January/ Meeting our DAUGHTER!

Sorry, this is going to be another long/wordy post......so much to cover  :-)

 

For New Years Eve we decided to go to Waterville to spend the evening with several of our good friends and stay the night with Justin and Pam. Before we left we had an ultrasound to check my fluid levels, they were dangerously low (5.67 cm), but my doctor wanted me to go home and ULTRA hydrate.... like 160 oz a day to see if it would increase my levels, so I started drinking lots and lots of water!! While I was nervous leaving town, it was MUCH needed to go spend some carefree time playing games, visiting, laughing, and watching the kids play! The next morning Pam (Pamela Grillo Photography) was sweet enough to spend a few hours capturing some amazing maternity/belly photos!! BIG thanks to Pam for these photos: (little did we know just 6 days later we would get to meet the beautiful baby hiding inside this bump)

 

We took pictures with both the boy and girl name but by the time Pam edited them, we already knew "it" was Vanessa!

 

On January 2nd, my fluid levels were up to 7.67 cm, which is still low, but much better! 7.67 was high enough to NOT need to induce (or at least yet....) I was obviously being monitored closely at this point, and while now, looking at a calendar, I was being seen basically every other day, at the time it felt like eons between checkups!

 

 On Monday afternoon, January 6th I went to the clinic to have my NST test done (to check babies heart rate and watch for contractions). During that test I had a decent contraction, and babies heart rate dropped to the 80's from the 130's, which warranted more extensive monitoring, so to the hospital I went (my mom got on the road before my NST test because I was having some bleeding, and we both just had a gut feeling delivery was going to be soon). The first thing they did at the hospital was a biophysical ultrasound, where they are looking for the well being of the baby, they give it a score (kind of like an apgar score, just before they are born). The tech wasn't as talkative this time, and it seemed like she was skimming over things a little faster than usual, but also taking a lot longer to complete it, which I didn't think much of. I realized after the fact, it was because baby wasn't doing well, and she didn't want to freak me out. I had several contractions during the ultrasound, and babies heart rate was d-celling again, but it wasn't recovering (or not within a reasonable time frame). I then went to the Labor and Delivery department to have a 3 hour NST test done. It wasn't until the nurse came in and put in my IV and said that she didn't think Dr. Balam was going to be letting me leave the hospital without a baby, that I realized things weren't good. I started to get nervous at this point!

 

Dr. Balam came in and basically told me that the baby wasn't handling the contractions well, and because of my history (small baby size, low fluid levels and now this, oh yeah and in the ultrasound we caught that the cord was also wrapped around babies neck!) it was time to get baby out. I was only 37 1/2 weeks which made that a hard decision because of the potential complications, but he had consulted with 2 other doctors and they all agreed, it was time to get baby out, the big dilemma was HOW... was it safest to just do a C-section and be done, or could we try to induce and deliver naturally..... Because baby had seemed to calm down and not be D-Celling with contractions when I was laying in the hospital bed, we decided I would stay there overnight and monitor. In the morning we would start labor slowly using Pitocin, and do a contraction stress test. If baby seemed OK, then we would induce and see if we could go the natural way.

 

Tuesday morning at 7 am we started the Pitocin, it took a while before I started to have very many contractions, and I was beginning to get frustrated by noon when I still hadn't progressed past 2 cm. For the most part baby was doing fine, so we kept uping the Pitocin. Connor was able to hang out at the hospital with us until about 1 when he went with my wonderful friend Lisa Grillo (Auntie Lisa to Connor). Here are a few pictures from us just hanging out at the hospital... waiting...

 

 

the amazing sand!!! this has been a life saver.. not just at the hospital.. but at home! he spends hours playing with it.......

 

At about 2 o'clock I decided to try to stand up/squat/kneel on the bed, whatever to get my cervix to open, well baby DID NOT tolerate me being upright, so to the side lying position I went. I decided to try a birth ball between my knees to help "open my pelvis" (I saw it on a You Tube video for Natural Childbirth..... THANK YOU YOUTUBE!!!) Well it worked, my water broke within 10 minutes of having it there, and from 2:30 to 4:30 I went from 2 cm to 10cm, which was a good thing because baby was starting to show a little more distress. I didn't realize it because I was in full blown labor/transitioning to push, but the anesthesiologist was in the room waiting to give me a spinal, and or O.R. was prepped and waiting for me for a C-Section. My Doctor looked at me a said "I think we can get it out in about 3 pushes/10 minutes, what do you think?" I agreed and they sent the anesthesiologist away. Exactly 3 contractions later, with NO pain meds (this was my one big desire this time around) we met our beautiful, healthy, teeny-tiny, full head of red hair GIRL!!! The relief we felt was un-describable (knowing we made the right decision felt amazing)

 

Vanessa Nicole Draggoo was born at 4:50pm weighing 5 lb. 14 oz and was 18 in long.

