Hannah Update

[Puckstop31]

Hannah is sick.

At 2am the nurses came in to wake Tanya so she could feed. Before she fed they took Hannah to the nursery for her vitals. The nurse noticed that Hannah was having a bit of trouble breathing, so they called our pediatrician. After that, they admitted Hannah to the NICU.

So far they have run two different courses of anti-biotics, taken a blood sample and a x-ray. Also, because Hannah has birthmarks they took a blood sample on her birthday to test her hemoglobin levels. Thank God that our peditrician also had them run a culture on it as it gets us 36 hours ahead in finding out what might be wrong for sure. Another clue they have to help is they did a biopsy of Tanya's placenta and it showed a low grade infection. The nurses stressed that it being low grade (stage 1) was a good thing as it is a very good indicator of what it is and how she got it.

But right now the neo-natologist thinks it is early stages of bacterial pneumonia. So Hannah will need to be in the NICU for at least 7 days. She will be OK, but it will just take time.

Naturally we are both rather upset and Tanya especially so. But being the amazing person she is, all she could talk about to the nurses was what she needs to do to ensure that Hannah gets all the milk she needs. As I type this she is pumping. We have to check out sometime today as they are really busy in here. (Must have been something in the water those few weeks in January...LOL) So there is no sense in us hoggin up a post-natal room when Tanya is fine, Hannah is in NICU and other new moms need the space. My mom being here is also a Godsend as I will have to go back to work on Monday and Tanya will need to travel back and forth to here at least twice a day.

So we need extra special Chaz prayers for the next few days, for Hannah and Tanya.


Finally, no news is good news. Do not worry extra if we do not post regular updates. As we learn things we will share what we can. I don't want to get on a regular update schedule adn then miss some time and have you all worry too much.

I said a special prayer for this wonderful community of people. You have no idea how comforting it is to have a family THIS BIG.

My prayer for Hannah...

Gracious Heavenly Father... Thank you for yet another day in your wonderful creation. Thank you for the blessing that is our daughter Hannah. We ask that you watch over her and keep her safe. Be with her doctors and nurses, guide their hands, hearts and minds as they take care of Hannah. Help them to find and treat the infection that she has and make Hannah well soon.

We know You have a reason for everything and will never burden us with more than we can handle. Thank you for the wisdom we will gain through this experience as I know it will make us better parents for Hannah.

For everything we give You praise.

In our Saviors name, Amen

 

[Sunnierhawk0]

Oh No Puck!!!!!

Im saying extra prayers for baby Hannah this morning. She is a fighter, and I know she will be just fine and get thru this like a champ.

Keep us updated as much as you can in this scary time!

 

[nancy2394]

Oh guys.. I'm so sorry. But it was a blessing in disguise. If you guys had gone home, she could have gotten very sick. When you mentioned in one of the earlier posts that she was grunting... that sent up a huge red flag in my head. We don't like grunting babies, it's one of the cardinal signs of respiratory distress.

I'm so glad they caught it and got her on antibiotics. You can't be too safe when it comes to little ones. I wasn't sure if those were birth marks on her sweet little face or if they were what we call "stork bites". One of my best friends has a little girl who is 6 months old now and she had that same red spot on her nose and it has considerably faded already. It just gives her personality.

I will keep her in my thoughts and prayers. If you guys need me to explain anything for you.. if they use big fancy words you're not sure about or if you just have any questions.. I'd be happy to shed some light for you.

 

[Chewbecca]

Oh, my!
I hope she's going to be alright and I will say a prayer.
She's in good hands and has a wonderful, loving family.

 

[sparks19]

Yes.... we really need those prayers this week.

I HATE not being able to bring our sweet girl home. It's killing me to know I have to leave her here.

I have been crying for hours. This is truly the hardest thing I have ever had to do..... but I know that no matter what I am feeling it is nothing compared to what our baby girl has to go through and that breaks my heart even more. She is being such a trooper though. Even though she has an IV and monitors and everything hooked up to her she still slept like a rock. She is awake now and is not even fussing. she's such a good strong girl.

