The Butler's

Must type quick! These times don't come easily!

2009-10-29T10:13:00.005-05:00

There are very few times that I can sit down at the computer and have extra time after all the emails have been answered or I have updated my Facebook. (by the way, if you don't have Facebook, you should get one--there are a lot more pictures on there!) So this might not be a long post, but I wanted to put up a video of the first time Hudson tries his Johnny Jump-up. He loved it! He actually fell asleep in it, but that could've been because he was watching the rain outside our bathroom window.

He's getting pretty big, around 10lbs now! He is starting to recognize who we are now. He knows well enough to stop crying if he sees Blake or me. He's laughing and smiling and is VERY ticklish! He's cooing and making all kinds of noises. It's funny because he will start to whine and half way through, he will realize that he has control of what noises he makes and will trail off into some goo's and gah's and will end up forgetting the whining.

He is holding his head up pretty well which makes things a lot easier. He has discovered his hands! They are constantly in his mouth. He is still teething and his whole bottom row looks like they are about to cut through. I will try and get a picture soon and post it up here.

I will try and post again later this week and show some Halloween pictures :)

Shots... check!

2009-10-02T13:08:00.005-05:00

Well, Hudson can now officially see the world! He went for his 2 month check up and is right on schedule! His weight and head size are in the 50th percentile and his height is in the 90th. He has also graduated to his bed in his room, which he loves!

He has learned to grab things, like hair, noses.... anything you stick in front of him. He will be going to his first football game tonight at ECS, if weather permits!

This last week has been pretty rough, Blake and I had the flu at the same time so my mom had Hudson for a few days. We are so thankful that he didn't get sick!

Here is a video of Huddy taking a bath and also a picture of his sleeping that I just took. He's so funny.

This is how I found him sleeping

Video of Lili giving him a bath!

Our growin' little boy...

2009-09-22T01:00:00.001-05:00

Hudson is growing so quickly! It seems like he is this mature young man just waiting to bust out of this little infant body! He is approaching his 2 month mark (on the 27th) and is doing great with achieving his growth milestones. Because he was 7 weeks premature, his physical therapist said he might be behind on the time line for his development. Like it might take him longer to hold his head up or crawl than the average full term baby. Most of what he's done so far is pretty close to being where he should've been originally, so we've been told.We are still learning how babies are supposed to develop. He is 7 and 1/2 lbs--which is in the 50th percentile for a full term baby, and since his due date just passed, he is right on track! He is showing more of his personality, like he makes these "kissy lips" and puckers up when you first pick him up from a nap. He stretches A LOT! For the most part, he is a really good baby. We battled with gas a lot until we switched bottles. (Haha, he is his father's child!--Blake's going to kill me for saying that!)

He loves to keep moving and loves to be held. I think from being in the NICU he got used to being around lots of noise, so he does better sleeping in a loud room full of people rather that in his quiet room. Funny huh. We thought since he loves to keep moving, we figured he's love a swing, and boy, were we right. He loves it.

This was his first time in his beloved swing! I think he is MOST content when he is in his swing!

So the most interesting thing that is going on is (if you've seen my Facebook already then you know this) Hudson started teething this past week. Yes, I know what you're thinking. At 7 weeks.... really?! It's funny because I know when I say this people are thinking "Aww, poor Allison, the new mommy thinks her son is teething, she must be mistaken." So I took a picture for proof! Not only can we feel them, you can see them too! The front middle two are already cutting through and the ones to the sides of those are not far behind. I noticed that last week he started coughing lightly, we thought maybe he just had a stuffy nose, and after the doc looked him over, she said he was fine. He also started biting down in his pacifier and bottle and discovered his hands--all these things, we just assumed he was becoming more alert. He's also been a little more fussy than normal the past 3 days and I was searching for his pacifier and I was trying to calm him down while I looked, so I stuck my pinky in his mouth for him to suck on and felt something on the his bottom gums, so I looked in his mouth and saw his front two bottom teeth right under his gums. I was shocked! I was thinking, no, surely not. I felt in his mouth again and felt them again! Then I started putting all his new tricks together and it made sense. His coughing was the extra saliva he was swallowing, he was chewing on his hand for comfort and fussing because he was uncomfortable.

Here is a pic of his first 2 teeth coming in... (this was taken a few days ago, today when we were looking you could barely see the two on each side of that as well.)

The doctor said even though it's rare, it does happen. We really hate it for him right now because the doctor said he's still too small to take anything for it, like Baby Orajel or other numbing gels- and most of the teething toys are still too large for his mouth. So he's just toughing it out with baby Tylenol for now. He's doing a great job though!

His nursery is pretty much complete! Here are some pictures of his room!

This room is courtesy of my amazing friends Elizabeth (who designed it completely) and Grace (who helped :)) We are still trying to find a more practical comforter. So if anyone has an idea of what we can use that will cover the sides, let us know!

