33 Weeks
Yesterday was an 8-week follow up from the original echocardiogram for Hannah. It was at 1pm, right after lunch, in a dark room. I may be the first person to nearly fall asleep with a wand being jabbed in my belly.
There was one minor finding this time - one of her valves has a tiny leak, but neither technician nor cardiologist were worried about it - another “thing” to be monitored. I guess if they’re not worried, we’ll try not to be!
After the Echo, we went to the NICU for a tour - I had no idea what to expect, was trying to remember not to picture myself/Hannah there yet so I wouldn’t get emotional. Really, it was less of a production that I was expecting!
We all washed our hands before entering and the director showed us the larger shared pods of babies - about 6 or 8 - as well as small, private rooms. The private rooms are for extended stays, so while they look very nice and personal, ideally we don’t want too long of a stay!
Tim and I have 24 hr access. There are lactation rooms and consultants which will be helpful. Since Hannah won’t be able to nurse right away, I’ll be pumping from the get-go. I’m pretty nervous about this - lots of feeding hurdles right away. I’ve read a lot of mothers who have been through this do have success nursing, but it definitely takes time and effort.
In the group rooms, it looks like Moms just sit in a comfy chair next to their baby for however long they are there that day. I wonder if I’ll get bored? If I’ll be able to hold Hannah most of my days there? How long before I can try to nurse her? All nebulous for a Mama who likes to plan!
Lastly, after asking multiple professionals on our “team,” the conclusion seems to be that I’m just fine to labor at home - for a while I thought maybe I’d have to go in at the first signs in case there was any concern Hannah might go into distress during labor. Her conditions should’t cause any distress. If you think about it, any baby can go into distress during labor!
So my doula, Anna, came over last night to finalize any questions and know where we now live, etc. Anna was excited to meet Nora - Anna was there when Nora was born, remember?
Best case scenario, I have a “good” labor & delivery with no interventions, I get some skin-to-skin time with Hannah before any medical needs and transportation. Even if it’s just 15 minutes!
I have a few OB appointments left and probably just one more Level 2 ultrasound... we’ll probably get our bags packed in a week or so... Like Tim has said, “Let’s just get this show on the road!”
Just a few thoughts. The early separation and pumping suuuuucks but if you can push through it, it is possible. I had Iris with me for about 8 hours before they realized something was wrong so she had a few attempts but they weren't very good. Then it was 6 days before I got to try again. My supply was really low/late coming in. A breakthrough for me was hand expression. I watched a video online and it really helped get things going. Of course, it might have just coincided with the milk coming in but I still wish I would have tried it sooner. Anything you can provide Hannah is great. I had one day where I delivered what I pumped up to her room. I was particularly proud because it was more than a few drops and a nurse was like "you really should be up to blah blah amount by now". I cried and it ruined my whole day. I met with lactation consultants every day and they were much more encouraging. Someone told me to listen to people in their area of expertise b/c everyone is going to have an opinion on everything. I thought that was good advice so I tried to put the discouraging remarks from that nurse out of my head and focus more on the lactation people.
ReplyDeleteI don't think you have to worry about being bored. Obviously just my experience but there were constantly people coming in and out for evaluations and what not. In between that, I was busy keeping family updated via text, pumping, eating, and holding her when I was finally allowed, etc. We also left her room sometimes and I didn't sleep up there. I felt a little guilty about it but it doesn't make me a bad mom. I knew she was in the best care and they kept telling us less stimulation would help her grow stronger. The better you are able to eat and rest and take care of yourself, the better you'll be able to be there for Hannah when she is ready to be in your arms. Anyways, sorry about the book I wrote here. I just wanted to re-affirm what you mentioned above - breastfeeding is hard and the extra hurdles make it harder but it is possible. Oh, one more thing and then I'll shut up. My doc was like "Do I want you to breastfeed? Yes, of course. But I also want you to survive so if it's a battle you don't want to fight anymore, that is ok" I felt like this took some pressure off so I adopted a "at least through my maternity leave" and everything else is bonus mentality. Ok. Seriously. I'll stop. Thank you for sharing your experiences. Excited for the "meet the baby" post! :)
Thanks for your response, Jamie! I'm hoping my boobs have "nursing memory" and will pump well and lots for Hannah : )
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