The whole story of me and zachy-poo

Just so you all know this is extremely long and detailed bc I am using it as my journal entry!

Thank you all for your sweet comments and prayers! I am finally out of the hospital and well enough to tell you all our lovely story! (at 31 weeks) Monday night (feb.26) I started having contractions all through the night...non-stop. This being my first pregnancy, I just thought they were painful braxton hicks contractions...so I just tossed and turned the whole night....I swear it was the longest night of my life. Finally 7:00 rolled around and I got up and got ready to go to work, still having the contractions but not quite as close together. Then on my way to work I called my sister to tell her about my night, when then she advised me that I should probably call my doctor. So I went to work for about 3 hours and then asked my boss if I could leave early bc we weren't too busy, so finally around 11:30 I called my doctor and they had me come in at 1:00 (which I almost didn't go to because I took a nap and I was so tired I just wanted to stay in bed) Then they hooked me up and monitored my contractions and realized I was having them every 2 minutes (and I thought that they had slowed down from the night, so I can't imagine how close they were then) So he was going to send me home with some medicine to stop them, but then realized my cervix was already really soft. At this point he sent me to the hospital, said they were just going to hook up an iv for a couple of hours to get some fluids in me and give me 3 shots of something (i don't remember what its called) that would stop the contractions and then I could go home that night. So I wasn't worried at all. I went in they got me hooked and going..got all my shots...and no change....so they gave me some pills....still no change....so with the contractions being so close together still they decided to start giving me a round of steroid shots to speed up the baby's lungs development....and then hooked up an IV with magnesium sulfate to stop the contractions. Which if you know anything about that stuff or have had it, you know how horrible it is....if not...its basically like have the worst flu ever and burning all over like you are on fire....non-stop.. and if you get to much in you you can get extremely sick and lose you reflexes and much other horrible things so they have to monitor you and the baby really close..anyway at this point they said I would go home thursday morning. Wednesday came along and my contractions had slowed down but they were still there and at this point I was 50% effaced (whatever that word is...hopefully you know what I am talking about) Anway, I can't really remember everything but I think I was still having to many contractions so they pushed it to thursday night that I would go home....then to Friday morning....and then finally they stopped estimated when I would go home. Saturday morning came along and I had gotten a little toxic from the drug...losing me reflexes and feeling horrible..so thankfully then they lowered my dosage a little and I got to feeling a littl e better. Come saturday night and all day sunday my contractions had slowed down more...but then sunday my blood pressure started getting high. So they drew blood and tested me for preeclampsia....monday morning it came up negative, so they decided now that I was 32 weeks they would take me off the mag...let me go home and let the baby come when he wanted...and I was still on some oral prescription to slow down the contractions. So when they sent me home they told me to monitor my blood pressures a couple times everyday and call if they were over 140/90..finally thursday when I called to make my appt. with him for the next week and told him my blood pressures for the last 2 1/2 days (which some of them were over 140/90) and so he had me go straight to the hospital...in hopes to just get my blood drawn then go home...but again it didn't work that way. So Thursday the 8th I went back in....my blood pressure was real high and my labs were bad. I had preeclampsia. So at this point they had to get me all hooked up to the IV's again and I had to get on the magnesium sulfate again...but this time so I wouldn't not have a stroke or seizures (sp) because that's what happens with the disease. I don't remember too much from those days...but as the hours and days went by I was feeling sicker and sicker and developing more symptoms of the preeclampsia. Friday night I started feeling really bad...and then all day saturday I was so sick and as the day went on I was sicker and sicker...and when you have preeclampsia they have to induce you to cure you from the disease basically...so he had planned on doing it on monday. But...I was getting very ill saturday night so my nurse decided to give me something that would start softening my cervix and start giving me some contractions (because they can't take me off the mag the whole time...and that stops the contractions) She said by morning they would induce me. But my contractions started and they were so horrible. I didn't say anything because I didn't know if I was just being a wimp and if they were going to be getting worse, or what, so I didn't say anthing to her for about 2 1/2 hours...then finally I woke tyler and he make me call her in (its like 2 am at this point i think). So then she checked me and I was just almost 3 cm dilated...but the baby wasn't doing as good. So she decided to give me an epidural and get started. As soon as I sat up on the bed the baby started doing worse...finally when they were done giving me the epi they decided they had to do an emergency c-section to get the baby out as soon as possible bc he couldn't handle the contractions at all (which was fine with me bc i was so ill anyway i was in no condition to push) Next thing i know I am all numb and they are wheeling me into the surgery room and they were getting started....I was feeling better at this point...with all the drugs and all....they got the baby out and he wasn't breathing for a long time..and I knew bc i never heard him cry...but i knew he would be ok...and at this point my blood pressure started dropping....tyler said it got down to 65/27....so poor tyler was seeing my blood pressure dropping and his baby wasn't crying....so he was getting worried...but needless to say we are both ok. When they were all done (which it went by super fast) and i was back in my room my blood pressure continued to drop and got down to 54/23 so they were worried and just sat there and watched me till it went up...and eventually it did...and I was ok. Then at some point they came in and told me the baby was doing ok too. He was put on a cpap (whatever it is called...a breathing thing) and they had him