Gabriel Arlo King arrived on Friday, November 30th at 5:08 a.m. weighing in at 5lbs. 2 oz. and stretching out at 19 1/4 inches long. Here's a brief overview of his story and of course the pictures!
BEDREST: About three weeks before Gabe was born I was put on bed rest because I was retaining fluid and my blood pressure was rising. During that time, my Dr. noted that I was measuring small and ordered ultrasounds to check his size. Two weeks of ultrasounds showed that Gabriel was not gaining well and so an appointment with a perinatologist was scheduled to thoroughly look at the situation.
PERINATOLOGIST APPOINTMENT: On November 29th we went to see the perinatologist (she came to our Dr's office). During the exam we could tell that she was concerned. After stepping out of the room to "run the numbers" she returned to have us meet with our OB that day vs. Monday. Both our OB and the Perinatologist agreed that I needed to be induced NOW vs. waiting and so after much disbelief we were handed our walking papers and made our way to labor and delivery to begin the induction.
LABOR DAY: Labor day has taken on a new meaning for me and it has nothing to do with that fabulous holiday that people get off work at the beginning of September. Let me just say that after taking all the classes and packing our bags back in October that we were still not prepped for our time in the hospital. A series of phone calls were made and within the hour we had everything we needed including videos, pillows, and labor coaches. The first part of my labor went well. Jeremey, Debbie, and Jodi coached me like champs as I made my way to 2 cm. At this point my blood pressure was rising and an epidural was the suggested cure. Dr. Pham the anesthesiologist was hilarious (maybe too funny for a man that is shoving a needle in your back and telling you not to move). His art is to give the epidural, eliminating the pain, but leaving you able to move your legs. I was his masterpiece as it worked like a charm. From the time that I got the epidural I rested and anticipated the arrival of my parents who were able to fly out shortly after we called. I dilated well and was surprised at how well I knew my body...especially when I reached 10 cm...I just knew.
TIME STANDS STILL: Before I pushed I was told that it was likely that it would be two hours of pushing so I got my instructions well in order from the nurse as to how to effectively push and then we began. I made it through one contraction (you get three pushes with each contraction) and was told to stop because Gabriel was crowning and the Dr. was yet to arrive. Our guesstimates are that it took nearly half-hour for the Doctor. During this time I asked whether the nurses could simply deliver but Gabe was doing well so they wanted to wait. By the time the Dr. arrived Gabriel was in distress. His heart rate was dropping and not recovering well. My Dr. decided to cut me and vacuum him out to move him quickly. When he came out he was gray and making no sounds or movement. An entire team assembled in the delivery room to revive our son who was not breathing. Within 3 minutes we heard his first cry. There is so much I could say here but it is still very fresh and painful. A conversation for another time.
WAITING: Because of the need for me to recover, Jeremey followed Gabe to the NICU and I waited in my labor room for nearly three hours. During that time I cried, prayed, and cherished the updates that returned from my family, nurses, and the neonatologist (who was sweet enough to pay me a personal visit). I was also given a picture of my son to hold. As soon as the shift changed, my nurse wheeled me down to get a glimpse of my son. Technically, they weren't ready for us yet but my nurse sensed the need for me to see my baby. Gabriel's respiratory trauma drew from all of his systems to protect his heart and brain. One of the areas that is affected is the stomach and so a careful introduction of food was set underway. We were so thankful that all of his tests came back well including his lung scan and neurological examination.
POSTPARTUM: During my stay in the hospital I was able to wheel or walk down to see Gabe in the NICU. Our good friends Diane and Kristin were my nurses so of course my care was amazing. On Sunday mid-morning I was discharged by one of the on-call Dr.'s---feeling well but showing a high blood pressure.
MONDAY: During my stay in the hospital and my first night at home I suffered from heart palpitations and nightmares. I thought I was simply stressed. Sunday night I had noted that my feet had swollen to the point of cuffing around my ankles (something I had never had during pregnancy) After the first feeding on Monday, I mentioned to Jeremey and my mom that I was short of breathe while walking, still swollen, and had gone to bed the night before with palpitations. We decided it was best to see my OB and made an afternoon appointment. Fortunately, my body decided to let me know that it could not wait and on our way to Gabe's next feeding my mom and I rushed to the building next door to see my doctor. She took one look at me and had me wheeled to the ER. There they gave me oxygen and began running tests to determine the cause. After an ultrasound, a pulmonary embolism was ruled out but the CT scan did not come back as well. It showed that I had fluid building around my heart and lungs. I was immediately hooked up with a catheter and given Lasix to drain the fluid. All the while my blood pressure continued to rise. The on-call doctor in the ER decided to admit me for further tests. Unfortunately, she and the nurse threw out terms like "congestive heart failure" and "cardiomyopathy"...both of which I was familiar and both that sent waves of fear through me.
PRAYER: I had hit the end of my rope and simply wanted prayer. Karen and Dave (two prayer warriors from our church) came to the hospital that night and covered my health, my nightmares, my son, my family. They prayed specifically and boldly. Let me just say, I woke up feeling encouraged, rested from a night without my dreams terrorizing me and ready to face my tests. The good news came...my echocardiogram showed that the fluid had left my heart and all was working as it should. The lung x-ray came back showing just two small pockets of fluid left under my lungs. I was discharged on Tuesday evening with blood pressure medication and a new diet (no more than 2 grams of sodium per day). Not only did my body heal but during this time our son continued to make strides in his weight and eating. Thank you, Thank you to all of you who have been praying for us!
NICU: The staff caring for our son in the NICU was incredible. They loved him so well--we can't wait to bring him back for visits as he grows. We continued through the week to go for his feedings and marveled with the staff at his progress. During that time, he became their little baby doll and we fell more and more in love with him each day.
GOING HOME: Thursday morning, December 6th we got the best call a parent could wish for...our baby was ready to come home! We made a mad dash through the house, learned how to install our car seat, and drove (fast but carefully...smile) to the hospital to pick him up.
SLEEPY: So you thought newborns were the ones that simply eat, sleep, and poop...well we have found out that this is all new parents are able to do as well. Thankfully my mom has been able to stay on to get us settled. We adore our son including his sweet cry and cuddly nature. A HUGE PRAISE that he is here and doing very well. Tomorrow we make our way to our first pediatrician appointment...Gabe's first outing!
For those of you still wondering how to specifically pray here are a few requests: Continued growth and health for Gabe, increased milk production for breastfeeding, and that my pregnancy-induced high blood pressure would not be a permanent condition.
Love to each of you!
Michelle and Jeremey
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