 

She has us both wrapped around her tiny fingers already!

 

Three generations....

Getting cleaned up and checked out..

Daddy chatting with his little girl! 

Mommy admiring Vanessa, she is SOO small!! (especially after Connor being 7lb 11 oz -2 lbs more and 3 inches longer, she feels like a doll!)

Connor spent most of the day Monday and all of Tuesday afternoon with Auntie Lisa, He came to visit a few hours after she was born, this is the first introduction... he wasn't sure at first, mostly just shy because of the attention, he warmed up to it over the next few hours and is doing GREAT!

Cuddles for "sissy" he also calls her "nessa" :-) most cuddles were quick, but its all a start!

First family photo! Feeling very blessed :-)

This sleeper was HUGE on her!! had to roll the sleeves like 3 times and the neck hole basically was bigger than her head! Needless to say, we ended up buying a few preemie outfits as soon as we left the hospital.. which she wore for about the first week! She's growing very quickly outside.. which just confirms the decision to deliver early. Dr. said something was wrong with my placenta, no way to know exactly what, or why, just that baby wasn't growing well because of it.. they are calling it IUGR... bummer is that if we decide to have another, there is a decent chance it will happen again... :-/

Checking out her tiny toes and fingers... I was amazed at how HUGE Connor looks to me now, his hands and feet especially! He was always our "baby" but now he looks like a full blown big kid!

The outfit we took her home in, the boots were still HUGE... but I couldn't help myself :-)

She didn't like the car seat at first, but she is a binky girl.... (unlike Connor) so that made the car seat doable.....

Vanessa weighed 5lb. 12 oz when we left the hospital, only 2 oz less is AWESOME!! Connor got antsy waiting around for us to be released, so Nana took him home. It was snowing like crazy the day we went home (Wednesday Jan. 8th- they only kept us till she was 24 hrs old), which is about the only snow we've had all winter- of course!

Connor and Nana waiting at home for Mommy, Daddy and Sissy

 

Connor was very excited we were all home!

First family picture at home

 

Connor telling sissy hello.. :-)

He was very excited!

The next morning we introduced the dogs to Vanessa, Daisy, like she was with Connor was very protective, and loving! little mama... She didn't let Duke come anywhere near, and was even nervous about Connor!

holding sissy!

Didn't know it was possible for my heart to hold so much love!

Vanessa's first shower, she wasn't sure at first, but then got very relaxed and didn't seem to mind!

Snuggling with sissy in the morning. Vanessa is 3 days old... This is the day we took her in for a check up, she was right back to birth weight! yeah :-)

Uncle Braden and Jessica came for the weekend to meet Vanessa... Connor was especially fond of extras to play trucks with him! Uncle Clayton was actually in town when Vanessa was born, so he was glad he got to meet her as well. I haven't gotten the pictures of him meeting Vanessa in the hospital from him, i'll add them when I get them.

Cute!!

 

Below are the best pictures I got of Vanessa at about 4 days old:

 

Caught a Smile!! :-)

These are the best 2 of the family pictures we got for now, will continue to take more as she becomes more alert:



 

 

More just hanging out at home:

 



Because of diaper rash and umbilical cord needing air, we did a head massage and tummy time by the fireplace! she was pretty content, she loves being on her tummy anyways!

very alert.. sleeps between 18-22 hrs a day.. when she is awake, she's pretty content and very alert! so far a very easy baby!!

 

Nana Shelly stayed a total of 10 days, she and Connor experimented with making homemade gluten free bread/treats... among the many things they played with and made...

Nana is teaching him to kneed the bread here...

Messy=Fun

Love the alert times, although staring at a sleeping baby is pretty great too :) 

 

Tummy Time! Connor wanted to check it out.... and help keep Nessa entertained...

He drove his police car around and over her, which she didn't mind, even tracked it a few times.

LLOOVVEE her hair!! and its already falling out :-( hoping it comes back the same "tangerine" color (what the nurses called it! and it stuck... tangerine is the perfect description)

Nana went home Thursday the 16th, this is right before she left. She was a TON of help as usual!! with meals, cleaning and entertaining Connor... THANKS Nana!!

the little things I don't want to forget! Her HAIR!

teeny tiny face... love the bubbles :-)

We watched Carson and Delaney for a few hours, well they more so came and took Connor off our hands for a few hours! Delaney would have watched Vanessa the whole time if we'd have let her! The kids had a ton of fun together :-)

 

Will have lots more pictures to come very soon! Thanks for looking :-)