A Long Overdue Update

Hey everyone,

We have a LONG overdue update for our family blog! First of all, since the last time we posted we had our baby :)  Everyone, meet our daughter, Charlee Rae Alleyn: Born Thursday, Nov. 6th 2014 at 10.28am, 6lbs4oz, 48.5cm long.

As soon as she was born Charlee grabbed on to her Pa's finger and she hasn't let go since!

While I was sequestered in our hospital room, unable to move post-surgery, Joel would go visit Charlee in the nursery and take photos of her to bring back and show me.

 Let's rewind to Hallowe'en.  I woke up at 4am to go to the bathroom only to discover that I was bleeding...again.  So off to the hospital we went and back into the same hospital bed I went.  Little did I know, Hallowe'en would be the beginning of two very long weeks of hospitalization for me.  On Nov. 2nd (Sunday) the OB told me I could stay in the hospital until Nov. 13th (when I was supposed to have Charlee) or I could go home and be very careful.  We decided I would stay in the hospital just in case that dreaded "big bleed" happened...the last thing I wanted to do was come back to the hospital in an ambulance as an emergency.

4am on Hallowe'en, IV in and an ultrasound ordered.

Later that Sunday night my blood pressure mysteriously spiked.  The next morning my blood pressure was decent, but throughout the day it got higher and higher.  The doctors and nurses were on high alert after that, checking my blood pressure every few hours, which actually stressed me out more. I quickly developed a serious case of "white coat syndrome" and found myself tensing up every time I heard the blood pressure machine being wheeled down the hall.  As it turned out, I had developed pre-eclampsia and my body was essentially rejecting being pregnant.  The placenta (which was previa and anterior, causing the high risk element to my surgery) was beginning to fail, which was causing my high blood pressure and was posing a serious threat to our baby. 

This phrase became my mantra (and still kind of is my mantra).  For someone who has been relatively healthy her entire life, but also went through some pretty serious body image related issues, this whole "my body is failing me" situation was pretty challenging to handle at times.  I'm still coming to terms with it all :)

Fast forward to Wednesday, Nov. 5th.  I hadn't slept in two days because of some ridiculous hospital room mates, so I was moved to two different private rooms because the nurses felt bad for me.  The plan was for me to stay in that room overnight and have my c-section the next day (Nov. 6th) at 11am.  However, as the course of this pregnancy would have it...another plot twist occurred.  Later on Wednesday afternoon an OB came into my room and told me he had bad news - there was no space for our baby in the special care nursery.  I was 35 weeks pregnant at this point and because of my high blood pressure our baby needed to be delivered as soon as possible, so they decided to send me to Vancouver.

The paramedics who transferred me to Vancouver were absolutely incredible and light-hearted.  Hugh, one of the paramedics, took this photo of me (and Charlee, still in my belly) all loaded into the helicopter.  We flew to Vancouver airport and then I was loaded into an ambulance on the tarmac and brought to Lions Gate Hospital from there.

If at this point you're shaking your head because of this ridiculous situation, all I can say is, "I KNOW!!!"  The one cool part about heading to Vancouver is that I got to fly in a helicopter! I was flown to Vancouver airport and then loaded into an ambulance and transferred to Lions Gate Hospital where Joel met me (in the meantime he had gone home, packed a bag, grabbed the car seat and got on the ferry).  We were given our own room in labour and delivery and we fell asleep and slept so well that night because of extreme lack of sleep for the few nights before.

Thursday morning was a whirlwind of meeting doctors, nurses, anesthetists and discussing the high risks of my surgery.  This part is really hard for me to write about; I've written it down already in a journal, and maybe one day I'll write a post about it, but for now all I can say is that I was really scared.  I was trying to hard to be brave, but I still can't talk about the surgery without crying.  The best part of the whole situation is that Joel got to announce to me that we had a little girl and we got to hold her on my chest for about 15 minutes while the OB and doctors finished stitching me up. (For the record, my surgery went as planned and no complications occurred.  I did not need a blood transfusion and I did not end up with a complete hysterectomy, as doctors had warned might happen).

