Gosh where to start with his little bio.....I was pregnant, didn't know what the heck to expect, only saw what people in my family had been through. The only preemie was my cousin, Gerard and I only vaguely remember that because I was about 5 when he was born. Not only are 5 year olds caught up in their own world but I think our family shielded us from a lot....I mean, hey, I WAS only 5!! But I digress....
Here I am, pregnant, thinking everything is going ok. And it was until about week 18 or so. I went to the Doctor and got carted off to the hospital. I was discharged, still not knowing what was happening and a few days later, the nurse called me to tell me that I was now considered "high risk" and they were sending me to a specialist. Something to do with blood pressure. So I dutifully went to my appointments, my blood pressure kept creeping up, the headaches were horrible. I had a few episodes where my eyes would blur and I couldn't focus at all. I still had no idea what was happening. The perinatologist told me I had a mild case of pre-eclampsia. I spent what would be left of the 3rd trimester peeing in jugs and running them back and forth to the hospital.
On March 25, 2004, I went to the Doctor for yet another check up and was sent home to rest and was told to come back in the morning. I did that and Friday, March 26, I went back and was sent back to the hospital. I was monitored for blood pressures and contractions. None were showing on the montior so they sent me home, which was just as well, because I had plans to go to dinner with my pal, Katherine that night. We were going to the Chimes and who could pass up the boudin balls??? I mean, really. I was pretty uncomfortable in that chair and had to cut my dinner short. We made it back to the house, where I started spotting a bit and the back pain was pretty painful. I called the Dr and they told me to take a Tylenol PM with a big glass of water and if it was bad in the morning, to come in. I did that, slept fine and got up the next morning, feeling about the same as I had the night before. My beloved cat, Chloe had a vet appointment that morning so I decided to take her in. I also had to deliver yet another pee jug to the hospital. I asked Mike to drive me and he
said he had yardwork to do and if I felt bad, to pull over and he'd come get me. I ran all the errands and was feeling pretty awful by the time I got home. I spent the rest of the day crying on the couch. I couldn't get comfortable and Mike was giving me the evil eye because I was just lying there, not cleaning (you have to know Mike to appreciate that!!!!). At about 5pm, I'd had enough. I called the Dr back and they told me to come in. I told Mike that either he was bringing me or I was calling 911. He grumped around some more, took a shower, then as he was putting on his shoes, had the nerve to ask me if I wanted to try to take another Tylenol and hold off til the morning. I think I called him some bad names because he gave me the silent treatment the entire ride to the hospital.
When I went in, the nurse started monitoring for contractions and none were showing up. Mike was GLARING at me. But I was in pain. I knew something wasn't right. After the nurse gave me a manual exam, she ran out, called the specialist and came back in to inform us that not only was I 100% effaced, but 5 cm dilated as well. There was no stopping the labor. I was only 33 weeks along! I wasn't supposed to be in labor! I was wheeled up to the L&D floor and Mike called our families.
I had to have a steroid shot to improve Grant's lungs. That meant holding off the labor for 12 hours. It was a LONG night.....Katherine wore my robe because it was freezing in the room, My dad got a kidney stone, My father in law had a pinched nerve in his back, the baby's heartrate kept dropping....you get the point.
At around 6:30 the Dr came in to pull the drug that was stopping the labor and he broke what was left of my water. ( I had a leak!) Within an hour, I had progressed completely and was wheeled into an operating room. If something went wrong, they had a sterile environment to work on me or the baby. I was so scared, I didn't know what the heck to do. I was so drugged up, I couldn't even feel the contractions. The nurse had to tell me when to push. Mike and my mom were there, helping me along. I had a pedicure the weekend before so at least my toes looked great and everyone commented on how nice they looked. At 7:20, Grant was born. He was a heifer for his gestational age, something we'd be VERY grateful for later on. He was 5 pounds, 6 ounces and 19 inches long. I don't remember much but Mike says I got to kiss him before he was rushed off to the NICU.
