More Photos taken in NICU Awaiting Surgery

NICU Stay

Ok so the last 3 weeks have seemed like a blur but so much has happened! So let’s recap.

Ryleigh was born on 7/24, that post you have. I was discharged from the hospital the next day (good behavior and fast recovery).

Ryleigh was taken to the NICU the moment she was born (7/24/12 - 7/30/12). This was not because she had issues, but because her doctors played it safe, she was then hooked up to monitors and IV’s. She spent 7 days and 6 nights there learning all the wonderful things normal babies do, eating (small amounts to test her gut), filling her diaper, getting bathes…etc. The eating part was the best part because she learned how to develop those sucking skills so after surgery she can start right away and not risk losing weight. She also took to the paci right away which was also great! We got to hold her and love on her while she awaited surgery. It felt as normal as it could, being we were in a NICU ward and she was hooked to 20 different things. At first, it was hard to see because no momma wants to see her baby that way – but trust me it got worse. I recall them trying to get a PICC line in because the IV’s kept failing, tiny veins I guess. I came in one day and she had an IV in her head! The next day they shaved half her head to get the PICC line in her head, yikes, so glad they were able to get one in her arm instead.

What is a PICC line anyway?

A PICC line is, by definition and per its acronym, a peripherally inserted central catheter. It is long, slender, small, flexible tube that is inserted into a peripheral vein, typically in the upper arm, and advanced until the catheter tip terminates in a large vein in the chest near the heart to obtain intravenous access. It is similar to other central lines as it terminates into a large vessel near the heart. However, unlike other central lines, its point of entry is from the periphery of the body the extremities. And typically the upper arm is the area of choice.

A PICC line provides the best of both worlds concerning venous access. Similar to a standard IV, it is inserted in the arm, and usually in the upper arm under the benefits of ultrasound visualization. Also, PICCs differ from peripheral IV access but similar to central lines in that a PICCs termination point is centrally located in the body allowing for treatment that could not be obtained from standard periphery IV access. In addition, PICC insertions are less invasive, have decreased complication risk associated with them, and remain for a much longer duration than other central or periphery access devices.

Using ultrasound technology to visualize a deep, large vessel in the upper arm, the PICC catheter is inserted by a specially trained and certified PICC nurse specialist. Post insertion at the bedside, a chest x-ray is obtained to confirm ideal placement. The entire procedure is done in the patient’s room decreasing discomfort, transportation, and loss of nursing care.

A PICC line may requested for a variety of treatment options which include some of the following:

-Prolonged IV antibiotic treatment;

-IV access obtainable by less invasive and longer lasting methods;

-Multiple accesses obtainable with one access line;

-TPN Nutrition;

-Chemotherapy;

-IV access related to physiological factors; and

-Home or sub-acute discharge for extended treatment.

PICCs are frequently used to obtain central venous access for patients in acute care, home care and skilled nursing care. Since complication risks are less with PICC lines, it is preferred over other forms of central venous catheters. A PICC is not appropriate for all patients. Proper selection to determine the appropriateness of this device is required.

The PICC may have single or multiple lumens. This depends on how many intravenous therapies are needed. A PICC line can be used for antibiotics, pain medicine, chemotherapy, nutrition, or for the drawing of blood samples. PICCs can be inserted by radiologists, physician assistants or certified registered nurses. They are inserted using ultrasound technology at the bedside or ultrasound wit fluoroscopy. Chest radiographs are also used to confirm placement of the PICC tip if it was not inserted using fluoroscopy.
Ok so let’s fast forward to the day she went to surgery…

Ryleigh Ann Walker

She is here, born 7/24/12, at 7:49 a.m., 6lbs 8 ounces, 19" long. Here is a short video of some of her photos of the first 2 days of life...

Viewing tip, once the video starts playing, hit pause until the gray load bar at the bottom shows it has loaded all the way, then it won't be interrupted. :-)

She is beautiful and already has her daddy wrapped around her finger.

Her repair surgery is set for Wednesday, August 1, 2012.

