Hospital? Again...

Yes you read that correctly!

The morning of June 20 I noticed Emery felt warm. I took her temperature. 100.3. Not good. We headed straight to the doctor. MAN I LOVE MY INTUITION. There it was 100.4 rectally. Then came the words we have to send you over to the ER. I was alone with Emery. I started to cry. No! Why me? Why us? Have we not been through enough! Has my week hospital stay, my sons week NICU stay and my daughter's death not been enough?!

Right away we went to the hospital. THANK GOD my sister in law just HAPPENED to be in town helping us, and THANK GOD my brother had decided to take Carter and my sister in law to the zoo that day. IRONIC how things play out!

At the ER Emery, had a spinal tap, and numerous pokes and prods, chest xrays. Really anything you name it. It is pretty much protocol for any infant under 3 months of age. We had to step out of the room for the spinal tap, and I try not to think about if she was in pain, because I know it had to be done.

I was a MESS to say the least. Cried my eyes out. Its very hard to know your child at such a young age is ill and not know why. It was a very scary time for me and bought back a lot of memories.

They needed to run 48 hours worth of blood cultures to see if anything grew since they were not finding the root of her fever, and until then we were admitted to the Children's Ward and started right away on two different antibiotics for her fever. I stayed with her the first night and my husband stayed with her the second.

After the first day we were told her urine tested positive for a UTI infection. The next step we would take is to have a ultrasound done of her kidneys.  The ultrasound showed that her left kidney has MILD enlargement. With all her other symptoms, our peditrician is unfortunately pretty confident that she had Kidney Reflux Disease.

Kidney Reflux is where your pee can go back into kidney instead of out, causing of course bacterial infections. Kidney reflux disease has five stages. They are all treatable and worst case scenario surgery is required. They can also grow out of it. This would mean Emery will get frequent high fevers and infections and need to be on constant antibiotic. 

Our next step is to have a VCUG test done. It is done as a outpatient with a catheter after she has had no fever for 24 hours and negative culture, meaning the infection is gone. This will take place in a few days, as again she has to be fever free and no infection at the time of the test.  The test involves a catheter (hollow tube) is placed in the urethra (tube that drains urine from the bladder to the outside of the body) and the bladder is filled with a liquid dye. X-ray images will be taken as the bladder fills and empties. The images will show if there is any reverse flow of urine into the ureters and kidneys,' which can indicate that your child has vesicoureteral reflux. (And in Emery's case since we KNOW she has reflux...the severity of hers) I believe she can be sedated for this. I don't even want to think about the discomfort for her.

We will see a urologist as soon as we can of course.

This IS a condition that she can grow out of. She can also need surgery. It all depends on the results of the VCUG. It does not make this any easier. No one likes to have something medically wrong with their child or know they may be in pain. All we an do is hope this is mild and hope to be fever free for the next month so we steer clear of hospital.

This is a lot of information for us to take in. With me having just delivered and having blood pressure issues and with a two year old in speech therapy who will be starting school in September and hopefully potty training in August!  Its a lot! I hope we can get through these next few months with no ER visits for Emery!

 

Arrival of Emery

This is Emery's Birth story. In depth with pictures. I like to document all my children's births. The good, the bad and the ugly.

I hit 37 weeks on June 7! FULL TERM. Something a loss Mom AND preemie Mom LOVES to hear!

The evening of June 10th I took my blood pressure while watching "The Bachelorette" I got a 143/93. Anything Preeclamptic is considered 140/90 with two consecutive readings. 20 minutes later I took it again and got right around the same reading. My call in numbers are 140/90 and being so close I decided to call my on call doctor, who in return had me go right to Labor and Delivery for monitoring. While there my pressures were pretty normal. I did have two higher readings, and with that they decided to keep me overnight.

The night was uneventful, full of low blood pressures. I did however have 1+ protein in my urine and blood. That CAN be normal. With my history there really is no "normal" Everything has a red flag attached to it especially when your full term high risk!

That next morning the Maternal Fetal Medicine Doctor came in and said they wanted to induce me being that I was 37 weeks 4 days. With my history, and emotionally what I have gone through in the past, no one wanted to chance anything. It was decided! We would meet Emery!