I spent a while in recovery and was finally brought to my room. My dad was the only one who was there when I got there!!! Everyone else was down with Grant, who was still unnamed at this time. I refused to name him until I saw him with my own eyes, which wouldn't happen for a while longer. Without getting too gory, I'll just say I had a clotting issue and ended up passing out on top of a tiny nurse in the small bathroom. I came to in a pool of blood with lots of people staring at me. That put my little trip to the NICU off for a few more hours.
At the shift change, I made my night nurse feel so bad that she let me go down to see the baby...FINALLY!!!! I promised her I wouldn't even try to get out of the chair. I saw Grant for the first time at about 10:30 that night.
At this point, I was still naive enough to think he was coming home with us. Mike even brought the stroller to the hospital and put it together while keeping me company. He put the rest of the baby's room together and everything!
Then we got some bad news. Grant wouldn't be coming home with us. He had sepsis, a blood infection. He had to stay on antibiotics and all his feedings were cancelled. To get sprung from the NICU, you had to eat freely from the bottle for 2 consecutive days, along with maintaining a temperature in an open crib, neither of which he was even close to doing. I cannot express the pain that I felt, leaving that hospital and leaving Grant there. Unless you have done it, You don't know what it's like. I felt awful.
The NICU stay dragged on and on, ups and downs; it was a true rollercoaster ride. We heard so many different things. He had sepsis 2 separate times, he had suspected NEC (basically a condition in which the intestines kill themseleves off). We were told they thought he has Hirshsprung's Disease (another intestinal thing...missing sections of the little "movers" that move things along through there) He had a spinal tap because they thought he had meningititis. It was never ending. As soon as we'd get good news, we'd get horrible news the next day. We finally had some people from the Blessed Father Ceelos Center come in with a first class relic and prayed over him. He was home 2 days later. Miracle? In my opinion, absolutely. We did end up going back to the hospital for another week after he spent a week home for another round of sepsis but other than that, we've stayed out ever since, knock on wood!!!
Now, he's had a ton of childhood things..ear infections, ear tubes, rotovirus, hand foot and mouth, roseola, and the newest is that he's allergic to a lot of foods, so we've had to adjust his little diet down to very little.
But that's Grant's story. He put us through the ringer but it's all worth it. I don't know what I'd do without that little man!!!
Here I am, pregnant, thinking everything is going ok. And it was until about week 18 or so. I went to the Doctor and got carted off to the hospital. I was discharged, still not knowing what was happening and a few days later, the nurse called me to tell me that I was now considered "high risk" and they were sending me to a specialist. Something to do with blood pressure. So I dutifully went to my appointments, my blood pressure kept creeping up, the headaches were horrible. I had a few episodes where my eyes would blur and I couldn't focus at all. I still had no idea what was happening. The perinatologist told me I had a mild case of pre-eclampsia. I spent what would be left of the 3rd trimester peeing in jugs and running them back and forth to the hospital.
On March 25, 2004, I went to the Doctor for yet another check up and was sent home to rest and was told to come back in the morning. I did that and Friday, March 26, I went back and was sent back to the hospital. I was monitored for blood pressures and contractions. None were showing on the montior so they sent me home, which was just as well, because I had plans to go to dinner with my pal, Katherine that night. We were going to the Chimes and who could pass up the boudin balls??? I mean, really. I was pretty uncomfortable in that chair and had to cut my dinner short. We made it back to the house, where I started spotting a bit and the back pain was pretty painful. I called the Dr and they told me to take a Tylenol PM with a big glass of water and if it was bad in the morning, to come in. I did that, slept fine and got up the next morning, feeling about the same as I had the night before. My beloved cat, Chloe had a vet appointment that morning so I decided to take her in. I also had to deliver yet another pee jug to the hospital. I asked Mike to drive me and he
said he had yardwork to do and if I felt bad, to pull over and he'd come get me. I ran all the errands and was feeling pretty awful by the time I got home. I spent the rest of the day crying on the couch. I couldn't get comfortable and Mike was giving me the evil eye because I was just lying there, not cleaning (you have to know Mike to appreciate that!!!!). At about 5pm, I'd had enough. I called the Dr back and they told me to come in. I told Mike that either he was bringing me or I was calling 911. He grumped around some more, took a shower, then as he was putting on his shoes, had the nerve to ask me if I wanted to try to take another Tylenol and hold off til the morning. I think I called him some bad names because he gave me the silent treatment the entire ride to the hospital.When I went in, the nurse started monitoring for contractions and none were showing up. Mike was GLARING at me. But I was in pain. I knew something wasn't right. After the nurse gave me a manual exam, she ran out, called the specialist and came back in to inform us that not only was I 100% effaced, but 5 cm dilated as well. There was no stopping the labor. I was only 33 weeks along! I wasn't supposed to be in labor! I was wheeled up to the L&D floor and Mike called our families.
