The One with the Appendix November 13, 2008

Here is Kevin’s birth story. Be warned it is LONG!

For about a week before Little Dude was born, I had been having this pain right under my ribs on my right side. Then I would start contracting and contract for about two hours, every single night. It was really starting to get old, knowing that I was definitely having a C-section whatever happened. I attributed the pain to being feet stuck up in my ribs.

I stayed up late Sunday night knitting and Monday morning I got up early with Erich to get him ready for work. We were in the bathroom and I was talking to Erich, telling him that I thought I slept wrong because my shoulder really hurt. I thought I had pulled a muscle. I was also having a few contractions here and there, but I figured they were just annoying Braxton hicks.

We were out of bread so I headed to the grocery store (at 6am!). I was starting to hurt more, it hurt a bit to breathe, but just felt like a pulled muscle. I came home and got Erich out the door, and laid down on the couch to get some more rest. At about 830am I talked to Erich on the phone and told him I was really hurting. He suggested I call the OB, but I was hesitant because I really didn’t want to bug them. I did call them about ten minutes later, and the nurse suggested I take some Tylenol and get a heating pad to put on my shoulder. She said to call if it got worse.

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What have I been doing? November 6, 2008

Do you ever have days or weeks where you feel like you are *so* busy, yet when you look back you can’t for the life of you remember what you’ve been doing to fill all that time?  That would be me.  I’m not sleeping much, on average 4-5 hours of choppy nursing interrupted sleep.  My days are filled with the kids, knitting, and working.  I’ve been fielding a good portion of calls and emails for our website design business.  I’ve also been trying to get back into the groove of knitting and working on a growing customs list again.  And of course, Christmas is around the corner so I have lots of knitting to do for that too!  Whew! Busy busy!

I did this pair of pants though the other day and I just think they are SO cute!

Halloween Fun November 3, 2008

I really enjoy dressing my babies up for Halloween.  It’s an occasion I remember my dad having so much fun with when I was little, and while I didn’t dress up like him, I did have fun honoring the occasion for my children.  (And I really enjoy eating the candy too! :)  )  Kevin was really hard to find a costume for though.  While he is 7 weeks old today (!), he is still barely 8 pounds.  Even 0-3 month size is just way to big on him.  I did find a swaddling blanket with a cap though and that really worked for him.  He just ended up snoozing in the sling anyway while we went door to door.  He’s nursing so I’m sure he got a taste of that chocolatey goodness somwhere along the line.

A Monkey, Cow, and “Flutterfly” (aka butterfly)

Celebrating Colleen October 27, 2008

Colleen was a friend I met on an online forum. She was an incredibly sweet woman who had a wealth of knowledge. She was a knitter, spinner, and yarn dyer. She had her own little yarn business called Spiffy Knits. I’ve only had the privilege of knitting her yarn a couple of times, but it’s always been a delight to knit with.

She was diagnosed with a rapidly spreading liver cancer and died peacefully at home on October 17th, 2008. She leaves behind a loving husband, a five year old daughter, a two year old son, and a memory that won’t be forgotten.

Many of us have banded together to create beautiful items. We’ve put them up for sale to raise money for her children’s college funds. This was one of her last requests.

Please join us tomorrow as we Celebrate Colleen and raise money for her children. You’ll find many beautiful items as well as a set I knit myself.

My Fearless Child October 26, 2008

I always joke that I made Magdalena with to much fear and Carmina with not enough fear.  And while pregnant with Dude boy, I said I hoped I got it right this time.  But anyway, Carmina has no fear.  I spend my day trying to keep her from killing or maiming herself.  She has fun doing it though, so I guess that is what counts.

In August, she started a “mommy and me” tumbling class.  It meets right before Magdalena’s class.  For the last year though, Carmina has been participating somewhat in Magdalena’s class.  So, she started her own class, and absolutely LOVES it.  That girl is crazy!  She’s doing so well, both are really.  And she’s so STRONG.  She has recently mastered doing kickovers on her own.  This is a skill set for the 3-4-5 year olds.  It was on the checklist of things Magdalena had to pass for the level below her current one.  So Carmina doing it at 27 months is quite impressive in my opinion.

Friends Inside the Computer October 21, 2008

I’ve been a member of online communities for almost 6 years.  I’ve forged friendships with ladies around the country.  I’ve met a few, talked with a few on the phone, and been touched by all of them.  This last week I found out a friend and fellow knitter lost her battle to liver cancer.  She leaves behind her husband, her five year old daughter, and 2 year old son.  I can not imagine the pain she must have gone through or the emotions she dealt with knowing she would be leaving behind her children.  May she find peace and comfort whereever she is now.

Several of us are donating to a fundraiser to raise money to go to her chlidrens college fund.  I’ve knitted the most gorgeous set that includes a hat, kimono sweater, and pants.  Someone else is donating a diaper to this set.  Please join us October 28, 2008 at 2pm as we stock the store and raise money for a friend we loved dearly.  http://www.hyenacart.com/tinyladycooperative

Tongue Tied October 15, 2008

When I was pregnant with Magdalena, I practically devoured every breastfeeding book or article there was out there.  Friends like Beanmom and Rachel pointed me to terrific books.  I felt solidly prepared for the journey we were about to start.

