Mommy's Unexpected Hospital Stay

Well, the last 36 hours have been rough for me. Here's the story about how I ended up in the hospital...

On August 22, I got a positive pregnancy test. This came as a huge SHOCK for Hunter and me. We weren't trying to get pregnant. We hadn't planned on trying for another 5 or 6 months. Colton was only 7 months old, which would mean he'd only be 15-16 months old when baby #3 arrived. We were a little anxious and excited and surprised! We both decided that there was no need to worry. God is in control and He knows what's best for our family. So...we went on with life and kept it a secret. We made it to our 8 week appointment. At our ultrasound, we saw a heartbeat. Our doctor told us that if we made it to the 8 week mark and saw a heartbeat, we only had a 3% risk of miscarriage. We decided that we'd wait until 10 weeks to have blood drawn for genetic testing and gender reveal. We were getting excited, but still didn't feel ready to share our news with the world.

On Tuesday, September 27th at 9.5 weeks pregnant, I started spotting. The nurse called me that morning and told me that my labs showed I had a UTI. I asked her if spotting was normal with a UTI and she told me that sometimes can happen. I thought nothing of it. Unfortunately that evening, I got a horrible headache that left me nauseous and unable to eat dinner. My spotting started to get worse and I decided to just go to bed. I slept for a few hours...but when I woke up around 10:30 pm, I knew that I was having a miscarriage. My doctor was on call that evening, so I spoke with her and she told me that if I started to feel dizzy or light-headed, or if I was bleeding really heavily, I needed to go to the ER. Around 1:30 am, I told Hunter that we needed to go to the hospital. His parents came to stay with the boys and we arrived at the hospital around 2 am. I was put in a room immediately. They wanted a urine sample and sent me to the bathroom. While in the bathroom, I began feeling extremely light-headed and I yelled to Hunter that I needed help. Minutes later, I passed out and I woke up as they were transferring me from a wheelchair to my bed. I was so confused. My blood pressure was 70/30. My blood count went from a 10.5 to an 8.5 (12 is normal). One great thing was that my doctor was a friend from high school and college, Dr. Burroughs. It was nice to see a familiar face. I knew he'd take great care of me. He said that I was losing so much blood and I might need a blood transfusion, but they weren't going to do that just yet. I went for an ultrasound and had to have several exams. They called my OB and she asked them to give me Cytotek, which is similar to Pitocin. It would help control my bleeding. She told them that she wanted me admitted to the hospital and she'd take over from there. I was moved to a room on the 3rd floor. In that room, things went from bad to worse. The Cytotek was not helping, so they decided to give me more. The nurses left for a few minutes and during that time, I began to have a hot flash and get light-headed. I knew I was going to pass out again, so I pushed the Nurse button and told them "I'm going to pass out...HELP, HELP!" I passed out and woke up to 8 nurses around me. They had called in the Rapid Recovery Nurse, nurses from Labor and Delivery, a Respiratory Nurse, etc... (I scared the living daylights out of them). It's very scary to wake up to all of those faces staring at you. My blood pressure was 63/39. My blood count was a 7. They immediately brought in blood and started a new IV line. I received one unit of blood. My doctor came in and said that the Cytotek was not helping me and we needed to do an emergency D & C. She warned me that the lining of my uterus was soft and there was a risk she could puncture a hole in it, which might result in a total hysterectomy. I told her that I just wanted her to do whatever she needed to do to make this stop. I was so pale from all of the blood loss. I was down in the OR 30 minutes later. The procedure was quick and easy with no complications. My doctor is fabulous! As they were putting me to sleep, she was holding my hand and rubbing my arm and telling me, "It's okay, Carrie, I'm right here with you." She's been with me through all 4 of my miscarriages and she performed both of my D & C's. She's also the one that told me Colton had DS. I am so thankful for her. We have a special bond. I'm so thankful God led me to her 6 years ago.

In no time, I woke up in recovery. They made me stay in recovery until I received another unit of blood. They wanted my blood pressure to come up to the 90's. After 3 hours, I had four readings in the 90's, so they let me move back to my room on the third floor. I finally was able to see Hunter again and contact family and friends. They wanted me to stay overnight to make sure my BP and blood counts were getting back to normal. I have low blood pressure all of the time, but it's usually 110/55. They were happy with it being closer to 95/50. My blood count got to a 9.9. My D & C was exactly what I needed. After my surgery and blood transfusion, things go SO much better. Color returned in my face and I was able to walk around the room. I knew I was getting better because the nurses were coming in less frequently. I sent Hunter home to stay with our boys, and I had an evening to myself to rest. It was really strange to be in the hospital alone. I've only been in the hospital after having a baby, so I was used to a little more noise...and people. Today, September 29th, I was discharged at 11 am. I am now home with my boys. I'm still a little weak and have to take it easy for a few weeks, but I'm doing great. I've never been more excited to see my boys. Hunter walked in with Colton and I began talking...I've never seen his head whip around so fast to look for me.



