The Unexpected

It has been a crazy roller coaster for our family in the last 2 weeks! Ryan, Zoey, and I have been through unexpected hospital stays, an ambulance ride to Little Rock, Zoey's grand entrance, ICU and NICU visits and heart failure all in the last 2 weeks. The craziness all started on Monday November 14th when I woke up with what I thought was cyst pains, thinking it had burst or something was wrong with it. Ryan went to work and by about 5:30am I was in tears because the pain was that bad. When he got home at 6am when headed to my Dr.'s office to get it all checked out. They ended up sending us to the hospital because my feet were swelling worse, and I had other symptoms that were signs of preclampsia. We got admitted to Labor and Deliver and had lab work done and Dr. ordered a 24 hr urine test because my first test came back crazy high with protein and my blood pressure was crazy high. I pretty much hard core failed the 24hr test big time and the decision was made to transfer me and Zoey to Baptist Health in Little Rock by ambulance because she would most likely have to be delivered and Harrison didnt have a NICU for her. The Dr. in Little Rock did an ultrasound and checked her out and she was doing great. Just her Momma was getting very very sick and fast. We decided to do another 24 hr urine test to test my kidney and liver functions and took steroids incase Baby Girl did come and her lungs would be stronger. But all we could do is wait and give her another day in my tummy. After the 2nd failed test, we decided that Zoey had to come out and booked a c-section Thursday morning at 11:30am. ZOEY MARIE KAYE made her appearance into this world on November 17th, 2011 at 12:10pm weighing 3 lbs. 15oz.

Ryan watched the whole c-section and removal of my cyst and left ovary. I was so surprised on how calm he was and how he watched everything happen. I was told that I might have to be on magnesium sulfate for my blood pressure and as long as I was on that I couldn't go and see Zoey. Ryan had to bring me back pictures see I could see how pretty our little girl was. My worse fear since I found out I had a cyst that would have to come out was that I'd have to have her by c-section and then not get to see her for a day or days. Well, that's exactly what happen!!!! I couldnt see my baby girl for 2 days in person. Talk about something hard for a new momma, knowing you gave birth to a beautiful little girl and not getting to even see her. The first 2 nights I just sat up in the middle of the night just staring at my computer with the pictures I had of her.

These were the first pics I got of my baby girl and starred at for hours. Finally at 4:30pm on Friday, 1 day after she was born I got to see her face to face. She looked so perfect, even with tubes on her. I could finally rest that night knowing she was in good care and just getting to see her. Luckily, her Daddy kept a close eye on her while I couldn't. She also had other family members there to watch her and tell her how pretty she is. Spoiled already, yes she very much is!!!!! Ryan left to go back to Mountain Home on Saturday afternoon in order to get some clothes and stuff for us since we were now going to be living in Little Rock for atleast a month with our baby girl in the NICU. She came out pretty healthy for being 7 weeks early. She has had to go on a ventilator the day after she was born, but came right ofIf of that 2 days later. Her lungs were just still so not matured. By Saturday night I was feeling really very well and even got up and took a shower and just hung out with my Dad and Kelly and were able to just relax. At 2am I got up to pump for Zoey and I had a really heavy feeling on my chest. I thought it was just my milk coming in and that it was normal. I decided that I just couldnt pump at that time and would do so in the AM. I told my nurse and decided to go back to sleep. At about 3pm I had a hard time breathing and my nurse put me in some oxygen, but again I tried to go back to sleep. At about 4:30am when the nurse came to check on me I went to the bathroom and came back to bed and couldnt breathe at all. The nurse was there and called the Dr. and that's when all hell broke loose. I seriously thought I was going to die in that room. My chest hurt, I couldn't breathe and by now the oxygen mask was the only way I was able to breathe at all. Nurses, and Drs came in, an xray machine was rolled into  my room and I was terrified to be left be myself. My nurse called my dad who was in town still in a hotel, so I had someone there with me. Ryan was 3 hrs away and knew he couldnt be there and needed to not be alone and knew how freaked out he was going to be since he was 3 hrs away from me. My dad came up to the hospital and finally I felt a little more calm, still worried how everything was going to turn out. Being 26 years old and not being able to breathe was the worst thing I've ever felt in my entire live. Knowing my husband was 3 hrs away and my baby girl was downstairs fighting for her own life and I was helpless. Ryan rushed to Little Rock as soon as he could and ended up getting a state trooper police escort to Little Rock from Mountain Home. Seeing his face as soon as I could was both the best and worst feeling that day. I was so happy to see him, but I also knew it was killing him, because now his wife was in the ICU and his daughter in the NICU and there was nothing he could do for either of us. We found out that I had basically congestive heart failure and fluid on my lungs!!! At 26 years old I had pregnancy related heart failure! It came out if no where, I had no previous symptoms or heart problems my entire life. But as soon as they figured out what it was and I started getting heart medicine, the extreme high blood pressure that I've had all week, went down. I was in the ICU for just over 24 hrs before being transferred back to another normal room.
Ryan has been the most amazing husband through all of this. He has taken care of me in every way possible. He has been a better nurse to me then any other nurse at the hospital, nothing has been too much for him to handle to take care of his wife and he has been the one to talk the nurses into taken me to see Zoey every chance that he can. I absolutely couldnt have asked for a better husband through all of this. He has paid attention and knows exactly what mine and Zoey's stats and number are and what they mean. He has known what was going on with me and Zoey and its been nice still I havent been in the state of mind to do so.
 Zoey has being great, she got off of the ventilitor that she was put on for a couple of days. She got moved to a better bed and got moved to the step down unit in the NICU yesterday. She is handling her feedings really good and they keep moving her up in feedings every day. This adventure has put Ryan and I through a lot and we have come out with a stronger relationship and marriage because of all of it. We definately are looking at life a whole like differently than we both did 2 weeks ago.