One BIG bonus here is that even though they discovered this because she was having breathing issues .... she has NOT needed to be hooked up to Oxygen. She is breathing fine on her own and her oxygen levels are very good they tell us so the "extra work" she is doing in her breathing is working, which is a good thing.

All I can do right now for my baby girl is stay strong for her.... make sure I eat right and get rest so that I can produce the best milk I can for them to feed her and help her get back to health. but it's amazing how some seemingly "innocent" events in the past few days have put us ahead of the game in getting Hannah better..... an optional blood test that we consented to, a pediatrician that just felt he needed to start a blood culture even though there was no real reason to at the time, being encouraged to stay until Saturday morning (otherwise I would be at home with Hannah and have no idea yet that she was sick) etc etc. I can only thank God and the good people at this hospital for this headstart in helping our baby girl. And Of course I am always silently praying for Hannah and for strength for Brian and I to stay strong and get through this with her.

this is the hardest thing I've ever had to do and we really need all the support and prayers we can get.

Thank you

Nancy: Thank you. Any light you can shed on a situation like this is helpful. you have experience with this kind of thing.... we don't so our imaginations can sometimes get carried away and that's not really a good thing. BTW the first pediatrician called them "stork bites" and said they would fade away. We just keep calling them birthmarks but they aren't really. But yes.... any experience you have to share with us is greatly appreciated.

 

[nancy2394]

They look like stork bites to me and they will fade. One day you'll look down at her and not even see them. You should notice a significant fading 6-8 months from now... sometimes it takes a little longer.

I will tell you that babies often get worse before they get better. So, don't be alarmed if you come in one time and she's got oxygen on. You can expect to take a few steps back and then make a few more steps forward.

Are they letting her eat? What did her lab work show? I know the blood cultures aren't back yet. But they should have done a cbc and a crp. I'm assuming they were a bit out of whack because they started her on antibiotics.

They will take good care of her. Now listen to me... I know leaving her behind will be one of the hardest things for you guys to do, and it's natural to cry and be upset about it. But.... on that note... go home and rest. Call them and get an update on her before you go to bed tonight. Don't worry about her, she is in good hands.

If you wake up in the middle of the night and you wanna check on her... call them. You can call them anytime to check on her. Go up and visit her as often as you can without wearing yourself out. One of the biggest mistakes new parents make is knocking themselves out to get up there for every feeding. I would come up as much as you physically can handle. Don't feel guilty if you can't make it for a feeding. Most of our NICU parents come and feed a few times during the day and early into the evening and then they stay at home and sleep during the night.

Have you thought of any questions you might have yet?

 

[ACooper]

You absolutely have my prayers........for you AND Hannah. This will probably be harder on you than it is Hannah, I am sure the docs and nurses will see to her every physical need and God will do the rest

Puck that was a lovely prayer, brought tears to my eyes because I know how heart felt it is, not just words.

((((((((((((((HUGS))))))))))))))))

 

[Giny]

Great prayer, Brian (AC, it does bring tears to your eyes, doesn't it?!) and I'll be adding mine too. She'll be home with her parents in no time. Get well soon, little Hannah!

((BIG HUGS TO THE FAMILY))

 

[Angel Chicken]

You two are in my thoughts today.

Spuckette, get better!!

Sparks, remember you have my number if you wanna call to just talk.

 

[sparks19]

They look like stork bites to me and they will fade. One day you'll look down at her and not even see them. You should notice a significant fading 6-8 months from now... sometimes it takes a little longer.

I will tell you that babies often get worse before they get better. So, don't be alarmed if you come in one time and she's got oxygen on. You can expect to take a few steps back and then make a few more steps forward.

Are they letting her eat? What did her lab work show? I know the blood cultures aren't back yet. But they should have done a cbc and a crp. I'm assuming they were a bit out of whack because they started her on antibiotics.

They will take good care of her. Now listen to me... I know leaving her behind will be one of the hardest things for you guys to do, and it's natural to cry and be upset about it. But.... on that note... go home and rest. Call them and get an update on her before you go to bed tonight. Don't worry about her, she is in good hands.

