3 weeks & Medical Updates

Sorry this is a little late, we've been busy :-)

Measuring: 6 lbs. 8 oz. today (3 weeks 2 days)...not good :-(

Sleeping: Soren goes 3-4 hour stretches at night, sometimes sleeps longer during the day

This week we... spent alot of time at MorMor and MorFar's house doing laundry and hanging out. We also had his swallow study done at Children's Hospital, and attended a church friend's wedding.

Medical Updates: I had been having some concerns about Soren possibly having reflux. He was spitting up often and large amounts of it. When we would lay him on his back, he would often spit up and ended up having choking episodes which was pretty scary. I noticed gurgling sounds and he would be fussy then gag and spit up. I spoke with our pediatrician about it and pushed to have it checked out. We were able to get him into Children's Hospital to have a swallow study done this past Monday. He was given a bottle with Barium and would drink it and x-ray shots would be taken simultaneously. This first test checked to see if he was aspirating fluids. They took 5 x-ray shots during the process, the first 4 showed everything looked good, but they decided to do one more, and on the 5th shot, it showed there was some fluid going down his airway; he then coughed multiple times. This showed that Soren was aspirating fluids, but luckily he would cough in response. They then gave him a thickened fluid and he had no problems with this. While nursing, I would notice that sometimes he would have coughing fits, but just thought it was because he was drinking too fast...come to find out he's aspirating (talk about feeling like a horrible mommy at that moment!).

The second test they inserted a feeding tube down his nose and gave him fluids with barium and took more x-ray shots to see if his anatomy looked good and if he was showing reflux; his anatomy looked perfect but he was showing some reflux.

The speech therapist who was involved in the testing said we would now need to feed him thickened liquids, and unfortunately a substance called "Simply Thick" which was safe to use with breastmilk was just recently recalled for use with preemies. There were no options to use with breastmilk. I felt so heartbroken and overwhelmed with the news we were given.

We went home and called our pediatrician to tell her the news. Luckily she thinks breastmilk has super powers and wanted us to continue breastfeeding, however if he ever needed a bottle, it would need to be formula thickened with rice/oatmeal cereal. She put him on Pulmicort nebulizer to keep his airways calm to hopefully prevent pneumonia, and also an oral-dissolving Prevacid prescription. So far we haven't noticed any changes, but we're hoping he'll start to feel better soon. Because of the aspirating fluids, he is at high risk to develop pneumonia and RSV, and we will now need to be extra careful with his exposure to others.

Today I wanted to get his weight checked again as I hadn't noticed any changes in his size. Last week at his 2 week appt. he weighed 6 lbs. 5.5 oz. which was basically back to his birth weight. Today (10 days later) he only weighed 6 lbs. 8 oz. Dr. B said he should be gaining an ounce a day, and he definitely didn't do that. Now we will need to alternate thickened formula (with rice cereal) in a bottle and breastfeeding. We will re-check next week to see how he's doing.

It's hard to deal with this as a mother, but I am SO glad I followed my motherly intuition and advocated for him to get checked. I know I have a tendency to overreact, but being with my son 24/7 helps me learn alot about him and how he's feeling. I will be updating the blog as we learn more.

At the wedding reception

Soren's Birth Video

Thank you SO much to Tami Tripp photography for her stunning work capturing some of our family's first moments!

Things I'm Learning about Motherhood

1. Listening to my child cry makes me want to cry...I have no problems staying calm listening to other people's children cry, but when Soren cries, it makes my heart break

2. The first thing people ask you when they see/find out you have a new baby, is "How is he sleeping?" It's still changing every night, but on average it's every 3 hours. And yes it is hard.

3. I love that I have the special touch of calming my child down. I love how I'm learning what he loves

4. Having an infant is not too terribly difficult. Luckily, my child is not a crier, and when he does cry it's usually because his paci fell out or he's hungry. They basically eat, sleep, and poop. Having a toddler I think will be much more demanding.

5. People LOVE babies. I can't tell you how many strangers have come up and talked to me after seeing Soren.

6. Point the penis down.

7. The "mother worry" is intense and very real.

8. When Soren turns his head towards me when he hears my voice, it makes my heart melt

9. Daddies have very special roles in a child's life; but mommies take on alot more responsibilities in regards to child-rearing. Why is that?

