As promised Ryan and I went up to UW for an ultrasound and then a consult with the specialists to ring in the new year. Again we were blessed with all good news. Everything has remained stable with the omphalocele, and the baby is growing just great. He put on a show for us during the ultrasound, again acting very much like a Christiansen boy! He was seen doing his practice breathing, which is great news. He is right on schedule. The doctors also said his chest cavity remains at a the correct size, which is another indication that his lungs look great. Along with seeing him doing his practice breathing we also saw his mouth moving. So cool! We met with another doctor because Dr. Jolley was on ultrasound duty today, although she did stop by to say hi. The doctor we met with is just as hopeful as Dr. Jolley. She said that she has never seen a baby with an omphalocele that made it to term and appeared to have no other defects not make it. Music to our ears. He just needs to stay put in there until March 7th!
We are also starting the process of getting set up for his arrival in January. I start non stress testing on a weekly basis on January 14th in Puyallup, we go back to UW for a routine check up on the 21st, THEN on February 4th we have another all day ordeal up at UW! On the 4th will have another ultrasound that will set the stage for what we will be dealing with at delivery, the beginning of the non-stress testing that will be done once a week in Seattle, AND we will meet with all of the necessary people to prepare me for the C-Section. OH, and we will tour the birth center. Phew. All of that with only a half an hour for lunch! I guess it works out as Ryan and I have a hard time saying no to our favorite teriyaki joint in the U District everytime we are up there, so a salad in the cafeteria is probably better for us! Basically life is going to start getting really hectic for me on January 14th, as I will be having weekly and twice weekly appointments from then until he is born, and I will be going up to Seattle at least weekly. Not to mention I start school up again on the 7th and I am trying to work as much as possible to relieve the financial strain. It is going to be a wild couple of months. Have I mentioned I am also pregnant and exhausted already?! Just trying to take it a day at a time. The good news is that tomorrow is a holiday and I have nothing on the agenda but the ever depressing removal of the Christmas decorations. So, I am going to enjoy the down time while I have it!
Along with getting ready for his arrival on the medical side, we are also FINALLY getting the nursery going! I have not gone into a lot of detail on this blog about our visit in Tacoma when we first got this diagnosis back in October, but it wasn't great. We had a doctor literally ONLY talk about termination. So, I have been a little gun shy on getting the nursery going because I just thought he wasn't going to make it for about three weeks. In my mind I can't imagine a doctor bringing up termination over and over again unless the baby was a total gonner. It has taken me some time to transition into the realization that we are going to have a baby coming home with us sometime in the first half of 2013! Ryan is installing the closet organization system as I type, and the baby shower invites have been sent. :)
As we get closer to the date we will have more information on visting and such for those who are asking. As of right now I will likely take visitors while I recover, and the baby will take visistors after Ryan and I get a couple of days with him. It is going to be a little hectic while they get him stable and run tests on him, so we want some time to process it together and get a grasp on exactly what is going on. Plus I won't be able to see him for two days, so I want some unshared time as a family! While he is in the NICU there can only be one other person in the room besides Ryan and I, but he can take visitors. Again, I will have more details for those who are asking as we get closer. Also, we are looking for a solution for our dog situation! I am hoping to find somebody who is willing to stay at our house and give Ryder his insulin at 8am and 8pm when we are at the hospital, or somebody with a fenced yard that is willing to commit to let the dogs stay with them and give Ryder his insulin every 12 hours. I know that is a ton to ask for, but we don't have any other solution. If anybody has any ideas please let us know. I think I am more stressed out over the logistics of the dogs than anything right now! I don't want to be up at the NICU only to find out that a furry member of the family didn't make it. Ugh.
Ryan and I have learned so much in the past two months, and while this is stressful, and I am so thankful for the appreciation we have for life. We are looking forward getting this little guy out so that the doctors can get him on the path to coming home. I don't think that we will every take parenting for granted after this whole experience.
I hope that all of our friends and family have a great 2013! I also hope that Ryan and I agree on a name soon...
Carly, Ryan and our nameless Baby C
Monday, December 31, 2012
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
Rolling Into the Third Trimester
It is true, tomorrow I will officially be in the third trimester no matter what way you slice it. 28 weeks. Crazy to think that we only have 11 weeks until this little guy makes his debut.
I had my appointment today with my original doctor in Puyallup. Have I mentioned that I think he is the best doctor ever? :) It was nice to go in and just do normal pregnancy things. He reminded me that I am far enough along for our still nameless baby to be okay if I had him today. Granted, he would need A LOT of assistance, but it is reassuring to know that we have the next 11 weeks for him to get his lungs toughened up. Dr. T (or the Tag man as a good friend calls him) was so kind as to offer to let Ryan use his folding camping cot while we are up at the NICU. Again, have I mentioned how awesome this doctor is?