If you wake up in the middle of the night and you wanna check on her... call them. You can call them anytime to check on her. Go up and visit her as often as you can without wearing yourself out. One of the biggest mistakes new parents make is knocking themselves out to get up there for every feeding. I would come up as much as you physically can handle. Don't feel guilty if you can't make it for a feeding. Most of our NICU parents come and feed a few times during the day and early into the evening and then they stay at home and sleep during the night.

Have you thought of any questions you might have yet?

Well.... I can't actually nurse her right now but I am pumping for her and they are going to send me home with a pump so that I can continue to pump and bring milk in everyday for her. But right now their main mission is to keep her calm and unagitated so she doesn't get worked up (like moving her around and stuff) because that's when she starts to have breathing issues. So they are trying to keep her relatively still. But I am just glad that I will still be able to provide milk for her. When Her breathing starts improving I can start feeding her directly again I believe. But we still don't know everything yet. they did run all those tests but we received so much info so fast I can't remember exactly what each one said. We still have some more meeetings with them so we will know more later.

they definitely let us know that we can call whenever we want to get an update and made sure that we knew that "No news is good news" so if we don't hear anything from them when we are home it means that nothing bad has happened and things are either the same or better. but to feel free to call whenever I feel the need to.

Of course I can come visit her whenever we want to and they will provide us with a "family room" so we can stay all day if we want to. they have been very good to us here and especially now that Hannah is in NICU.

but it's still so scary.

The lactation consultant just came in and said that it was normal for them to not have me nurse for the first 24 hours after she gets sick. She is going to help me get used to pumping but said that I will probably be able to nurse her tomorrow sometime.

Also the pediatrician just came in and he is very optimistic about Hannah. Said it was caught very early and her white cell count is still quite low so she has a very good outlook right now.

They really are great here and are really helping to put us at ease with the whole situation and helping US stay optimistic too.

 

[smkie]

Prayers for Baby Hannah and for both of you.

 

[nancy2394]

The reason they are not letting her feed is because it requires a lot of energy to eat.. especially to breastfeed. Her respiratory rate is probably up a bit because she's "working" to breath.

I'm sure they want to keep her with the least of stimulation possible to ensure she will not become agitated. When babies become agitated.. I'm sure you can imagine, their work of breathing increases which in her case could cause her oxygen saturation to drop.

I'm sure they've got her hooked up to a monitor that tells you her heart rate, respiratory rate and oxygen saturation. She will stay on that monitor the whole time she is in the NICU. I'm sure they'll follow up with some more lab work at some point. And of course they will need to follow up with another chest xray. Have they done an arterial blood gas on her to get a baseline? If she's not in really bad distress.. they may not have done that.

We usually don't feed the NICU babies until they are able to keep their respiratory rate consistently below 60. If she's being a "good" little baby then she probably doesn't feel all that great. Most babies will scream and holler when they're past their feeding time. So, she just needs time to get over this hurdle.

Make sure you drink plenty good fluids like water and juice. That will make your milk come in quicker. Pump every 3-4 hours during the day and maybe every 4-5 hours at night or whenever you start to feel uncomfortable with engorgement. You might not pump out a whole lot in the beginning.. but save every drop of it.. it's good stuff!

Try and avoid foods that make you gassy, most likely they will make Hannah gassy too. The big culprets are brocolli, onions, spicy foods..ect. Eat lots of good foods to ensure the best quality breastmilk.

Keep your chin up, smile ... and know that soon enough you will be bringing her home with you.

 

[Jules]

I am sending lots of good thoughts and vibes to you guys and little Hannah! I hope her little baby butt gets better quickly!!

 

[ToscasMom]

Oh Puck, I am so sorry to hear this. Poor little honey. I hope she gets better really fast. I know you and Sparks must be so worried. You have my prayers.

 

[bubbatd]

A lovely prayer Puck and I will read it daily until Hannah goes home with you and Tanya . You know that we are all hear for you three . A shocking turn of evens for you , but thank God you were still in the hospital . Be strong ....she'll be fine . ((( Hugs ))) Grammy .

 

[PWCorgi]

Sending all the good vibes we can muster for a quick recovery for Hannah!