And then Magdalena was born.  It was a really long labor followed by a csection.  Erich did everything I asked, and stayed by her side the entire time they did their assessments.  When they got me back to the room, I was anxious to see her, hold her, but most importantly, I was anxious to nurse her. After asking about when she would be done, a nurse casually mentioned that she appeared to be tongue tied.

Tongue tied? It seemed like such a curve ball to be thrown.  Erich wasn’t tongue tied, and I wasn’t either.  And all the literature said that tongue ties were usually hereditary, so where did this come from?  12 hours after her birth, I asked if they would clip her tongue.  I was lucky that there was no hesitation and the pediatrician immediately clipped her tongue in the hospital.

Our walk down breastfeeding lane started as a rocky one.  By the time they clipped her tongue, I was already sore.  Then she was super sleepy on day 2, as most newborns are, and she seemed to not know what to do with her newly clipped tongue.  By the time I left the hospital I was bleeding and blistered and using a nipple shield. But I was determined! Some might say I was stubborn.  And after a couple of weeks, Magdalena and I fell into a routine and breastfeeding became that wonderful journey that so many talk about.

When Carmina was born, it was the first thing on my mind.  Was she tongue tied?  And while she was a lazy nurser, she was not tongue tied, and breastfeeding was a smooth journey.

With Kevin, I never really thought about him being tongue tied.  With all the drama surrounding his birth, then his respiratory difficulties, it was honestly the last thing on my mind.  The few times I could really look inside his mouth when he was crying in that first week, I saw what I thought was a tongue tie. When he was 7 days old, he came off of all respiratory support and I was allowed to nurse him for the first time.

Kevin was born to breastfeed! He was a champion nurser right from the start, an impressive preemie with a great suck.  He seemed to do okay with his tongue tie, but he had his moments.  I asked the NICU nurse if someone would be available to clip his tongue before we left, but I was told it was unusual to clip tongues in the NICU.  Everyone seemed confident that it would stretch and he was doing well- gaining weight.

But he did have some issues latching.  This time though, with two other breastfed children under my belt, I was able to help him latch better and change up positions.  But he still seemed to have a shallow latch at times and sometimes had issues fully extending his tongue under the nipple.  I asked our dentist if he would clip his tongue, and he agreed!  So on Tuesday we had his tongue clipped.

Before:

And after:

The procedure was simple and I assume painless because he did not cry at all. Best thing of all, about half an hour later I nursed him and found him to have a perfect latch.  Clipping his tongue was an instantaneous fix to his latch issues!

We’re Home September 24, 2008

There is so much to write and tell and share: the birth story and the NICU story and all of those emotions. And let’s not forget about the appendix I no longer have. But now is not that time as I’m tired and you know, needing to nurse a baby.

We are home though. Got home this afternoon. I think he likes it. It’s really odd to be home. I always think it’s a little weird to come home with a new baby, but coming home with a baby that is 8 days old and having been away (unexpectedly!) so long, well it’s weird.

I will say that as awful as the NICU experience was and how stressful it was to have a baby 24 days early that really should have spent at least one more week in the womb if not more (his scheduled csection was tomorrow! sept 25). It was kinda neat to watch him do what he would have been doing in the womb this last week: learning to breathe. He literally made progress in 12 hour increments. You could almost see his little lungs getting better and filling with surfectant. But like I said, that’s a story for another time.

Thank you for all of your prayers, positive thoughts, and well wishes. As always, my internet friends step up and lift me up in my times of need, and I have no doubt that your thoughts and prayers coming in from around the world, helped our little boy get better so quickly. Each night and whispered in his ear that people from around the world were thinking of him and praying for him, and that we are blessed to live in such a world.

Kevin Transferred September 18, 2008

Kevin has been transferred to a hospital with a NICU which has doctors that can administer a CPAP machine to help expand his lungs.  He will be on this machine for 24 hours, but should be able to come home after that.  Suzanne is still at the first hospital waiting to be discharged by her doctor and for her mother to come back with the car and children.  Thank you for all of your prayers and support as we go through the process of bringing Kevin home.

A Tiny Update September 17, 2008

I have lot to write out. This is what I sent out via email this morning.

We had our baby boy on Monday, September 15 at 4:57pm. He came 24 days early (10 days earlier than our scheduled section). I woke up in horrible pain in my side and shoulder and started contracting. By the time I got to the hospital it was determined that I most likely had appendicitis and that he needed to come out. Kevin Clayton was born at 4:57pm weighing 6# 11ounces and was 19″ long. (He’s a big boy for a 36weeker!) He is named after his Grampy Kevin, who died in 1992.

He is currently in the special care nursery requiring oxygen. He does not appear to be sick, just early. The hope is that he will start weaning off the oxygen today and hopefully go home soon. We are all anxious to hold him and love him (and you know me! I want to nurse him!) All prayers and positive thoughts are greatly appreciated.

The general surgeon came in to talk to me a bit ago. The pathology on my appendix is not back, but it was enlarged and the tip looked “thickened” which he said is generally a sign of early appendicitis. He thinks that my body was just sensitive and that being pregnant made everything more agitated. Kevin’s heartrate was in the 180s when we got to the hospital, so he was a bit distressed as well. The surgeon thinks that we absolutely made the right decision and thinks that we saved his life and mine.