What I Learned About Myself During Our Stay in the NICU

A year ago TODAY, I took my last pregnancy picture.  I had an OBGYN appt that morning.  By 10:45am, I was told to call my husband and it was time to have this baby via cesarean.  

I remember calling my hubby that day and not being able to get a hold of him on his cell.  He was in a presentation at Burns and McDonnell and I was determined to not have our last baby without him present.  I remember standing in the parking lot of Saint Luke's East hospital chatted with the lovely receptionist at his work and explaining I needed to to get a hold of him ASAP and it was urgent.  "Mam....I'm having a baby in approximately 20 minutes!"  I could hear her voice on the intercom while on the phone with her...so calm..."Brett Fisher...you have a call from your wife on line 3...Brett Fisher". No answer.  I sat myself outside the elevator to go up to the maternity ward.  I was suppose to go straight up stairs BUT I was not having this baby alone. (Looking back, I should have gone straight up stairs and listened to my OBGYN)  

I FINALLY got him on the phone and he was so shocked and left without finishing his presentation.  There is something to be said about having a loved one in the room while you deliver. It is needed!  Especially with a cesarean delivery.  It wasn't my first rodeo, but I still had fears about the "What Ifs".  

With the help of an amazing OBGYN, we delivered our third boy via our third cesarean. Yes, I feel like I am an expert in cesarean recovery lol. Each one has taken a little longer than the first due to scar tissue from the surgery before.  BUT in the end, this momma gets to snuggle the most precious little boy on the planet. 

When your child is placed on your chest, the world seems to stop.  I had no idea what was going on down below with sewing me up, nor did I seem to care.  I was a mother to this beautiful baby boy who has completed our family.  Nothing else seemed to matter.

On December 13th, I remember waking up and my husband taking pictures of me and Baby Hudson and stating how he thought he looked orange.  Not when you looked at him, but when you looked at pictures of him.  

Soon after, a nurse came in to check his vitals and said the same thing. The hospital ended up checking his blood levels earlier than they normally would. Around 10:30pm on Dec. 13th when we got the labs back, and I received a phone call from our pediatrician (who I adore AND who happened to be on call-praise the Lord!) and we were transferred to the NICU at Saint Luke’s East.

Hudson’s bilirubin was 20 or 21 during the early hours of his life. We found out he was Combs positive and ABO incapable. He was immediately put on the highest level of lights to help decrease his bilirubin levels.

My milk was coming in (yes, earlier than most) and I was recovering from my third cesarean so I took the lovely wheel chair down to the NICU multiple times a day to visit my baby and deliver milk. We were sent home after about a week in the NICU and followed up with our pediatrician’s office the following morning for labs. I received the dreaded phone call a few hours later from our pedicatrian (where I’m pretty sure I bawled) to head back to the NICU. I re-packed my bag and called family over to watch the older boys while we headed back into the NICU. It’s there I stayed in the same room with my baby for the following week. Each day sending prayers, asking a zillion questions to the medical staff while waiting for answers.

I was in a deep-dark place mentally while in the NICU for those two weeks. I am still in awe and so incredibly grateful for the love and support we received while in the NICU. We had friends/ family stop in just to chat (MUCH needed), meals brought to our house for the boys and to the NICU for Brett and I, cards and gifts dropped off as well as a basket of goodies and a little Christmas tree for Hudson’s NICU room.

It truly takes a village to raise a baby. My mental state NEEDED that support. I realized with the help and support from everyone around me (and the amazing NICU staff at SLE), I was strong enough to be patient and make it through that difficult chapter in our lives. Childbirth is tough, but then living the first few weeks in the the NICU is hard too. AND then the first few months of colicky baby, food allergies, 4 nights of sleeping through the night in a year...I know…I CAN DO ANYTHING I put my mind too. My gratitude journal has been my daily go to and has changed my life and my mindset. I am one strong mother and I, like my son, am a fighter.

I know my short time in the NICU cannot compare to what other mothers go through, but I do know, I would not be where I am today without the love and generosity of others during our first few weeks with Baby Hudson.

Today my baby turned O N E. As a reflect back on last year and our journey with him, I just want to say thank you. Thank you to all of you who have continued to follow my journey and who have supported my business. If you ever need anything, please reach out! Have a blessed day!

Pregnancy Journal: 33 Weeks

33 weeks prego and baby boy is the size of a celery stalk.  AND kicking like a crazy soccer player in my belly.  

Pregnancy insomnia has definitely kicked in.  Has anyone else experienced this?  I get up to pee at 3am and I am up for the day.  Crazy!!  

This week I managed to sneak in a lunch with my oldest son, in between patients and dental appointments for the boys.  I love having time with each of them.  Jack is 4 years old and has a wonderful imagination on what this baby boy will be like.  He has called this baby "Fred" for since we found out we were expecting.  For the last couple of weeks, we have been listening to Christmas music because Jackson is convinced if we listen to Christmas music than "Fred" (Due date Dec. 22nd) will come see us.  He is hilarious.  I love the way his mind it thinking and processing things like that...at 4 years old!  Help me ladies...I have a thinker with with this one!

I continue to walk 1-2 miles, 6 days a week and do upper body, lower body and core exercises at home 5-6 days a week.  Varicose veins are still around and as lovely as ever.  I wouldn't know what to do during this pregnancy journey if they decided to get up and leave one day.  (I hope you can sense the humor).  