stablized. I can't remember if Tyler got to go in and see him at that point or not. Around 430ish i think, tyler passed out from being so tired....I on the other hand stayed up the whole night...excited and worried about my poor little baby. Finally, sometime in the morning they brought me a picture of him and told me how wonderful he was doing, which was so nice to hear. The picture was so cute but so sad because he had an IV and the cpap and about 50 other wires and things hooked up to his cute little body. Finally later that night about 14 hours from his birth they wheeled me in to go see him (and sadly enough i was still on the mag so i was still sick from that) I couldn't stand up and the cradle thing was so high so i didn't get to see him real good, but it was good enough, and I got to stroke his little arm. After a real short time I had to go back. The doctor let me know that his oxygen was down to 24% (and they only go down to 20%) from 100% which he started at and he hadn't been alive for even a day....so that was absolutely amazing and wonderful...and meant his lungs were really good. The only real problem was that he hated being touched and everytime he was he would cry so hard and then stop breathing...and he continued to have these little episodes. Finally Monday morning at 3:00am, 24 hrs after zachary's birth...they took me off all my meds and took me off the mag. Monday morning rolled along and I was doing wonderful, as was my baby. As the morning went on my blood pressure slowly started creeping up...but they did not worry too much about it. We got to go see zach again and this time i could stand and get a real good look, and see his long fingers and toes...it was so fun. Finally, they moved me over to postpartum, and then we went over and looked at zach through the window (we couldn't go in again for awhile bc some twins had just been born and they were working on them). It was a great day...for the both of us. Zach was doing so well they took off his cpap...and he started breathing all by himself! And after they took it off he didn't have any episodes where he cried and stopped breathing...and he was doing better with the cpap off! Finally around 5 monday evening we got to hold him for the first time!!! It was soooooooooooo wonderful...I had been waiting for that moment for sooo long!!! He's sooo tiny and sooo light!! It was amazing...we both loved every minute of it!! Later we got to go back and hold him again and feed him (through a tube that goes through his nose), but at this point i was getting sick again...but of course I was not going to tell anybody bc i was finally holding my baby! Anyway all through the night on monday my blood pressure was high, and I was feeling sicker and sicker. I couldn't sleep at all. Finally around 730, I was feeling really bad...like extremely ill, and I was so sad because I was supposed to go and feed zach at 8, but i couldn't because i was so sick, anyway....then they took my blood pressure and it was 183/103...the nurses were freaking out I could tell...luckily my doctor happened to be on the floor so they ran and got him...and he retook it and it was then 186/105....which is EXTREMELY bad for those of you that don't know about blood pressure. So they got me hooked up to an IV and then rushed me back over to labor and delivery to get back on the magnesium so I wouldn't have a stroke and put me on blood pressure meds, it was a HORRIBLE morning, but thankfully I had tyler and my mom right by my side. Throughout the day I got better, but then was sick from the mag, but thankfully my blood pressure was down. But because my blood pressure was so high i had to be on complete bed rest...so I couldn't go see my baby until late that night when i was stable...I got to go hold him for just a few minutes but then I got too sick and had to go back. Throughout the night I think I was fine, and Zach was doing really good and even sucking on a pacifier! Then on wednesday I was doing really good and my sister was there with me the whole day basically and so we had a real good time together, and around 2ish i got to go see zach again and hold him! On wednesday he lost his umbilical cord (sp), and i think that was the day he got his IV taken out and his pulsate thingy of his foot! I was so happy for him to get all those wires off of him!! Later that day I got to go back again and see him, but its hard to hold him with all of my wires and ivs, but i still enjoyed everyminute.The rest of wednesday I continued to get better and I got all my IVs taken out and ekg stuff taken off and off all my meds!! It felt great! The whole rest of the night I felt weak and sick...but not as bad as I had been. Of course my blood pressure went back up during the night (dumb preeclampsia). My doctor came in in the morning and said that i would start taking high blood pressure medicine and they would monitor me for a few hours and if i did good...i would go home that day! And I did!! It was a happy and sad feeling. So after 4 IVs, 5 shots, 15 blood drawn, and 4 cathiters (sp) (which was all totally worth it for my baby and I would do it again any day)I finally got out of the hospital after 14 days with a 3 day break inbetween....but I had to leave my baby! I fed him before we left...and then went back twice that night to hold and feed him (through his little tube still), but we also go to try and bottle feed him and he did a little bit so that was good for him!! Tyler did it and it was soo cute! Finally Friday came along and my mom was so nice to take me up to the hospital so i could hold and feed him throughout the day. And I got to take his temp and change his diaper!! Hes doing soo good! Oh yeah I forgot on wednesday I think it was, he went into a full incubator (sp) thing....but thats a step up for him, so now he just has to learn how to maintain his own temp. And I also forgot he was getting jaundice (sp) on tuesday so he was underblue lights...but he got rid of it real fast! Also tonight....they let me hold him with out his connections that tell his respiratory and heart rate...they just unplugged them while i was holding him.....and that was scary but fun because i didn't have to worry about cords! Anyway...to wrap this up He is doing well...he lost weight and was at 3.1...but today weighed in at 3.4......he is doing wonderful...and as for me...I still have preeclampsia...but have blood pressure medicine so I have been getting better and better, and have been building my strength back up! I have a doc appt next week, so I will feel you all in after that. Thank you all for your prayers...and please keep praying that Zach will continue to do good everyday! Thanks so much we truely appreciate it. Sorry this was so long! i'll load some more pictures on tomorrow!