On the baby front, he is moving so much! Very fun. Ryan got to feel him move around for about 15 minutes last weekend while we were watching a movie. Pretty awesome. They are both so fidgety. On the mom front, ugh. I am starting to get to a very uncomfortable point! I wake up all night because my back is hurting or because I need to go to the bathroom. I hate being tired. BUT, I am still jogging!!!!! Ha ha! I think I can keep it up until about 32 weeks, then it is only low impact exercise for this walrus. I will be seeing the Foothills Trail again in May. I am also looking forward to my baby shower on January 26th! Can't wait. I have had some omphalocele related questions regarding what to buy the baby. Here is the skinny: he won't be wearing regular clothes for a while. BUT, sleep sacks, blankets, hats, mittens and socks are totally doable in the tiny sizes! The moms in the Moos group have stated that when their babies do start wearing regular clothes that they just wear a size bigger until they have their closure surgery. So, newborn and 0-3 months in anything that isn't a sleep sack might not be used. Also, the moms in the group have stated that gas cards, gift certificates to restaurants by the hospital, and gift cards to starbucks are VERY helpful. So, that is the skinny!
I hope that all of our family and friends have a great Christmas. I love this time of the year and can't believe we will have a 9 month old next Christmas! I am also looking forward to seeing some of your faces over the holiday weekend.
Thanks again to all of the people who have been calling/emailing/texting to see how we are doing. We really appreciate it and it is comforting to know we have so many people rooting for us.
Merry Christmas!
Carly, Ryan and Baby C
I had my appointment today with my original doctor in Puyallup. Have I mentioned that I think he is the best doctor ever? :) It was nice to go in and just do normal pregnancy things. He reminded me that I am far enough along for our still nameless baby to be okay if I had him today. Granted, he would need A LOT of assistance, but it is reassuring to know that we have the next 11 weeks for him to get his lungs toughened up. Dr. T (or the Tag man as a good friend calls him) was so kind as to offer to let Ryan use his folding camping cot while we are up at the NICU. Again, have I mentioned how awesome this doctor is?
On the baby front, he is moving so much! Very fun. Ryan got to feel him move around for about 15 minutes last weekend while we were watching a movie. Pretty awesome. They are both so fidgety. On the mom front, ugh. I am starting to get to a very uncomfortable point! I wake up all night because my back is hurting or because I need to go to the bathroom. I hate being tired. BUT, I am still jogging!!!!! Ha ha! I think I can keep it up until about 32 weeks, then it is only low impact exercise for this walrus. I will be seeing the Foothills Trail again in May. I am also looking forward to my baby shower on January 26th! Can't wait. I have had some omphalocele related questions regarding what to buy the baby. Here is the skinny: he won't be wearing regular clothes for a while. BUT, sleep sacks, blankets, hats, mittens and socks are totally doable in the tiny sizes! The moms in the Moos group have stated that when their babies do start wearing regular clothes that they just wear a size bigger until they have their closure surgery. So, newborn and 0-3 months in anything that isn't a sleep sack might not be used. Also, the moms in the group have stated that gas cards, gift certificates to restaurants by the hospital, and gift cards to starbucks are VERY helpful. So, that is the skinny!
I hope that all of our family and friends have a great Christmas. I love this time of the year and can't believe we will have a 9 month old next Christmas! I am also looking forward to seeing some of your faces over the holiday weekend.
Thanks again to all of the people who have been calling/emailing/texting to see how we are doing. We really appreciate it and it is comforting to know we have so many people rooting for us.
Merry Christmas!