Following my surgery I went into recovery for about an hour and then got wheeled through the special care nursery where Charlee was in her incubator.  We spent about 10 minutes with Charlee and then moved into our new room in maternity, where we ended up staying for a week because my blood pressure was still on the rise. 

For my first real experience getting to see Charlee I was still on a stretcher.  At about 11pm the same day of my surgery I actually stood up and then sat in a wheel chair and Joel wheeled me to Charlee in the special care nursery.  Here's a photo of me and Charlee during that visit.

 

 

The first night of Charlee's life.

From the first night of Charlee's birth up until now we have learned SO MUCH.  We often talk about how much this whole experience, as terrifying as it has been, is actually a huge blessing.  The special care nurses have been incredibly patient and kind, teaching us all we need to know about the basics of taking care of a baby (hands on learning at its finest!) I'm amazed at how much we learn every single day and how much Charlee learns every single day, too.  We are already experiencing daily, even hourly, new milestones.  For example, yesterday Charlee ate one of her feeds as a full breastfed meal.  Today Charlee ate at least three feeds as fully breastfed meals.  Did you know babies use different muscles in their jaws to drink from a bottle and from the breast?  Our child has jaws of steel now!

This is Charlee's best "milk drunk" face.

We've learned how to properly change diapers, how to bottle feed Charlee, how to properly breast feed and burp her, how to change her clothes, how to hold her and snuggle her, how to wash/bathe her, how to wrap her up in a "baby burrito".  And I must say, aside from the breast feeding (ha!) Joel is pretty much superior to me in all above mentioned tasks.  This man was made to be a Pa.

Now, let me brag about my amazing husband.  I always knew Joel was a keeper, but this whole baby experience has brought him to a new level of worthiness.  I have never seen a man so attentive to a person's needs in my life.  Over the past 10 days Joel has fed me and tucked me in, helped me walk, held my hand, rubbed my back, brushed my hair (even when I could do it myself), got my showers ready, helped me get changed, helped me go pee for goodness sake!, made me coffee, feeds me and helps me drink water while my arms are full of Charlee...the list is endless, actually.  On top of all that tending to me, he's taken care of Charlee so well.  He changed her diaper before me, he fed her before me, he burped her before I did...he learned it all before I could even stand up post-surgery, and then he taught it all to me.  He's been Charlee's biggest advocate during the past 10 days, asking the right questions at the right times and kindly telling nurses to back off when they over-step a wee bit.  It's no wonder our baby girl loves her Pa so much already!

Our little yogi, holding on to her Pa's peace fingers and never letting go.

These two.  Ugh...I'm crying now.

Joel slept on this ridiculous purple pullout chair/bed for a week.  The man is 6ft6!

We still aren't sure when we will be able to come home, but the nurses have made increasing mention of "soon"...whatever that means.  Today they removed Charlee's heart monitors because they no longer worry about her slight heart rate dips, as they happen mostly when she's eating chugging down her bottle (she's much better at pacing when breast feeding!)  We've had lots of visitors and are so very thankful for our long time friend, Diana, who is graciously hosting us at her home in North Van while we wait for Charlee to be discharged.  I've been out of the hospital for three days now and my blood pressure has miraculously calmed down (I am such a textbook case of "white coat syndrome").

We can't wait to come home, but we know that the nurses and doctors are doing what's best and right for our little Charlee, so we are willing to stay as long as we have to until she's 100% good to go!

The Alleyn Fam, one week after our lives changed forever!

Until next time,

k&j&charlee xx

Another Plot Twist!

Hey everyone,

Baby Alleyn has another plot twist for you! November 13th was just too long for Baby Alleyn to wait, soooo he/she is coming into the world this Thursday, November 6 instead.

I've been having some high blood pressure issues since Sunday night and following an ultrasound on Monday it seems the amniotic fluid has decreased a wee bit. So, Thursday, Nov. 6th it is!!

Of course I'm to tell the nurses if anything changes (ie. bleeding, headaches, etc.) which might indicate a "let's deliver this baby NOW" kind of situation, but the new date is booked and I've signed the paper work already :)

We will share photos as soon as we can!

xxk&j&baby

Plot Twist!

