This post is written by Whitney.
I will start at the very beginning for this post.
On 1/12/11, I woke (well got out of bed) at 3am. I had been fighting back pains and sleepless nights for 2 weeks but still try to lay down and rest as much as possible. I had a few things planned for the day but none of them seemed to actually have to been done this day! I cat napped on the couch as Travis and dean both got up and got ready and left for work. I managed to get both KaCe and Ethan breakfast and happily watching tunes so I could continue to rest. I was not sure I was contracting but man....the back pain was not going away with any pain meds and I was getting more and more concerned. I called Sellenee (a friend in the complex who with out her I am not sure how I would make it through some days) and asked what her plans where for the day. She told me them and then said to bring Ethan by and take KaCe to school and go to the doctor. I decided that since I had an appt any ways at 1PM I would see if I could get in early. After dropping KaCe off and driving to doctor she was very easy going and got me in. She could tell I was hurting but since I was only 36weeks 6 days, there was little they could do. She reminded me to go to the hospital if contractions got with 5 minutes. With the weather front that we were supposed to be getting (but never did as far as I know) she doubted I would make through the weekend not in labor. I went to Sellenee's to get Ethan and rest but Sellenee was not sure how I wanted to be alone and invited me to just hang out the day. (Tracey, another friend who is very helpful and lives near us, was bring KaCe from school today). Sel wanted to make sure I was ready for this baby to come then, so she helped me get my bag packed, a list of where the boys could go and who needed called, and helped me with many plans for the weekend. She was also helping time contractions when they started later in the day. I had called my mom (in new Mexico) and she was still planning to leave when baby came or the 16th (that was her current date of departure, it had changed a few times), whichever came first. My dad is her travel spotter, weather watcher, and direction giver. Within 27 minutes of him reading the weather he had "kicked" her out. She arrived in Gillette at 3;30am (or that is my estimate because I was still trying to sleep). Meanwhile, Travis is at work! Sellenee is arranging with friends of ours or hers for KaCe and Ethan and for her boys as we see it an imminent end the day to go to the hospital. After dropping off her boys with Jess (Sellenee and my friend who is due 1/13/11) and my boys with Jessica (my visiting teaching partner, we drive to the hospital. We had called Travis at 4 and told him to head to town so she should be right behind us. Wow....what a day! In the end my contractions are not dilating me. I was 3-4 and 50% went we got there and still that when we left. At 10PM, I was in bed, feed, and had taken Tylenol to try and sleep. Travis and dean have Thursday off so we will see what Thursday brings!!
1/13/11 - My mom drove 15+ hours to sleep on our recliner Thursday morning. It was a good day of contractions, time with my mom, and trying to rest. The boys loved the time with Grams, their dad (home on break for baby), and me. At 7pm, my mom took the boys to Lori's with her so they could sleep, since we don't have enough room at the apartment for 6 sleeping bodies (especially when 4 are adults).
1/14/11 - I slept till 5am before I could not lay still and I did not want to wake Travis yet. He has been so good at taking care of me and trying to help in any way he can I knew he needed to sleep. I sat on the couch, watched TV, and waited for everyone else to wake. I was not contracting with what the hospital with think of as labor contractions because they use a scale that if it is a productive contraction then the top of your belly should feel like pressing on your forehead, good contraction is the tip of your nose, and braxton hicks would be your chin.....I did not know what to tell them but these contractions are REAL!!!! I finally showered and dressed deciding I was going to see Dr Cohn today. I need to be checked...I am sure I am further than they think. I called the office to see when they could get me in. The earliest appointment they had was 2pm so better to go to hospital to get checked. Travis and I chose to run a few errands first so we did...the bank, gas in the truck, and gets part for the van. Then we went to the hospital to get checked. They originally thought I had a UTI as I had not changed so they made me take a pill and kept monitoring me. At 11am I sent Travis to work. They were calling asking how long they needed to cover for him and he and I decided that since they were "going" to send me home that it would be ok for him to work, me to go home with Sellenee and Mom would come to house then and be with me. He barely left when the nurse decided to come check me early. Nurse Vicki (we call her Nurse faces) was surely surprised with the progress I had made. I had gone from 3-4 to 5.5-6 with show. She was so shocked and her face showed her surprise....she kept us entertained all day with her faces of surprise as I progressed. I started immediately trying to call Travis. I knew that his phone was on vibrate, dying, and he was driving so I kept pressing resend every time I got voice mail. There was no way he could have gotten out of Gillette yet but really...answer the phone. I finally got a hold of him and he turned around and headed back as Sellenee and I were walked to the labor room, LDR 3 (it is really an overflow room that they converted). Travis and I were both trying to get through to my mom (really she driver 15+ hours to get to Gillette for this delivery and she does not answer her PHONE!). As they break my water, Travis walks in the door. He sensed that weird things will happen...he knew he should not have left. He keeps pressing redial on his phone to get a hold of my mom and decides to try and reach Lori (my sister in law) and see if she can try to find mom. Lori found mom at McDonald's, where she took the boys from Mom and sent her to the hospital. I am going to make this labor short, sweet and to the point. At 11:52am they broke my water, at 2:04pm I gave up and asked for the epidural, at 2:10pm Dr Cohn arrived in the room, and at 2:22pm Aedan Thomas Llewelyn was born!!! He was 6lbs 15.9oz, 19.5 inches long. He was screaming right away. He opened his eyes once for Grams and we managed to get it on Video (which if I knew how to post I would) on her phone. They cleaned him up a little bit, put a hat on him (minus they did not wash his hair yet) and handed him to Travis. She mentioned that he was really grunting so they would be watching that closely. travis handed him to me and I cuddle with him for 5 or so minutes before the nurse came back in and heard his grunting again and took him to the nursery. I ate my lunch and they moved us to our room (that would be ours till we leave). We went in to Level 2 nursery and saw him after a while and met with Dr Soler (our pediatrician) who decided to start him on an antibiotic and ordered xrays. I truly feel that between Dr Soler and Tracey Wassaburger (the PA and "boss" of the nursery) we had angels and wonderful care at CCMH. Dr Soler and Tracey both decided to put Aedan on CPAP friday night, in hopes that he would get off during Saturday. They both suggested that I start pumping (knowing I may or may not get anything quite yet). Travis went home and got our bags (remember we thought we were going home so we did not bring our bags and clothes). He brought his PJs as he felt he needed to stay the night with us since the boys were with mom at Lori's again. I got up at 11pm and pumped and went to visit Aedan. He was doing good but Tracey thought it best if they give him a little sedation to sleep (he was fighting the tubes in his nose and it was making him more agitated.
