As many of you know Gary and I welcomed our baby girl Olivia into the world a bit early, 9 weeks and 2 days before her due date to be exact. This is a blog to help us share our story and keep our loved ones informed on Olivia's daily growth as she spends some time in the Hoag Hospital NICU.
After being diagnosed with P.I.H. (Pregnancy induced hypertension) and pre-eclampsia I was admitted into the hospital on Tuesday July 31 2012. The Doctors and nurses tried for 3 days to get my blood pressure under control with no luck and On August 3, 2012 at 2:03 pm Olivia May Strawn was born. She weighs 3lbs, is 16 inches long at arrival and although tiny appears healthy. Gary was able to cut her umbilical cord then she was wrapped with a small bag to keep her body warm.
For the first 24 hours she was breathing with just the help of some oxygen given to her through the tubes in her nose. I was unable to see her during that time due to the medicine I was on but was able to enjoy her little face with this great photo Gary snapped.
Sat. Aug 4,2012 she is doing great. She is still breathing on her own and is placed under UV lights to help prevent jaundice. They place an eye patch on her to protect her eyes and at 2:00 that afternoon I met my baby girl for the very first time.
Tuesday Aug.7,2012 I was discharged from the hospital that afternoon and leaving there without my baby was probably one of the hardest things I have ever been through. Knowing she is in great hands here at Hoag is very comforting but there is something so wrong about leaving the hospital without our little girl.
After a couple hours at home the empty feeling really kicked in. Gary and I headed back to the hospital and I got a great surprise, I was able to change my first diaper and take her temperature. It was such a wonderful moment. Gary got this picture of me beaming.
After being diagnosed with P.I.H. (Pregnancy induced hypertension) and pre-eclampsia I was admitted into the hospital on Tuesday July 31 2012. The Doctors and nurses tried for 3 days to get my blood pressure under control with no luck and On August 3, 2012 at 2:03 pm Olivia May Strawn was born. She weighs 3lbs, is 16 inches long at arrival and although tiny appears healthy. Gary was able to cut her umbilical cord then she was wrapped with a small bag to keep her body warm.
For the first 24 hours she was breathing with just the help of some oxygen given to her through the tubes in her nose. I was unable to see her during that time due to the medicine I was on but was able to enjoy her little face with this great photo Gary snapped.
Sat. Aug 4,2012 she is doing great. She is still breathing on her own and is placed under UV lights to help prevent jaundice. They place an eye patch on her to protect her eyes and at 2:00 that afternoon I met my baby girl for the very first time.
Saturday evening Olivia reminded us just how fragile she is when her lungs got tired and had to be put on a respirator.
Sunday Aug. 5 2012 Gary and I walked up to see our baby girl and get updates as the doctors did their morning rounds. It is really fantastic how informative everyone is and how they welcomed usto be a part of their discussion, constantly reminding us that this is our baby and we have every right to ask questions. I started using a breast pump that day as I was informed they would be using my breast milk to swab her mouth to prepare her for feedings.
Monday Aug.6 2012 3 days old. Olivia's status has not changed at all she is still on the respirator and under the lights and is still this tiny adorable little lady!! That evening I had my first productive pump where I was able to get just enough milk to save. Gary and I had a mini celebration with what we refer to as liquid gold!! They also took a small swab of the breast milk and rubbed it on the inside of her cheeks which we were told signals the brain to stimulate the belly and let it know food will soon be coming.
Tuesday Aug.7,2012 I was discharged from the hospital that afternoon and leaving there without my baby was probably one of the hardest things I have ever been through. Knowing she is in great hands here at Hoag is very comforting but there is something so wrong about leaving the hospital without our little girl.
After a couple hours at home the empty feeling really kicked in. Gary and I headed back to the hospital and I got a great surprise, I was able to change my first diaper and take her temperature. It was such a wonderful moment. Gary got this picture of me beaming.
Wednesday Aug. 8 2012 5 Days old Olivia has taken a turn in a positive direction and its shaping up to be a big day. The doctors are talking about taking her off the respirator she is getting a PIC line which is an IV that is fed through her arm but unlike a normal IV it stays in as long as they need it. Basically it means they wont have to frequently prick her which we like! They are continuing to swab her mouth with breast milk in preparation for feedings and to top it all off she had her first poop. That afternoon Gary and i had an amazing moment when Olivia opened her eyes and stared straight at us and although she can't see us as anything other than silhouettes we both felt we made eye contact with her and had a true moment of bonding.
When we were getting ready to go home for the night her doctor came over and informed us that her latest test were in and looked good and that she would be taken off the respirator and they were going to do it in about 5 minutes. Just before bed that night I called to see how she was doing, she had been off the vent for about an hour and was doing great.
Thursday Aug. 9, 2012 Olivia had a good night she rested easy and seems to be very happy to be off the respirator. The nurse that morning hinted that she had one more IV to be taken off before we could hold her and it looked like they would be removing it that morning. The idea of finally getting to hold my little girl was so overwhelming I can't explain how nervous/excited I was at just the thought of it. Then it happened the nurses told me they were removing the line and to stay close because it was time for us to have some skin on skin time. They pull in a recliner have me undress from the waist up and lay her on my chest for what is truly the most magical hour and a half I have ever experienced. For the first time since I was admitted into the hospital over a week ago I was totally calm and able to concentrate on the only thing that mattered...HER!
They let me hold her again later that afternoon, this time we stayed like this for 2 hours!!
Friday Aug. 10,2012 She is week old today. She is still off the vent. and has been doing well. They started feeding yesterday and her stomach has responded well so far she is digesting everything and even had another poop which is a fantastic step. Other than that she is in a low stimulation environment so they keep her nice and comfortable in her isolette. She gets oxygen fed to her through the tubes in her nose, any meds she needs through the PIC line and is observed closely by the fantastic NICU nurses as she continues to grow.
We were able to get this picture last night before we headed home they were changing out the tubes for her oxygen. It was so nice to see her little face without all the gear on!
She is so tiny but she is Perfect!
Happy 1 week birthday baby girl we love you more than anything in this world!!!
Gary and I want to thank all of our friends and family for all you love and support we need it now more than ever and feel blessed to have so many people praying for Olivia. We love you all!!
Check back I will keep posting on Olivia's status as frequently as I can.
I'm so glad everything is ok! I enjoyed reading this and seeing your pictures. Such a relief that you both seem healthy! Olivia is so cute - I'm just a little jealous that you get to hold your baby girl already ;) Looking forward to updates and maybe running into you at the hospital SOON!!!
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