Our beautiful daughter graced us with her presence 2 weeks, to the date, early!! Sunday 2/24/13 Henley Amandine Klisser came into the world at 1:35 pm via c-section, and in true diva style she came with complications.
Saturday 2/23/13 we got the pleasure of getting together with Jay and Amy Lane! They were in town for work and came out to play with us downtown. It was great spending time with them!!
That night was the worst night for me. I could not sleep. I was nauseated and my stomach felt like a hard rock. I remember getting up throughout the night to walk around and stick my head on the bed and stick my butt in the air to relieve the pressure in my back. All I wanted was the pressure to go away and to throw up. By morning I couldn't take it and talked to my Dr. He told me to go in and get checked out. Something inside of me told me to grab the "hospital bag" I had packed and bring it with us. We get to the hospital and it so quite on Labor and Delivery. Everyone was happy to see us and excited that Henley was possibly coming today.
We get into the room and they hook me up to the monitors I am having mild contractions and after checking my cervix I am 1.5 cm dilated. The Dr. doesn't seem impressed, neither are we, and she says she will give me 2 hours, come back and check me. But most likely will send me home after that. Now, let me tell you that this wasn't my first time being checked for dilation. Greg and I laugh because, no joke, for 3 Sundays leading up to Henley being born we were at Labor and Delivery being checked out. Neither of us thought THIS Sunday was going to be any different. Greg was suppose to play golf at 1 pm and was planning on making his T time.
So as I lay in the hospital bed, walk around the room, or envisioning my cervix dilating (no joke!) Greg plays games on his phone. After 2 hours Greg is looking at the clock, needing to get going. He has already arranged for his sister to come pick me up and take me home so he can get to golf. Let me remind you we both thought this was a false alarm. The Dr. comes in, checks my cx and then gives a puzzled looked to Greg and I. " You are now at 3 cm....." she says. WHAT, my crazy tricks of walking around, pushing down real hard and "envisioning my cervix dilating" worked?We all figured I was going home after she checked me. Greg looks at her and asks what that means. I look at him with tears in my eyes and say that we are having our daughter today!
The next few minutes were a blur. Dr's and nurses coming in and out, prepping us for the c-section. C-section you ask? For those of you who didn't know I had elected to have a c-section. Throughout this pregnancy, besides the bed rest I was on, I had horrible anxiety. I wanted my daughter in this world as fast and as healthy as possible.This was the only way, for me, that I could see bringing her into the world. Now, I know that everyone has their own opinions, but for me this was mine.
They get me into the OR, get everything set up and bring Greg in. This is the moment I have been waiting for, for 9 months. Within moments my daughter is going to be here and I will see her beautiful face for the first time!......Minutes keep passing. Henley has not appeared. I have not heard them say "Here she is"......What's going on? I look at Greg. "Something is wrong buggy. What's taking so long?" Greg keeps poking his head over the blue sheet that is draped in front of me. I feel lots of pressure and all I can hear from the Drs is grunting. Hard grunting, like they are fighting with something. Finally what seems like forever I hear the Dr say " You are going to need a few more NICU Dr's in here, I think she's gonna need a transfusion, she lost quite a bit of blood" "Here she comes". .....But I don't hear crying.....What is going on?....What is happening to my baby? They finally hand Henley over to the NICU nurses and they place her on the warming table. She is grey, my baby is grey...and not moving. I can hear a faint squeak coming from her but neither her body nor her mouth is moving. Both Greg and I are silent. We just look at each other. My c-section, my quick way for getting my baby out safe and fast has not gone the way it was suppose to!! This can't be happening!
They quickly clean Henley up, let Greg cut the cord, quickly let me kiss her and take her away to the NICU. I make Greg go with her as they start to stitch me up. I lie there stunned. The Dr finally starts talking to me and tells me everything that has happened.
As soon as they made the incision, Henley turned sideways in my uterus. Her head was now on my right side, her back along the fundus of my uterus and her legs to my left. The Dr couldn't get her out. He had to try and turn her breech. While he was doing that my placenta abrupted from my uterus and Henley started loosing blood. Time kept passing and Henley would not come out, so the Dr had to make a vertical incision within my uterus to quickly remove her. Once she was out the NICU evaluated her and took her away. Henley had to have a blood transfusion within the 1st hour of her life and spend the next few days in the NICU.
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| In the NICU right before her transfusion. |
After they had stitched me up and wheeled me into our room Greg and I just looked at each other. This was suppose to be the happiest day of our lives. Our baby was suppose to be in the room with us right now. We were suppose to have family and friends coming in to see her and congratulate us. Instead our baby was in the NICU with PIC lines in her and receiving a blood transfusion.
I don't know how I did it, but for the first few days I stayed calm. We couldn't hold Henley for the first 24 hours, all we could do was touch her. That was hard, all I wanted to do was hold my baby.
The first time I got to hold Henley I remember just staring at her. She was so perfect, and tiny!! I couldn't help but realize that she still had no eyebrows or eyelashes, but a FULL head of hair...and 3 chins.
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| Going to hold Henley for the first time! |
After 2 days she was released from the NICU and was able to come up with us to our room. Finally being able to bond with our baby was the most amazing feeling in the world. She was finally here in our arms, safe!
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| Out of the NICU and in our room!! |
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| First time mommy got to hold her in our room |
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| Proud daddy! |
I know that everyone always says you can't plan your birth. You can have an idea of what you want and how you want it to go, but most times that plan isn't going to happen. I thought for sure that planning an elective c-section would be the quickest, and less stress way for me to get my baby in my arms.....I was wrong.
After 4 days in the hospital we got to take our little miracle home!
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| Leaving the hospital! |
Oh and Post Pardum, let's just say that's the reason this blog is so late......All I can say is that it is real and it SUCKS!! Luckly, I had an amazing support system around me to help me through the dark.
HENLEY'S 1ST DR APPT
ONE MONTH
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| Love this one...Super baby!! |
TWO MONTH
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| She just started smiling at us!! It melts my heart! |
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| Starting to stare at us......"I know you...." |
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| In Laguna Beach for our 2 year anniversary |
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| Good Morning! |
I can't believe it has been 2 months since we brought little miss diva home with us! For the most part she is an amazing baby. Greg and I made it a point to get out of the house with her as much as possible. I just got off being on bed/house rest for 5 months, the last thing I wanted to do was sit at home more. We are that couple, the couple you see next to you at the restaurant with the car seat in one of the empty chairs. She has been on many of date nights with us and for right now has slept through them! Apparently mommy and daddy bore her! Now, I know this is only temporary but for right now we are loving it!
She has been on her first plane ride up to Seattle at 6 weeks. Perfect angel on the ride up, coming home was a different story....My flight left Seattle at 6:45 am on Sunday morning. As I am getting ready to go through security she pukes all down my shirt....45 minutes into the flight she has a major blowout. And I mean out the diaper up her back blowout......Having to change her in those tiny bathrooms was not easy. I had poop all over my arms, I dropped her change of clothes on the bathroom floor (luckly I had another set) and the sink wouldn't work..Hot mess!! We fly again to Seattle next week, lets hope things go more smoothly.
Beanie ( Our nickname for Henley) we are so excited to watch you grow. You entertain us daily and keep us on our toes! Hopefully Wellington will start to like you soon :)
