Off Topic: My Brother's Baby, update #10, #16, #24, #26

[GinaRae]

I've been so worried about us in the DDC lately as I have this feeling some will begin to have babies soon. I don't know if it really is intuition or just anxiety. But as soon as I began feeling that way, Christy told us about the boys and my brother's boy was born 6 weeks early.

Okay, I would imagine it's just anxiety, but it still bothers me!

Anyway, bro's wife went into labor after a LONG, tiring day, six weeks early. She had 18 hours of labor including 1.5 hours of pushing where she finally just said she could do no more and rolled over to fall asleep. She was THAT tired.

They did a ceserean on her and the baby was born not breathing and with a horribly purple arm. He is already off the vent and only on one of those O2 machines.

Mom says his arm is nearly black at the top, but is warm and pinking up in the fingers. She says he can move his arm at will and nothing is broken. He must have thrust his little arm into the birth canal before him and it lost circulation??? I have NO idea.

At 6 weeks early he was 7 pounds 2 ounces!! He would have been well over 10 pounds I bet. I wonder if either the arm or the weight thing... I wonder if he just knew it was time and triggered the labor to begin. The mom is pretty small.

So anyway, I am finally an aunt and it looks like the babe is going to be just fine!! He's 3,000 miles away, and it will be a LONG time before I see him, but he's a miracle baby and I am glad he's here.

My bro has "low motility" and his wife has terrible endometriosis. She had just been "cleaned out" and was told she would be sterile for a few months. So between her and his slow spermies, somehow that baby still found it's way!

[ChiaraRose]

Congrats to you nephew. How wonderful that he seems to be doing so great. Could they have the due date wrong? He sounds big for a 34 weeker, but whatever, he is here and is doing great!!! Congrats to you and your family again!

[GinaRae]

That's what I thought too, and I will ask my mom again at some point. I think the respiratory problems are from being preemie though.

We have big babies in our family... I was almost 12 pounds, my bro was over 9, many of my cousins were 9-11 pounds, etc.. Funny that my dad was under 3 pounds or something

[De-lovely]

COngrats mama! I love being an aunt! I am getting another niece/nephew in Jan! I already have 2 nieces so I understand the excitement. I am so glad to hear all is well and that his arm is looking better!

[meisterfrau]

Congrats, Auntie! I'm glad it sounds like he's going to be just fine! His poor little arm, though. Ouch. You know that has to hurt like hell.

I was reading here in the "new posts" last night, and read some of the posts of the mamas with babies in the NICU. I probably shouldn't have done that. I had a dream last night that my BP shot up to like, 185/100 and they were talking about taking my baby boy now, at 23 weeks. It was NOT a very good dream.

[sorteep]

congrats on your new nephew!! I am glad he is doing so well after a rough start.. continued prayers for his health

I know what you mean about getting those eerie feelings.. I get them and hate that they *often* come to light.. your thinking it is not making it happen, you are just prob picking up on the vibe, you know?? I used to feel like it was my fault when the things I got feelings about happened, like I should have stopped them?? I still struggle but have come to accept that I am just sensing things that are already on the road to happening... hugs (from one semi psychic to another!)

Laura

ps it does not help that I have had an uneasy feeling about my Pgcy from day 1... arghhhhhhhhh make it stop!

[wwisdomskr]

Congratulations, Auntie Gina! I'm relieved to hear that your nephew is doing well.

[*Lindsey*]

Congratulations on your new nephew, Gina! I can't believe he weighed that much at 34 weeks! I'm so glad he's doing well now, despite a rough start. His poor little arm.

[monocyte]

congrats!

Poor mama and baby. Sounds fairly tramatic for both, but wow, what a big 34 weeker! Hope his arm continues on pinking up.

[GinaRae]

The baby is doing just fine and my brother is spending tons of time with him. The arm is doing well.

Unfortunately, at 3am, my SIL had blood pressure problems. They sent her back to surgery for bleeding -- and she wasn't bleeding. I thought they would know by ultrasound if you were bleeding???

So they realized she has sepsis and is in the ICU on a vent. My mother (a nurse) is all doom and gloom about how she could die. I know all that and it's still pissing me off royally.

She also blamed it on the 18 hour labor. I didn't want to argue, but I did tell mom that wasn't it. Who knows, but women can labor for days and be fine. I told her she was in a hospital where everyone likes to shove germy hands up your cootch for the whole 18 hours.

She then said something about the baby's head being in the birth canal (they could feel it) and when they did a c/s they pulled him up and out. Most likely his head was contaminated and therefore so was she during surgery. Who knows.

She's fighting the vent and is sedated. She was SO MAD she still can't be allowed to see the baby. Hopefully she's fighting enough and she's young and healthy enough that she'll pull through okay.

