Baby is Here

[kristind3]

Calder Michael was born on 11/10/17 via c-section at 8:48 pm. He weighed 7 lbs and was 19 3/4" long.


Birth Story:
I was scheduled to be induced next Tuesday, 11/14 due to high blood pressure and the baby's heart defect. I had an OB appointment on Monday, 11/6. During the non-stress test, baby's HB kept dropping below the baseline so I was sent to L&D for a few extra hours of monitoring. Baby looked good, but of course my BP kept rising so that turned into a 24-hour urine test with constant monitoring. BP was great throughout Tuesday, 11/7. Just before the 24-hour mark my BP spiked so they decided to keep me another night. At that point I figured I would be in the hospital for the long haul.

My OB group and the MFM both recommended we go ahead and induce on Wednesday. I was 1 cm dilated at that point. I got Cervidil that afternoon for 12 hours. That helped soften my cervix some, but nothing great. They then started a low dose of Pitocin overnight. By Thursday afternoon I didn't have any progress and no real contractions so they stopped the Pitocin and put in a Foley bulb. They let me take a break from meds and eat dinner and then started upping the Pitocin levels. The catheter came out at 4:00 am. They gradually increased Pitocin throughout the day on Friday. I was having mild contractions, but nothing consistent at that point. It was then decided to stop the meds again, let my body take a break, check my progress, and then try and break my water. I was still only about 2.5 cm dilated and my cervix was still long and hard. Baby was still way up high so breaking my water wasn't an option.

By then it had been over 48 hours they'd been trying to induce with very little progress. My OB didn't see me making much progress with how long my cervix was and suggested we proceed with a c-section immediately while my BP was still decent and baby wasn't in distress.

I decided it was for the best and was scheduled for 8:00 pm on Friday night. Cal was born at 8:48 pm. He came out crying which was good to hear, but was definitely blue. I got to see him briefly, take our first family picture and then he and DH were taken to the NICU to get an echo done on his heart and to check oxygen levels. I was sewn up and sent to recovery. DH came in about 20 minutes later to share some more pictures he had taken. The cardiologist on call then let us know that after the echo, it was determined one of the heart valves wasn't as open as much as they had hoped so they wanted to go ahead and transfer Cal to th children's hospital immediately. I was able to be wheeled up to NICU to be with the baby while he was prepped for transfer for about 30 minutes.

Cal didn't tolerate the ambulance ride very well and his oxygen levels were dangerously low. They did an atrial balloon septostomy on Saturday morning to open the valve so that oxygenated blood could mix better. His levels have improved since then. There was a minor complication during the procedure they are keeping an eye on but so far he's stable and fighting. They're not sure when they'll schedule the artery switch. DH and I are supposed to meet with the cardiologist and surgeon tomorrow to see what the plan is.

My recovery has gone well so as long as my BP behaves, they're going to discharge me around 4:00 today. I'm anxious to be able to see Cal and spend time with him. I've been pumping every 3 hours and the docs at the children's hospital are hoping to get him off all the tubes so we can try breastfeeding before his surgery later this coming week or next. I'm finally getting some Colostrum so I'm hoping it won't be an issue.

That turned into a novel!

[boiler717]

Congrats on your beautiful son!!
He sounds like such a fighter. I hope the surgery goes well and his health improves quickly.
Be kind to yourself, drink lots of water, and keep up your food intake! Does his NICU allow rooming in?

[thoseareradishes]

Congrats! He's adorable

Take care of yourself - NICU is tough. Let me know if you have questions or want to talk.

[loira]

He's lovely! I hope you're able to spend lots of time with him soon.

[kristind3]

Nov 12, 2017 10:03:15 GMT -5 boiler717 said:

Does his NICU allow rooming in?

They do allow it. They do encourage us to not live at the hospital and have some time to ourselves, but I'm glad to know it's an option.

[peas]

Congrats on his arrival. I hope he recovers quickly and gets out of the nicu as soon as possible. Hugs!

[konapoppy]

Congrats! I hope he can come home soon. ❤️

[kellikans]

Congrats! He's adorable! And I wish you all the best with his upcoming surgery and recovery. Hope you get to spend some more time with him soon!

[Chrysanthemum]

How precious! Congratulations! I hope he can go home with you soon.

[G22]

Congrats!

[oneslybookworm]

Congratulations!!! Praying for a rapid recovery for the little guy and hopefully he can be home with you soon!

[King26]

Congrats what a cutie! I hope the surgery goes well.

[lms]

Congrats! I hope everything goes well!

[pooh8402]

Congratulations! He's so adorable!

I'm sorry it was a tough induction with a c-section. And I'm sorry that he has to go to surgery right away, but it sounds like he's a fighter! It's so great that his NICU allows rooming in.

[lo]

Congrats!! He is so beautiful.

[cactuscookie]

You have a son!!! Congratulations! I'll be thinking of you guys as things progress. He's precious.

[scm1011]

Congratulations!! He's adorable!
I also have a Cal(vin) with almost the same birthday (11/11)

[shauni27]

congratulations on your beautiful, strong little boy! He is adorable. I am praying that surgery goes well and without a hitch so you all can get out of there ASAP and start your lives together <3

[pandora89]

Congrats! He is adorable! Hoping the surgery goes well.

[awick14]

Congrats. He is handsome.

[azurely]

Congrats! He is precious. I hope everything goes well for him!

[shoeless]

Congrats on your adorable boy. Praying for a smooth surgery and a quick recovery for you both.

[cherryvalance]

Congrats!! He's absolutely precious! I'll keep everything crossed that both of your recoveries are quick and easy.