Julie Bee Two Months

 Juliet has passed the two month mark and is still doing amazing.  She currently weighs 11lbs 1oz and is 22 inches long! She is growing like a weed! A welcome weed in our little garden

 

Milestone wise, she continues to excel.  Preemies are evaluated based on their adjusted age -- not their actual age in weeks, but the amount of weeks they are past their due date.  At 12 weeks old, Juliet is only 3 weeks old adjusted. So when we watch her develop and grow, we base her achievements on the adjusted age.  Luckily for us, she is not only meeting her adjusted age milestones, but most of the milestones for a 2 month old baby. She is holding her head up well and starting to gurgle and coo.  She sleeps awesome at night, usually waking up once in about a 10 hr period, if we can get her in a comfortable reclined position.  She does great on her Boppy and on her stomach, but of course those are not safe sleep positions.  She also has a love for snuggling in between mommy and daddy - another problem because we don't feel like we could safely bed share with her.  For now we co-sleep ( she in an Arms Reach Co-sleeper attached to our bed) with the hope someday she will be able to lay down in her bed without being in pain due to her reflux.

 

After her traumatic birth, Juliet's only issue has been feeding.  Due to a tongue and lip tie, Juliet could never make a good seal around a bottle and could not latch onto the breast. As a result, she leaked tons of milk while eating, took in big gulps of air, choked easily, vomited constantly, and suffered from terrible cramps and gas. We can never lay her down on her back -- ever.  She can be dead asleep, hits a flat surface, and starts screaming and vomiting. 

On June 3 we met with Dr. Gregory Notestine, DDS of Beaver Creek Ohio and had both of her ties released.  The procedure has absolutely been a miracle.  

First of all, if you live in the tri-state area and have a child with lip and tongue tie issues, you need to meet this man. He is so well versed in infant feeding issues and so sympathetic towards the nursing mother. He understood my complaints and gave us a detailed explanation of how her oral issues were causing a lot of our feeding problems. As a medical provider, I admit we aren't well trained in these issues in the neonate, and many providers brush them off as a fad.  Dr.Notestine completed the procedure, then watched Juliet nurse. This child has never latched on her own.  She immediately latched and began to eat.  Since coming home she is nursing multiple times a day and taking supplemented breast milk from a bottle. Her vomiting has decreased significantly, and is back to basic spit up.  She is pretty fussy and gassy during the day, which makes for a frazzled momma.  She was also started on Zantac by her pediatrician so we are crossing our fingers for relief.

 

I am so elated that she is starting to feel better, even just a tiny improvement is progress.  It is literally gut wrenching to have a baby be subjected to so much in such a short time. Yes, it could be so much worse, but when I think she shouldn't have even been here yet, I feel so guilty. 

 To make matters worse, I am going back to work tomorrow, just as we are starting to make progress.  It's like she is a newborn, just learning to nurse, and now I'm leaving her with a bottle for 10 hours a day.  I feel like my maternity leave was a blur of hospitals and doctors office visits.  Unlike Jaslyn, I feel like we didn't just get to sit around and get to know each other. There were errands and appointments, laundry and dishes, things I just let slide with Jaslyn.  I will forever feel like we were cut short, but we have made the best of the worst situation.  

 

I am an emotional mess. Hopefully my co-workers can help get my scatterbrained self back on track.  God help my committee as I finish my dissertation. All the respect to stay at home mothers, I honestly don't know if I could do it, but I believe my life's greatest challenge will be being a working mother.  We all deserve awards. Coming soon, the adventures of Dr.Mom...

Julie Bee is 1 Month Old!

 

A little late, but out little Julie Bee is one month old! 

You know, we've been a little busy doting on her, snuggling her, napping, ect... 

We continue to be amazed by the way she grows and changes every day! She is such a fighter, working hard everyday and growing, growing, growing! 

Birthdate: 3-15-14

Adjusted age: 31 weeks 3 days

Weight:  4lbs 1oz

1 month: 4-15-14

Adjusted Age: 35 weeks 6 days 

Weight: 7lbs 1oz 

3lbs in one month! Holy chub rock Batman! 

Those are newborn diapers! Moving on up! 

