NICU

A few hours after you were born we finally got to take you up to our room. Grammie and Papa came up with us a we enjoyed you for an hour or so. Gram and Papa left and I tried to nurse you again. You seemed uninterested and kept gagging. The nurse came in and said you may have swallowed some fluid and that we should try pumping your stomach. She also thought your lips looked a little blue. She and Dad took you to the nursery to pump your stomach and when she hooked you up to the oxygen machine to do this, your blood oxygen levels were very low. Without me knowing the took you down and admitted you to the NICU around 11:00 p.m. I was still in the room trying to rest but I strongly felt like something was wrong. After an hour and not hearing anything I panicked and called the nursery and asked for Dad. He told me what was going on and I lost it. He came and got me and when i saw you again you were hooked up to machines in an incubator type thing and I could not hold or touch you. I was absolutely devistated. We sat there with you for and houror so and then they had to take you away to run tests and get xrays. We were told a doctor would come talk to us when they found a few things out. The doctor didnt come until 6 a.m. and we both sat there awake crying and worrying until she came. She didnt really have any information for us except that they didn't feel that it was terminal and that with the machines your oxygen was stable. We were only allowed to visit you a few times during the day and only for a few hours. For 2 days we could not hold you and it was absolute torture. I had to spend an extra day in the hospital cause of my complications and then Dad and I were able to get a hospital boarding room for 1 more night to be closer to you. The rest of the time we stayed at Grammie and Papas so we could go back and forth to see you. I set my alarm and pumped every 3 hours around the clock and took my milk to the hospital each day because they had to moniter how much you were eating so I was not allowed to breastfeed you for 6 days. When I finally could you did awesome and it was so wonderful. You ended up spending 12 days there because it turns out you had a hole in your lung. It closed up fine and you are pefect now, but it was not a fun experience. We are so glad you are ok and home.

St. Patricks Day in the NICU





Getting ready to go home!!!

My Miracle Baby

My sweet baby Olive...
    I hope you never need this blog to let you know how much i love you. You are the absolute joy of my existence and I wanted to document every detail of your life.   

   When Dad and I had been married for 2 years we decided we were ready to start our family. After over 2 years of many tests, procedures, medications, miscarriages and tears, you were NATURALLY conceived ( at the snowbird condo!) I couldn't believe it was real for the longest time. I took a pregnancy test 5 days before my missed period, because I knew! Dad was working out in the backyard and I did it without him knowing. After I saw the beautiful word "pregnant" on that little test strip, my whole world changed. I opened the back door and called Dads name. He looked up and i threw the test strip at him. He thought I was throwing it out of frustration expecting it to be yet another "not pregnant" as we had seen at least 30 times. I will never forget the way he looked up at me completely lit up. We were absolutely ecstatic. Grammie and Papa were on their way over for dinner so I quickly had to figure out how to tell them. Grammie had been helping me plant our garden and always went out to check on it when she came over, so  I stuck the pregnancy test right in the front and center of the garden. Sure enough when they got to our house she went straight out to check on the garden. She came in (not in tears) so I knew she didn't see it. She did however ask me if I had gotten a soil pH meter. I said yes but I was confused by it and asked her if she would go back out and see what she thought. I waited in the kitchen until she came back in teary eyed and exclaimed... ARE YOU SERIOUS? We called Papa in and showed him the most beautiful thing I have ever peed on. We all hugged and cried and were filled with so much joy, yet hesitant to get our hopes up once again.

     We decided to wait to tell many others because of the miscarriages, but I did tell Aunt Kathy. She was pregnant with Joe Joe and I knew she would be thrilled! We also told Grandma and Grandpa Bentley who were in Mexico on their mission.
      A week or so later I knew this pregnancy was different because i was sooooo sick. Even though I couldn't stop throwing up I was so happily miserable. I loved you so much already even though you were the size of a grain of rice. We ended up telling everyone by about 10 weeks because I was already starting to show. Both grandmas and Nana were there to hear the first heartbeat and see you as a little peanut.
      I was very sick and on and off bed rest most of the pregnancy, but as long as it meant eventually getting you, I didn't care.  I was still scared of losing you for a long time. I still remember the day I reached 27 weeks and I just cried because that was the first time I thought, I am really going to have a baby. I was positive you were a boy, even after my first ultrasound. The ultrasound tech said it seemed like a girl, but wasn't positive, and I was sure she was wrong. Oma, Grammie and Papa were there for the ultrasound and it was an amazing day to see you. At 32 weeks we attempted a 3D ultrasound to try to see what you looked like and verify that you were a girl. 3 attempts later we got it. You covered your face with your hands or feet every time we came close to seeing you... I knew then that you were stubborn and determined just like me! Grammie was ticked and nervous to have to put up with a mini me.
      November 5th 2009 Grammie and I were getting ready to go to the ballet. I was in the tub and as I lay there I felt and saw the magic of you moving for the first time! I got out of the tub and yelled for Dad and grammie to come see... It was AMAZING! My whole belly would move and contort in the funniest shapes. You got the hiccups a lot and I could always feel them.
     I finally stopped puking at around 34 weeks and then the heartburn kicked in. You really wanted to torture me. My original due date was March 10th. As that day sadly came with no labor pains I went to the doc because I wasn't feeling you move as much and I got a little nervous. Dr Lamb told me I was dilated to a 1 and 80% effaced but needed a stress test. Depending on the results of the stress test if you hadn't come naturally by Monday the 14th, he would induce me. The stress test results showed that my amniotic fluid was very low so (luckily) he scheduled me for induction Friday morning, March 12, 2010!Friday morning we went into St. Marks hospital at 7:30am and was given a pitocin drip at around 9. Labor came on fairly quickly and I was terrified of getting an epidural because I was afraid of  not feeling or being able to move my legs. I finally decided to get one when I was dilated to a 5 but told the doctor to go light on the medicine. I wanted to feel the contractions and know when to push. As my contractions progressed your heart rate began to drop at the peak of the contraction when I started pushing. I had a hard time breathing unless I was on my right side and had a strong feeling that I should, (against the advice of the nurse) remain and push while laying on my right side. Once I did this your heart rate stabilized and to avoid c-section I continued the rest of labor and pushing, sideways. At 5:19 p.m. Grammie, Papa, Nana, Oma and Greggie helped Daddy and I welcome 7.4 ounce you to the world. It was the absolute best moment of my life. You were so beautiful and perfect and best of all... MINE!!!!
    

 

first time eating

We are a happy family!

Olive Analeigh Bentley

March 12, 2010

5:19 p.m.

7 lbs 4 ounces