10. Mommy intuition is like none-other. If you feel like something is wrong, follow your gut.

11. Take burp rags and the paci EVERYWHERE you go. We have burp rags (prefold cloth diapers) laying all over our apt.

12. People are opinionated about everything related to child-rearing. Take in what's helpful and forget everything that's not.

13. Noticing yourself mirror your child's smile makes you smile even more.

14. The "baby smell" is the smell of spit-up... but I still love it :-)

15. Shopping at the mall with a stroller makes you realize how few elevators there are

To be continued...

Bathtime! 1-2 weeks

Soren seems to really like bathtime once his body is in the water. In the beginning we were using the pink washtub from the hospital, which seemed to work out great. Now we've been using his bathtub with the newborn sling. When I put him in the water his eyes open wide and he looks around. We've also discovered that his hair gets curly when we dry it...every day his hair seems to be getting curlier, just like momma's :-). We've been doing a bath every night because he spits up so much; it's my favorite time of day! Here's some bath pictures:

2 Weeks Old!

Wow time is flying by! I can't believe my little man is already 2 weeks old, it feels like just yesterday we brought him home! Here's some updates on how Soren has been doing this week:

Measuring: 6 lbs. 5.5 oz. at his pediatrician appt. on Monday, 19.5 inches long

Eating: Soren is getting to be a much better nurser. We have eliminated the need to pump and use the nipple shield, we are going au-naturale now. He eats every 2-3 hours, with more frequent feedings in the evening and less frequent during the night.

Sleeping: Soren is up around every 4 hours at night to eat, but two nights ago he went a 6.5 stretch! He currently sleeps in bed with us either in the First Years Close & Secure Sleeper, or on my arm cuddled next to me. He gets very active when it's bedtime, just like he did in the womb. We're finding if he sleeps next to us, he sleeps great! We're hoping to break this soon, but a happy, restful baby equals happy, restful parents.

Likes: Soren likes to be swaddled, his paci, bathtime, being held, being 'worn' both with the Baby Bjorn and the Moby, car rides

Dislikes: Soren does NOT like diaper and clothes changes, when his paci falls out, and choking on his spit-up :-(

This week we... have had lots of visitors, went to a reunion, visited Kyle, Monica, Kylie & Ben, went on our first Mall excursion just Soren and momma, stayed in the air conditioning as it is extremely hot here in Minnesota (!!!), and visited my acupuncturist who helped bring Soren into our lives.

1 Week Old!

Dear Soren,
Today you are one week old! Mommy keeps thinking back to one week ago when her life changed in amazing ways when you entered the world. Mommy is currently working on your birth story, but one moment she will never forget is when the nurse brought you into the room after mommy's c-section recovery and your 4-hour NICU monitoring. I instantly cried when you entered in the room, I cried "My baby, it's my baby! Do you know how long I've waited for you?!?" I cry just thinking about that beautiful moment. After I talked to you, you opened your eyes for the first time. I couldn't stop smelling you, kissing you, crying and rejoicing in my little miracle. There was not a dry eye in the room.

The last week has been a beautiful blur while daddy and I have been working on establishing a routine and learning more about your likes and dislikes. So far we've figured out that you LOVE your pacifier; you HATE being changed as we think you get cold, but the second we put the paci in your mouth the world is at peace. You seem to enjoy your swing and also when daddy "shhhhs" you in the ear to calm you down. Breastfeeding is a love-hate experience for you. You are kinda stubborn (and 'lazy' according to your pediatrician) and don't like to work to let the milk down. Momma has been pumping a little bit before and trying many different things to get you to latch on. Once we get you latched on, you love to nurse and go to town. Daddy knows you must be a 'Johnson' based on your stubbornness. Daddy stays calm and is a great supporter in our breastfeeding endeavors! So far you wake up every 2.5-3 hours to nurse which is perfect!

Also this week you have had many visitors! There are so many people who love you and find you to be adorable...momma has to agree! Last night we had Tami, our photographer, come over to take some newborn pictures of you and you did great! You made sure she knew that if she takes off your dipey, you will pee :-). Also this week we went to your cousin Kylie's baptism. You got to meet Kylie and Ryker for the first time and all of us had a great time ooggling over the babies.

