I am honored to present our newest blessing - Reagan Grace.
I thought I would tell you about Reagan and I's experience
Her arrival was not exactly how we had planned. We were actually planning a home birth. All of my other pregnancies and labor and deliveries were all text book. We had very nice experiences in the hospital however, a home birth was something more intimate that we were really looking forward to.
Home birth midwives do not delivery babies at home prior to 37 weeks or if you have any serious issues during your pregnancy. So on Monday afternoon I had some contractions that lasted about an hour. I had lots of contractions when I was pregnant with Ian and I always took a bath and drank a bunch of water and they went away. So I did the same thing with this one. And they stopped. 3 hours later, I felt a gush and thought - that better not have been my water breaking because I was only 34 weeks.
It wasn't my water, it was blood. So off to the emergency room we went. They immediately put me on magnesium sulfate to stop my contractions and the bleeding. They quickly performed an ultrasound and there were two possibilities - a placenta abruption (the placenta starts separating itself) and just cervical bleeding. They also decided to give me a shot of steroids for the baby in case I did deliver.
The magnesium knocked me on my a**. I felt like I had been hit by a truck. I could barely move my body. About 48 hours of magnesium and 2 shots of steroids later, the contractions had stopped but not the bleeding. I was only spotting but it was still enough that they wanted to keep me on bedrest and up to the 3rd floor I went on Wednesday night. Contractions started again a few hours after the magnesium. I had 4-6 contractions an hour until Saturday morning where they wheeled me back down to labor and delivery.
Around noon my contractions started to pick up and I called Mike back to the hospital. Around 5 hours later Reagan graced us with her presence at 5 pounds 11 ounces and 18 1/2 inches long. Mike caught the baby and immediately said "oh shit, Ian and I are outnumbered." (We had really thought it was a boy even tho we never found out) And then......I fainted - literally. I woke up with an oxygen mask on but I guess I was only out for a few seconds. Afterwards, the doctor did confirm that it was a placenta abruption.
Reagan nursed like a champ. They wheeled me back up to the 3rd floor and Reagan went to the NICU to make sure she was good - and she did not disappoint. She had low blood sugar so they gave her a bottle of formula and it spiked right up where it needed to be. However, while she was being a rockstar and proving that she was ready to face her 3 older siblings I started hemorrhaging. I sent my mom downstairs to the NICU and made Mike come upstairs to be with me. I was very scared and not used to having any complications. It turns out that my fibrynogen levels in my liver (what makes your body clot) was extremely low; in the 60's. So I ended up getting some plasma (which was very cold because it comes straight from the refridgerator) and my levels went up to the normal 200's. I was informed that I should not have any more children because the likelyhood of having another placenta abruption and/or a premature baby are very high. (Although we had already decided that we were done - having heard that just sealed the deal)
After looking like a ghost and having track marks up and down my arms from IV's and blood draws for about a week, I am feeling like myself again. I feel awesome, I have color in my face again, and I have a little bit of energy and am basking in the glow of being a new mother again. Reagan is awesome. She looks like a perfect mix of Kara and Anna. Overall, we were disappointed that we did not get the home birth that we planned but we are soooooo blessed and thankful that both Reagan and I are healthy and happy!
I want to give a SHOUT OUT to my family and friends that helped Mike, my kids and I during the week I was in the hospital. They showered us with their love, support, flowers, chocolates (they know me too well), babysitting, pizzas, movies, magazines, books, and lots and lots of hugs and kisses. Everyone totally stepped up to the plate to help us out during this time. The Wisniewski's are so blessed to have you all in our lives and we love you all very much.
The magnesium knocked me on my a**. I felt like I had been hit by a truck. I could barely move my body. About 48 hours of magnesium and 2 shots of steroids later, the contractions had stopped but not the bleeding. I was only spotting but it was still enough that they wanted to keep me on bedrest and up to the 3rd floor I went on Wednesday night. Contractions started again a few hours after the magnesium. I had 4-6 contractions an hour until Saturday morning where they wheeled me back down to labor and delivery.
Around noon my contractions started to pick up and I called Mike back to the hospital. Around 5 hours later Reagan graced us with her presence at 5 pounds 11 ounces and 18 1/2 inches long. Mike caught the baby and immediately said "oh shit, Ian and I are outnumbered." (We had really thought it was a boy even tho we never found out) And then......I fainted - literally. I woke up with an oxygen mask on but I guess I was only out for a few seconds. Afterwards, the doctor did confirm that it was a placenta abruption.
Reagan nursed like a champ. They wheeled me back up to the 3rd floor and Reagan went to the NICU to make sure she was good - and she did not disappoint. She had low blood sugar so they gave her a bottle of formula and it spiked right up where it needed to be. However, while she was being a rockstar and proving that she was ready to face her 3 older siblings I started hemorrhaging. I sent my mom downstairs to the NICU and made Mike come upstairs to be with me. I was very scared and not used to having any complications. It turns out that my fibrynogen levels in my liver (what makes your body clot) was extremely low; in the 60's. So I ended up getting some plasma (which was very cold because it comes straight from the refridgerator) and my levels went up to the normal 200's. I was informed that I should not have any more children because the likelyhood of having another placenta abruption and/or a premature baby are very high. (Although we had already decided that we were done - having heard that just sealed the deal)
After looking like a ghost and having track marks up and down my arms from IV's and blood draws for about a week, I am feeling like myself again. I feel awesome, I have color in my face again, and I have a little bit of energy and am basking in the glow of being a new mother again. Reagan is awesome. She looks like a perfect mix of Kara and Anna. Overall, we were disappointed that we did not get the home birth that we planned but we are soooooo blessed and thankful that both Reagan and I are healthy and happy!
I want to give a SHOUT OUT to my family and friends that helped Mike, my kids and I during the week I was in the hospital. They showered us with their love, support, flowers, chocolates (they know me too well), babysitting, pizzas, movies, magazines, books, and lots and lots of hugs and kisses. Everyone totally stepped up to the plate to help us out during this time. The Wisniewski's are so blessed to have you all in our lives and we love you all very much.
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