2 Weeks Old and the NICU Rollercoaster

Happy 2 weeks, Miss Rachael! You are becoming such a big girl, right in front of our very eyes. 
Here are some milestones:
Feedings: began trying the bottle on Saturday, 1/23. Started trying the breast on Tuesday, 1/26....really liked it and latched pretty well for her age! As of the two week birthday, she's taking 30 cc's between bottle and tube feeding.
Weight: 3lbs, 4oz - - just 2 oz shy of birth weight....not bad for a preemie!
Breathing: 100% on her own since Sunday, 1/24. 
Baths: Tub baths, outside of the isolette, started on Wednesday, 1/27.


The NICU roller coaster....it goes up and down and up and down. Rachael has done really
well, overall, with her growth and development. The doctors are still watching a pocket of
air in her chest, called a pneumothorax. These are fairly common in preemies,
but, most typically resolve themselves within the first couple of days of life.
Well, as of her two week birthday, she still has hers, BUT, it is not causing
her any difficulties. The interdisciplinary team that takes care of Rachael has gone
back and forth this week about whether this is cause for concern. They've finally reached
the conclusion that it just needs to be monitored by chest x-ray in a week or two. However,
while waiting for them to come to this decision, there have been moments of great
uncertainty and that makes this new mom a bit of a worry wart (as if I wasn't one already!)
So, I've had some emotional moments this week and those have co-existed with moments 
of great joy (nursing for the first time, great kangaroo time, etc). It is the pairing of
the anxious times with the joyful times that makes this NICU journey a tough one.
We're eagerly awaiting the news that she can be transfered to a lower level NICU at
a hospital much closer to home...that will help make these days easier, for sure!

Leaps and Bounds...

Rachael made some serious strides this weekend in NICU land!
She is now...gasp...breathing without assistance! The nasal  cannula
was chucked on Saturday morning and then, the nurse says, "oh yeah,
and, she's taking a BOTTLE!"
WHAT? Mama's not ready! :) That seems
like such a big step to me and I had to miss the first one since it was
given at her midnight feeding! She's doing really well with the bottle
and breathing on her own. She does have a few "bradys" - bradychardia
attacks, where she forgets to breathe and her heart rate drops.
However, she brings herself right back and that's what they look for.
Daddy gave her the first tub bath on Sunday afternoon and she enjoyed
it (mostly) and afterwards, I gave her part of a bottle and then she was
just too sleepy to enjoy the rest, so, we put it in her feeding tube.
This weekend brought many prayers of thanksgiving for her strength
and persistence to grow big and strong!
Here are a few pictures to commemorate the bath and the first momma
bottle:

Kangaroo time with Daddy

first bottle with mommy

Um, Daddy, what
are you doing?
I'm not sure about
this bath-thing!

One Week!

Happy one week birthday, Rachael! Where did the time go?
The week has been a miraculous one for Mike, me and our
families and not to mention, for Rachael as well. She has come
along way in these 7 days. Here are the milestones:
Intubated: 17 hours
Open-air bassinet: 3 days
Isolette: 5 days (and counting)
Weight: dropped 12 ounces, regained 6, (and counting!)
Breathing: CPAP for 5 days, nasal cannula 3 days (and counting)
Feedings: from 6 cc's (per meal) on Sunday to 17 cc's by Thursday!
Sponge bath: given by mommy on Wednesday
Being loved by her family: forever (and counting!)

We are so thankful for her continued growth and strength! Now, for what you
really want: pictures! Here's a short re-cap of the first week:

1 day old ~ my family

2 days old, with the CPAP off for
just a minute! Hello world!

3 days old, cuddling with daddy

day 4...Mommy goes home
from the hospital and finds
balloons from our neighbors,
Ryan & Nate- thanks, guys!

day 5, no more CPAP!
hangin' out with the bili lights

day 6, naked baby, ready for
a bath!

From pregnant to not pregnant...