Hey everyone,

Well, we have another plot twist in this journey of bringing Baby Alleyn into the world! Ready for it?!

Our c-section date has been bumped up to November 13th and I'll be staying in the hospital until then.  Today we were expecting the "you can go home!" message, but we met with the OB and she advised that staying in the hospital might be a good plan just because I've had two bleeds now and it's highly likely that I'll have another. After a brief thought on the issue I decided staying the hospital would both suck and be perfect for my sanity. If things turn into an emergency is rather get wheeled down the hall to the OR rather than have to call an ambulance and come in to the hospital that way. I guess ultimately it's safer for both me and baby to just stay in the hospital.

Thankfully, the OB and our midwife agreed that bumping up the c-section date was okay. Baby Alleyn will be born at 36 weeks, so not quite full term. A few risks involved with that include baby needing to receive a steady stream of oxygen for a few days in the NICU and a bit of "mental catch up" in its early newborn days (baby will not be cognitively affected long term). We decided these risks sounded pretty minor to us in comparison to a big bleed from the placenta, so we decided to go with the new c-section date (Nov. 13). Fun note: my favourite number is 13, so that's kind of cool.

Between now and baby's birthday I'll be able to go home for a few hours at a time just for a change of scenery and some kitty snuggles. I went home tonight for dinner and my parents cooked (at our house) so that was nice. I came back to the hospital a few hours later and the nurse took my vitals and my blood pressure was a wee bit high, so she ordered a variety of tests and now I'm up to 26 viles of blood taken from me. The fun just never ends guys!!

At this stage in the game I'm thinking these next 10 days are going to be both the fastest and the longest days of my life. If you're a local friend and feel like coming to visit me, PLEASE DO! Thanks to those of you who have already supplied me with excellent reading material and DVDs, since this hospital doesn't have wifi (right?! I know).

I'll try to upload some pictures when I sneak on to the internet tomorrow via the contraband internet cable Joel snuck in to my room (there's an internet jack on the wall that works, but we don't want to ask to use it...we figure it's easier to beg for forgiveness in case we get caught!)

Keep us in your positive thoughts, we're almost there!

xxk&j&baby

Hospital on Hallowe'en

Well, another quick update! We're back at the hospital because of some bleeding...again. Nothing like a 4am trip to the hospital to kick off your weekend!

After the usual round of vitals for me and baby, all looks fine. I had another ultrasound and more bloodwork done (9 ultrasounds, 24 viles of blood now!) and it was all fine there too. I guess the bleeding just happens because of the location of the placenta. I'll have to be in the hospital for 48 hours without bleeding, so that's looking like noon Sunday at the earliest.

Once this baby is born we will breathe easy again for sure, but we aren't too stressed out right now because we've been here before (two weeks ago!) I'm hoping we can hang on until Nov. 20 for the c-section, but if the bleeding gets really bad they'll likely do a c-section at that time.

Anyhow, that's it for now :)

xxk&j&baby

Baby Alleyn's Birthday!

We had an exciting phone call from our OB earlier this week! 

The thing about a scheduled c-section is that you know the exact place, date and time your baby will be born.  The slightly neurotic/OCD side of me realllllly loves this little perk!  We are happy that we've held out this long and still don't know the gender of our baby (although some people seem to think we do know...we don't!) because at least we have that as an element of surprise.  I don't know about Joel, but for me I am clinging to the "It's a boy!" or "It's a girl!" announcement while I lay on the operating table with my guts splayed out everywhere.  Hearing that announcement will definitely get me through whatever kind of surgery I end up having to endure. 

A few other cool things about a November 20th birthday:

1) It's not December.  When Joel and I decided to try for a baby, Joel made one rule: "Not a December baby!" And then we got pregnant instantly and well, December was the due date. Oops. So, you're welcome, Babe! ;)

2) It's 5 exact weeks from Christmas so hopefully I should be fairly mobile and functioning at Christmas - the most wonderful time of the year.  I was sick with strep throat on Christmas once and it sucked.  I cannot imagine being tied up in a hospital or in bed throughout that whole magical season.