Carly, Ryan and Baby C
Monday, December 3, 2012
Follow Up Visit #1 out of Many
We made our first trek up to Seattle today for a follow up visit. It was a long day! Perhaps the longest the dogs have been home alone in months. Thankfully they were alive and well when we returned, and the house was just as we left it. So, here is the run down:
10AM: Met with Seattle Children's Hospital. We got a tour of the NICU first. It was a little intimidating seeing tiny babies hooked up to so many machines. Plus I just had a heavy heart knowing that there were parents in there that were dealing with worse things than we are facing. I can't imagine what they are going through, as this has been stressful enough. After going to the NICU we got to go to the medical floor where our baby will be sent after he is stabilized in the NICU. The hope is that he is only in the NICU for a week or two, as the medical floor is a more bright and friendly place. The rooms on the medical floor actually have a bed for Ryan and I to stay on. The bed situation while he is in the NICU is lackluster at best. The family resource floor (where you sleep while your baby is in the NICU) has lockers, big bathrooms with showers, and some "bedrooms." The bedrooms are QUITE small. Since I will be recovering from surgery I will get to sleep in the tiny twin bed while Ryan revisits his Marine Corps days on the floor of the tiny bedroom. Yikes! Again, hopefully the baby gets transferred to a lower level of care ASAP for many reasons, including the better sleeping arrangements for us! Other than the tiny bedroom situation, there is a place for us to do laundry, a library, a Starbucks (thank God. I didn't want Ryan to go through withdrawals), and kitchens that we can store food in so that we aren't spending money in restaurants. People have been asking how they can help, and bringing us meals in the hospital is one great way to help, and we will also have an account for the cafeteria that is set up to take donations. Overall I am so impressed with Seattle Children's Hospital and I feel so lucky to have such a great place to take our son. Ryan and I have donated money to this hospital a couple of times over the years and now that we are utilizing their services I feel like we should have done more. They are awesome and truly a godsent for families going through a stressful time. So if anybody is looking to be charitable, they are certainly a worthy cause!
11:30AM: Break for lunch. Ryan takes me to the Sony store where he looks at overpriced TV's and we are hounded by salsemen to buy them. I spend the time sweating and worrying that Ryan might actually buy a TV. We leave TV-less and I eat. Phew.
12:30PM: We meet with a genetic counselor at UW's Maternal and Infant Care Unit. She reassures us that the results of the genetic testing are nothing to be concerned of and asks if we are Jewish or French Canadian. Interesting! We also discussed that our last test came back negative on Wednesday, so another abnormality that can be associated with omphaloceles was ruled out. Fairly uneventful meeting otherwise.
1:30PM: Ultrasound time! So much fun. The baby is getting so much more baby looking. He was moving around like crazy and even kicked the ultrasound tech. We saw his stretched out hand and then the most amazing thing in Ryan's life happened, next to meeting me: the baby threw up a slayer. We couldn't believe our eyes. Ryan probably did not pay attention to the rest of the visit. So far this baby is much more Christiansen than DeVries, other than looking incredibly cute, which I will get to in the last segment.
2:40PM: We meet with my perinatologist, Dr. Jolley, who I love. I ask a MILLION questions. I can't believe how many things there are to consider in this situation. As of right now the baby is going to be born on March 7th at 9am or 11am. He will have his omphalocele put in a protective bag, then he will spend about an hour with us, then go to UW's NICU with Ryan, THEN come back to see me before he and Ryan head to Children's via ambulance. Of course this all could change if he comes out needing more breathing assistance than we think he does. Right now his lungs are shaped great, and they are of normal size. But, just how well they work is something we won't really know until he is out. BUT, Dr. Jolley reassured us that it is very unusual to have a baby who appears to have nothing else going on come out and not make it. So, really we are just going to have to wait and see how much support he will need to breath, as opposed to waiting to see if he will survive. Of course, nothing is a guarantee, but right now there is no reason to go to the worst case scenario. Although he will almost certainly get some form of oxygen support so that he can focus all of his energy on growing. Right now it is all looking great. We also got the skinny on the appropriate attire. In the NICU we can bring blankets, socks, mits and hats. Overall, it was a very positive visit and everybody seems very optimistic. And, remember, they all see a LOT of omphaloceles because they are a regional referral center for several states. The last time we met with them they had two babies with omphaloceles of comparable size at Seattle Children's that were doing awesome. So, things are looking good.
Lastly, I was told by one of the perinatologists that our son has a cute profile. Now, we already knew this, so no surprise. But, to hear it from somebody who looks at babies all day for a living was pretty exciting. So, I have posted a photo from the ultrasound today for the first reaveal of Baby C's ultra cute profile. We think he is basically the next Zoolander, but a little manlier.
Our next appointment is on New Year's Eve! Talk about a different way to spend New Years than what we would have been doing three years ago! I also see my regular doctor on the 19th to see if I have diabetes, which is a routine thing to check for if you are a man and didn't know this. Yuck! Ryan wanted to make sure that I say thank you to everybody who has been posting on this blog and sending us prayers and support. We both appreciate our friends and family more than we can express. Well, let's be honest, we are kind of immature about that stuff and most of our thank you's come out as jokes. BUT, if you know us, you know that we love you all.
Until next time!