So, last you talked to me, I was on bedrest at Duke, and now,
here I type in my living room at HOME! How did that happen?
Well, on Thursday, January 14, I woke up at 5:30AM with a mild
contraction. And, then, 3 more followed by 6:30AM. This met the
criteria for "calling the nurse" - which was 4 contractions in an hour.
They hooked me up to the monitor and we watched and waited.
Nothing major was happening and the contractions were irregular
and not getting any more painful. I calmly called Mike and told him
that I was being monitored, but, that he didn't need to come to the hospital.
At 9:00AM, I had a longer and more painful contraction while, simultaneously,
the baby's heart rate dropped. When I saw this happen, I knew the medical types
would come running and sure enough they did. So, off we went to Labor & Delivery (L&D)
and I called Mike and let him know that he might want to come on over to the hospital,
"just in case" because I was sure it was a false alarm.
Monitoring continued and they were still irregular for the morning. Around noon time, the
contractions started to get longer and more painful (but still nothing major).
By 1:30PM, they were 6-7 minutes apart and baby had 2 more decelerations
in her heart rate. NOW is when I knew the doctors were leaning towards delivery.
Sure enough, Dr. Laske & Dr. Gunatilake conferred and agreed that it was GO time.
Then, things went along pretty quickly! By 2:45PM, I was off to the OR and the spinal
was in place by 3:20, they brought Mike in at 3:25 and little miss Rachael appeared at
3:40PM! She wimpered in the OR and when they whisked her to the observation room,
I could hear her wailing from inside the OR with the door shut-- THANK GOD! What
a beautiful sound! Her APGARS were 8 and 9! Amazing....absolutely amazing.
The numbing from the epidural is a trippy experience. Logically, I knew he was slicing in
to my skin,but, all I could feel was a light touch of his fingers. I had the shakes from the
anesthesia as well as tears welled up in my eyes for most of the process. Mike talked to
me through the procedure and the nurses and doctors would ask me questions from time
to time. The delivery of the placenta and general clean-up took twice as long as the birth!
By 2 1/2 hours after delivery, I was back in my room on the 7th floor and settled in
for a long night!
I managed to visit the baby for the first time at 11pm that night, but, I was in quite
a bit of pain and was exhausted, so, I didn't stay very long.
There's the story of Rachael's arrival...it is truly a miracle...birth of any kind...
and I can say, that she is, in fact, a COMPLEX miracle!

Addicted...

to Rachael! I am so tired I can hardly keep my eyes open, but,
I had to hop on to say that I caught a second wind earlier and
just had to go to see this little angel who has stolen my heart.
I can't get enough....I've asked for some medicine to control
my addiction, but, the nurse said there isn't any. :)

Must sign off for now...pictures and birth story coming...
I promise...pinky swear.

Presenting...

RACHAEL LENORE CONCINI

Thursday, January 14, 2010

3:40 PM

3lbs, 6 ounces

15 inches

Welcomed with love!

More updates and the full story to come...mama needs to eat breakfast and get down to visit

miss Rachael in the NICU. She is stable for now...we're keeping an eye on an air pocket in her

lungs and she is intubated for now while she receives surfactant to help her lungs.

We appreciate your prayers for Rachael's strength and for our ability to ask the right

questions about her care.

Love to you all!

From the mouths of babes...or my niece and nephews!

So last night, Mike and I had the pleasure of telling our niece
and nephews about the soon-to-be cousin. We did this via
Skype from my hospital room! I gathered a few supplies- one diaper,
one rattle and one onesie to use as props to see if they could figure out
(without seeing my belly) why we would need those things. Well,
they are quick learners, those three and guessed right away that we
are having a baby. They gave us big smiles and claps, but, I think
they were mostly mesmerized by their first video chat.
Afterwards, Mimi sent us a script of their "off air" reactions to the news:

Meg (the almost 8 year old) : "I bet her name Is Molly", 
"What is her real name?"  "Can we go buy her diapers and a baby dress?" 
(I love it, she wants to shop- thata girl!)