 

[lilprairiemutt]

You have my prayers and thoughts. I know its hard to leave her there. I have been there and done that with my youngest. Like Nancy said, your little Hannah is in good hands in the NICU. I found that the staff of the NICU not only don't mind when you call at whatever hour in the morning when you need reassurance, but they actually like it. When my youngest son was in the NICU the head nurse lady told me that they would alot rather give an update at 2:30 in the morning then have the parents not call ever. She said occasionaly they get babies in whose parents don't call and don't come in to hardly see the baby until its time to take it home. So sad. I couldn't imagine that, I was up there, two maybe three times a day, during my son's ten day stay in the NICU. Its hard. I know it is. But before you know it, she will be fine and home in your arms.

 

[sparks19]

The reason they are not letting her feed is because it requires a lot of energy to eat.. especially to breastfeed. Her respiratory rate is probably up a bit because she's "working" to breath.

I'm sure they want to keep her with the least of stimulation possible to ensure she will not become agitated. When babies become agitated.. I'm sure you can imagine, their work of breathing increases which in her case could cause her oxygen saturation to drop.

I'm sure they've got her hooked up to a monitor that tells you her heart rate, respiratory rate and oxygen saturation. She will stay on that monitor the whole time she is in the NICU. I'm sure they'll follow up with some more lab work at some point. And of course they will need to follow up with another chest xray. Have they done an arterial blood gas on her to get a baseline? If she's not in really bad distress.. they may not have done that.

We usually don't feed the NICU babies until they are able to keep their respiratory rate consistently below 60. If she's being a "good" little baby then she probably doesn't feel all that great. Most babies will scream and holler when they're past their feeding time. So, she just needs time to get over this hurdle.

Make sure you drink plenty good fluids like water and juice. That will make your milk come in quicker. Pump every 3-4 hours during the day and maybe every 4-5 hours at night or whenever you start to feel uncomfortable with engorgement. You might not pump out a whole lot in the beginning.. but save every drop of it.. it's good stuff!

Try and avoid foods that make you gassy, most likely they will make Hannah gassy too. The big culprets are brocolli, onions, spicy foods..ect. Eat lots of good foods to ensure the best quality breastmilk.

Keep your chin up, smile ... and know that soon enough you will be bringing her home with you.

Well they decided to hook her up on oxygen so she doesn't have to work so hard and to keep her lungs "open". She did NOT like that lol. Or the IV. They just happened to pick the arm that she MUST always have up by her face and she doesn't like it lol. When I said she wasn't fussing I meant just during a quiet time when no one was pestering her lol. but rest assured when i was just in there.... BOY oh BOY was she fighting them off. She is definitely going to keep them busy. It actually made me happy to see her fight so much because like you said.... she can't feel that awfully bad if she can put up a fight like that and they kept saying how strong she is. Because she kept pulling her arm up to her face the IV kept getting pinched off so they had to keep messing with the line and her arm (not the actual needle) to find a good spot for it so it wouldn't get pinched off and she just kept ripping her arm right out of their hands despite their best efforts lol and they wanted her fingers open on the board and so they taped them down and she STILL fought hard enough to get the tape loose enough to curl those little fingers in hehe. So she's a fighter. She's sleeping now though. The pacifier with a little sugar water works wonders though for keeping her distracted while they are messing with her. I was in there when they were doing all this and eventually I just started dipping the pacifier and holding it in her mouth (she's such a vigorous sucker that in between sucks she sends it flying out of her mouth lol but still thinks she's sucking) and then holding her other hand and I was able to distract her enough that they finally got everything hooked up the way they needed it.

Oxygen saturation is 100%.... when they were messing around with her her heart rate was 200+ but now that she's calmed down it's back down around 150-160. Respirations are down to between 70-90.... when they put her in the NICU it was over 150. So she is doing well. She's a strong girl and I have no doubt she will make it through this. But it is so scary and breaks our hearts to see her hooked up to all that stuff. it's hard to see her like that. and it's hard knowing I am going home without her

But we will make it through this.

The lactation consultant is coming back in soon to help me with pumping.... mostly she wants to make sure that I have the right size "cups" to pump the best I can. then they are sending me home with the pump.

 

[drmom777]

Our thoughts, hopes, and prayers are with you as well.

 

[~Jessie~]

I'll keep Hannah in my thoughts for a quick recovery. Poor baby