Juliet has some problems with feeding from both the breast and the bottle, so we continue to work on that everyday. Luckily it should improve as she gets closer to her due date. She is gaining weight, however, so we know she is getting what she needs, it just takes extra effort to get it there. In the meantime I pump every 3 hours around the clock so she has breastmilk to beef her up! So far, so good. 

Juliet still sleeps most of the day and isn't really good at crying yet.  She lets out a yelp when your changing her diaper or putting on her clothes but otherwise just grunts and growls when she is uncomfortable.  We look forward to when she is awake and crying! Ever heard a new parent say that!? 

This week Jeremy and I will finish up her nursery and we can't wait to share it with everyone.  It's so crazy, I had Jaslyns nursery done months before she was born and now Juliet's won't be done until months after she is here!  

Home Sweet Home.

Miss Juliet made some miraculous strides while in the NICU at Ruby and is finally coming home with us <3

It's exciting and natural but makes me so nervous! She's so little and still requires some special consideration while eating and sleeping. I'm thankful my mom is coming to stay with me to help. 

Birthdate: 3 - 15 - 14
Discharge Date: 4 -5 - 14

Age: 3 weeks old.
Adjusted Age: 34 weeks and 3 days.

Birth weight: 4 lbs 1.5 oz
Discharge Weight: 5lbs 8oz 

We are lucky to get to come home with no tubes or wires. We have many follow up visits scheduled over the next month.  Our germs are much to big for Juliet, So she has some special rules about limiting visitors, hand washing, avoiding public places, and avoiding kids other than her sister for another month or so. We plan on having her a  party once she is big enough to handle all the action!

Big Sister is staying one more night with Mamaw and Papaw while we get Jules home and settled. I can't wait to see what she thinks about her.  She really likes baby Logan from her school, so I'm hoping it goes well!

We have to thank so many people, and we will try to do so in person as soon possible. This will have to do for now...

We have to thank our parents soooo much for basically doing everything for us the past month. We are blessed to have parents that are so devoted to their grand babies and are willing to put their lives aside to help us. There is no way to repay them for all they have done. 

-  Aunt Becky and Doug, who let us move in their house, cooked for us, did our laundry, watched Jaslyn -- we wouldn't have made it through this so easily without them. Their lives can get back to normal now :) 

- Cait and Laura who are my very best friends and came right to my rescue when I needed them most.  We love  them dearly and my girls will always know how much their Aunties love them back. 

- All of our friends in Morgantown who offered us dinner or a place to stay. Especially Brian and Vickie who checked on us frequently and visited Miss Juliet.

- Everyone who called, sent us a message or a gift, or prayed for us during this crazy time. <3 <3 <3   

Some Pig...

Homer Zuckerman: There he is!

Arable: That's some pig.

Avery: He's terrific!

Lurvy: He's radiant!

Mrs. Zuckerman:  Well, he's clean anyway...

Not much to update about little Juliet but in the crazy NICU it's best to make as few waves as possible.  She is 2 weeks old, 33 weeks and 3 days adjusted.  She weighs 4lbs 6.4 oz, above her birth weight!  She is getting 4 bottles a day and 4 NG feeds.  She reminds me of the little runt Wilbur in Charlotte's web -- surpassing everyone's expectations. 

She has continued to make progress every day and hasn't had any setbacks thus far.  The reality of the NICU however, is that no matter how amazing your babe is doing, you are always prepared for a setback.  Yes, she is eating like a horse.  Yes, she has required no oxygen or other medications.  Yes, she is maintaining her heart rate and respirations on her own.  BUT..... She is still only 33 weeks old.  She should still be growing inside her mother for 7 more weeks.  Dr.B never fails to remind us that while she is doing spectacular, she is very, very premature.  Yesterday he told us that many babies her age would still be fed strictly by NG tube so the fact that she is up to four bottles a day is amazing.  He also tells us that if she would need extra time to get used to the increased feeding or would need to slow down and go back to three bottles a day we wouldn't consider it a setback.  She is that far ahead of the game. 

All around us new families were taking their babies home this week.  Very bittersweet.  We can't wait for that to be us, but right now we know she is in the best place she could be. 