I'm not sharing this story because I want people to feel sorry for me. Please don't feel sorry for me. I have not been emotional about this experience. To be honest, I didn't cry in the hospital at all. I've been down this road before and I'm at peace with God's decision. This baby was not meant to be. We are not meant to have a third child. When I found out I was pregnant, I prayed for a healthy, typical baby. God did not answer my prayers, and that's ok. I think of the song..."Some of God's greatest gifts, are unanswered prayers." Hunter and I both said that if this pregnancy ended in a miscarriage, we were done having children. This is a sign from God. We have closure. We have decided to stop planning and start living. We are so very thankful for the two little boys that God gave us. It's a miracle, with my past, that they both made it and they're both so healthy. My body as been through enough in the past 6 years. I am done...and I'm completely okay with that. I am not the same person I was 6 years ago...I'm better. I'm stronger. I've learned how tough I am. My faith has grown ten-fold. This entire pregnancy, I kept saying over and over...

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight." Proverbs 3:6

I am okay, emotionally. Physically, I need some time to heal. But I'm excited to close this chapter of our lives and move on. I'm ready to enjoy my boys and watch them grow. Thank you God for my two little boys. We are a perfect family of 4!

Welcome to Holland

A friend shared this poem with me shortly after Colton was born. I remember reading it in the hospital with tears streaming down my face. What a beautiful poem. Life doesn't always play out the way we think it's going to play out...but that doesn't mean it won't be a fabulous journey. I get to experience Italy with Weston and Holland with Colton. My heart is full, and I thank God every day for my two most precious gifts.

Repeat Swallow Study at 8 Months

Yesterday, we went to Children's Hospital for our repeat Swallow Study. Colton isn't allowed to eat 3 hours before our appointment, so I had to wake him up from his nap to feed him earlier than normal. Poor baby! When we got to the Radiology Department, I was glad to see that we had the same Speech Pathologist as last time. His name was Drew. I think he remembered me...but not Colton. Colton's gotten rather large since our last visit at 2 months old. Hehe.

First, we went to a room to discuss Colton's current feeding schedule. I told him that we began introducing baby food once a day and he's been doing really well with it, but I wanted to make sure he wasn't aspirating on it. I told him that we thicken his bottles to Stiff Honey and I explained my current concoction of formula, rice cereal, and Thick It 2. He said that everything looks like it's working so far because he's obviously gaining weight and he hasn't had any respiratory illnesses which would be a result of aspirating.

Next, we went back to the X-Ray room. We strapped Colton in his highchair next to the machine. He was very cooperative and interested in what we were doing.



The X-Ray is on the right side and it shows his profile as he drinks a bottle. You can see the liquid entering his mouth and going down his throat because it has Barium in it. If he aspirates, you can see it go into the airway and we stop feeding him, immediately.



We started out using the Nuk bottle I brought from home. This is the bottle they recommended at our first Swallow Study because it has a flat-based nipple which is good for a low tone tongue. His tongue doesn't have to cup the nipple as much as a regular round nipple. They gave him Nectar thick formula. This is pretty thin, so he had trouble keeping up with the swallowing and did aspirate on it. So then we moved to Honey thick formula. He actually did pretty well on the Honey, compared to last time. He did swallow a good amount of it, but occasionally, he'd have a deep penetration (it would get into the yellow zone, which means it was headed to the airway, but he didn't always aspirate). After a little while of sucking, he finally did have an aspiration. However, he coughed when he aspirated. This is a good thing because at his last Swallow Study, he had silent aspirations....which can be very scary. This time, he noticed something wasn't right, so he coughed. His cough did not completely clear the airway, but he tried. We then tried Honey again with a different bottle and nipple (the MAM brand). This nipple also has a flat-based nipple, but it's not as big of a nipple so it's better for transitioning to a straw sippy cup. He did aspirate a little on the Honey thick, so we decided to stop the study. Drew said that he wasn't comfortable switching him to Honey just yet because he was having some deep penetrations and a few aspirations. I told him that this was completely fine with me. We've been doing Stiff Honey for awhile now and we are all used to it. He's doing well, he's not sick, he's gaining weight. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. So...we will stay at Stiff Honey.

We also discussed what this means when he turns 1 and leaves the bottle. We will have to thicken all of his liquids to Stiff Honey. Luckily, at age 1, we can change thickening products. He is currently using Thick-It 2, which does upset his tummy without the rice cereal. So, at 1, we can switch to Simply Thick (you have to be over the age of 1 to use this product). Simply Thick is a gel packet that you squeeze into liquids and shake/stir. The good thing about Simply Thick is that it's easier to carry around with you because it's in these little individual packets. Thick-It 2 is a big tub of Splenda looking powder.





