Little Miss Harper Lynne Shade

I have been meaning to record this story for a while now but as you can imagine, having a newborn leaves little time for blogging. And, with a story as detailed as this one, I needed time. Harper is sleeping in her bassinet, Doug is working and I finally have some time to catch up. So, here goes the long awaited story of little miss Harper's arrival.
** SIDE NOTE ** I realize that some of these details are repeated from the previous blog but I wanted to tell Harper's story from start to finish. So, I apologize if you have already read some of this.
Friday, September 17 was a normal day for me. I felt great and had a lot of energy. I thought it would be a good idea to make a few meals ahead of time and freeze them for after the baby was born. So, I went grocery shopping and started cooking and baking away. Around 8:00 pm, I was in the kitchen and felt a gush of water. WEIRD! I was 30 weeks and 1 day pregnant so it was too soon for my water to break, right?! I gave it a few minutes and felt the same thing again. Trying to stay calm, I called the on-call Dr and explained my situation. The Dr told me to come immediately to the hospital, which is about 45 minutes away from our house. Doug was working and my Mom was working. I called both of them and explained to them that I thought my water broke and that I needed to get to the hospital right away. Doug said he would leave work right away and come pick me up but he was only about 10 minutes from the hospital. By the time he would drive all the way back home and then drive me to the hospital, it would be over an hour. I felt fine...no contractions and no pain...so I decided that I would just drive myself to the hospital and meet him and my Mom there. Of course, I was freaking out thinking that I was going into labor! By the time I arrived at the hospital, I was amazingly calm and at peace with whatever was going to happen.
We got to triage and after multiple tests, they determined that my water did break and that I would be admitted. I was informed that I would be on complete bed rest at the hospital until I went into labor with the goal being to get to 34 weeks. They say 34 weeks because prior to 34 weeks, the chance of complications from pre-term labor is greater than the chance of infection. After you hit 34 weeks, the chance of infection becomes greater than the chance of complications from pre-term labor. So, Thursday, October 14 (my 34 week mark) was the goal. We saw so many Dr.'s that night and all of them seemed to think if I could make it through the 1st 48 hours without going into labor, I had a very good chance of making it to 34 weeks. No pressure, right?!
So, the waiting game called bed rest had begun. Once I was transferred to the "mom unit," I received a GIANT steroid shot in the butt. The steroid shot was intended to speed up the maturation process of the baby's lungs. The 1st shot was followed by a 2nd shot 24 hours later. Not the most fun I've ever had.
I ended up making it through the 1st 48 hours and thought I would definitely make it to October 14. As hopeful as I was to make it to the 14th, I was also dreading it. Being on bed rest in the hospital was a total mental game. All I did was sit there and think. It was so frustrating thinking about all of the things that I still needed to do and all of the things I was missing out on while being stuck in bed all day. It probably sounds so nice to most people but staring at white walls all day and being away from my husband and family was very hard! The highlight of my day was my 10 minute shower.
Turns out, I was never able to make it to the 14th. On day #11 of bed rest, I started having very minor contractions. They checked me and said that I was only 1 cm dilated and they weren't concerned at that point. They had me drink a lot of liquids and monitored me very closely. All was fine through the night and I felt the same the next morning. While on bed rest, I had daily ultrasounds to check my fluid levels and make sure the baby was not in any distress. Every ultrasound received 10 out of 10 points until day #12. September 29. The Dr came in and told me she was concerned but consulted the high risk Dr.'s and they did not feel it was necessary to induce me at this point. We were just going to see what happened throughout the day and see how my ultrasound looked the next day. I had lunch and fell asleep shortly after. The next thing I know, the Dr and a nurse came barging into my room and told me that I had been contracting steadily and they needed to check me. 2:00 pm, 4 cm dilated and 90% effaced. SERIOUSLY?!?!!! Within 5 minutes, my entire room had been packed up and I was being wheeled down to labor and delivery. I called Doug and told him the news and that he should head down to the hospital. Once again, I was amazingly calm. I was definitely uncomfortable, but nothing like what I thought labor would feel like. Doug and my Mom arrived and my contractions started to get more intense. A lot of it was in my back, which was really painful. 6:00 pm, 6 cm dilated and I decided I needed an epidural. About 40 minutes later, I felt like a brand new woman. I think I instantly fell in love with my 50 year old, bearded anesthesiologist. I hung out with my family in my room and we talked about whether or not the baby was a boy or a girl (we were going to be surprised) and how crazy it was that we were about to become parents. Before I knew it, I was 10 cm dilated and ready to push. 45 minutes later at 9:36 pm on September 29, 2010, our little girl, Harper Lynne Shade, took her first breaths. She weighed 4 lbs 9.9 oz and was 18 inches long. The NICU Dr.'s were in the room ready to assess her due to her early arrival. To be completely honest, Doug and I were hoping for the best but expecting the worst. We were pleasantly surprised. She did not need any oxygen or breathing support at all (yay for the steroid butt shots) and she was so stable that Doug was able to take pictures and cut the cord (apparently, this is extremely rare with preemie deliveries).
Harper spent 18 days in the NICU at Abington. She was great from the beginning but she had to learn to do all of the things that baby's learn in the womb. Her biggest obstacle was learning to eat. That suck/breathe/swallow skill was a lot of work for her! I spent every single day at the hospital and felt like my heart was being ripped in two when I had to leave. It was SO incredibly hard having to ask for permission to hold my daughter or change her diaper or feed her. Everything was monitored and watched so closely. I knew it was the best place for her but it was the hardest place for me. This was, by far, the hardest thing I have ever gone through in my entire life.
On Sunday, October 17, exactly 1 month from when my water broke, Harper was discharged from the NICU and we were finally able to bring our baby girl home!
Being a Mom is the greatest and hardest thing I have ever done! I'm beyond exhausted but I love it. There is no way to describe the feeling of looking into the eyes of the most beautiful little thing and knowing that Doug and I made her. She is perfect in every way and I feel like the luckiest girl in the world! I am blessed far beyond what I deserve!!