This is her MAD face

Jaslyn is still happy with her grandparents and visiting us once or twice a week.  My mom and my aunt are taking excellent care of me and baby Juliet has been able to meet some of her aunts and cousins this week.  The NICU is getting expensive -- I think I have shopped more online while sitting in the rocking chair with Juliet than I have shopped in a store in my entire life. Everyone is surprised by how small she is in person but she is filling out her preemie clothes well and her cheeks look chubbier every single day!  She really is "some pig".  

Though She Be But Little...

Today our sweet bunny is 1 week old.  I tried to remember what our first week home with Jaslyn was like  -- how thankful we would be to wake up every 2 hours to nurse a crying baby.   We are still thankful, just for different things.  Modern medicine, compassionate doctors,  family and friends that opens their hearts and their homes  in your time of need.  Strangers who offer advice or a shoulder to lean on when the NICU itself just becomes too overwhelming.  NICU parents are really amazing  -- a hundred  people have shared their story with us , helped us understand what we should expect , or just offered to be there if we had questions.  Until you've had to leave the hospital without the baby that brought you there in the first place, you just can't imagine.  An instant community that you never expected to be a part of.

Juliet has cruised through her first week of life in the NICU, sleeping snugly in the incubator meant to mimic my belly.  She has lost just 100 grams, expected fluid loss in any newborn.  In the next 3-5 days we expect to start seeing her weight start to climb again.  She is tolerating her tube feedings  and the amount she takes in increases everyday.  She is allowed to try to nurse once per day , although  her doctor has advised me she is still much to young to really eat on her own. Instead the time  she spends trying to nurse is meant to let her learn , explore, and build up stamina for when she is bigger.  Our doctor joked that she makes his job easy.  We are so proud to be the parents of this tiny super human.  

 

 

After 10 days in Morgantown  I came home for the night to replenish my clothes and repack Jaslyn for her week with grandparents.  Jeremy and his parents drove to Morgantown to be with the baby while I was gone.   Jazzy and I got to spend the morning watching Frozen and playing with  Easter eggs then Mimi came over to help get some things done in both girls rooms.

 

 

We sorted through baby clothes and laughed when Jeremy said he couldn't remember Jaslyn being small enough to fit newborn clothes.  I  finally framed one of the new pictures I bought for the nursery and  it couldn't be more appropriate for our new love.  

 

 

Milestones

Today I should be 8 months pregnant.  This week all my maternity purchases came in the mail --bows for Jaslyn and a frilly pink maternity sash for me to wear in our maternity pictures -- all sitting unopened on a table in our living room.  On my phone I have a huge list of "Things To Do Before Baby Two!"  Buying Jaslyn an Easter dress, getting out the swing, washing crib sheets, and buying wall art for the nursery. 



Instead, I have a 4 day old baby girl, who marked her 32nd week this morning by blowing through some major NICU milestones.  After just 4 days, she has graduated from acute care and into the step-down pod in the NICU.  She is the youngest, but one of the healthiest babies in the room. She still has required no oxygen to help her breathe.  They removed her IV this morning.  All that remains is the tiny feeding tube in her nose that delivers fortified breast milk to her every 3 hours.   She is showing signs of hunger and is able to tolerate all they are feeding her, so everyday they increase the amount.  Today she is up to 1 ounce every 3 hours.  Her bilirubin has came down and we were able to remove her tiny Wayfarers and nix the blue light. 

Instead of decorating our nursery I spent the evening buying preemie pants and preemie reference books on Amazon. 

This afternoon they put her in a tiny t-shirt that hung off her tiny frame, a pink hat 4 times too big for her head, wrapped her in two blankets and let me and my mom hold her.  They are slowly decreasing the amount of heat in her incubator so that soon she can move to a regular crib. 

Dr. Barretto, the staff pediatrician is amazing.  Every morning he comes to her bedside and tells me how wonderful she is doing, and that we just have to wait for her to grow. 

Jaslyn is such a trooper.  She of course has absolutely no idea what is going on.  She is having a blast playing with my cousins and is trying her best to talk.  She has babbling conversations with her toys and my dad.  She floats seamlessly from my parents, to Jeremy's, to my Aunt Becky while I am at the hospital.  When I ask her about her baby sister, she still shakes her head no.  I desperately want to be at home with both of my girls. 

