The day we met Rylee

Thursday, January 29, 2009

At 12:30 my heartrate was 172 and Rylee's was over 200.  We were both looming with infection.  She needed out.

At 1:30 they realized the contraction were not registering on the screen like they'd like.  So they inserted an internal monitor.  However the first one didn't work.  The student doctor checked me and said I was at 4 or 5.  But since the monitor wasn't working, the actual doctor was going to put it in.  When she checked me, only a couple minutes after the student, she said I was a definite 7. The phone rang, my mom had arrived.  As she was placing the monitor she asked me to roll a little more to my side...BOOM..full 10!  Just in a roll.  BOOM...contraction...need.to.push!  A couple minutes later, as people had came rushing in, Rylee arrived.  The room was full of people.  The student doctor delivered her.  It was his first baby he delivered.  She fit in the palm of his hand.  He handed her right over to the NICU doctors.  3 of them worked on intubated her and fiddling with her.  Kris was taking pictures of her.  I got to see her before she was wheeled down to the NICU with Kris and his mom in toe. 

 At 2:30 am, I was all cleaned up and asked them to bring my mom in.  My mom came in and asked where Kris was.  I said, he's with the baby.  She didn't even know that the entire time that she was in the waiting room, I was delivering Rylee and watched her be wisked off to the NICU.  Kris came back and showed me some pictures.  He also told us that she was 2 pounds, 15 ounces and 15 inches long.  I had to wait until 3 before I could go down.  Kris took his mom and my mom and Rich to the NICU to see her.  My mom called my dad and told she was born.  Mom and Rich headed to a hotel.

I proved to the nurse that I could walk.  She loaded me in the wheel chair and I went to meet Rylee for the first time. 

She was lethargic.  She was tiny.  She was doing as well as could be expected.  She held my finger.  I wanted to hold her.  I wanted to stroke her hair.  But all I could do was let her hold my finger.  The NICU nurse introduced herself and explained what all the machines were and what they did.  After a little bit, I got wheeled back to my room.  Me, Kris and his mom slept.  I was up quite early itching to go see.  (Literally, I was itchy.  I developed a nasty rash that ended up lasting well over 3 weeks that spread to every single inch of my body.  Some say it was PUPPs and some say it was eczema, who knows.)  Throughout the day, I got to go see her.  I got to get up and walk to see her.  Kris and his mom went home so he could get Troy and they would come back the following day.  Today was Day 1 of Rylee's 79 days in the NICU at University of Iowa Children's hospital. Today, we became a family of 4.  Today, Kris's parents got their first granddaughter.   Today, was an amazing, life changing day.