense but yet I have no memory of posting them or any memories of the visitors I had.

The Dr's decided to keep me another day because my blood pressure was still high. After having high hopes that Dylan would be realesed soon, he got a fever of 100.7  They put him on 2 types of antibiotics viral & bacteria just to cover any & everything that may have caused it. At this point Ryan & I decided Dyan could not have any visitors ( we had already restricted it to immdiate family) We could not risk him catching any type of illness. Dr's also did a spinal tap to try to figure what had caused fever. ( apparently this is a common procedure on preemies) There was blood in the spinal tap results which prompted Dr's to do a head ultrasound. Every test came back negative. although after the head scan they said he could have had a cyst or small hemorrhage in his head. Although it sounds bad they assured us if it was either it was not permanent & would resolve on its own. They would be level one & quite common in these situations. We would never find out if it was either of those for sure just a possibility. During this time of all the testing and antibiotics, Dylan started to eat less.  His health was back to normal, but now his lack of feeding was keeping us in the hospital. The dr's needed to see him consistantly finish his bottle at each feeding for 24 hours before we could go home.( I should mention the magnesium drip I had been on slows down milk production.  I was breastfeeding only a few tiimes a day & supplementing with formula until my supply came in.)  They decided to give him a feeding tube. They would use the tube anytime he didnt finish his bottle.
The most upsetting part of having a child in the NICU is coming in everyday & seeing a new tube or IV hooked to them. I cried almost everytime I saw him. It upset me to see his IV in his head or monitors hooked to his body. Its something I never would get used to.

Sat Jan 29th- I was released from hospital after 6 days. Ryan & I are staying at the Ronald Mcdonald House ( located in hospital) so we can be close to Dylan.
Sun Jan 30th - Dylan is starting to show improvement on his feedings but not being consistant. Today is my baby shower hosted by Ryans famly. I was very sad that I couldnt go but happpy that they still had it & so many people came. Barbara & Dawnyel did an awesome job!

These past days in the NICU were a emotional roller coaster for me. I dont think I have ever cried so much in my life. Even though I knew Dylan was going to be fine, I couldnt help but be upset everytime we walked into the room with all the monitors & beeps of machines. It was so depressing to me. I just wanted my baby & family home where we could be "normal".

At this low point  a friend of mine wrote this on my facebook:  "My grace is all you need, for my power is greatest when you are weak" II Corinthians 12:9a  Thank you Vickey because at that moment this is exactly what I needed.   I knew God would get us through & everything was going to be ok.

Memory Loss

The next 3 days are a complete blur. It is so scary to admit that I lost 3 days of my life. I have no memory of these days.  In order to fill you in on what happened I had to have my mom, sister & Ryan tell me what happened. I guess it is best that I have no memory from these days because I was never aware of how dangerously sick I really was.

Tues Jan 25th- I was now in a hospital room. My mom & sister came to see me that morning. They along with every visitor I had that day all noticed I was not acting like myself. They said I seemed over medicated. I was very hyper & wouldnt sit still. I was also very aggrivated.  After hearing some of the stories I am glad I dont remember this part because I semed to have been pretty entertaining to say the least!! This day my sister said we basically sat in the room all day and nurses would come check my vitals & give me more meds every 4 hours. My blood pressure was still high. At this point I was being treated as any other patient who had a C Section would be.
My family finally decided to step in and confront the nurse & explained to her that something was not right with me. I was not myself. Also at this point I was so swollen I looked like if they stuck a needle in me I would pop. I really wish I had let Ryan take pics of me during this time. In my short tempered & aggrivated state of mind I allowed no pictures! The nurse assured them that she would watch me and take care of me through the night.

Wed Jan 26th-

This day I was moved to yet another room. At this point all I was told is that I was very sick. I was moved to a ICU type area for pregnant women with complications.  I was told that I would be hooked to a IV with Magnesium Sulfate for 24 hours. This would help to lower my blood pressure. I also was hooked up to another IV which would help flush out some of  the fluid from my body. I was so upset that I would be bed ridden for 24 hours & not get to see Dylan. Once again my family said my mood was very unlike me. I was also very emotional when it came to not seeing Dylan. From what I understand I felt like everyone was getting to see my new baby boy except for me. I was put on the Magnesium at 8am. The Dr told me if by 8pm my blood pressure was down I would get to go to the NICU to visit Dylan. Unfortunately by 8pm my blood pressure was still high. I threw a huge fit a begged & pleaded to see my son. Finally a nurse called my Dr & convinced her to let me see him for 30 minutes. That nurse put me in a wheel chair & took me to see him. I wish I could remember her name, because during the 3 days of memory loss this is the one senerio I remember the most. I am very grateful for her kindness. Ironically when we got back to the room my blood pressure had gone down a liitle.

 Once we were back to the room the nurse explained to Ryan & I how sick I really was. I had developed a rare form of Toxiema. Most people develop this while they are pregnant. It causes rapid fluid retention & high blood pressure. The cure for toxiema is delivery of the placenta. Which is why when people develop toxemia they are usually induced early. My form of toxiema develops after delivery. Because of this, it is harder to treat. It was also hard becasue this is so rare that this is not a situation the Dr's deal with on a normal basis.  They explained to us that I was at a very high risk for stroke & seziures. Of course my family was very upset. They were upset that it was now wed & we were just realizing how dangerously sick I was. After finding out it made all of my strange behaviors make sense. One of the symptoms include confusion. The confusion mixed with being over medicated was what made for my lack of memory. At this point my family decided it would be best that I have no visitors. The only focus was for me to get better.  At this time I was also having another strange medical problem. I had fluid leaking from my spine. It was coming out of the spot where I had gotten my epidural. It was leaking alot & would leak through my shirts. They called in a Dr and the fluid was tested to make sure it was not spinal fluid. Thankfully it came back negative. They said they would continue to monitor it.  We would later find out that I had so much fluid on my body that any open wound the fluid would come out of... The fluid contiued to leak from my spine till the 10th day.
After 24 hours on the Mag drip my blood pressure had improved but not by much. During that 24 hour time period they were able to get 7 liters of fluid off my body!! Once again I wish I had pictures because even after 7 liters I still looked like I would pop.

