Sunday, July 12, 2009

The surgery is behind us!

Well we've past another mile stone. Alistair went into surgery Saturday at 9am and 4 hours later he was back in the NICU. Dr Skarsgard attempted to perform the surgery doing a keyhole thoractomy(small whole in chest). The bowel and stomach were able to be brought down through the hole in the diaphragm using this procedure but it was too difficult to fix the hole appropriately so they had to make an incision across his lower left abdmonen. Now he'll have a good man scar to brag about down the road. The great thing is they didn't need to put a patch in to repair the hole, they were able to suture it closed. This is great as the reoccurence rate of the hole opening again decreases substantially. Alistair stayed amazingly stable all day yesterday. However, later this afternoon he started to deal with pulmonary hypertension.( His blood vessels in his lungs are constricted making it hard for his heart to push the blood through and get it oxygenated) He also is having problems with his heart shunting blood through the PDA (an area that usually closes at birth in the heart but was purposefully kept open for the time being in Alistair to relieve pressure in the right ventricle) causing systemic blood to be less oxygenated. He also has high CO2 levels. Anyhow he has been put on nitric oxide, a inhaled med that helps dialate his lung vessels which should hopefully help his blood be better oxygenated. The hardest part though today was they put him on a oscillatory ventilator. So same idea as a ventilator machine but this one visually shakes Alistair significantly in his little bed and this visual part was really difficult for me to take. Its hard to stand and only beable to lay my hand on his head or foot. I just want to lay him on my chest and hold him. His whole body shakes as it is a whole different process of ventilation in which the breaths are 400-900 per minute. Basically they are using this method to acquire better ventilation and less trauma to his lungs.

I finally got discharged from the hospital today which is nice but i did like having the ability to run down the stairs for a quick hello to my little guy. The nice thing is I can call the nursery any time and talk to his nurse 24/7 which I have been doing and they are so good at providing a clear update on Alistairs situation. He is still in a private room with a one on one nurse and they plan to keep him there until they have stabilized him.

Well I had every intention to post pictures today but I left my camera in the NICU today so perhaps tomorrow.

Chat again soon.
Cheers Julie

Friday, July 10, 2009

Alistair is 5 lbs 14 oz!

Hello Hello!