3) It's 5 exact weeks from Christmas so hopefully we will kind of have our heads wrapped around what the heck to do with a brand new baby?!  Maybe we will have some inkling of a schedule or routine in place by then?  Who knows, but it's nice to think about.

4) It's a Scorpio, which is the same sign as one of my best friends, Elyse.  Elyse is awesome; therefore, baby will be equally as awesome.

5)  When it comes time to go to Kindergarten, baby will be old enough to join other kids in its natural school year rather than having us hold him/her back a year.  Yes, we've talked about this...I'm a teacher, okay!?

6) Late fall/winter babies = new parents can hole up inside their cozy, warm homes and not leave for two months if that's what they want to do!  The weather will very likely be cold and rainy and maybe even a bit snowy so if we don't want to go outside who cares? The weather will suck anyhow!

Those are all the perks I can think of right now.  Let me know if you have more to add to the list!

PS - Friends and fam who are keen to meet baby: Aside from immediate family, we kindly ask that you give us a few weeks to settle in with baby before coming to visit.  Text or call us if you plan to swing by, but don't be sad/mad if we don't get back to you right away.  We also kindly request that if you plan to visit from out of town that you find alternative arrangements for accommodations - I can guarantee you our house will not be clean, we will be sleep deprived and probably grossly under-showered in the first few weeks after baby arrives (ie. really attractive!) For all our friends and fam in Vancouver, we are tentatively planning a Vancouver trip for sometime around mid-end of January.  Maybe we can have a big dinner or something then and show off baby, while hanging out together?

Thanks so much for your understanding! Being new parents we are a little anxious about this whole thing (okay, let's be real, Karley is really anxious).  We love you all!

xxk&j&baby

A few photos!

It actually stopped raining today for a few hours so we headed into the forest behind our house to take some photos.  I'm almost 8.5 months pregnant now and with this baby arriving in one month's time (or less!) we decided we better get some photos before the bump gets way too out of control.  Our plan is to hire a professional photographer to do photos of us as a family once baby is a bit older because, while we love taking photos, we aren't the best at posing in them together (hence the lack of photos with Joel involved as the subject).  Maternity photos are just kind of awkward...here are the ones I liked the best out of over 170 shots.

Hospital Stays & Bed Rest

Well, quite a bit has happened since I last wrote on this blog! Work wise I ended up with two teaching contracts that comprised a .67 FTE.  In regular-people language this means my job(s) were 67% of a full time position and; therefore, enough of a contract to score us full benefits for another year and to score me a decent maternity leave pay (my school district tops up mat leaves to 95% of the actual wage a person was making when they go off on mat leave).  My jobs were teaching high school dance and teaching grade 7 science and I loved them both and was fully prepared to work for as long as I could until going off on maternity leave.  Clearly, baby had other plans.  I worked in the dance job for six days and I worked in the science job for three blocks (yes, you read that correctly, three BLOCKS) before being forced to go off on medical leave.

Enter this week's adventures!

On Wednesday I got up to get ready for work and was bleeding a bit, so with my knowledge of placenta previa (which I have) I decided we needed to call the midwife and get to the hospital pretty quickly.  By 9am we had my vitals and baby's vitals checked (all was fine) and we met with our obstetrician (we adore her).  The OB told me two things, I was either a) going to have this baby today or b) I was going to have to stay in the hospital for a while.  And then they told me they had to take my blood pressure (it was up to 170, not even kidding).  By 10am I was settled into my little shared room in the antepartum ward at the hospital and was like, "Hmmm...NOW what!?"  The health professionals told me I had to go 48 hours without bleeding before they would even consider letting me go home.  So I sat and waited.  I made it to 22 hours and then bled a bit again and all that time I went without bleeding was reset - ugh.  During all this sitting around and waiting and staring out the window we met with various doctors, OBs, anesthesiologists, etc. who continued to fill us in on my situation.  As it turns out, not only is the placenta previa it is also anterior, which means it lies right over the spot where the OB needs to make the incision to get the baby out.  Sweet deal, right?!

