Its been a while!

A lot has happened since last October. A LOT!

Breydon's apnea monitor downloads had been showing episodes of high heart rates which are called 'Tachycardias'. These aren't just slightly high heart rates... his monitor is set to go off at 230bpm. That is high in itself, normal is 80bpm-210bpm. The alarms have gone off six times, with the highest recorded heart rate being 272. Which is a problem. When his heart beats that quickly for a long time, it weakens and can cause conjestive heart failure. So we were sent to Lutheran Children's Hospital in Ft. Wayne on Monday, for an Echogardiograph. Then we went to a pediatric cardiologist, Dr. Ghazali, yesterday.

The Echo showed a small hole in his heart, which is 2-3mm in size. It was explained to me, that when babies are in utero, there is a 'flap' in the heart that stays open because the mothers body is pumping the blood. When the baby is born, that flap is supposed to close, and their own body takes over pumping the blood. Breydon's flap is MOSTLY closed, but hasn't completely closed yet. This is NOT what is causing the fast heart rates. Just an added bonus. :) In a year, we will do another Echo and check to see how the hole is, but the thought is that it will close on its own.

As for the heart rate issue, Breydon has SVT (Super Ventricular Tachycardia). Everyone's heart has a 'pace maker' that regulates how much the heart beats. Breydon has TWO 'pace makers'. The majority of the time, the correct one is in control and he is fine. But OCCASIONALLY, his second one kicks in and takes over, causing his heart to beat really really really fast. This isn't something that he will outgrow, as the second 'pace maker' will always be there. But it IS something that his body will eventually learn to control on its own. In the meantime, Breydon takes medicine 2 times a day to make sure that it doesn't happen. So far, he is on 1/3 of the lowest dose of the medicine. So he's not even taking the full lowest dose.

Right now, it seems controlled, which is good. Hopefully he won't need to have that increased, but if he does, there is still LOTS of wiggle room to work with. Breydon has weekly check-ins with Dr. Ghazali, monthly appointments with Dr. Ghazali, and monthly EKG's. He is still on his apnea monitor which will detect if there are any SVT episodes. In a few months, the doctor will discontinue the use of the monitor and have us just looking for visual cues that it is happening. Things seems pretty much under control, we just have to make sure we watch it, and are diligent with checking up on it. Hopefully in a year there will be no more problems!!

On a lighter note, Breydon saw his pediatrician today and she said that she cannot tell at all that he was a preemie. He is 15 pounds now, and 23.5 inches long. Such a big boy, for being such an early boy! :) We are proud. :)

Thanks for the prayers!

Second Month- First Shots

Today Breydon is 2 months old! He has his "2 month well child" appointment this afternoon, and it went... well, it went.

We got there, and went right back, which was nice. Breydon was sleeping away, unaware of what was about to happen to him. Dr. Eckart weighed him, (10.13 Lbs, by the way, 21.5 inches long) and then checked him out. He looks good, very healthy. She mentioned that she couldn't find his neck under all those rolls and cheeks. :) ANYWAY, then she checked his poor weenie. LAST TIME we were there, his circumcision had grown back in one spot so I had to put hydrocortozone cream on it, every diaper change. I had been. But today, she decided to just break the skin right then and there. He wasn't expecting it-- neither was I for that matter. My sweet little  boy SCREAMED...  I got watery eyes, watching him cry in pain... ugh. It wasn't fun. But the fun doesnt end there--- they couldn't get it to stop bleeding so they cauterized it. Once again, it caught him off gaurd and he screamed... poor little guy wasnt even crying a mad cry it was a "Why did you let them do this to me, Mommy" cry. (At least that sure is how it FELT). But... after the Tylenol he was okay. Then compared to that his shots seemes like a piece of cake. He's got two big boy band-aids on his legs, and Im not taking them off till they fall off. Since we have been home, he hasnt developed a fever or anything like that... he just randomly cries and once I pick him up, hes pretty good. 

Now we wait for 4 months, and we can do it all over again!

1 Month

Today was Breydon's one month wellness appointment.

