Surprise...She's Here!

Well, the plan did not go as planned. Madison Grace decided to come a little early...35 weeks, 4 days. My water broke at 2:30am on Wednesday night so we drove 90 to get over here in time. I labored all day with the help of Pitocin but this just didn't go smoothly. My mom and Bryan's folks came right over and stayed with us all day as I labored off and on all day. Derek and Carly also made the trip over and Derek gave me a very nice blessing, which helped calm us down and regained our hope amidst the shock that this was happening a month early. Maddie began showing distress right before 10:00 pm and I was rushed into the OR for an emergency C-section (the umbilical cord had prolapsed and was coming down first). Dr. Suzanne Peterson & Dr. Nathan performed the C-section, luckily one of the first things they learn is what to do in case of a prolapsed cord...keep it from getting compressed by the babies head! Thanks to Dr. Nathan, he did just that by riding on the gourney with me!

At 10:07 pm, March 13th, she arrived, weighing 5 lbs 14 oz. and was 19.5 inches long. She is doing wonderful- breathing on her own, her prostaglandin IV is in (which helps her heart function until her surgery) and she was sent to Children's last night, with Daddy going along in the ambulance with her. I was able to see her and even "half-way" hold her before she left. She's absolutely beautiful and pretty fiesty already. She is just being monitored in the NICU at Children's for the next couple of days. Maddie handled all of this chaos very well and her lungs are showing maturity (even being a few weeks early). Apgar scores were first a 3 then 9. We've already fallen more in love with her and are very impressed with how she's taking to life outside the womb. I'm still here at University of Washington Medical Center (Seattle) hopefully will get released tomorrow sometime if I can pass all of the "tests". I'm doing good, just very tired and sore. The past 36 hours have been very eventful, so we're still getting our minds wrapped around all of this. Since I'm confined to the bed, I had time to announce our little girl and ask that you continue to pray for our precious baby.

Nesting

It's been awhile since I've last posted...really no changes around here. Just CLEANING and PROJECTS! Funny how when you're pregnant, that nesting bug hits you. I've been infected with it over the past month. Maddie doesn't have a bedroom, so hers is the corner of our room: a nursery nook. My mom came out Monday and we tackled painting my bedroom (she did most of the work) and over the weekend, I tiled our hall bathroom with linoleum stick-on tiles! Nothing like waiting until the last month of my pregnancy to complete these jobs that have been on my "to do" list for a year! As for the pregnancy, it's going well. I'm getting big, going weekly to my doctor in Moses Lake for Non-Stress tests and weekly appointment. Our next appointment in Seattle is Mar. 24th. If I show some "change" and baby looks ready, the induction will probably be scheduled. The doctors have always talked about inducing between 37-39 weeks, which would be the earliest in 2 weeks! I am feeling like it will be somewhere around that first week of April. I turn 30 that week, so who knows, maybe we'll share the same b-day. The little boys are getting excited. They know that their "vacation" is starting when mommy goes to have Maddie: staying with grandparents, aunts and uncles, being entertained to the highest and getting to do almost whatever they please! What every preschooler and toddler dreams of! I hope they'll want to come back home and live here when we get home with Maddie- Makes me a little nervous. All in all, we're hanging in there and just starting to count the days down. Spring is finally here and with that comes hope and renewal. Maddie couldn't be arriving at a more perfect time of year. We're nervous yet getting very excited to meet our little angel. Coming soon...a picture of Maddie's corner!

Baby Shower for Miss Maddie

The term, "I'm tickled PINK" says it all! My wonderful sister-in-laws, best friend Carly and aunt Kerry threw such a fun baby shower, open house style, for Maddie on March 1st. The guests included just family and a few of the grandma's closest friends. Let's say that she's set!!! Outfits for all occasions and accessories too! Little girls are so much fun!

Weekend of fun

We went up to Coeur d' Alene for a fun family weekend at the Holiday Inn's Raptor Reef. It's an indoor water park plus lots of stuff to do for kids. It was fun with Derek & Carly's family, as well as Chriss & Jerry and kids. Our boys always enjoy spending time with the "big cousins". Although I was hesitant on going, I'm so glad we did. It was nice to get away and get my mind on something other than worrying about what's to come with the baby. The little boys loved it. Jace went down the "big" slides with dad and Caden enjoyed getting splashed in the kids zone area. What a little fish he is!

Maddie's 4-D Photo

We had our follow-up appointments in Seattle yesterday- what a busy day. This was our 4-D ultrasound and she wasn't very cooperative! If you take away her "placenta hat", the umbilical cord, and extra fluid, you can make out what her face will "kindof" look like! We think that she's darling...but all parents think that, don't they? Things are getting cramped in there which make it harder to get a clear picture.

