Hi, everyone! So sorry I have been late in posting an update to the blog – it has been a VERY busy last ten days with giving birth to Chandler, my hospitalization, her hospitalization, and homecoming for us both. I’m looking forward to sharing more about her birth story, as well as how she did in the NICU, and how she is doing now that she is home!

Birth Story:

As noted in earlier posts in the blog, the ultimate goal was making it as far along in pregnancy as possible with the most ideal outcome to deliver at 37 weeks, which is considered early term. My induction was scheduled for 6/21 and we had our normal Wednesday appointment with my MFM doctor on Wednesday, June 14th (35+6). When I met with her I noted reduced fetal movement, and that along with my prior hospitalization the weekend before for contractions (I did not post about this – sorry) and other NST monitoring which was not reassuring, she decided that inducing me that day was the best plan of action. We did not go home after that appointment, but fortunately had brought a hospital bag with us as we had a feeling that this would be the outcome.

John and I headed over to labor and delivery where they put us in a room and we waited to get hooked up to monitors so we could kick off Chandler’s birthday party. John brought me some McDonalds for lunch and a Pitocin drip was started to test to see if Chandler could tolerate contractions and a vaginal birth. After three hours of Pitocin, it was determined she was tolerating contractions to start the induction so it began. By time time, it was already around 5pm, so we knew we were in for a long night. I was approximately 1cm dilated so I was given the first dose of medication to soften my cervix. I was told that we would be checked again in 3-4 hours. After 3-4 hours, there wasn’t much change so I was given another dose of cervical softener and a foley balloon was inserted.

I was allowed to get some sleep after and was advised they would be back again in another 3-4 hours to check me again. Once I was checked again it was time for the foley balloon to come out and I was ~4cm, so the Pitocin was started. I don’t remember a ton of details really after this, other than my water was broken on June 15th in the afternoon and my total labor was 26 hours before I was pulled for an emergency c-section.

I’ll be honest – this birth experience was extremely traumatic for me. My birth plan was an induced vaginal birth with a low threshold for c-section intervention because we knew there was a possibility Chandler was not strong enough to tolerate the stress of labor due to her small size and the issues we had during pregnancy. I don’t know how this happened or if something was missed, but my care team allowed me to labor to a point where Chandler was unable to be safely monitored on the monitors and an intrauterine pressure catheter had to be used to monitor my contractions, and a fetal scalp electrode needed to be attached to Chandler’s scalp to get an accurate read on her heart rate. Once the scalp electrode was attached, her heart rate was extremely low and she was having continued decels. The care team had me alternate laying on my sides to see if her heart rate would improve, but it did not.

Around 8:40pm, it was decided an emergency c-section needed to be performed to get Chandler out as quickly as possible. Fortunately, the OR was across the hall from my room and they disconnected all the monitors and wheeled me across. Meanwhile, John was given the dad outfit so he could join me bedside for her delivery. Fortunately, I already had an epidural so the anesthesiologist started the spinal tap, however I still had sensation. Chandler’s condition continued to deteriorate and there was not time to wait for the spinal to take effect so we had to move to an emergency c-section with anesthesia. Due to this type of c-section being considered a sterile environment, John was not able to be bedside and they removed him from the room. Other things occurred on the operating table before I was put under, but as I mentioned this was a very traumatic birth and for the purposes of this blog details aren’t necessary.

Chandler made her appearance exactly at 9:00pm PST at 2000g. She was sent to the resuss unit where the NICU team was waiting. John was able to meet his daughter there while the team was completing the surgery on me. Due to exposure to anesthesia during delivery, Chandler did have to be placed on CPAP, and also required an IV and a feeding tube. John got to hold her once she was stabilized because when she came out she was not breathing on her own. Once I woke up in the recovery room, John brought her over to meet me however I do not have much if any memory of this due to all of the medication I was on. While I was recovering and getting ready to move to my room on the mother/baby unit, I encouraged John to spend time with Chandler in the NICU and to go home (it was almost midnight) and that I would see him tomorrow.

I was moved to my room and got settled there around 1am. Chandler was in the NICU and I was unable to go see her due to the anesthesia and not being able to walk.