1/15/11 - I woke at 3 and visited Aedan and he was more relaxed than he had been at 11. I was glad to see that and I am sure that knowing that helped me to sleep again. He was so frustrated and crying at 11, it was hard to see. When Travis woke at 6:30 we decided to go back down and visit. It was (and still is) hard to go back and see him, not be able to hold him, and not cry when back there. I realize it is all part of the process but still it is hard. I continued through Saturday pumping every 3 hours. I kept telling myself it will happen, it will happen, but in the back of my mind I was still unsure. I did not get to nurse either KaCe or Ethan and really had my heart set on giving it every thing I could to do it this time! In the afternoon I went and checked on Aedan and was able to chat with Dr Soler as well as Tracey. They had just been reviewing his recent xray and he has pneumonia. They also are finding weird things in his blood that were not there earlier. They are going to contact Denver for advice but at this time feel they can continue his care in Gillette with no problems. They did ask to do a spinal tap. My mom, Sellenee, Sam (a good friend since jr high), and Leigha (a GMM friend who is so wonderful), were standing outside the window. I lipped to my mom to call Travis because he had ran an errand and was not back yet. He was in the building and was there beside me immediately. I explained (through my tears) that what Dr Soler and tracey had told me. Each of these people that were there hugged me, asked if they could post to thier FB walls for prayers, and left so Travis, Mom, and I would have alone time to process and wait for results without an audience. The spinal went well and results could take 3-6 hours for some parts and 2-4 days for cultures. At 5pm they brought in my dinner and I was surprised by the overwhelming need to eat it all gone. I was confused on why my body felt it needed to eat an entire meal when I still felt full. I slowly ate my meal and talked with Travis and Mom. Mom then decided to leave after helping me shower. Travis, Dean, and I walked to the cafteria so they could eat (although they did not find anything they wanted) and walked back to my room. When we walked into the maternity floor, my nurse instantly told us Tracey was wanting to see up and sent up to my room so we could wait for her. She was doing a procedure and would be right with us. This short time was slowly passing and Travis decided to walk to the window and see what was what. I stayed on my bed...my heart beating fast and tried to keep breathing as Mom had been instructing me earlier in the day. Travis came back saying that Dr Soler (I watched him leaver earlier), Tracey, and 4 nurses were huddled around Aedan and he could not see anything and felt odd and worried about that. I began shutting down the laptop (I was trying to distract myself with a movie)....this is not going good.....breathe....breathe. Tracey came right behind Travis and closed the door. Uh..Oh. She walked my the side of the bed and was looking at Travis and had her hand on my arm. (Yep, I was nervous and very concerned.) She slowly started saying that Aedan was being just what his name described...Fiery! Every time she thought she was making progress he throws a kink in her plans. She told us his lung had collapsed, i took in a deep breath, and they need to put in a chest tube and intubate. They had contacted Dr Horst in Denver and concluded it was time for him to go to Denver. (Yes, I was already crying.) She said it would be 45 minutes till they knew the plane was in the air, 50-60 minutes for the flight to Gillette, 45 minutes to package him up, and 1.5 hours till we would be in Denver. One of us could go with....Travis said it would be me. He was going to drive (he told me later that he was sure I would not have made the drive without panic attacks and major knock out drugs.) We signed the papers for the transport, packed, organized life in Gillette, and prayed. We asked and received a blessing for Aedan earlier in the day, but when we learned we would be going we asked and received blessing of comfort for Travis and I. I was sobbing and shaking before them but after them it was amazing how much I felt everything would be going great. 11:06PM - plane left Gillette 11:36PM - plane lands at Centennial Airport
1/16/11 -12:10am - arrive at Presbyterian/St Lukes, 12:30am - first meeting with Dr Horst, E-coli infection from urinary tract infection that spread to his lungs. Caused pneumonia and collapsed lung. Waiting for meningitis results so treating for that just in case. NOT MY FAULT told to me 15 plus times. Dr Horst planned 7 days of antibiotic for pneumonia and infection. 3-4 days before off vent. Will start giving breast milk as soon as can provide it. 3-4 days to teach to eat. Skin to skin as soon as they can, after the central line in his stomach comes out. Only 2 visitors at bedside at time. Grandparents must be accompanied by a parent. No other visitors but grandparents and parents. Social worker will set us up at Ronald McDonald house Sunday morning. Stayed in family room for NICU. Slept OK but noisy fridge, need to walk, bad cell service, and wanting mom and Travis, means slept lite.
Thank You for prayers and thoughts!
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