Jason and I officially became parents July 8th @ 1041 am! Alistair definitely gave me a workout and a half. It all started to unfold July 6th at 430pm when they decided to jump start my labour with a cervidal gel. It just gave me "bad menstral cramps" which I've never had in my life. So I got a taste of what some of you ladies deal with on a monthly basis! Ack so sorry for you! Anyhow the gel just softens the cervix or opens up the door that Alistair was behind. So I only got one gel and the next morning the cervix had thinned by half and I was one cm dialated. One has to get to 10cm dialated before one can start pushing the little one out into the new world. So I still had a bit quite the distance to go. I was having coupling contractions though so they were constantly monitoring me as they like to have you have one at a time rather than two back to back. At 430 pm July 7th they decided to start the oxytocin drip which goes IV. This drug actually causes the uterus to contract and makes things speed up pretty hard and fast. So until this point I had just taken some tylenol. Cramping increased and by 1030pm I was still finding things quite la dee da and I was 3 cm dialated. Then my water broke. WOW thats bizzare. It like you suddenly have you're own personal lake to sit in and everytime you take the lake away it decides to come back! My nurse and I were laughing as it really was quite unreal and since I have had polyhyramnios (extra water around Alistair) I sure had a ton of lakes to make. Well this lake making business turned everything up a notch and my la de da early labour was no longer. Wow all you mamas have received a new vouch of appreciation from this girl. I really was doing ok until about 3am July 8th. By this time it was like Alistair was slamming up against a door that just would not open. I'm not sure if they were telling me this to make me feel better or I'm just one of these new age moms that "can't handle" what all my ancestors have but the charge nurse on that night said have the oxytocin drip makes labour occur much faster and intensely than if I had been not been induced. But HOLY SHYT is all I can say. At 0330 I got some morphine which stopped the contractions from occuring for 50 sec with a 30 sec break to getting a 2min break but the intensity and length increased with the nausea and hotflashes still making me all the less happy. Honestly when the contractions occured I get to a point thinking how the hell am I going to do this and then I'd get relief and think "o ya I'm ok I can do this!" At 430am the charge nurse came in and said the anesthesiologist was doing an epidural on another lady and would I like one. Well I have ALWAYS said never would I get an epidural. Don't like the idea of something going into my spine and millions of woman have done without so "No thanks!" Well she let me go through a few more contractions and then said "Do you really think you can go on with this for 7 more hours?" "No flippin way!" So Dr. Kilpatrick (sp?~ who actually went to elementry school with Dr Page) came in and chatted with me and gave me an epidural! O my goodness! DRUGS ARE GREAT!!!! I guess epidurals can be patchy or not effective but this guy was phenomenol, or his drugs were! I fell asleep instantly and woke up at 830am and had gone from 3 cm to 8cm dialated. I was still super numb and could just feel a dull ache but all the health staff were impressed how quick I accelerated to 8cm and of course I was too. So still happily numb I got to 10cm at 10am and then they wanted me to start pushing. Well that was a joke as I didn't have a clue when to push as I all i could feel was a random little ache. So my nurse had to watch the NST machine which was monitoring Alistairs heart rate and my contractions and when she'd see one on the monitor she'd get me to push. Very bizzare as I couldn't even tell that was happening. Apart from my nurse having a visual and saying yep your doing it right or pushing in the right way. Anyhow Alistair didn't like the activity and at 1030 out came the good ol monster metal forceps! When I say he didn't like the activity a babes heart rate decreases naturally with contraction and then it should bounce back after the contractions stop and his wasn't . He'd go from 120 down to 60 and stay at 60. So I got into a very attractive position with 10 onlookers plus Jason at my side (who I must say should become a doula! He was one phenomenol coachand supportor!) The 10 onlookers were there for me and Alistair. So anyhow they got the forceps in position and then with the so called next contraction they told me I was having they got me to perform 5 repetitive prolonged pushes and all of a sudden they're like Jason look at this! And there was Alistair peeking out to greet the world. I couldn't believe it. So out he came. He wasn't breathing on his own at all and was completely limp. But for you nursing folk his APGAR was 1-9-9. In other words he perked up nicely. I only saw him for a split second between my legs and he was taken to the resus room. As soon as they had him intubated and ventilated which was immediately, Jason followed him to the NICU. But that wasn't the end of the road for me! Ya if it rains it fricken pours. The placenta is suppose to follow shortly after like 15 min or less. Well 50 min later its to the Operating Room for Julie. They want to manually remove the placenta. Sounds great hey! Well they gave me more drugs through the epidural which tends to cause one to shake but I wasn't prepared for what was to come! Anyhow when they got me in there they found that I had placenta accreta which is when the placenta attaches abnormally deep into the muscle wall of the uterus. Yepp thats the pouring part! So they had to cut some of the uterus wall to remove my placenta. So what was a quick in and out was a prolonged process. But the worst part was the drugs were making me convulse and I was having a problem taking a nice long deep breath to relax. Instead it felt like my diaphragm was jerking. Ya so it fricken poured! By the time I got into the recovery room I have to say I definitely had a panic attack. Another time to say HOLY SHYT! It is not fun when you can't breath or do mind over matter to control yourself. Anyhow as soon as the drugs were not pushed into me I started to get relief and Jason was again great at keeping me mellow by talking me dowbn and massaging my incredibly tight neck and back muscles. So finally at about 5pm I got to see my little guy (oo that still makes me tear up!) Anyhow he's lovely! I wish I could post a picture but I don't have access to do that here from the hosptial. So a couple more days and he'll be on here. He's gorgeous! (of course I'd say that~ LOL~ O gaud that made me teary again!) He's got my toes! Larger second toe then great toe and high webbing between the 2nd and 3rd. Then he has Jason's nose, mouth, and ears. His hair is curly and blonde( I guess Jason was blonde at birth)! We still haven't seen his little eyes as he has been sedated and paralyzed from the get go. But frick he's a cute little son of ours. We can touch him and place our hands on his head, hand etc. but no holding at the present. There is just too many lines. As for is congenital diaphragmatic hernia situation he is doing REALLY well!! So much better than we ever anticipated. He hasn't had to be on more then 30% O2 while vented which is great. He's actually sitting at 23% right now and we breath 21%. So thats a great thing in the scheme of things. Plus his lung size on xray appears quite large for a child with CDH. The whole team is happy. They are having to play with increased Right Ventricle pressure in his heart and a "Soft BP" but all in all that is incredible if thats where are concerns lie. He's on lowest dose of Morphine (20 mcg), some epinephrine to keep his BP up, Provine or Proline (can't remember right now) to keep his ductus arteriosus open (which is a natural shunt in the fetus pulmonary/ heart system which closes at birth but they want to keep it open to decrease the pressure in his heart until post surgery, he's got total parentral nutrition which means he's being fed a liquid diet directly into his venous system, and he gets some albumin once in awhile when they need to pick up his BP. So we are so very happy. The team here is incredible. Every morning at 8am the whole team does rounds to each NICU bed. There is the Neonatologist, perinatologists, bedside RN's, clinical co-ordinator RN, surgeons, respiratory techs, and all the "fellows" or physicans upgrading to be neonatologists and perinatologist, and students galore from every faculty. And this team always insures that we as parents are completely involved. EVERYONE has a super compassionate non sugar coated approach that is very supportive. They ALL want us to ask questions and be involved as much as possible. Plus they all seem to have this way of making the environment light and comical yet allow us to maintain this wonderful level confidence in the team. And all this doesn't just happen at the bedside. Its in the hallway,doorways, outside, whereever. So yes we are very impressed and feel confident that Alistair is in the best hands. The surgeon, Dr Skarsgard, came to see me while I happened to be with Alistair and clearly explained his plan. So they are hoping to have Alistair in the OR tomorrow morning at 815 am and the Dr is going to try to do the surgey using a laparascopy method rather than making a large incision. A laparascopy is just making minimal incisions and inserting the tools rather than one large one. So as long as he remains stable and no unexpected patients come in and bump Alistair off the slate he will be having surgery tomorrow. It is a relief to already be at this point but of course its an anxious time too. (oo theres the tears again!) So I'm still a patient at the hospital as I had antibiotics running and a catheter until noon today. So tomorrow I will like be discharged and Alistair will be on a road of post surgery recovery!