We go to see her each day and each day it gets harder to leave her. She has all kinds of wires, tubes, and IV's coming from her, she is so tiny, it is hard to see her lay there hooked up, but I know this is not the worst part of it all. She looks at me with tender eyes, I just want to kiss her and swaddle her, she is one tired kiddo, lots of activity during the day. I am hopeful all will go well and we can bring her home in a few weeks to love on her. My heart breaks a little more each day, it is overwhelming and almost more than I can bear, but I am being strong for her and hoping she feels our presence with her and it provides her with peace.

We love you sweet girl.

Final Countdown

We have reached our final countdown; Ryleigh will be here this week. We are ready I think as much as anyone can be, independent of her surgery and all that will follow shortly after her birth, we plan to enjoy every moment we can. She did wind up waiting for her cousin Bekah to get here so her little brother would have a caretaker. Lol

I think delivery will go fast, we shall see, she is ready and full term. The next post will be her birth announcement and photo! Last weight on July 6 was 6lbs 6 ounces, so I am expecting her to be 6 lbs 13 -15 ounces.

Any bets on weight?

Pathological

So I go see my OB Specialist and they proceed to get Ryleigh’s movements monitored and asked if I noticed a decrease is fetal movement when I say yes, they ask by how much, when I reply I haven’t been counting but I have noticed her movements are less ntoday, they advised that we start counting fetal kicks, it took them about 20 minutes to wake her (heavy sleeper like her dad), but she did pass her movement test on Thursday after about an hour of shaking, lol. Friday comes and she is moving even less so I go see my OB and for some reason I am seeing a new doctor at 38 weeks, why would they schedule me with a new doctor? Anyway, she lacked complete knowledge of our situation, knew nothing about Ryleigh, knew nothing about me, knew nothing about where we are. I was sooooo frustrated. Every time I tried to explain her movements are weak and limited, she would start off my telling me “Pathologically…”, which has to do with diseases, I was very confused here. It was almost like she refused to acknowledge some of the issues were possibly because I am 38 weeks pregnant and maybe going to go into labor any day now! I really get frustrated at doctors sometimes; I mean do they think I can’t feel the difference in my baby’s movements? I have been carrying her for over 9 months now, I can tell she is not moving like she did and it has drastically changed in 2 days. I know her movements decrease from kicks to slides at this point, but that would be a gradual shift not going from one day kicking me so hard I could cry to the next day feeling nothing but a bit of pressure. This doctor did not even know I was dilated to 3 cm and 80% thinned as of last week, she didn’t bother to even check if progress has been made. I was happy to see that she took the initiative to file forms for the actual induction though. Yeah one small victory.

I had hoped to have Ryleigh on the 13th, but it seems she wants to set her own birthday or keep the one set for her…we shall see. I know my body is preparing for the big day, so I will be ready.

LA

False Alarm

Well she sent us to the hospital last Friday, contractions heavy for 3 hours, I finally gave in because they said they would rather me come in and be observed than be home delivering a baby, lol. I was 80% thinned, head is down, and 3 CM. Oh yeah, well when we got to the hospital the contractions slowed so they sent us home, sorry lost my train of thought. We go tomorrow to the specialist OB to get her photos done, lol, and then my OB on Friday to see if there has been progression. She is one active womb baby. She is doing well and quickly running out of room!!!

2 weeks from today and we will meet our daughter.  Stick to the plan Ryleigh!!!

Love Mommy

July - Latest Updates

We saw the OB Specialist yesterday and they took a peak at Ryleigh, she is head down and very active! She was at a great weight 6lbs and 6 ounces! Wahoo go baby girl! She was breathing, yawning, opening her mouth, winking, opening her eyes, and kicking just fine.

They hooked me up to a monitor to see how her heart does when she is at rest and when she is moving and after 5 minutes she gave them all they needed to see even provided a mini contraction to see her tolerance.
Well that is the next bit of good news. I have been having a lot of activity – contractions, pain, pressure, and all so I went to ob today to get checked and we are now 3cm dilated and head is engaged, so little miss Ryleigh may make an appearance in an hour or 2 weeks, who knows, but she is telling us we are on her time now. Lol

We are excited, scared, and anxious!

Regardless if she comes now or waits for the “plan”, in less than 20 days we will meet her!

Till the next major event, signing off for now!

The Walkers