Breydon now weighs 7lbs 12oz, and is 19 3/4 inches long!!! Dr. Eckart says that he is in the 25th percentile in height, and 50th percentile for weight. That is GOOD considering he was 6 weeks early!! We are really excited that he is doing so well with his growth! Since he's almost 8 pounds, I was able to buy size 1 diapers instead of buying more newborns. Most likely by the end of the week he will have passed 8 pounds anyway, so I thought that it was time. :)

Now I hope he doesn't grow TOO fast... I want him to be small for a LITTLE bit longer... :) :)

Lil' Monster

Last night/today we have been getting our first glimpse of the grumpy side of Breydon. :) I'm not sure what's going through his mind for the past 20 hours. He WAS on a schedule of eating every 2.5 hours.We didn't set this schedule, he set it himself. But last night, he decided that he was going to throw fits at random intervals, wanting to eat another entire bottle 45 min after he finished the last one... then he'd wake up screaming an hour later, eat half an ounce, and go back to bed. Who knows. TODAY he went 4 hours without wanting to eat, but when he DID wake up, he was MAD. He wanted to eat right then. Buttttt... then he only ate a very small bit of it. We woke him up later, because he hadn't eaten in a while and then he ate 4.5 ounces. (Normal is 3-3.5) I don't know what he's doing! Hopefully he will settle into a new routine soon. Its hard to plan my day when I'm unsure of when he's going to want to eat. Since I'm pumping and not breast feeding, I can't just take milk along with me. Oh well...

Breydon has a one month check up on Monday. I hope he's grown, but I KNOW he has. :) He can't fit into his preemie clothes anymore, and is now filling out his newborns quite nicely.

Michael's parents are coming tomorrow to meet Breydon for the first time. HOPEFULLY grumpy gus can be on his best behavior.

Growin' Like a Weed

Breydon had his 3 week weight check up yesterday. He gained a pound and four ounces since LAST Thursday! Now he weighs 6.5lbs. We are excited. This means that he doesn't need formula to help him get more calories, and it means that we can continue giving him breast milk. Since he's gaining so well, the pediatrician decided that she didn't need to see him again until his one month appointment (which by the way, is only a little more than a week away!!). He's staying awake a little longer each time now, and we are getting to see his eyes more. :)

He is excited to meet his other grandparents next weekend, and then his great grandparents the weekend after. ;)

Today is your day! You're off to great places, you're off and away! -Dr. Seuss

Finally, we are home (last Tuesday... or maybe it was Wednesday) after 12 days in the NICU. It was exhausting, and stressful, but the time went quickly. Our nurses and doctors were all wonderful, which really helped!! HOWEVER Im glad that's over, and I hope to never experience that again. :)

Breydon had his first pediatrician appointment on Thursday. He lost a little weight, which apparently is to be expected... but other than that he's a healthy boy! We go back NEXT Thursday just for a weight check. Hopefully we have a gain, or he may have to be formula fed for a while. :( He's taking about 2 ounces every 3 hours.

Im contemplating taking Brey to church on Sunday. His NICU doctor said that we could... we are supposed to be treating him like a normal newborn. My only hesitations are the germs from so many people. I want to show him off, but I don't want people touching him. But my MAIN concern is his monitor. I think Brey would just sleep through church... so his monitor shouldn't screech... but I don't want him to be disruptive. So I guess we shall see.

Breydon is an EXCELLENT baby. He's not fussy at ALL... just gets wiggley when he needs something. Other than that he quietly looks around or sleeps. I love him.

Just Mommy

I have had someone with me here in Fort Wayne up to this point. Until he is discharged Ill be by myself now, just me and Baby Breydon. Time goes faster when there's company.

Breydon did get into a crib last night/early this morning. Now we wait!!

Day 10

I would like to come home.

I don't want to complain, I have SO MUCH to be thankful for, but after 11 days away from home... I'm ready to be done.