I'll be 32 weeks tomorrow and after our consult with our perinatologist, Dr. Cheng, we may be delivering earlier than I had thought. It's crucial in Maddie's case that they have their team together and ready to roll when she's born...so therefore, this will be well-planned. At 37 weeks, we have an option to go over and Dr. Cheng would do an amniocentisis (which is not harmful or risky at this stage of pregnancy) to withdraw some amniotic fluid and check this for her lung development...amazing what they can find in the fluid. If her lungs are matured, then we could go ahead with induction in the next day or two. We also have an option on just "camping out" over there around 37-38 weeks and letting labor happen on its own. But...this also adds another 1-3 weeks of stay in Seattle before her arrival! So we do have options, always taking into account where is it best for Maddie to "live" at the time...in me or out. We feel very confident in our doctors...a team of around 15 will be there when she is born! Wow...this takes the private part out of delivering for us! But we'll do what we need to do for our baby girl's sake. After she's born, she will be watched very closely at the U of W Hospital (where I'll deliver) before being transfered to Children's. I'm so excited to learn that I'll get to spend some time with her before she's moved. The doctors want to make this as low-key and "normal" as possible and have told us that most babies born with a condition like hers are pink and crying and look/act normal (thanks to the ductus in their heart that stays open with IV's). Troubles can arise, but in most cases, you wouldn't be able to tell right away that she's a CHD baby. So...I'm looking forward to this yet really scared when I think of all that is going to take place. Glad I have a few weeks to let it sink in.

Our cardiology appointment was a little disappointing for me. For some reason, I thought they'd find some major change in her little heart. What they found was the same...no changes, she still has a small right ventricle, her pulmonary valve is not opening and her tricuspid valve to her right ventricle is measuring smaller than normal which means she is what our doc called a "tweener" for a 2-ventricle procedure (using the heart like it's intended with some repair of a balloon catheterization) or a 1-ventricle procedure (open-heart surgery after birth with a B-T shunt, which means bypassing the right side of her heart entirely for it won't ever be able to function). The later being much more risky and evasive. They can't really determine which one she'll need until she's here. We're so blessed with our cardiologist, Dr. Vernon. She's a real kind, amazing woman who's also expecting, we found out yesterday! Must be scary for her to diagnose prenatal heart defects everyday and be pregnant herself. What she knows can go wrong compared to the rest of us. So, we're doing fine. We just have to stay positive, and we have the reassurance that there is something they can do for her. We're also thankful that they didn't find anything else wrong yesterday, yeah! Now just a lot to think about and plan for, our count down is now 5-6 weeks left until we become hospital residents!

My Little Family

Since we don't have any pictures of Maddie yet...I thought I'd post a photo of her biggest fans. This is our most recent family picture. One thing I've learned through all of this is to not take anything for granted. I am cherishing each and every day we have together and so very thankful for my little family. The boys truly make my day in some way, every day. Funny how a 2 and 4 year old can make you look at life in such a different light. Maddie is so lucky to have Jace and Caden as her big brothers...she's going to be one protected little girl!

FYI- We go over to Seattle for a full-day of appointments on Friday, February 15th. I'm looking forward to it, have a "book" written of questions to ask the doctors and really hope we'll get a good 4D ultrasound of our baby girl!

It's National Heart Month

Well, February is here. The month of January seemed to drag on, especially with the winter we've been having...although we can't be happier for it warming up and starting to thaw. Of course I've been reading a lot on Maddie's heart condition. There is so much to take in. I've found it "somewhat" comforting to know and prepare myself for this. Although after reading countless stories of babies with similar defects, I find it hard to sleep and keep pondering on the "what if's". Lately, it's been difficult to accept this and I find myself asking the question, why? But this really gets me no where, except down. Staying positive and having faith are 2 things that I am constantly working on. Some exciting news...our lives were touched yesterday by the birth of Andy & Danyel's baby girl...Jillian Lee! A girl cousin for Maddie, yeah! She's a little lovie.

Through my research, I've found that February is National Heart Month and Congenital Heart Defects (CHD) Awareness Week is February 7th-14th. Now that we have been touched by a heart defect, these two causes are important and now mean something to me. Very sad that I never realized this existed before or ever even thought of a heart defect affecting us. So, I found this poem and would like to share it for February:heart month.

Valentines Day is celebrated with hearts of every kind,
There's paper hearts and chocolate hearts and hearts that speak our minds
It is a day to express our love, from deep inside our soul,
To acknowledge loved ones in our life and let our feelings show.
Now this day, will be special, in yet another way,
It's been proclaimed, in many states, CHD Awareness Day.
On this day we honor those born with their heart broken,
The world will know of their plight, silent thoughts now spoken.
We will remember loved ones, lost to CHD.
In our souls and in our hearts, forever they will be.
To those who continue the fight each day we are filled with admiration,
Your courage, faith and love for life deserve this celebration.
We also want to recognize, honor and give praise,
To those who keep our hopes alive with their kind and caring ways.
The nurses, doctors, and researchers are part of this day too,
For many hearts that still beat on, we give our thanks to you.
A day of hearts it truly is, hearts of red and gold,
Now add to it a brand new symbol, another heart to hold.
Please remember on this day, those with hearts not perfect,
And everyone who loves someone, with a congenital heart defect.
by Dolly Lee

Very touching and gives a new meaning to Valentine's Day for me. Also, here's a few facts on CHD:

- Sometimes during early pregnancy, a baby's heart fails to form properly, resulting in structural abnormalities known as Congenital Heart Defects. Although some defects are genetic, in many cases the cause is unknown.

-It is estimated that 40,000 babies with Congenital Heart Defects (CHD) are born in the United States each year (about 8 in 1,000 births).

-CHD is the most common occurring birth defect and are the #1 cause of birth defect related deaths. For 1 in 10 babies born with a heart defect, it's a fatal heart defect.

If you're interested in finding more out about Congenital Heart Defects, visit some of the links posted at the bottom of our blog.