 "January will be very busy with 2 birthday cakes!" 
(Meg's birthday is Jan 31, so, she put together that they will share a birthday month.)

Sam: (the 6 year old tough guy) "I'll be really gentle with her"

" When she gets bigger, she'll need a bed like mine" (now, don't rush us, Sam!)

Matthew: (the 11 year old sensitive one): "When will they come visit?"; "I liked Uncle Mikey's beard"

"How long will she be in the hospital?"; "Her room is really pretty"

Aren't they funny? I love to hear their thoughts! I wish I had more artwork 

from them or pictures of them to put up in my room or even to decorate our

fridge at home...to make it so that we don't miss them so much!

I can't wait for them to meet the little one.

And, an ultrasound update....today's fluid level  - 7.5!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Couldn't

believe it, but, we had at least one pocket measuring 3x3...amazing. 

The doctor did remind me that he has a low threshold for sending

me to the operating room...in other words, he won't let me get infected

or labor too long before he'll go in and get her! So, while we're hoping for

18 more days, it could (literally) be any day now.

Another week in utero...

Well, here we are at the end of another week for the diva
who (thankfully) remains in utero! And, here's a recap of
this week's ultrasonds:
Monday's 30 week growth scan:
despite her difficult-to-measure new position
which is a v-shape- head at 10, feet at 2, butt down, she measured
at 3lbs (we got differing readings between 3.0 - 3.3lbs).
We'll assume the low end of the scale, since she remains
at the 14th percentile. She was practicing sustained breathing
and opening and closing her eyes quite a bit. The hair on her
head is getting thicker/longer and we could see more fat deposits
in a bunch of places. (This is probably the only time she'll want
me to look at and compliment her fat deposits!) :)
Her total AFI (fluid) was over a 5.
Thursday's fluid check: Again, she was still in that v-shaped position
and continues to practice breathing and hiccuping. Her fluid looked
great at over a 5.7.
Bottom line: We're still here and holding amazingly stable!
Today is 31 weeks....21 days (or less) until we get to meet
this little diva! I can only pray for a healthy baby...and wise doctors
to care for her (and me!).

Enjoy the weekend!

The Diva's Room

Mike's parents visited for New Years and helped Mike
put together the nursery. Thanks, Mimi & Papa!
Here are a few pictures for you...it's not complete yet
but, we've got a great start.

From the door....3 walls green, 1 wall pink..

Mimi modeling the crib and bedding:

Mike & Papa displaying the quilt above the dresser/changing table..silly boys!

Happy New Year!

Well, what a year 2009 was, huh? I'm not even sure I could put a
label on it or place it in a category....perhaps that's what
a year is supposed to be like - full of ups and downs, joys and troubles.
If there's one thing our infertility journey has taught me, it's that you
never know where the year will take you! I'm even more sure
of that as we embark on 2010. Rumor has it that I will
deliver this little girl sometime in the next 28 days...but I don't know
when! I am hopeful and praying daily for her strength and survival.
I have no idea what parenthood will be like...although, I'm sure
the first months will lead us to a level of exhaustion unlike
any other. I'm also fairly sure that the love we'll feel for this
precious one will be unlike any other....that's the thrilling part!

We had an ultrasound yesterday that showed a growing "diva".
She has a roundness to her cheeks now and we could even see
some chubby skin around her mid-section! The sonographer
predicts that she will have her daddy's nose...and apparently,
these predictions are usually pretty close to accurate.
She had a great fluid level - AFI of 5+. She scrunched up
her toes for us and is still in a butt-first breech position.
We observed breathing activity for 20 minutes (after that we stopped watching)
and we could see her opening and closing her eyes!
That's the best New Year's present I could have hoped for!
We'll have the 30 week growth scan on Monday, since the
staff is on a skeleton crew over the holiday weekend.

Until then...welcome to 2010. May it bring you
many blessings and the love of family and friends!