I have to mention that during these 3 days Ryan was amazing. Everyone has told me that he stepped in & took care of Dylan like he had been doing it his whole life. Since most of the time I was bed ridden or not well enough to visit, Ryan would make the trips to the NICU to feed & love on Dylan. I cant imagine what he was going through. His world was turned upside down in a matter of a day. He was having to deal with a sick baby & sick wife. Of course once I was better everyone told me how great Ryan had been but I later would also discover it on my own.

During these 3 days Dylan was doing well. He did not have any major health problems. We were very thankful that he never had any lung or breathing problems. Usually that is the major problem with a preemie. His only issue in those first days was regulating his own body tempature. The first days he was put in a  enclosed crib that keeps his tempature steady. They lower it everyday so his body can adjust to doing it on its own. Besides that he just needed time to grow.

Thurs Jan 27th-  This was a much better day for me. Today I finally came back to reality. I was much more aware and becoming myself again. My mom brought me subway for lunch this day. I got mad because it was made wrong. This small incident is a big deal to me because this is my first memory I had since after the C-Section. I wil never forget that sandwhich lol...

Delivery Day

Mon Jan 24th (34 weeks 3 days)- starting around 10pm sunday night I started feeling contractions again, by midnight I told Ryan it was time to go to the hospital. They were starting to get very intense and only 5 minutes apart. Once we arrived at Tri County I was taken to labor & delivery. They checked me & I was a fingertip dialated. They tried fluids & meds once again to stop the contractions. This time nothing would work.  Around 9 am they decided to transport me to Norten Suburban hospital. It was looking like the baby was going to come & we would need to have the neonatal unit for his care. I couldnt believe that I was in labor 6 weeks early!
Once at Suburban my water broke & I was 4 cm dialated. By this time the contractions were so painful I couldnt wait to get that epidural. Around 11am my prayers were answered & I got the epidural..from this point on I was pain free. Around 3pm I was 10 cm dialted & waiting on the Dr to get there. I had now been in labor 17 hours! Dr arrived & I started to push. I pushed for an hour and a half with no luck. Dylan wouldnt budge. Dr said Dylan was face up & it seemed the way he was positioned was making it impossible for him to come out. We came to the the decsion that a C Section would be the best choice. I remember thinkng to myself.. in just a short time I will be holding my son.
At this point my body had been pumped with fluids from Tri County, more fluids at Suburban, steriods for Dylan's lung development, & morphine. Because of this I was begining to swell, which at the time we all assumed was because of all the fluids. I was officially ready for C Section to begin.

After 21 hours of labor...Dylan Madden Sale arrived at 7:09pm on Jan 24th 2011 he was 5lbs 13oz & 19 inches long. Ryan was able to bring him over to me while the Dr was putting in my staples. I was so sad that I couldnt hold him. The number one thing I had been looking forward to as far as delivery was having the skin to skin contact with my son. Our plan had been for Ryan & I to have an hour with just us & Dylan after delivery. Because of his 6 week early arrival Dyaln was quickly taken to the NICU & I was taken to recovery.  Once I got to recovery I was told I would be there an hour, then I would be able to go visit Dylan in the NICU.  This was until they discovered my blood pressure was really high. They now told me if they couldnt get my blood pressure down I would be in recovery all night. I was so upset because all I wanted to do was see my son. They gave me an anxiety pill to calm me down.( I had asked them to give me something)  This is my last memory...I have no memory of the next 3 days!!

Leading up to Dylan's Arrival

I decided to write this blog mainly so I get get my story all documented so when Dylan is older he can read about the day he was born. I wanted to get it all down while all the details were fresh in my memory.  I also decide to write this because it seems everyone has a "story" about their delivery & it always,  in their mind is better than the next persons " story".  Im not saying that I have the best "Delivery Story" ever...but I do think that I had a rare experience that will be interesting to tell my son one day. I hope you enjoy my "story" .

 I also decided to start this blog so I can document all the milestones Dylan reaches during my maternity leave. This is the only time in his life that I will have 6 weeks completely decicated to him with no distractions. I want to take full advantage of keeping these memories where we can always look back & re visit.

Thurs Jan 20th-  ( 33 weeks 5 days) This was the day after my mom's 50th Bday. I worked at the salon all day and just didnt feel right. I was having a lot of back pain. I started having contractions about 11pm. Assumed it was Braxton Hicks & went to bed

Fri Jan 21st - (33 weeks 6 days) Woke up still having contractions and now they were 5 minutes apart. Ryan was at work so I had my mom take me to Tri County Hospital.  First they gave me 2 bags of fluid to hydrate me & to stop contractions. Once that didnt work they gave me a shot of meds ( dont remember the name) to try to stop it. After a second round of the meds they finally stopped. 

Sat Jan 22nd - (34 weeks) Woke up this morning with contractions again but not as close together & I felt like I was leaking fluid. We made another trip to Tri County. After keeping me a while they determined I was not leaking any fluid & sent me home. ( to this day I still believe I was)

Sun Jan 23rd-(34 weeks 2 days) Woke up feeling great!! It was an exciting day because my friends were throwing me a baby shower. Went to the shower & had a great time with my amazing friends. If I had only known that within the next 12 hours I would be in labor ....