Today Breydon is allowed to eat ad lib, which means whenever he's hungry he can eat, and he can eat however much his little heart desires. They put clothes on him, and wrapped him up in a sleep sack. He maintained his temperature ALL DAY until his 8:00p assessment (where he was going to get switched over to a cradle) and the nurse thought he was a LITTLE too cold. So... no crib yet. He has taken all feedings by mouth for about 48 hours now, so thats good! The little guy is strong... he lifts his head off my shoulders and holds it up on his own for quite some time to look at me. I like that. :)

The next things to accomplish are 1. to maintain his temp long enough to move to a cradle...  2. to keep eating from a bottle/maintaining or gaining weight... 3. have a pneumogram done... 4. pass the carseat test.

We have a way to go still.
Pray for us.

Labor/Delivery

I'm finally getting a chance to update this... its been a busy few days!

Ill start with the labor/delivery part of the story...
On Wednesday at 5:00 I was admitted to Labor and Delivery at Dupont Hospital in Ft Wayne. They gave me Cervadil to soften my cervix more, and they checked to see if I was dialated at all. Apparently, when I arrived I was already 1 cm dialated. Soooo... Dr. Wheeler decided that since I was already moving on my own, he would start Pitocin at 9:00. I layed around, and attempted to color (it was hard to color with an IV in my right forearm...) and we waited. At 9:00 Dr. Wheeler came in and broke my water (still at 1 cm). They also started me on the Pit. Around 10:30 the contractions started getting harder, and I got the epidural.  They checked me then, and I was between 1 and 2 cm. The nurse came in about 2 hours later to check me, and she was VERY surprised to find that I was 9 cm!! She told me that if I felt the urge to push to call her back in. I felt it faintly about 3 times, but it was so slight that I felt like I didn't need to call her in. She came rushing in saying she had a "hunch" about 10 min after that. She checked, and we were fully dialated. At that point, we had people RUNNING into the room, getting tools out and everything ready. At about 2:00 am on Thursday people were almost ready... we started pushing. I pushed through 2 contractions, and at 2:14 he was here!! They layed him on me, and suctioned him off and then took him to his bed. They cleaned him up, and helped him breathe a little bit. He was screaming, obviously not a happy camper. He weighed 5 pounds, 6 ounces and was 19 inches long. :) Then they took him away up to the NICU and got him settled. They moved me to my new room and around 4:00 we got to go up and see him again. It was hard... he was hooked up to machines and had wires all over him... but I got sick and asked to go back to my room. I fell asleep... and that was my first night!

Good Baby, Bad Vessel

Doctors appointment went well. He has me going back on Wednesday afternoon and is most likely going to admit me to Labor/Delivery to start getting my cervix ready for labor. He checked it today, and its soft, so thats good. Also, the baby has dropped and is engaged, so thats also good. We have a good shot at a vaginal delivery which we WANT! :) Baby is great, but apparently "the vessel carrying him is not", as Dr. Wheeler says. So... I track my blood pressure over the weekend... get the last necessary items before he's here... clean the house really well... and relax!! Im not on strict bed rest now that we aren't trying to keep me pregnant longer. So I am allowed to enjoy my last weekend without a baby.

APPARENTLY hair loss like I had this morning is "normal". Hearing it was normal doesn't make me feel much better about it, but at least Im not dying. :)

Back we go on Wednesday... and unless I miraculously get better between then and now... we'll be havin' a baby!

A Post Pretty Much About My Hair.

This has been a terrible morning and I need to vent.

Firstly, My blood pressure was in the high 180's this morning. That not only means that going to the doctor is going to be a blast, but that I have a massive headache and get to sit in the car for 2 hours. Yay.

Secondly, and the thing that upsets me the most, is that I lost a large chunk of my hair while getting ready this morning. I washed it, conditioned it, and dried it, all as I normally do. I ran my fingers through my hair, and much to my surprise, and dismay, I had a large chunk of hair in my hand that had all come from the same spot on my head. GREAT! Thats wonderful. Right now my other hair covers it up, but in a few weeks, when my hair grows a little, it will be sticking right out from my head, and I doubt my other hairs are going to be able to mask that, as hard as they try.