Taken on Wednesday, the first day of my hospital stay. 

In case some of you didn't know, this placenta has been a complete hag since the beginning of my pregnancy...I had implant bleeding and was off for a week on mild bed rest back in May because of it.  And then at the 18 weeks ultrasound we learned I had placenta previa, and then every check up ultrasound I had after that continued to confirm placenta previa.  I've now had 8 ultrasounds and 21 blood tests and the doctors are certain that this placenta is definitely not moving out of the way.  So what does this mean? Well...

I will certainly need a c-section because there is no way this baby can be born naturally.  I've taken some time to meditate on the miracle that is childbirth and modern medicine over the past few days.  Wow - humbling experience to say the least.  My OB has informed us that because of the previa and anterior placenta they will conduct my c-section in the regular OR as opposed to the maternity OR because they have to cut through the placenta to get to the baby, which means more bleeding than usual c-sections.  They will have two OBs in the OR and they will have more doctors and nurses present, just in case.  They will also have a blood transfusion set up and ready to go in the chance that I lose too much blood and need a transfusion.  Worst case scenario, if the bleeding does not subside once baby is out and the placenta is removed, I will need a complete hysterectomy.  Receiving all this news at once was a bit of a blow...but we took it all in and I cried a few tears through whispers of, "I don't want to die!" and Joel expertly and calmly said, "They never said you would die".  I ended up telling the doctors to do WHATEVER they need to do to keep me and the baby healthy and well, and if it ends up in the "worst case scenario" then who even cares!?!  At this stage in the game I'm thinking we might be a two cat, one kid family anyhow because I definitely don't want to experience this again.

Thankfully I had a pretty good view!

Anyhow, I ended up being in the hospital for three nights and four days and now I am home and doing pretty much nothing.  I feel like I need to relearn how to walk after sitting still for four complete days!  I'm on high alert and having a constant conversation with this baby, telling it to be good and stay put for at least a few more weeks.  My c-section is tentatively scheduled for November 26th, but that could change based around the OB's schedule and all the other doctors' schedules, etc.  Of course, if I end up bleeding again I need to go back in the hospital and if it's a lot of blood they will take the baby out immediately.  I'm 32.5 weeks pregnant right now, and this baby already weighs 5 pounds 11 ounces, so it's not like we're in danger of a super low birth weight, considering this kid already weighs more than I did when I was born! Ha!  I've also had the necessary steroid shots to boost baby's lung development, so now baby has lungs comparable to that of a 34.5 week old developing baby, which is a big comfort.

I pretty much didn't move from this bed for four days.

I know all this sounds really scary - it is.  This is not the way I imagined bringing our child into the world whatsoever, but being on the antepartum ward for four days made me realize how incredibly blessed we are.  We are going to be okay, whether this baby comes via an early emergency or on it's scheduled c-section date.  My roommate at the hospital was only 20 weeks pregnant (not pregnant enough for a 'viable pregnancy' yet, meaning if something goes wrong, the baby has almost 0% chance of survival) and she was bleeding/cramping and hardly anyone visited her.  The lady across the hall from me had some crazy, drunkard boyfriend who never came to see her and they only yelled at each other on the phone as their form of communication (she also had pre-eclampsia).  Meanwhile, one nurse was calling me a princess because Joel and my parents were constantly bringing me food and friends brought me movies and coffees and funny books to read....I'm a lucky girl :)

If you haven't read Mindy's book, I highly recommend it! So hilarious.

So, now I am officially on medical leave and maternity leave will start once this baby is born.  I'm at home and not on strict bed rest, but what my OB likes to call "decreased activity".  I'm currently functioning like one hour at a time and hoping that the level of anxiety I'm currently feeling decreases even a tiny bit! I'm a self-proclaimed Anxious Annie though, so I'm really not surprised.

Joel has been absolutely amazing and incredible in all ways.  There's no one else I'd rather go through this with than him.  I love him so much.

And that's it for our epic update! Positive thoughts, prayers and love sent our way is greatly appreciated,


xxk&j&baby