NICU Story:

The next morning, John came to see me and together we went to the NICU to spend time with Chandler. I was really nervous to go to the NICU – something about being a mother who doesn’t know what her own baby looks like is hard to describe. When we entered her unit, I couldn’t have identified my baby if someone asked me to, but once I laid my eyes on her I fell in love with her instantly. She was a 4lb 4oz bundle of perfection – such a beautiful baby with the most perfect features, all ten fingers and ten toes, with a full head of hair. I was afraid to pick her up because not only did she seem so small and fragile, but she had several tubes and wires connected to her which made holding her a little bit difficult.

Chandler was able to come off her feeding tube almost immediately, as she did a really great job with her first bottle. She was able to latch to the bottle right away and learned the suck, swallow, breathe process really quickly. She had to remain on her IV for almost her entire NICU stay to help regulate her blood sugar, as preemies typically struggle with that until their bodies are able to regulate itself which gets easier as they are able to increase their feeds. That was our main focus was continuing to safely increase the volume Chandler ate at every feed to not overwhelm her tiny system, but help her body start to regulate itself so the IV could be removed. She had to have her little heel pricked before every feeding which was really awful, but slowly she was able to be weaned off of the glucose drip and two days before discharge she was able to be weaned fully.

Another reason Chandler was kept in the NICU was her bilirubin levels were high. She had to spend 24 hours on the UV lights to get her levels to where they were safe, and then we needed another 24 hours of her off the lights to show that her body was able to process the bili itself without the assistance of lights.

On Tuesday, June 19th we finally heard the words “discharge” come from her medical team. John and I were chomping at the bit to get her home as soon as possible. Leaving your baby at the hospital by herself was probably one of the hardest things I’ve had to do and I could almost hardly bear to not be with her. Before she could come home, she needed to be fit for her car seat to make sure she could safely be transported in it since she did not meet the weight minimum, and also needed a car seat test to ensure her vitals were not unsafely impacted by her being in the car seat position. She passed the car seat test and fit no problem, so another NICU obstacle was out of the way.

On the morning of Wednesday, June 20th, we started the discharge process to take our baby girl home. She was inspected one last time by the neonatologist to make sure she got a clean bill of health, and had a hearing test which she also passed. Around 10:00am, John and I walked out of the NICU for the last time but this time Chandler was coming home with us. It was an extremely emotional experience holding this precious baby girl that only 17 weeks before we were told might not make it, and if she did would likely be born with serious medical issues and may not be able to breathe outside of the womb.

When being faced with an oligohydramnios diagnosis, John and I felt like the world was crashing around us. This child who was so wanted may not make it, and if she did, our lives might not be “normal” with raising a healthy child and could potentially consist of lots of hospital time and a high level of medical intervention. Now as I write this blog with my baby girl laying next to me, breathing room air with her lungs which we were told may resemble raisins and never fill with air, with arms and legs and fingers and toes which move freely on their own which we were told might have contractures and she may not be able to walk or behave like a normal child, and with all of her organs not only functioning but working perfectly just as intended, we can’t help but be so relieved this journey is over but also to extend the hope to other parents who may be experiencing a similar diagnosis in their pregnancy. While not all outcomes are as fortunate as ours has been, one thing I have learned throughout this process is

1. Always ask for a second opinion. Had John and I only listened to the first two perinatologists who spoke to us after the anatomy scan, Chandler would not be here today. We would have terminated a pregnancy of a child who turned out to be perfectly made.
2. The power of positive thinking is stronger than I ever thought before. Waking up every day, John and I chose to speak about our daughter in the sense that she would someday be here, we planned for her future and our future as a family, and we weren’t willing to accept an outcome where not having her would be a possibility.
3. Find your tribe. We leaned in to support from family and friends who shared our positive mindset of not accepting an outcome which wasn’t favorable. Being able to pick up the phone to call or text an update which wasn’t always ideal, provided comfort to us as we had people we could confide in who may not have been able to fully understand what we were going through, but did their best to be there for us.
4. Trust your medical team. If you can’t trust them with one of the most important things in your life, they aren’t the right fit for you. From my perspective, our doctor saved Chandler’s life. If you don’t feel comfortable with your medical team, find a new one who makes you feel like you are receiving the best care possible and who isn’t afraid to give you the honest truth even when it doesn’t feel good.

Now that my pregnancy journey with Chandler is over, we will be looking to transition this blog to share details about her infancy and milestones for our friends and family. Thank you to everyone who has followed our journey – whether you are a family member, friend, or just a stranger from the internet who happened upon this blog, your support has meant a lot to me and John along the way.

Signing off for now!

-Proud parents of Chandler