How babies get here....

Ok maybe this isn't how ALL babies get here but this is the story of how Rex Warren Wilkins made his way into our world on August 15, 2011.

I first want to say that I feel really blessed. I had a very easy pregnancy the whole time with no major complaints. Even though the whole birth and having my baby in the NICU hasn't been how I thought things would happen and it has been hard at times, I still feel glad that everything has been working out and that I have a wonderful baby boy.

The story actually begins on Wednesday August 10, where I had my 34 week appointment and I had elevated blood pressure and high protein in my urine which can be a sign of Preeclampsia (Some of you may know it better as Toxemia) My blood pressure had been perfect through out my whole pregnancy and so this was definitely not normal for me. So I was sent to the hospital to get a blood test done to make sure my liver and kidneys were ok and was also handed this giant jug that I was supposed to collect my pee in for the next 24 hours so they could get a better idea of the protien analysis and make sure that one time wasn't a fluke (I know REALLY GROSS!) On Thursday I turned in my jug and on Friday I got my results in the evening cuz we were up in the canyon all day with Andrew's family for their reunion. My midwife said my protien was really high and she wanted me to come into the hospital immediately to do more testing one me and make sure my baby was still ok.

We got to the hospital and I got an ultrasound and then was hooked up to a bunch of machines to make sure the baby was ok and then also had a blood pressure cuff to monitor my blood pressure and found out my blood pressure was 172/116! They then started telling me if they couldn't get my pressure down then I would be having the baby very soon. I had to get an IV and they gave me medication to try and get my pressure down and also gave me a steroid shot to help Rex's lungs develop faster in case he did have to come early, however the steroids need 48 hours to have the best effect. My dad and brother came over and helped Andrew give me a blessing to help comfort me and bless that things would work out for me and Rex. I had to stay overnight but thankfully my blood pressure did slowly come down and I got to go home the next day but I had to be on bed rest and was also sent with some medication to help control blood pressure.

The rest of the weekend was pretty boring being on bed rest. On Monday morning of the 15th, I had to go back to my midwife to see make sure things were still ok. My blood pressure was elevated again despite the medication (although not as high as on Friday). She wanted me to head over to the hospital and make sure things were still ok with me and the baby. Andrew had to go to work so we asked my mom to come take me but she couldn't go until the afternoon so I sat at home resting until she could. When we got to the hospital, I had another ultrasound, and then was strapped back up to the monitors. My blood pressure wasn't too high but as I sat there, it kept climbing even after taking more blood pressure medication. I was there forever. Andrew even got off work and came and around that time, they decided that things were getting too dangerous and that I would need to have the baby. I was checked and was already dilated to a 3. I was given an IV and put on something that would prevent me from having seizures from the high blood pressure. Since I was only 35 weeks pregnant they wanted Rex to be born at the Provo hospital in case he needed the NICU. (I was at Orem hospital) So I was transferred via Ambulance to Provo.

When I arrived, they checked me again and I was now dilated to a 4 (this was a surprise to me since I wasn't feeling any contractions) They decided I could try and deliver normally if I was induced and as long as my blood pressure didn't get worse and the baby was ok but I had to have an epidural in case things changed and i need to get a c-section but also so I wouldn't feel the contractions which could make my blood pressure higher. I was slightly disappointed cuz I wanted to try to have my baby naturally without any drugs or epidural but my safety and the baby's safety were more important. At this point it was around 8:00pm. With the help of the IV, my blood pressures was staying in the 160-170's. I got the epidural at 8:30, and was induced at 9:00, By 11:00pm I was dilated to 10 and by 11:31 Rex Warren Wilkins was born!

I only got to hold him for a few seconds before he was rushed away to the NICU. He had to be there for an hour and a half on a ventilator to help his lungs expand properly since he wasn't strong enough to do it on his own but after that he was fine and able to be released. We got to spend a bit of time with our baby in my room but at around 2am we asked them to take him to the nursery so we could sleep. I was really drowsy from all the drugs and also my blood pressure was still high so I was still on the IV to prevent the seizures but it made me really dizzy. Every time I moved my head even slightly, the room would start spinning and I wasn't able to walk yet because of it. In the morning, I tried breast feeding him a few times but he wasn't getting the hang of it. The doctor came in and suggested they re-admit him back to the NICU so he wouldn't get dehydrated. He explained that some babies born before 37 weeks are not able to figure out how to eat on their own but once he could figure it out, he could go home but that would mean we wouldn't be able to go home with him.

When he was in the NICU, they noticed every once in a while his heart would stop and he would also stop breathing. They said this wasn't typical for a baby born at 35 weeks so they thought he might have meningitis and wanted to do a spinal tap. We agreed and when they did the tap, there was blood in the spinal fluid (it isn't supposed to have blood) This meant he had a brain bleed. They took him for a MRI and found he had blood on both sides of his brain which can be very irritating for the brain and was causing minor seizures that were causing his heart to stop every now and then and also stop breathing. They hooked him up to a brain monitor by putting probes in his head to monitor the seizures. They couldn't find any cause for the brain bleed and it was no longer bleeding so his body would have to just re-absorb the blood and then his problems would stop. They said as long as it never happens again, we may never know what caused the brain bleed. Their best guess was that it happened in labor possibly because the stress my body was under or because my labor went so fast.

After a few days, he stopped having the breathing/heart stopping episodes and he was back to "normal" and had no more seizures after that first day in the NICU.  He now just needed to figure out how to eat to go home. He was being fed by a tube through his nose that went to his stomach and twice a day I got to go and practice feeding him until he caught it on and then I could do more feedings. He got better and better each day until he FINALLY got to come home Sunday September 4, 2011 and we are so happy to have him with us!!! He spent 20 days in the hospital and we are glad to be able to finally start our new "normal" life as a new little family! We already love him so much and look forward to getting to know him and being his parents.