I had to have a steroid shot to improve Grant's lungs. That meant holding off the labor for 12 hours. It was a LONG night.....Katherine wore my robe because it was freezing in the room, My dad got a kidney stone, My father in law had a pinched nerve in his back, the baby's heartrate kept dropping....you get the point.
At around 6:30 the Dr came in to pull the drug that was stopping the labor and he broke what was left of my water. ( I had a leak!) Within an hour, I had progressed completely and was wheeled into an operating room. If something went wrong, they had a sterile environment to work on me or the baby. I was so scared, I didn't know what the heck to do. I was so drugged up, I couldn't even feel the contractions. The nurse had to tell me when to push. Mike and my mom were there, helping me along. I had a pedicure the weekend before so at least my toes looked great and everyone commented on how nice they looked. At 7:20, Grant was born. He was a heifer for his gestational age, something we'd be VERY grateful for later on. He was 5 pounds, 6 ounces and 19 inches long. I don't remember much but Mike says I got to kiss him before he was rushed off to the NICU.
I spent a while in recovery and was finally brought to my room. My dad was the only one who was there when I got there!!! Everyone else was down with Grant, who was still unnamed at this time. I refused to name him until I saw him with my own eyes, which wouldn't happen for a while longer. Without getting too gory, I'll just say I had a clotting issue and ended up passing out on top of a tiny nurse in the small bathroom. I came to in a pool of blood with lots of people staring at me. That put my little trip to the NICU off for a few more hours.
At the shift change, I made my night nurse feel so bad that she let me go down to see the baby...FINALLY!!!! I promised her I wouldn't even try to get out of the chair. I saw Grant for the first time at about 10:30 that night.
At this point, I was still naive enough to think he was coming home with us. Mike even brought the stroller to the hospital and put it together while keeping me company. He put the rest of the baby's room together and everything!
Then we got some bad news. Grant wouldn't be coming home with us. He had sepsis, a blood infection. He had to stay on antibiotics and all his feedings were cancelled. To get sprung from the NICU, you had to eat freely from the bottle for 2 consecutive days, along with maintaining a temperature in an open crib, neither of which he was even close to doing. I cannot express the pain that I felt, leaving that hospital and leaving Grant there. Unless you have done it, You don't know what it's like. I felt awful.
The NICU stay dragged on and on, ups and downs; it was a true rollercoaster ride. We heard so many different things. He had sepsis 2 separate times, he had suspected NEC (basically a condition in which the intestines kill themseleves off). We were told they thought he has Hirshsprung's Disease (another intestinal thing...missing sections of the little "movers" that move things along through there) He had a spinal tap because they thought he had meningititis. It was never ending. As soon as we'd get good news, we'd get horrible news the next day. We finally had some people from the Blessed Father Ceelos Center come in with a first class relic and prayed over him. He was home 2 days later. Miracle? In my opinion, absolutely. We did end up going back to the hospital for another week after he spent a week home for another round of sepsis but other than that, we've stayed out ever since, knock on wood!!!
Now, he's had a ton of childhood things..ear infections, ear tubes, rotovirus, hand foot and mouth, roseola, and the newest is that he's allergic to a lot of foods, so we've had to adjust his little diet down to very little.
But that's Grant's story. He put us through the ringer but it's all worth it. I don't know what I'd do without that little man!!!
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