Crazy craving right now is energy balls.  I AM OBSESSED.  With my other two pregnancies, around this time, all I wanted was concretes from a local ice cream shop in town.  But this one, I want energy balls and mushrooms.  

The recipe we follow for energy balls in our house is for peanut allergy (sorry, no peanut butter ladies, but you can substitute peanut butter for the sun butter). 

Pregnancy Craving Energy Balls Recipe

1 cup gluten free old fashioned rolled oats

1 cup shredded coconut flakes (unsweetened)

1/2 cup sun butter (or peanut butter or nut butter of choice)

1/3 cup honey

1/2 cup Enjoy Life chocolate chips (or raisins if I am wanting those)

1/2 cup ground flaxseed

1 teaspoon vanilla  

Directions: Combine all in a bowel and mash together.  Roll into 1 inch balls and place in the refrigerator. Enjoy!! (I know I do!!  I eat them like they are cookies)

What You Need To Know About Pelvic Health

As women, we live in this one body, yet, we still have a difficult time bringing awareness to the pelvic floor muscles and learning how to contract and relax these muscles. This is a topic that surprisingly, not a lot of women are well educated on. I love addressing the pelvic floor muscles, their roles in our health and how they can change with pregnancy and birth.  

The pelvic floor muscles offer many functions to our bodies: they are supportive to our organs, they help pump/ circulate fluid in as we breathe in and out, they aide in sexual function, they control opening and closing of our openings and stabilize our SI joint, pelvis, hip joints and lumbosacral joints. The muscles run from the front of the pelvis at the pubic bone, to the sits bones and attach to the SI/ tailbone area.  When functioning properly, the pelvic floor muscles should fire prior to movement of lifting children, laundry, jogging, grabbing a glass of water etc. So it is important to continue to focus on your pelvic floor muscles through all phases of life.

Your "core" is made up of your diaphragm, pelvic floor muscles, transversus abdominus and your mulitidus muscles in your low back.  So, as you can see, doing abdominal exercises for your "6-pack" muscles, will not target the true core. 

With life, we generally create habits.  Even within our bodies, we tend to do things the same way most of the time.  For example, we tend to carry our children or purse on the same side of our body.  This can create compensations to certain tissues and joints, especially during pregnancy and postpartum.  For instance, during pregnancy we may stand with our bum tucked under, our abdominals stretched and tightness in our backs to hold us up with our growing belly/ uterus.  After birth, our bodies stay in a similar posture, with weakened tissue and we start moving throughout the day making new compensations with carrying an infant or a toddler.   Seeing a pelvic floor physical therapist can help you fire and re-train your core the proper way to improve your core support during pregnancy and postpartum. 

One day, I hope it becomes a natural thing for a women to be seen at least once during her pregnancy and then get an automatic referral to a pelvic floor physical therapist postpartum to check on how the pelvic floor is functioning prior to beginning an exercise routine.  I believe many women would benefit on a prenatal visit with a pelvic floor physical therapist, to figure out how to make their pelvic floor muscles function properly and then what posture and body mechanics would be beneficial to avoid to promote a healthy pelvic floor.  Then postpartum, addressing women's pelvic floor strength, endurance, coordination and any areas related to pelvic floor dysfunction, diastasis recti or scarring from cesarean birth or perineal tearing.  I think so many women are doing too much too soon instead of giving their bodies enough time to heal postpartum prior to jumping back on the exercise train.  Remember, it took your body 9 months to grow that baby (ies), so give it grace with healing.  You will be glad your took your time and were smart with your healing and exercise, instead of rushing back into things.  

Pregnancy Journal: 27 Weeks!

On the hayride to go find our pumpkins!

I am closer to 28 weeks than 27 weeks while posting this, but our house was hit with the stomach bug this weekend and life got away from me.  

Landon doesn't like sitting on the hay.  Jackson was so excited to sit by the pumpkins!

So #27weekspregnant and continuing to feel great!  This is my favorite time of year.  I love the fall, Midwest weather, the clothes, the smells, the food (but really, who doesn't love food while pregnant?!), and the outside activities.  My boys and I went to a local Pumpkin Patch this weekend (prior to getting sick), and had a blast. 

I am feeling baby move more and more each day.  Especially when Jack and Landon talk to my belly.  They love telling "Baby Fred" (that's what they have named him) all about their days, what they ate and what they did.  I need to record these conversations because they are freaking adorable!  

I was low on iron so I have started taking an iron supplement and eating more iron rich foods (greens, spinach, beans etc) to help improve my levels.  My eyesight has improved with doing so.  My eyesight was getting pretty bad over the last month so I am glad my doctor caught that.  

I am continuing to eat a diet high in good fats and protein.  Lots of good research out there with having a diet high in healthy fats while pregnant and breastfeeding.  I am adding more avocado, coconut MCT oil, and Omegas to my meals and snacks throughout the day.  I definitely feel better when I do, especially when I am staying hydrated, I notice less swelling in my labia and legs.  I mentally feel better too! That's a bonus as a mom of 2 (soon to be 3!).  

Eating a diet high in healthy fats is also great for women of all ages because they help regulate our womanly hormones.  How wonderful is that!!  We could all use a little help with our hormones, am I right?!  hehe

Anyways, I'll be making a post on that soon!

Have a fabulous week!  If you want to chat about anything, remember, I do virtual consults now :)

Amanda