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Thursday, October 7, 2010

Two Weeks and Two Days

Hello dear friends!

Baby Lily is here and we are all at home and doing well. Thank you so much for all of the wonderful comments about her birth day. Those will be really fun to share with her one day!

So much has happened over the past two weeks and two days -- since Lily Rae's arrival. I will try to give you the short version rather than something that might take hours to read. First let me say that the baby is absolutely great. She is... amazing, wonderful, perfect! I truly am tempted to spend my days just staring at her. She has the deepest eyes, cutest button nose, perfect heart-shaped lips, and the longest little fingers I've ever seen on a baby. :)

We came home from the hospital on Friday night (September 24) after having to wait a few extra hours for her bilirubin results to come in. Lily had a little bit of jaundice in the hospital, but they let us go ahead and go home as long as we took her in to the clinic over the weekend to have it re-checked. The bilirubin got up to 16 and then started to decrease by Sunday, much to our relief. In addition, Lily's birth weight was 8 pounds 10 ounces, but it was down to 7 pounds 9 ounces when we were discharged. She has continued to gain weight since then, though, and this week she was back up to her exact birth weight at her two-week check up. Yay Lily!

I can't tell you how relieved I am that she has done so well, especially since the last two weeks have been quite difficult for me as far as recovery goes. I'm not really sure why, but things seemed to go haywire as soon as I left the hospital. During the first weekend at home I started having shortness of breath and chest pain, which made it almost impossible for me to get any rest. I would wake up gasping for air and terrified that I was going to stop breathing. My blood pressure shot up (which is very uncommon for me and never happened during my pregnancy) and my ankles and feet began to swell quite a bit. With all of that going on plus the recovery from my c-section, I felt absolutely horrible. There is no way I could have made it through that weekend if I hadn't had my mom and sister here to help with the baby.

After making a few calls to the doctor on call over the weekend and trying to avoid the ER, I went to see my OB first thing Monday morning. She immediately sent me over to the ER to make sure I didn't have a pulmonary embolism. I was pretty freaked out at that point, but the CT scan of my chest turned out clear. The ER doc has had me following up with a cardiologist as well, and so far my echocardiogram and blood tests have all looked good. Over the past couple of days my swelling and blood pressure have also decreased. It's frustrating to not know why everything went crazy, but I'm just beyond relieved that I actually am starting to feel normal again. For a while there I felt like it would never happen. Every day is getting better now and I'm able to enjoy this precious baby girl more and more.

My mom is still here, thankfully! She has helped me out so much for the past few weeks. I truly don't know how I would have been able to make it through the days and especially the nights without her help. She is an awesome Granny! I know Lily will miss her as much as I will when she goes back home this weekend.

Breastfeeding has been a struggle all its own for the past few weeks. Again, Lily Rae is fantastic. She is such a good baby and I've been amazed at how patient and adaptable she has been through all of my trials and errors. We started out pretty well with nursing in the hospital, but we had to supplement with formula for a few days after we came home to get her over the jaundice. Besides that, I had to dump my breast milk for 48 hours after having the iodine for the CT scan. We went through a very rough patch afterwards where I had to continue pumping and giving her the milk in a bottle while my breasts were on the mend. I'm happy to say that for the past three days we have gotten back into a good nursing routine! I'm so proud of this baby girl for sticking with it and not giving up while I struggled. Nursing continues to be a challenge but I am persevering.

I have to admit that, all things considered, this recovery time has been one of the toughest things I've ever been through. Of course it has a huge reward and it's worth every tear and every small setback. Simply looking at her sweet face and remembering all it took to get to this point are all I need to do to find the motivation to press on. I know it will be at least a few more weeks before I truly feel better. I really can't help but wonder what in the world people were talking about when they told me that c-sections were "no big deal"!

We are hanging in there and making progress every day, and that's a huge improvement as far as I'm concerned! Thanks for thinking of us and for praying for Lily's safe arrival. I still can't quite believe that this beautiful girl is here in our home and is ours to keep. Thank you, Lord!

Soon I will post some of our favorite pictures of our little bundle of joy from her first two weeks of life. She looks so different from those very first images in the operating room! Here is one of my favorites until then...

26 comments:

Mrs.Spit said...

Stacey, Post partum pre-eclampsia is very rare, but very serious, and it looks like you have all the symptoms. Keep an eye on your BP and please, follow up with your OB. PPPE is very often missed, and can require some intervention.

I know you are busy, but get in touch if you still have questions.

The Blessed Barrenness said...

It sounds like you've had a rough recovery but I'm so very happy for you and Chuck!
Enjoy your little miracle!

andreajennine said...

Nothing's harder or more wonderful than those first weeks after your baby's born! I remember being crazy-swollen and having really high BP after my C-section. The swelling was from all the IV fluids, and the high BP was never really explained. And nursing, oh! Brandt never figured it out (a preemie problem), and it took me awhile to be okay with that. Glad you and Lily are getting there despite the hiccups.

Melody said...

Man, I'm so glad you are feeling better. What a rough start to coming home with baby lily. I will pray for you to feel yourself soon. Lily is so precious. She is just picture perfect. Her lips are so sweet and her nose is too cute. Praying for you Stacey! Happy and excited for you guys! Been waiting for this updated post and so glad to have started out my day knowing how ya'll are doing and helps me know how to pray more specificaly.

Jo said...

