We're All Home!

Madison Marie Helman

Born September 7, 2007

8:57 am

4 Lb 8 Oz

17 Inches Long

Last Thursday morning, I was just going to my doctor for a routine checkup. My blood pressure had risen considerably and my protein levels were "off the chart". The nurse took my blood pressure 3 times and even had someone else listen just to be sure. They continued with the regular examination by checking Maddie's heartbeat and measuring my uterus. The doctor came in and did a cervical examination and I was already 1 cm dialated. She told me that she was sending me to the hospital. The baby is going to be born either today or tomorrow. Now I started getting really anxious. I'm not ready yet. I haven't practiced Lamaze. I don't have a bag packed. I called Bryan's cell, but he didn't answer. I called his work number, but his voicemail picked up. I asked the receptionist to find him. I told her that I was his wife and it was an emergency. He was in the middle of a meeting. I told him what the doctor said and to meet me at the hospital as soon as possible. When I arrived at the hospital (which was literally across the street) my blood pressure had risen even higher. Gee, I wonder why. Do you think I was a little nervous? I went to the Triage area of the hospital where they hooked me up to a bunch of wires and monitors and took my blood pressure every 15 minutes. The nurse asked if I had any family here. I said, "no, but my husband is on his way, and here he is!" as he walked in the room. I also tried calling my mom and some of my local friends. After an hour or two in Triage, they put me in a hospital gown, hooked me up to an IV and started me on this Magnesium Sulphate medication (Mag for short) to bring my blood pressure down. It worked a little too well, though. My pressure came down so fast that I nearly passed out. After I stablized, they wheeled me up to the Labor & Delivery room. This was the nicest hospital room I had ever seen. There was a huge wall of windows. Even the bathroom had granite countertops. It looked like a hotel. The anesthesiologist hooked my up for the epidural, but didn't start the medication yet. At 2:00 they started to induce labor. The baby didn't like this very much. Her heartrate dropped. After it came back up, they started again. This time, she tolerated it. I started feeling contractions almost instantly. My mom called back and said that she was hopping on the first available flight to Orlando. From then on, it was just a bunch of waiting. Several of my friends had come to visit. I was able to watch the Tiger game on WGN (they pulled off a nice win in the 9th inning). The doctors continued to check my blood pressure every fifteen minutes. My mom and Sonia arrived around 8:00. By now, the contactions had begun to get a lot stronger, so I asked for the epidural. It may have been a bit premature, but at least I was able to rest and relax through the night, to a certain degree that is. I didn't get much sleep that night with the blood pressure machine going off every 15 minutes and the nurses coming in to check on me. I was also starving because I hadn't eaten anything since the night before. I had planned on getting breakfast after my dr. appointment. They wouldn't let me eat or drink anything at the hospital in case I would have had to go into emergency surgury. By morning, my contractions were still irregular (every 4-6 minutes) and I was still only dialated 1-2 cm. Apparently the drug they were using to keep my blood pressure under control was counteracting the drug which induces labor. By 8:00 I was being prepped for surgery and Madison entered this world at 8:57. I nearly slept through the procedure because I was so exhausted. It was really weird because I could feel them tugging and pulling, but no pain, and knowing that my body was cut open and they were taking things in and out. Of course I couldn't see anything. Bryan held my hand the whole time. Just as they were about to take the baby out, they told Bryan he could stand up and watch. And he did (without passing out). He watched them clean her up and weigh her. Once she was all clean and bundled up, they placed her on my chest and the doctor took our first family photo. I couldn't help but cry. They quickly took her away to the Neonatal Intensive Care (NICU) and then closed me up. I was then taken to the post-op recovery area. I was finally able to eat, but the medication made me nauseous and I hardly kept anything down. Bryan brought me pictures of Madison, including ones if him feeding her for the first time. By 5:00 I was finally able to go up to a real room, but on the way we stopped to see Madison. She was so tiny. She was in an incubator hooked up to a bunch of tubes and wires. My post-delivery room (Room 8308) was nice too, but quite a bit smaller. There was a nice view, though. You could see all the way from downtown to the airport. It was also facinating to watch the helicoptors coming and going from the adjacent hospital. I was pretty much out of it that first day from all the medications and sheer exhaustion. My blood pressure was still a little high. On saturday, I felt 1000 times better. My blood pressure had gone down to normal. Maddie was doing better, too. They took her out of the incubator. The doctors had even considered letting me go a day early (Sunday instead of the intended Monday), but overnight, my blood pressure skyrocketed back up, but I felt fine. By Sunday, Madison was completely off Oxygen and her feeding tube. I started pumping so she could have breastmilk instead of formula. I even got to try breastfeeding her. She latched on right away, but didn't take to it quite as well as a bottle.

After a week in the hospital, the entire Helman Family was able to come home on Wednesday! Madison recovered extremely well despite being forced to be born by C-Section 5 weeks early. She's been eating very well. She eats 1-2 oz of breastmilk or formula every 3-4 hours. She hasn't quite taken to breastfeeding too well yet, but I'm content with pumping and giving it to her in a bottle. This way, I also know exactly how much she's getting. She's beginning to sleep a little better. She doesn't like sleeping in her bassinet a whole lot. She'd rather lay on Mommy's chest or on the bed right next to her. I go to the doctor on Monday to get a checkup on my blood pressure. I've been taking medication to keep it under control.