This past week has been a whirlwind of chaos! I was admitted to St. Luke's in Houston on Tuesday, April 19 and was diagnosed with a disease known as, preeclampsia. Check out the link for detailed information about the condition :: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001900/. With that being said, I was placed on hospital bed rest and met with a a maternal specialist, an anthesiologist, a neonatalologist, and numerous resident doctors and nurses within 24 hours. While meeting with these doctors I was given several health concerns for Kynlee and I :: a)because of the high blood pressure I was experiencing, I was not producing a lot of amniotic fluid, limiting the amount of space Kynlee had to grow, b)my liver enzymes were increasing. c) my platelet counts were dropping, and d) the only cure for the condition was to deliver a premature baby.
Of course, our goal was to keep Kynlee inside as long as possible because I was only 27 weeks pregnant. So, we planned to keep me at St. Luke's with constant monitoring until God decided that the day had arrived for Kynlee to enter the world.
Early Friday morning, I began to develop a severe headache, what, at first, felt like heartburn, and nauseau. After taking Tyenol, Pepcid, Zofran, a Maalox and Lidocaine mixture, the pain became to much to bear. I was trying so hard not be the whiny pregnant lady, but when the pain brought tears to my eyes that flowed uncontrollably, I told the nurse I knew something was NOT right. So, they called in the maternal specialist, Dr. Carpenter (my favorite), and he said it appeared my liver was starting to fail and it was time for a delievery. Within an hour, we had performed an emergency c-section and Kynlee was born at 9:52 am on Good Friday, April 22,2011. She weighed 1 pound and 15 ounces and was 13 7/8 inches in length.
Trey watched the entire procedure and got to see his baby girl before they took her to the NICU unit. She is doing very well and appears to be a fighter! She likes to blow bubbles with her spit, hold her Daddy's finger, kick off her socks, and stretch her little bitty body often. We are so thankful that she already appears to have a happy personality and has a ton a of people that are praying for, and love her.
We have had an amazing group of visitors in the hospital and cannot begin to express our gratitude for each person that has called, texted, sent a message on facebook, added us to their church prayer list, and intereced on our behalfs daily! It means so much to us to have a strong support system. This situation is definitely not an an easy one, but I can't imagine having to do it on our own.
As of now, I will remain on bedrest in the hospital until the new condition I have developed , HELLP syndrome, is under control and stable. Check out the link for detailed information :: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001892/. Because I am not stable, I am unable to leave my room to see Kynlee at the moment. However, I am able to see pictures and am able to view her via a program the hospital has similar to skype. I will not lie, this is not easy, since i just want to hold her little hand and tell her that her mommy loves her and is right there with her.
My blood tests are improving on a daily basis so hopefully I will be stable enough to see her today or tomorrow. I am fully trusting that God has a plan and a purpose and am trying my absolute best to remain positive so that I can heal quickly. On another note, I will be able to proivide breast milk for Kynlee that will help increase her development. They will keep the milk at the hospital in the Milk Bank and give it to her via IV until she is ready to feed normally. Also, if I cannot produce enough milk at first, they will provide her donor milk that has been tested for numerous diseases and has been pasteurized. Our baby is in great hands at TCH.
I think that pretty much sums up our week! Have a happy Easter!
- Rachel
"And He took the children in his arms, put His hands on them and blessed them.” Mark 10:16