Around 8 am the induction began and by 10 they went ahead and broke my bag of waters, I was only 1cm and 20% effaced. Let me tell you how painful having your bag of water broken when your only 1 cm dilated! OUCH! My contractions by 1pm were intolerable. There was only one problem. Every time I was checked I was STILL only at 1 cm! How could that be possible? No way was I getting a epidural at 1 cm! What if it wore off by 10! I was 5 cm with Carter when I got one! I tried to wait but my contractions were long, hard and VERY painful. I began to cry through each contraction. They offered me a drug called Stadol. Anyone who knows me knows that I have every reaction in the book to most pain medications. Why did I think this drug would be different? The stadol was scary, outer body experience...felt like a elephant was sitting on my chest, that and it felt like I was very drunk. I couldn't move my body felt like lead. It took about an hour to wear off. When it wore off I told the nurse I would never do that again and I needed an epidural. The anesthesiologist was fantastic. Walked me through everything. It was actually the least painful epidural out of all three I have had! So thankful for that, and him!

Then it all went fast from there. Around 645 a L&D nurse (who we shall name T) who happens to be one of my very good clients (as well as a loss Mom of triplets) came in to visit me and we chatted a bit! I kept feeling major pressure. The pressure was intense and I could swear something had to be happening! The nurse came in to check me and immediately looked over to T and said could you check her for me? All I
was thinking was I am going to need a section and I bet I am only dilated to a 1. T looked at me and said with tears your complete! Immediately I started crying!  It was now 7 pm. I told the nurses I wanted to push and of course I had to wait for the doctor. Who arrived at 7:30. A few pushes and E was born at 7:48!

 

I cried through the whole delivery. She was here, she was healthy, she was ALIVE. She was a she! Something I never thought I would get a chance at again. I was scared my shot as a girl was lost after Cara. I am so very blessed. 

After delivery things got a tad scary for me. This is how I know my body is done.  Delivering the placenta it broke apart inside of me. This can be cause for infection or need to be surgically removed. The Doctor was able to manually remove it. That was more painful than delivery. I started to shake, literally it was out of my control. I developed a fever within a half an hour of delivery. The fever lasted till the next day and after two rounds of antibiotics it was gone. The fact the placenta fell apart inside me could have mean it was weakened. The fact that I had a sub chronic hemorrhage when I was 7 weeks pregnant did put me at risk of a placental abruption. The mother and or the baby can die if a placental abrpution occurs. It is considered an emergency situation. I am so lucky. Emery is so lucky. My doctor came in the day after delivery and told me how happy they were I came in and they were able to get me delivered before anything happened. I am so glad my fever went away and everything is fine now. For the most part.

Here comes the next issue. The day after discharge at home I started to get higher blood pressure readings. The fact that I developed HELLP Syndrome 5 days after delivering Cara did not make me feel good about the fact my pressures were starting to rise. I went to the doctor and was diagnosed with Hypertension, and put on medication. I will be seen weekly. As of now I do not have ANY preeclamptic symptoms and I am not in the clear of that for 6 weeks but I am confident that this is just taking my body a while to adjust from the placenta spilling its contents inside of me.

My anxiety is sky high. I suppose being on Zoloft after delivering Carter really did help. HOWEVER I will never subject my body to that. The withdraws were horrible! Emery's delivery was a tad scary for me afterwards, and now knowing I have to watch for post partum PE ON TOP of having high pressures and being on medication now is even more scary!

I know in my heart that in the end I will be ok! I am blessed with a beautiful daughter!!!

FULL TERM!

Today thats what I am!!!

I am so excited! I am also very anxious to meet Emery!


I have gained 32 lbs! No more headaches anymore! I switched over to my heparin injections twice daily and ever since I seem to have no headaches...maybe attributed to Lovenox? Who knows! On Prevacid for heartburn so I can actually drink my coffee again!

I am 1 cm dialated as of 36 weeks, today I will find out how much more! FINGERS CROSSED! My last day at the salon is Saturday! This is all happening so fat but I am SO ready!!!

 ALSO MY SISTER IN LAW IS IN LABOR AS WE SPEAK AND I WILL BE A FIRST TIME AUNTIE TODAY!! So excited! 

36 weeks!

I have a date!!! WOO HOO! June 21 will be my induction date! If I make it to 39 weeks. I have been contracting on and off and have weekly NST's now so we shall see! I am blessed to still be working!!!

I have officially gained 30 lbs! I am having hardly any headaches and my blood pressure has suddenly dropped to my normal again! No complaints here!!!

My brother's partner is a FANTASTIC photographer and took our maternity pictures. Here are a few!

 

Are they not amazing!? 

I have been so busy lately with my two if not  three appointments a week now and Carter's speech therapy! Its nuts I am ALWAYS in the car! I am blessed that my little man is so patient and loving.