Carly, Ryan and Baby C
10AM: Met with Seattle Children's Hospital. We got a tour of the NICU first. It was a little intimidating seeing tiny babies hooked up to so many machines. Plus I just had a heavy heart knowing that there were parents in there that were dealing with worse things than we are facing. I can't imagine what they are going through, as this has been stressful enough. After going to the NICU we got to go to the medical floor where our baby will be sent after he is stabilized in the NICU. The hope is that he is only in the NICU for a week or two, as the medical floor is a more bright and friendly place. The rooms on the medical floor actually have a bed for Ryan and I to stay on. The bed situation while he is in the NICU is lackluster at best. The family resource floor (where you sleep while your baby is in the NICU) has lockers, big bathrooms with showers, and some "bedrooms." The bedrooms are QUITE small. Since I will be recovering from surgery I will get to sleep in the tiny twin bed while Ryan revisits his Marine Corps days on the floor of the tiny bedroom. Yikes! Again, hopefully the baby gets transferred to a lower level of care ASAP for many reasons, including the better sleeping arrangements for us! Other than the tiny bedroom situation, there is a place for us to do laundry, a library, a Starbucks (thank God. I didn't want Ryan to go through withdrawals), and kitchens that we can store food in so that we aren't spending money in restaurants. People have been asking how they can help, and bringing us meals in the hospital is one great way to help, and we will also have an account for the cafeteria that is set up to take donations. Overall I am so impressed with Seattle Children's Hospital and I feel so lucky to have such a great place to take our son. Ryan and I have donated money to this hospital a couple of times over the years and now that we are utilizing their services I feel like we should have done more. They are awesome and truly a godsent for families going through a stressful time. So if anybody is looking to be charitable, they are certainly a worthy cause!
11:30AM: Break for lunch. Ryan takes me to the Sony store where he looks at overpriced TV's and we are hounded by salsemen to buy them. I spend the time sweating and worrying that Ryan might actually buy a TV. We leave TV-less and I eat. Phew.
12:30PM: We meet with a genetic counselor at UW's Maternal and Infant Care Unit. She reassures us that the results of the genetic testing are nothing to be concerned of and asks if we are Jewish or French Canadian. Interesting! We also discussed that our last test came back negative on Wednesday, so another abnormality that can be associated with omphaloceles was ruled out. Fairly uneventful meeting otherwise.
1:30PM: Ultrasound time! So much fun. The baby is getting so much more baby looking. He was moving around like crazy and even kicked the ultrasound tech. We saw his stretched out hand and then the most amazing thing in Ryan's life happened, next to meeting me: the baby threw up a slayer. We couldn't believe our eyes. Ryan probably did not pay attention to the rest of the visit. So far this baby is much more Christiansen than DeVries, other than looking incredibly cute, which I will get to in the last segment.
2:40PM: We meet with my perinatologist, Dr. Jolley, who I love. I ask a MILLION questions. I can't believe how many things there are to consider in this situation. As of right now the baby is going to be born on March 7th at 9am or 11am. He will have his omphalocele put in a protective bag, then he will spend about an hour with us, then go to UW's NICU with Ryan, THEN come back to see me before he and Ryan head to Children's via ambulance. Of course this all could change if he comes out needing more breathing assistance than we think he does. Right now his lungs are shaped great, and they are of normal size. But, just how well they work is something we won't really know until he is out. BUT, Dr. Jolley reassured us that it is very unusual to have a baby who appears to have nothing else going on come out and not make it. So, really we are just going to have to wait and see how much support he will need to breath, as opposed to waiting to see if he will survive. Of course, nothing is a guarantee, but right now there is no reason to go to the worst case scenario. Although he will almost certainly get some form of oxygen support so that he can focus all of his energy on growing. Right now it is all looking great. We also got the skinny on the appropriate attire. In the NICU we can bring blankets, socks, mits and hats. Overall, it was a very positive visit and everybody seems very optimistic. And, remember, they all see a LOT of omphaloceles because they are a regional referral center for several states. The last time we met with them they had two babies with omphaloceles of comparable size at Seattle Children's that were doing awesome. So, things are looking good.
Lastly, I was told by one of the perinatologists that our son has a cute profile. Now, we already knew this, so no surprise. But, to hear it from somebody who looks at babies all day for a living was pretty exciting. So, I have posted a photo from the ultrasound today for the first reaveal of Baby C's ultra cute profile. We think he is basically the next Zoolander, but a little manlier.
Our next appointment is on New Year's Eve! Talk about a different way to spend New Years than what we would have been doing three years ago! I also see my regular doctor on the 19th to see if I have diabetes, which is a routine thing to check for if you are a man and didn't know this. Yuck! Ryan wanted to make sure that I say thank you to everybody who has been posting on this blog and sending us prayers and support. We both appreciate our friends and family more than we can express. Well, let's be honest, we are kind of immature about that stuff and most of our thank you's come out as jokes. BUT, if you know us, you know that we love you all.
Until next time!
Carly, Ryan and Baby C
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