Well again thanks so much for all of your wonderful support. I will be thinking of all you family members heading to another family wedding in Fort St. John tomorrow. All the best to the bride and groom~ Jaclyn and Daine! Have an extra great time!!!

Lots of Love ~ Julie

Monday, July 6, 2009

Heading IN!

Well I just got a jingle from the charge nurse and they have room for Alistair so heading in in an hour. Its almost 2pm here. So bonus! I'll keep you all posted.
Cheers Julie

Induction Update!

Hi!

Its almost 11am here and I thought I'd update you curious folk. I just got a call from the charge nurse here at Womens and all the NICU (neonatal ICU) beds are full. So they are collaborating with the outlying hosptials so that they can send some stable little ones out and make room for Alistair. So in the mean time the antepartum home care nurse will come and take another NST (non stress test) which they've been doing biweekly. Again, thats just them monitoring his little heart and making sure it accelerates with activity and comes back to normal appropriately. Really they are just making sure it does what its suppose to. Anyhow, the charge nurse will give me another jingle around 1pm to let us know what the plan is. So I still may be induced today and again if that happens they'll just keep me in the hospital until Alistair decides to arrive! So hopefully he doesn't diddle dally too much! : ) I must say I like being a nurse much more than a patient!

Jason is here now which is great. I picked him up last night at the airport. The poor guy is exhausted. Of course changing plans down here made life a little hectic for him up north with work. But thanks to brother George and cousin Jessica they were able to finish some roof work in time for Jason to get home, pack, and jump on the plane. So thanks guys! Yes and of course he had to be mid stride on a roof project! Anyhow, he's down here now which make me happy as it means I'll be getting some back rubs. But more importantly he'll be at the bedside for Alistair and I when the time comes. From what we understand Jason will be able to stay with Alistair and his team right after delivery while I get normalized. Which is another great reason that Jason is down!

Well peps thanks for all the notes, phone calls, and E-mails. If I get a chance I'll write another update!

Cheers Julie

Saturday, July 4, 2009

The Benefits of Being Prego! : )

I was thinking today of all the benefits of being pregnant when i finally broke down and let someone carry my groceries out to the truck for me! How bizzare did that feel! So i thought I'd write down some of the little benefits I've noticed through out the pregnancy!



  • When you're sweating up a storm people say that you have a beautiful glow that only expecting mothers can have.


  • When you 're stomach is sticking out from under your shirt people comment on "what a cute bump" you have. I'm sure I won't get that the day after I deliver! LOL


  • When you go and stand in line at a public toilet you suddenly get pushed forward in the line even when you don't look desperate. Bonus!


  • Another toilet bonus is you can acquire one ANYWHERE! You just have to walk up with your belly sticking out and people scramble to help you.


  • I've got recipes given to me in all sorts of odd spots. Today I was stopped by a Vietnamese guy in the cereal aisle who explained to me in broken english how he was a chef and had cooked for his wife throughout her pregnancy and gave me his "special chicken" recipe.

  • Only when you're pregnant do people talk to you EVERY time you get into an elevator.

  • When you're pregnant your husband thinks you're a budda goddess!

Can any of you ladies remember the benefits of pregnancy that you'd like to share??

I thought of all you lot over the weekend who were at Matt and Charissa's wedding. I heard it was beautiful and relaxed! Congrats to you Matt & Charrisa!