Also, Simply Thick stays the same consistency throughout the day. You can mix it into apple juice in the morning and it will stay the same thickness all day long. With Thick-It 2, it continues to thicken until you have a nasty paste in the bottom of your bottle/cup. I can't make bottles too early or they will get way too thick to eat and I have to dilute it with water. My PCP can send a prescription for the Simply Thick to a nearby Nutrition Store and they will mail the product to my house, monthly. It's so nice and easy for me! We actually were getting too much Thick-It 2, so I had to call them and ask them to stop for a few months so that we could use what we had, first. It's been so easy! Hallelujah!

During the study, we also fed Colton some applesauce with Barium in it. He swallowed the applesauce just fine. He did not aspirate on it, so I was really happy to see that. Drew said that some of the baby foods are thinner than others, so if I'm concerned it's too thin, I can always add some Thick-It 2 to the food and stir. It might slightly alter the taste, but not too much.

We will go back for another study in 10-12 months. We are hoping by then, Colton won't have to thicken to Stiff Honey anymore. He will eventually outgrow this aspirating thing, but sometimes it just takes time. I told Drew that I'm still paranoid about starting solids with him. I was with Weston, too, because I HATE choking babies. It freaks me out! But with Colton, I'm especially anxious because I don't want him learning bad eating habits that can cause more speech problems in the future. Drew said that maybe I can have him reevaluated for Speech Therapy now that he's getting ready to start solid foods. I'm gonna ask about that next week at Access. Children with DS can have issues with tongue lateralization, which can make eating solids more difficult. Plus, he doesn't have any teeth yet. Drew said that a lot of kids with DS will put a solid on their tongue and swallow it whole because they don't know what to do with it. Another learning curve for us, but we will figure it out. We always do!

God, thank you for a baby that is eating well, gaining weight, and not suffering from any respiratory illnesses!

8 Months!

Colton (aka "Pudge") is officially 8 months old! We went to the ENT a few weeks ago and he weighed in at a whopping 21 pounds. I looked his stats up on the DS chart and he was in the 95th percentile for both height and weight. He is still such a BIG boy! He's so big, he's starting to grow out of his 9 month pajamas! Oops! Time for some new jams!



We still have not mastered the art of sitting up, but we still continue to practice. Part of the problem is just Colton. He doesn't like to sit up. Every time we try, he throws his body back and arches. I don't think he likes his tummy scrunched up....or maybe it's tight on his hamstrings??? Who knows...but I really wish he'd sit up! I think he'd find that it's much more enjoyable. Our PT suggested we get him a chair that has a high back to practice, but that is also short enough for his feet to reach the ground. You can see him sitting in the yellow chair above. I'm not holding onto him and he can sit for a good while before he falls over. But don't leave him there alone...that could be dangerous!
Speaking of dangerous, he loves to flip out of this chair. Don't let that smile fool you...



He loves to play in his Baby Einstein jumper and has started to jump lately...hooray!!!



He also can finally grab his feet! To some, that may seem like an easy skill, but for Colton, it's been hard. Due to his low tone, his abs weren't strong enough for him to get his legs off of the floor. But he has no trouble with that now. They still can't quite reach his mouth, but I'm okay with that.



Colton enjoys watching Baby Einstein. His big brother likes to watch it with him, too. They are so cute together.



Colton absolutely LOVES Weston. It's so sweet! The other day, Weston was telling me a story about Ninja Turtles and he was being very animated. I look over and Colton is watching Weston with the biggest grin on his face...then he started laughing out loud. Weston, of course, loved that he made brother laugh, so he kept doing it over and over. It just melted my heart. I wish I could've gotten it on video.

Colton is doing a great job with eating. I'm only feeding him baby food 1x each day until we have our Swallow Study on September 15th. I'm hoping that he won't have to have his formula thickened to Stiff Honey anymore, but if he does, it's not the end of the world. I just want to make sure he's not aspirating. I know that it can take a few years before they outgrow the aspirating stuff...but it would be nice if we only had to thicken to Honey or Nectar.



Colton is still a very happy baby. He eats well and sleeps well. He likes to play with his toys and roll around on the floor. Sometimes, he gets stuck and can't quite figure out what to do...



We are loving our "Pudge!" He's getting so big and so strong. He continues to go to PT 2x each week. We are hoping that he will begin sitting up soon and pulling up into the crawling position....but that crawling brings all kinds of trouble. I don't know that I'm ready for that just yet.

I found this poem the other day and I thought I'd share it. I think it's so sweet. Colton is such a blessing to our family. Life just wouldn't be the same without him. We love our chubby, happy, strong 8 month old!