Time flies by -- I can't believe how many milestones she has already met -- yet stands still.  I have been here for a week and she for 4 days already.  Best case scenario we will be here another 3-4 weeks while she eats more and continues to grow.  I hate every single minute of it, but am also so incredibly thankful she is doing this well.  Someone is always in a worse situation than you, and we are incredibly lucky to just be dealing with a super tiny baby and not one that is sick or has major health issues.  We will gladly track back and forth everyday to hold our sweet princess and deliver her milk so that she is home with us soon.  I feel like when we finally make it home I may never want to leave again. 

 

And then there were Four

And just like that, three becomes four <3

 

 

 

We had a fairly uneventful night Thursday after my medicine was stopped. Friday I spent in bed, as ordered, being entertained by Caitlin, Laura, Jeremy, and Adam.  I showered and felt halfway normal.  I thought I had a few contractions late in the evening, but nothing showed up on the monitor and we talked about moving me out of a labor room and into a regular OB room to be monitored until 34 weeks.  I fell asleep around midnight.

At about 4:10AM on Saturday morning I woke up having contractions.  They were mild, but worse than I had been having.  I walked around the room, drank some water, tried to read for a few mins to see if they would stop.  By 4:30, they were still coming, so I woke Jeremy up and he tried rubbing my back, again, the goal being that we keep baby in and not try to go into labor.  Within a few minutes, I knew the labor was back. 

Labor and delivery was a mess --- I knew she was coming from the first contraction.  Somehow your body just knows.  An epidural was now out of the question and the really bad news was it was now 7 AM, shift change, and the doctors were in morning meeting.  I told my nurse I had to push but she didn't really believe me until she saw the baby's head.  Next thing I know, there are 100 people running around, trying to push us to an OR delivery room.  Everyone yelling at me not to push and me yelling "I'm pushing!" in true TLC Baby Story style.  We barely made it in -- one push and she was out. 

As insane as the delivery was, praise Jesus the baby was as next to perfect as you can be.  Jeremy got to hold her and bring her over for me to see before they took her to the NICU.  Luckily, I was up within an hour or so and got to walk over to see her as well. 

Everything happened so fast, it is still all very surreal.  She was born at 7:46AM, weighing 4lbs 1.5oz and 17inches long.  She is in an incubator to help regulate her temperature but so far has required no additional oxygen or treatments.  She has a small feeding tube in her nose since she is too small to suck, swallow, and breathe at the same time.  She currently has an IV through which she is getting prophylactic antibiotics and is under a bili light for a slightly high bilirubin.  She is peeing and pooping on her own, big milestones in the preemie world, lol!  We met with the NICU team today and they said other than her size, she is in great shape.  They will start a 48 hour trial wean from her incubator tomorrow and she will hopefully lose her IV in the next 2-3 days.  The nurses said she is "quite the firecracker" and that she "thinks she is a full term baby".  We still haven't been able to hold her, but are patiently waiting.  I was finally able to get her some breast milk today, which should of course help her grow and help prevent her from having a serious infection in her gut that is common in preemies. 

I will likely be discharged tomorrow and will be going to stay with my Aunt who lives in the area.  I'll drive back and forth daily to visit baby and meet with her care team.  Jeremy will be going home to start working on getting the house ready for us to come home, plus returning to work.  He will switch off with my parents and Jeremy's parents in taking care of Jaslyn everyday and trying to keep her routine as normal as possible.  She will also come stay with me at my aunts house so we can spend some time together.  Jazzy came to see me in the hospital yesterday, but she was more interested in playing peek-a-boo behind the curtain with daddy.  She won't be able to see the new baby until we come home, so it will still be quite a few more weeks before she understands her new baby is here! 

Everyone has been so supportive and kind during this very difficult time.  We have been so overwhelmed we didn't even name the baby until about 3pm this evening (Sunday).  We really appreciate everyone's continued well wishes and prayers.  We aren't out of the woods yet and we have such a long way to go, but every bit of support helps pull us along.  We haven't been able to keep up with all the texts and messages, so we apologize if we forgot to reply, we aren't ignoring anyone!  We will try to keep everyone updated on her progress as we can.  

Until then, here are a few sweet shots of the littlest princess, Juliet Todd Wooten <3

** Juliet is named after her daddy's grandma Julia and her granddad Jefferie Todd, uncle Jacob Todd, and her Day who got her entire family calling her mommy Jessie Todd.  <3