Needless to say, its not been a good morning. Im hoping this isn't foreshadowing of the day I have ahead of me. I would like this doctors appointment to go well. I guess we will see.

AGHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!

<<< I just realized that I talk about hair on here quite often.  Breydon's hair, my hair... I promise I'm really not obsessed with hair! >>>   :)

Perfect, Hairy Baby.

We went up to Ft. Wayne today for another check up. We had another Bio Physical Profile done on Breydon (this was the test they did in the end of July that he scored a 6/10 on). I'm assuming that he did better this time, because they didn't wisk us away to labor/delivery like the last time. :) The Tech said he looks amazing and healthy. He is measuring right with his gestational age, and he weighs 4 pounds 9 ounces. I was skeptical about wether or not that was accurate, just by measuring his bones, so I asked. She said that they are usually within a few ounces either way. So Im happy that it looks like we have a 4 pound-ish baby already!! The nurse was laughing about the fact that its maybe a good thing we aren't going full term, since he's already to that weight. I asked that the ultrasound tech take a picture of his hair when they were doing the test... there's even MORE of it than the last time we saw it!! And she said that it went all around his head. HAH! I love that. It makes me verrry happy. :) Just watch him be born bald after all this fuss about his hair.

We go back to Dr. Wheeler on Friday. The midwife I saw today put me on bed rest. Official bed rest. The kind where I can only lay and get up to go to the bathroom. Im not thrilled about that much at all... but hopefully when I see Dr. Wheeler on Friday, HE will tell me that I can go back to doing my normal "modified" bed rest, which meant that I could go places, just not be real active. But as of right now, Im couch or bed ridden. The midwife told us that Dr. Wheeler will probably schedule an induction date Friday, for the following week, or he'll have me come back next week and schedule it then. Either way, it looks like we are getting close to having an induction date set, which makes me very happy. I like to plan and know there's an end in sight. :) Looks like there is!

Paint, Paint, and More Paint

No new baby news... but we have house news!! :) My dad (bless his little heart) has spent the last 4 days there painting... painting... and painting some more! He got the baby's room completely painted, the guest room completely painted and the master completely painted. We LOVE the way it looks!! He did such a good job! I especially love the baby's room. The colors are sooo cute together, and everything will look especially great once the new carpet goes in, in a week or so. Thanks dad!! I know it wasn't the ideal way to spend your vacation. :)

We Get Another Week!

Today's appointment was much like the last one. Still +1 protein in the urine, still high blood pressure, still headaches, ect. Breydon looks very good. Practicing breathing... moving around, hiccuping, good fluid, good tone... we even saw him doing something weird with his lips. It sorta looked like he was making a fish face. Whatever it was, it was cute, and I liked it. :) Today was the second ultrasound in a week, where someone mentioned his hair. Apparently he has enough that its showing up as a fuzzy area around his head! I like that he has hair, but it frightens me that we are only 31 weeks, and he's got enough hair already to be note-worthy on an ultrasound. Oh well, Ill work with whatever he's got. :) For now, all is the same. He's still going to be early, we just don't know how early. Unless things get worse it's looking like he'll be here mid August. He'll be big enough by then that his hospital stay will be short- and he may even get to come home with us!! Time will tell! Hang in there little guy!

Not a Sick Critter.

Today's appointment went really well!
Dr. Wheeler looked at Breydon with an ultrasound, and saw that he was moving much more than Wednesday. He was also making breathing motions today, which they could not get him to do even 2 days before. He's making progress! In Dr. Wheeler speak, my "critter is not sick". For that, we are greatful!

We go back to Ft. Wayne on Tuesday to check up on things again. It looks like we will be going to Ft. Wayne at least once a week to monitor his/my progress. From here on out, I am supposed to be bringing my labor/delivery overnight bag. It COULD BE any time if one of us got sicker. Breydon would be fine, with help. At this point though, he says its a "slow burn"meaning nothing needs to happen instantly. We are giving Brey another couple of weeks to develop, and then they will deliver him mid August for MY health/safety.