Well I finally get to see Jason tomorrow after 3 + weeks of being apart. It will be so nice to have him here. Monday morning we will wait for a phone call from a charge nurse at Women's Hospital to let us know if they want us to come in Monday. I'll keep you posted on how things progress as soon as I'm up to getting back on the computer.

Love to All!~ Cheers Julie

Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Change of Plans!





Hi Everyone!
Well there is a change of plans. I went into Women's Hospital today for my scheduled check up. The perinatologists have decided that they should induce me earlier than July 13th as they are concerned with Alistairs slow growth. This makes them wonder if the placenta is still not nourishing him properly; so they would rather have him delivered earlier than have him malnourished in the womb. So they are going to start the induction process July 6th! Less than a week away. WOW how things change. Anyhow just so you know, due to the fact they are inducing me doesn't mean I will deliver that day. It could be up to a week from that date and they plan to keep me in the hosptial while they convince my body to start labour earlier than what would naturally occur. Anyhow the ultrasound showed his heart to be doing well with no concerns in that regard. I've also got a decreased amniotic fluid level around Alistair compared to the past which is a good thing. So there you have it things are a changing. There is also a possibility that we could end up in Edmonton or the United States. This is said as it will all depend on bed availiablity for Alistair and myself. So if their NICU is full then we need to go where there is a bed and staffing. Its not the plan but the alternate plan if things fill up here for whatever reason. So at least there is lots of plans around here. So Jason will be moving to the lower mainland on July 5th to be here for his wife and son when he arrives.

Anyhow I just had George down for this past weekend which was super nice. One day we kicked back with cousin Bo who introduced us to a great Malaysian Restaurant which was excellent. We also spent several hours playing board games and watching a movie together. Nice and mellow. Another day George and I headed down to Niatross. While George did a bunch of maintenance I sat on deck and read a book and watched the world go by. It was great to have him down not only to bond with but he was a great help. I got my fridge full of groceries and he actually did cleaning for me! Kuddos to Georgie Porge! Love ya bro! : )
Well people the sun is shining and the flowers are in full bloom and gorgeous. Its only a matter of time now before Jason and I become parents! Its a very exciting time and of course the unknown is somewhat trying but we know its all out of our hands. We just feel fortunate that we have a great team working for the best outcome for Alistair. The deciding factor on how soon he'll have surgery and how soon we will get to go home is based mainly on his vascular system in his lungs. As I've been advised it doesn't matter so much how large or small his lungs are but how the vascular system of his lungs react to medications. Sometimes the complications occur when the vessels do not dilate with medications and the pressure backs up into the heart causing heart failure and poorly oxygenated blood. So that will be the first step for Alistair to accomplish. Not sure when I'll be on this blog again but I may just add another note before heading to the hosptial on the 6th.
So make sure all of you that are heading to those weddings up north have an extra good time up there on our behalf!
Cheers Julie

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

36 weeks 2 days!











So I'm not sure how often some of you may have thought I'd blog. But i really have no idea what I'd write about on a daily basis, as I'm sure you don't want to hear about daily intake, number of kicks, bowel habits etc...! So for now I was thinking about once a week! Maybe more once the little guy decides to join the outside world.

Life is going along tickideeboo. I am of course ecstatic that we've hit 36 weeks (and two days now!) Every day counts! Today I had my weekly ultrasound and checkup with the perinatologist. Alistair is growing, not as fast as the average little gaffer but he's growing! He now is an aproximately 5 lbs! Yes I have all that tummy and just a little guy. I actually have decreased fluid levels around him which is expected and ok. This is likely why I am sleeping and feeling better than when we were at 32 weeks. So bonus for that. His heart is also ticking along nicely, still with no concerns ....so another bonus.

As for me I am feeling really supported and time is flying by rather quickly. All my bridesmaids have been down in the last couple of weeks. Marcy visited the weekend before last and treated me to lots of good food, a bunch of chinwagging, and to the aquarium to see the little baby baluga. Then this last weekend I had Candace down who pampered me with a pedicure and over 4 days we were able to sort out the worlds problems. I also got a surprise visit from my bud Lise while Candace was down so lots of visitors. Now I get to look forward to my brother this weekend. So no end of visitors.

On top of the visitors I've had even more support whether it is dinner and a movie with my cousin Bo or incredilbly supportive and touching E-mails/phone calls from old and new friends and family. It is really incredible to me how people have reached out and I just want you to all know I really have been touched by all your kind words and support. I will be passing on all the good vibes to Alistair and Jason!

Alistair has definitely kicked it up a notch! Literally! When Candace was down she would sit in a chair across the room and could see Alistair booting me up a storm. The belly definitely does some wave action at times!

Well people...I sure appreciate the support!
I'll keep you posted!
Cheers Julie