Makes me sad that she is already resigned to another c/s for the next baby if they have one because she doesn't want to put the baby in that danger again. You know, the danger of birth *sigh*

However, I am supportive and understand too. I know some women have trouble going to term or trouble birthing for whatever reasons and if they just do a c/s at the first sign of labor, she won't have to go through sepsis again either. And she won't stress out over the birth.

No matter WHAT I think, I hope she pulls through fine. My bro was never one to settle down. Ever. He was a serial dater and heartbreaker of any woman who was gorgeous and in either a high power job or a traveling job so he didn'tg have to deal with them every day (his words). He seemed a forever bachelor until this normal school teacher stole his heart and he moved home and started talking wife and kids. Seems they're meant for each other.

Will update when I hear something again.

[meisterfrau]

Wow. I hope she gets well soon.

Originally Posted by GinaRae

Makes me sad that she is already resigned to another c/s for the next baby if they have one because she doesn't want to put the baby in that danger again. You know, the danger of birth *sigh*

However, I am supportive and understand too. I know some women have trouble going to term or trouble birthing for whatever reasons and if they just do a c/s at the first sign of labor, she won't have to go through sepsis again either. And she won't stress out over the birth.

As far as this goes, give her time to process. It took me a good long time to learn enough about birth to know that the repeat c/s was not just the automatic answer. She may come to that in time too.

[sandiegokristi]

I hope your SIL will be okay. That is so scary. I am glad to hear that your nephew is doing well.

[yogamama74]

I hope your SIL gets better soon. Being in a hospital so full of germs is a danger to anyone, I hope her sepsis clears up quick and the baby comes home healthy.

Congrats on becoming an auntie!

[monocyte]

oh no! def sending her some healing vibes!

I do believe that sections have a time and place, but I hate how often they are used (not trying to judge her at all, just observing how the rate of them seems to be going up). It is a major surgery, and every surgery comes with associated risks, like everything, including pregnancy, birth etc.

Was she planning on BF'ing?

[myjulybabes]

Congrats Aunt Gina! I'll be praying for your nephew and SIL. It's scary stuff.

As for the rest of it...about our DDC having premature babies...yeah, it could happen, sadly. I'm not sure it's a premonition OR anxiety though. The thing is, MDC is such a huge community that statistically, we're likely to see a little bit of everything, even the more rare complications. If X out of every thousand people have Y complication, well, with several thousand MDC posters and more joining all the time...it's going to come up. Doesn't make it any less sad or scary though.

[GinaRae]

Baby is still doing well. He's not sucking, so my brother is feeding him through a feeding tube.

SIL is doing better and off the respirator. She's absolutely blown up like a balloon from the fluids and mad as a wet hen about not seeing the baby, the pain, the respirator, the nurses, etc, etc... but she can't sit up due to the surgeries so she can't go back to a regular room or see the baby.

So, with any luck, both will continue to progress just fine.

Yes, she was going to breastfeed. With any luck, they can begin pumping soon (if they haven't already since I know as of yesterday they were getting her a pump). And with more luck, she will be determined to really work with him on BF'ing once they're both able.

They feel because of the breathing and sucking problems he really is preemie and was just big and not that the dates were off.

[mommajb]

not in your ddc, found this by way of new posts

Congrats to your sil and my heart goes out to her! My second child was born at 34 weeks weighing 7 lb even. She had complications and it was such a rough time. I had the benefit of some perspective as it was my second but it still took several years and another birth before I could even admit how frightening it was. I hope with time and space she is able to process all that is happening with her and the baby.

Healthy, heallng vibes to all.

[wwisdomskr]

Good God. Why can't someone carry the baby into the room for her...or wheel in his isolette? Is he breathing on his own? Am I missing something?

I'm so glad to hear that she is off of the vent! What a harrowing experience for the entire family.

I hope that she continues to improve and that she gets to hold her baby soon. Not holding your baby after birth is a pure version of hell. I only had to wait about 20 hours with dd1 and it was awful.

[Isaac'sMa]

Wow, Gina. I don't know how I missed this post earlier, but I'm glad you've updated it and that it seems everyone will be okay. What a hard time for your family. I will be thinking of you all.

[GinaRae]

Originally Posted by wwisdomskr

Good God. Why can't someone carry the baby into the room for her...or wheel in his isolette? Is he breathing on his own? Am I missing something?

One can only imagine! She has to come TO the baby as he's in the NICU. Policies, don't you know. And most likely no one there knows they should fight to get the baby out to see her. Hopefully today is her lucky day??

This is the hospital I had my last birth at that scarred and jaded me for life. They were the ones that stole the baby from us basically - completely lied to us pre-birth and then did what they pleased and stood behind policy after. It's supposedly a good place to be if you need a NICU, but oh my gawd, it is an awful, militant hospital.

Between the infection, the fruitless second surgery, the fact that they aren't getting her up... I am really paranoid about the hospital now. I am wondering what their rates are for something like this.