(From left to right: Ryker, Soren, Kylie)

As far as growth goes, here's the past week's measurements:

Birth- 6 lbs. 6 oz., 20 inches long
Friday, leaving hospital: 5 lbs. 12.8 oz.
Monday ped. appt- 5 lbs. 15 oz., 18 3/4 inches long
Tuesday ped. appt.- 6 lbs. 1/2 oz.

Updates

Well it has been 3 days since Soren has come into this world, and to say I am smitten would be a complete understatement. I love this little guy SO.MUCH. I thought I would provide some updates:

Going home: Soren's bilirubin levels came back borderline jaundice so today he is under the bili lights in the special care nursery for 8 hours. After the 8 hours, he will get his levels tested and if they're good, we get to go home tonight! If not, he will be under the lights overnight and we will go home tomorrow morning. We are so ready to be home. I am getting very little sleep and going stir crazy stuck in this hospital room and bed. I haven't been outside of the maternity floor for 5 days. We are looking forward to sleeping in our own bed and starting to establish our own little family routines.

Breastfeeding: Breastfeeding is going well! In the beginning, Soren needed some formula supplement because his glucose levels were low and he needed extra calories since he is a preemie. I was feeling really ill after the c-section and did get to give him so expressed colostrum. He had a really difficult time latching because he doesn't have much energy as a preemie, and my nipples are flatter. We started using a nipple shield and since then, he has been able to latch on! My milk came in http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifyesterday and we are once again having issues with latch because I am so engorged, but as of 2 days ago, I have been pumping and he is only receiving breast milk through bottles or my boobies :-). I am SO thankful that we are able to do this and I have received the support I needed to make this happen. I am actually pumping as I type this, thanks to my hands-free pump bra!

Momma updates: Up to delivery and afterwards, I was really really sick. I was on magnesium sulfate for 24 hours prior to delivery, and 24 hours afterwards and it was not pleasant. It causes you to lose muscle tone (from my understanding), so I couldn't look at the clock and read the time, I could barely chew my food. Getting up to go to the bathroom was very tiring. Once I got off, I began to start to feel 'nromal' again. I am still battling high blood pressure, and they said the effects of toxemia can last up to 5 weeks post-delivery. My BP initially dropped right after surgery, but the dr's knew it was only a honeymoon stage for me. As far as pain from the surgery goes, it has been great. Honestly, it's been the easiest out of everything. My incision is healing nicely and I will get the staples removed prior to going home. I am still dealing with quite a bit of edema, there's nothing I can do to get it to go down but continue to stay hydrated. I am very weak, and will continue to be limited in my activities for up to 6 weeks. I will not be able to carry anything heavier than So-man, so I will not be able to take him any where by myself (due to carseat weight). This makes me sad, but I will do whatever I need to, to be the best momma I can be.

I have been dealing with some emotional concerns lately. My anxiety seems to be out-of-control (thanks hormones), and I am not able to fall asleep. My body feels so tired, I fall asleep during nursing and such, but the minute I try to lay down and actually sleep, my mind goes nuts. Last night Soren needed to do his carseat testing for 2 hours overnight. I could.not.sleep. I paced the hallways, tried laying in bed, sat in the rocking chair, etc. When the nurse brought him back I asked for Vistaryl, which is a sleep-aid. The nurse took him for another 2 hours and I was able to kinda-sorta sleep. Please tell me this gets better. I don't know the last time I was in R.E.M. sleep.

Daddy updates: Daddy LOVES Soren. He is so great with him, it just melts my heart. In the beginning he would not leave Soren's side when he was in the NICU. He helps out with feedings, is a great encourager for breastfeeding, and has the special 'daddy touch' that Soren adores. He has a special way of soothing Soren that I, nor anyone else, seems to compete with. Daddy has been a trooper and is sleeping on the ridiculous 'couch' in the room since Sunday. He is also very excited about getting home to his own bed.

Blogger isn't let me upload more pictures, but I will do so from home soon.

Ob limiting visitors today, we'll welcome people between 1-3 and 7-9. Tomorrow will be more open if those times don't work

He's here!

Soren Alan Johnson was born on Tuesday, July 5th at 10:03am via c-section. He weighed 6 lbs. 6 oz, and is 20 inches long. I had an emergency c-section after developing Eclampsia in the hospital when we came in Sunday. Soren spent approx. 4 hours in the special care nursery to monitor his breathing and sugar levels. Soren is now in the room with us getting lots of attention :-). I am doing great, just recovering from surgery and magnesium sulfate I have been receiving to prevent seizures associated with Eclampsia. I have some attached Here are some pics, also check out our birth photographer's blog for more pics soon at http://tamitripp.com/blog/.

