Momma and Baby Check Up Time!

I went to my OB for a follow up visit yesterday...or a therapy visit - whatever you want to call it...

Everett tagged along with me and Brent took Mary Louise and David to the park for a bit.

My incision looks good - is healing well - and overall, things are going great with my recovery. I have to say, this recovery has been about a million times easier than last. There are a few physiological reasons for this:

1. my abdominal muscles were moved aside rather than cut. No cut = less pain.
2. When my uterus ruptured, it "tore" along the old scar...exactly. No extra damage done. The repair was apparently very straight forward - almost as if the section sort of happened on it's own if that makes sense.
3. My OB said that Everett's placenta only partially abrupted. It did cause some bleeding. In the end, I lost a comparable amount of blood to a routine section.
4. I am not dealing with the muscle fatigue that occurred post bed rest.

I am not cleared to do any heavy lifting (though the MD understands that I have 2 toddlers here) or any (heavy) exercise just yet, but I'm headed in the right direction.

I asked a few questions...like, what the heck happened? ha.

In short - I had a complete uterine rupture along my previous section scar caused by a precipitous (very quick) and pre-term labor, expulsion of Everett's head and partial abruption of his placenta. When the MD made his incision, he moved my abdominal muscle aside and found Everett's head - out and in my abdomen - in a pool of blood. He didn't think Everett was alive as he was so pale. But, as quickly as possible, handed him over to the NICU team who reported a very good pulse while quickly intubating our sweet baby. Thereafter, Everett apparently pulled his own tube, got pretty angry and began "acting like a newborn" according to my OB.

My dear doctor had tears in his eyes as he told me the basics of what happened.

The time it took to assemble the team of NICU, surgical and OB personnel - including 2 OB's - and deliver Everett was 9 minutes from the initial code.

9 minutes. I don't even have words.

Statistically, a baby involved in a catastrophic (complete) rupture has about 16 minutes before either total loss or profound neurological damage occurs.

The repair took about 2 hours. Everything was checked and rechecked. I have 3 layers of suture through my uterine muscle and can already lean back without any pulling or pain (which I've had for 3 years...).

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The emotional portion of the story is, of course, on going. Bits and pieces will come out over time and I am more than willing to wait. It's certainly been and will continue to be a process for us.

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Everett had a well check up this afternoon. He was naked...well, he was wearing a diaper. We brought David to speech therapy first. Everett had a considerable code brown leak...second outfit utilized. I felt so organized that I even had a back up with me. We brought David home and were off to the pedi. As I got my little guy out of the car there, I noticed he was soaked up his back. Thanks kiddo - second outfit down...we had a blanket left. I figured it didn't matter much as the first thing they make a parent do at the pediatrician is undress the baby...(but it was a little funny).

He is 6 pounds 14 ounces!! (so gaining well) and doing everything appropriately. The pedi did note some heart murmurs normal for fetal blood flow (a PDA and PFO). (you might remember ML being put on O2 for a month for a patent PFO when she got home) These are also considered normal findings - especially when his gestational age is considered. The murmurs will be watched by the pedi until the age of about 6 months. If they haven't closed by then, we will be referred to the pedi cardiologist. As of now, they are not interfering with feedings (symptoms would be extreme fatigue associated with feedings or very heavy breathing) or with general activity (obviously not much for a newborn - but he does well when awake) so they are assumed to be small.

He had his first HiB vaccine while there and did really well with it all. I had declined it in the hospital (it is usually given when a child is born - or on discharge when in the NICU) as there was so much going on that I didn't want his system stressed anymore than it had been. Last night, he fussed a bit while I removed the band aid but otherwise, was his normal relaxed self (other than eating almost constantly before finally falling asleep around 10:30pm then eating a ton between 1 and 2:30 again

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Saturday morning:
David snuggled up to me on the couch a minute ago, "here your foggie Mommy." He gave me one of his beloved Froggies (NICU positioners that he carries constantly). "My yuv you Mommy," he said while patting my leg and nestling his head under my arm.

Oh the moments I live for these days.
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Sunday:
We ALL made it to church!! Mary Louise and David were, well, a handful. David was in GREAT humor, but left his "church whisper" voice at home apparently. If anyone made eye contact with him, he would wave a huge "window washer" wave and yell, "HI!!" with a great grin. The baby in front of us was in his infant carrier. If a sound was made, David would immediately climb the pew, lean over said baby, wave in his face and say (very proudly), "HI BABY!!"

The mom in front of us offered to share crayons with David and Mary Louise. Of course they wanted to change colors often and the mother obliged, using it as a quiet sharing lesson with her daughter. Every time David switched colors, he would say, "THANKS!" to the mom while she handed another over.

No way could I fuss at him! Honestly, that boy spent 4 mornings of last week in speech therapy sessions only to have me ask (beg) him to whisper for an hour on Sunday?! And the "thank you" - umm I've been on both Mary Louise and David to say please and thank you since before they could talk at all!
I'm pretty sure we'll just have to utilize the nursery sometimes - or split and take turns for church (which we've done many times when I just couldn't risk another sniffle, cough or sneeze).

I'd say it was a good day - even though I left feeling (and looking) like I'd had a great work out.

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Monday: (look, I try to write on here often, but am having issues finishing thoughts, sentences...)

Mary Louise and David woke Everett (I'm not kidding here) 4 times before noon. Even Everett was getting irritated and found his voice through the ruckus. Mary Louise was running around making noise AGAIN when I said, "Mary Louise! Please shhh! You guys have interrupted Everett's sleep 4 times this morning already!"

ML: "Mommy, my can't shh! I sor-dee! I dus can't!" (while shrugging her shoulders) - very matter of fact tone.

All I could do was laugh.

David decided hide and seek was the game of the day. He repeated, "Meese! Meese! Um-out um-out where you are!!" Over and over while giggling. The funny was, he wasn't even looking for his "Meese." He was sitting down just calling her. He simply liked the rhythm of what he was saying.

Mary Louise and David are still so very sweet with Everett. They live to "hold" him on the couch. Mary Louise walks by and gives him gentle kisses. David strokes his hair and talks (softly believe it or not) to him. They both hold Everett's hand and let me know if they think he needs anything at all. They help with diaper changes, baths and laundry.

They are absolutely spell binding to me.

xo,
Heather