I was so thrilled to see this post. Baby Lily looks just precious. So serene sleeping so soundly in that pic you have posted. It sounds like you sure have had a rough time. It just goes to show that one person's recovery from a c section can be very different to another's. I loved my c section and the recovery was fast, where as my friend who had a natural birth struggled with pain for months after. We are all different though aren't we and I am glad you are getting better now. Dont sweat it about feeding being hard. I found it extremely hard and i think a lot of people say that. It does seem to get easier though and you settle into a routine. I remember a friend telling me when I was in tears over feeding one day "dont worry once bubs is 6-8 weeks something seems to click into place and it might not be perfect but it seems to get easier". She couldnt have been more right in my eyes because i really did find that to be true. I felt quite lost at first but by 6-8 weeks i was more settled. Enjoy your little baby - you sound like you are doing great. Remember if you feel a little overwhelmed ever that this is a completely normal thing you are feeling. I was so overwhelmed at times with having a newborn and I thought I was the only one! Then after talking to friends I realised everyone feels the same and that things take some adjustment before everything is a perfect fit. Love you lots and best wishes!! Jo xoxoxoxo

~ Katie ~ said...

She is so beautiful and I'm so glad you both are doing great, despite all the "fun".

Andrea said...

Stacey,

Congrats again on Lily Rae's safe arrival. And I am so sorry that you've had such a scare with your health. I can only imagine how that adds to the anxiety. As for the C section, my sister in law said its definately not an easy recovery, but after some time the pain is better. And breast feeding that doesn't go easily can be challenging.

Hang in there and I will say prayers for you and that your health issues are resolved. Keep staring at your gorgeous baby! Enjoy every minute of indulgent happiness that she brings you. You deserve the moon!

Much Love
Andrea

Jenn said...

Lily is absolutely perfect and beautiful. I am so happy for you and Chuck. And what a great mom & sister you have!

And I must say that I had my first child natural with no drugs and my second one was a last minute c-section and by far, the c-section was a longer recovery. But they are all worth it; even when they are teenagers with very opinionated mouths :)

Andi said...

Glad you are feeling good enough to blog again. Can't wait for you to be fully recovered 'cause when you are, I fully intend to come visit Miss Lily (and you, too)!

belle said...

she's perfect xoxoxoxoxoxxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

hang in there with the nursing. it gets easier at 3 weeks, 6 weeks, 3 months.... :) it is always tough for me too but it is so wonderful to forget the world and just sit and snuggle with the tiny one!!!!

Deni said...

Love the good report, and a c-section is a MAJOR surgery, so be very good to yourself and don't ignore any symptoms! Praying for the three of you, mostly just prayers of thanks, but also for your breast-feeding to get easier!! Lots of love!!!

Katie said...

Aw, she is precious!!!

I am sorry it's been so rough. I was SO VERY BLESSED to have relatively easy recoveries and to really be able to say that c-sections are no big deal, but I know how lucky I am! My OB even commented on how quickly and well I heal, so I might be an exception.

In any case, gosh, I am sorry it's been a rough beginning (in so many ways), but you WILL get through this! Can't wait for more updates and pictures.

Much love and prayers.

Hope in Virginia said...

That has got to be one of the most precious newborn baby pictures I've ever seen. Just a perfect, perfect, perfect baby girl! And, trust me, breastfeeding is a challenge for 99.9% of the people who attempt it. Just stick with it the best you can and know that, while it is a "natural" thing, there really isn't anything natural about getting the hang of it. Sounds like little Lily is taking it easy on mama, which is a great thing.

Alicia said...

A huge congratulations to you and your husband on your beautiful baby girl! I will be praying that you continue to recover from your strange bought of illness and the c-section. God bless and enjoy that little girl :)

twondra said...

Wow...what a time you've had. :( I'm so sorry. I've been thinking of you and so glad to hear Lily is doing well! She's soooo precious!

Sew said...

Lurker here...Keeping you in my prayers....The rough recovery is so hard to read....I can't wait for that time to pass for you...

Birdie said...

Precious little thing!!!!!!!!!! :) So happy for you!!!

Javetta Allen Mercadel said...

Stacey,

Lily is absolutely PERFECT!! I thank God that your health is being restored and everything is going well. I am so excited for you and can't wait for my little slugger to arrive any day now ;)

A said...

She is beautiful! Will be praying your recovery from here on out is smooth and fast!

Paige said...

Beautiful and Lovely.

Keep persevering, it is all worth it. :)

Peace and Blessings.
Paige

Sunny said...

Yay! I couldn't wait for you to post again about her and the birth. Now, I can't wait to see more pics!!!!!

jennie said...

Stacey i am SO HAPPY for you! to Lily is beautiful! You continue to be a source of inspiration for me as i go through this IF journey. You are a example of one of Gods miracles. I am sorry to hear you had some health scares. Im glad to hear you and lily are doing well! I pray that God will continue to be with you and bless your family! Conratulations and God Bless! :)

Anonymous said...

wow, you all have been through it! I'm so glad you're doing better. Lily Rose is so beautiful! Can't wait to see more pics!

R said...

Such a sleeping beauty! I'm glad you've had some help at home- I don't know what I would've done without my mother and mother in law! Enjoy every moment :)

Indy said...

Lily Rae is certainly as close to perfection as I've ever seen. Praise God for her life.

I will pray so that the Lord gives you strength and heals you.

Congratulations, mommy.

Rachel said...

I think I might have been one of the ones to tell you a c-section was "no big deal" and now I am feeling a little guilty. The thing is, out of my 4, the first was an easy recovery, the second I blocked out becuase that was the baby I didn't get to keep, the third (Luke) was HORRIBLE AWFUL TERRIBLE and anything else bad you can use to describe a recovery. I didn't want to tell you about that one because everyone is different and it isn't nice to scare a poor sweet new mommy who is about to have a c-section with horror stories. I was blessed to have this fourth c-section be the EASIEST recovery (as far as the actual c-section went) thus far. I tell you that, because it means that just because this one was bad for you, it doesn't mean any other ones you might have will be bad. Make sense? Ohhh...I'm tired. So glad baby girl is here and you are feeling better. So so glad and so thankful. Praise God and Amen.