Change of plans- 7:30-8 tonight due to momma not feeling well

We're in suite 8 at st. Johns in maplewood

We're accepting visitors from 7-9 tonight, or after 10am tomorrow. Due to his premature status, we are asking all visitors to wash hands

Mom is doing well but high bp continues to be a concern

Baby doing okay, in special care nursery hopefully can come out this afternoon. We will let people know when we will accept visitors

Welcome to the world Soren Alan! Born 10:03am via emergency c-section, 6lbs. 6oz., 20 inches

C-section imminent, details to follow

Once we start to see changes, pitocin will be started.

After cervical gel and 12-hour cervidil treatment, still no change in cervix. A new 12-hour was placed, we'll have to keep doing these until cervix changes

Went into hospital at midnight with contractions every 3 mins; BP found to be high, starting induction early, pitocin starts tomorrow

Backyard Maternity Pics

One good thing about having another week before So-so's arrival, is we had time to take some maternity pics in my parent's backyard. I just recently discovered the amazing-ness of photoshop actions, and I am in heaven! I'm so excited about how nice these turned out considering we took them ourselves (with my new DSLR camera). There's so many to choose from to share, prepare for picture overload ;-)


























So...what do you think? Which is/are your favorite(s)?

Labor and Delivery: Take 1

Well if you caught my short text-to-blogger posts below, the plan for induction did not happen today. We went in for our appointment on Thursday knowing that induction would most likely happen this weekend. At our appt., my OB recommended I get started that afternoon with some cervical treatment in the hospital since she was on-call that evening, and would be in today but not over the weekend. She encouraged us to go home, finish packing our bags, and go into the hospital at 3:30. We came home, finished up some things including work stuff, emptying out the fridge, washing the sheets, etc. I went to acupuncture at noon for some work on induction, and after I got up off the acupuncture table, I instantly felt he dropped lower into my pelvis and had a Braxton-Hicks contraction. We went for a final last lunch just the 2 of us at Chili's, then headed over to the hospital. By that time we had told all of our friends, grandma and grandpa Johnson had made preparations to start the trek up from Iowa, everything was laid out perfect.

When we got into our room, our nurse had told us that first they were going to start off with some labwork, and then Dr. G would decide on the plan. We were a bit confused by this, as it seemed we had made a definite plan earlier at our appt. When they checked my blood pressure, it was picture perfect and the best it had ever been. The nurse even checked it while I was sitting up and it still was great! All my labs also came back great with the exception of the protein in my urine which remained at +3 and had not changed since last week. We were all shocked, to say the least. Dr. G came into our room to talk to us about our options and we both really struggled with where we would go from there. She had discussed my situation with 2 other OBs in the practice, and they both said without-a-doubt that they would push to get me to 37 weeks (a week away). She knew I hadn't been feeling well all week and feels attached to my case since I'm her patient. We discussed what would happen if I did develop Eclampsia and then would need Magnesium Sulfate and most likely a caesarean section. I was scared knowing that I could get sick real fast and would not be healthy going into a delivery. Dr. G really listened to my concerns and fears, and we both had to face a difficult decision. Eventually we decided that it would be best to hold off another week so Soren could grow and be even more healthy than he was.

The plan is to go back to Labor and Delivery on Sunday for a few hours for repeat blood draws, monitoring, and also get a cervical gel treatment, then be sent home. On Tuesday I will go into the clinic to get my cervix checked to see if there's been any changes, and may go back over to Labor and Delivery for another cervical treatment. Then on Thursday I will go to my already-scheduled ultrasound and OB appt. at the clinic, then I will go to L&D Thursday afternoon to start induction.

In keepin' it real, I will say I was frustrated and saddened that I would not be delivering my little guy this weekend. I felt emotionally and mentally ready going into it, all arrangements had been made, I was ready. We were all ready. I cried several times that evening. We never expected that we would be sent home. When I woke up this morning (after a great night's sleep, might I add), I felt at peace with the decision. If I can wait 3 years to have this little miracle, I can certainly wait another week. We all know it's what is best for him, and that's most important. 6.more.days. I can do this.