Huddy has his 2 month check-up this coming Monday and will finally get his shots :( and we also make the appointment with the urologist for his circumcision. He was too small to have that done while in the hospital. The 16th of this month was his due date and he is making great progress considering he wasn't even supposed to be here until this past week! He continues to amaze and impress us with his toughness and strength.

He can hold his head up (inconsistently) and has learned how to hold his pacifier in his mouth to keep it from falling out!

This is when he fell asleep holding his pacifier in his mouth. (His hand is under the blanket)

He is beginning to rest his weight on his legs while holding him in a standing position and has learned how to lock his knees! He is beginning to recognize our voices, and will turn his head in the direction we are talking from. He is also eating very well! He eats every 3 hours pretty consistently! He is sleeping very well at night with the exception of the last 2 nights because of his teething. I usually just need to feed him once at night, so we both stay pretty well rested... thankfully! He has discovered how to grab things (including hair!). He loves lights. When he finds a light, it'll occupy him for a while. He's been smiling ever since he was born, I think his first smile was when he was a couple days old. He's now started laughing, which could be one of the funniest things we've ever seen. His laugh is IDENTICAL to Blake's! They both have a really unique laugh. You would think a baby would "giggle", but no. He laughs so hard he sucks in air. I keep trying to get it on video but haven't had any luck yet.

He had his first haircut this past week (kinda). His hair around his ears and neck were longer than on top and it just needed evening out! It wasn't a lot... we just needed to shape it up!

It's funny, so many people have been saying the Hudson looks like Beau (my brother) and I think the older he's gotten, the more that's true! We also joke that he is like a little old man. He's go the receding hair line, the wrinkles, the gas :) and he seems so serious all the time. We wonder if he will grow up to rebel against our goofy style. I think it was Beau that came up with the nick name "Beau Button" like "Benjamen Button" but since he looks like Beau...

A lot of people ask us how Lexi does with Hudson and we really thought before he was born that Lexi would be VERY jealous (since normally she is very anal and wound pretty tight) and not adjust well to him being home, but we were very wrong. She has been more than great! Not only has she been chill, but she has been very protective of him. If Hudson wakes up in our room sleeping and I'm not in there, Lexi will come get me. She will run to wherever I am and turn in circles repeatedly. Then when I walk towards the room, she will run ahead of me then stop and turn around and wait for me to catch up, then run a little further and turn around again, kinda like a kid wanting to run into the living room on Christmas morning and trying to wait for the slow parents to catch up! It's really sweet. Sometimes it seems like she treats him like her puppy. She will sit next to him and just want to lick him all over. In the past couple of days we've noticed that she will sometimes cry/whine when he does. I don't know if she's doing it because she is protective or just doesn't like the noise, but I'm going to tell myself it's because she loves him :) Here is a video, it's also on Facebook, so sorry if you've already seen it!

I think that's about all for now! I know that was a lot of catching up to do! I will try and post more often, I have gotten a little behind!

Here are some recent pictures of the family!

His first photo shoot!

We tested out the Bumbo to see if he was ready................. he wasn't :)

Pictures from his first football weekend!

One of his first baths at home. He loves them, it looks like he's enjoying a day at the spa, but in a manly way ;)

Here is the website link to view his pictures from his first photo shoot.
https://www.thesmilestation.com/home.asp?AC=LTTT0617105880TAR

***The Guest Name is: Allison Butler

More updates coming soon!

-A

6 week update!

2009-09-02T13:34:00.002-05:00

As you can probably guess, my posts on here will be less frequent since we are home now. :) Hudson is doing great!! He is generally a very happy baby. He isn't really fussy and just seems so mature. Sometime Blake and I feel like we're the kids and he's the serious one.

He is now 6lbs and growing fast! He's outgrowing most of his preemie clothes mainly because of his length. We are starting to see a little more of his personality. He doesn't like sleeping when it's quiet and likes being around people or being held. He smiles a lot, and is very content.

The grandparents (Blake's mom and dad) and flying in from Pittsburgh next weekend to see him. So we are excited about them coming! Blake's school is still going good. ECS beat Cordova in their kickoff game, which was a big win. And me and Hudson just chill at home until he gets his shots, then we will start making rounds for everyone to see him :)

Pictures to come soon :)

1st doctor visit today!

2009-08-24T10:50:00.007-05:00

We just got home from our first doctor visit today and everything went great! Hudson is on track and in the 90th percentile for his size (compared to other preemies at this stage). He weighs 5lbs 7oz and is 19in long! The doctor said he is developing (perfectly) and gave us a good report! Today is his 4 week birthday and Thursday he will be 1 month old! I can't believe it's already been a month.

We still can't believe that he's technically still supposed to be in my stomach for 3 more weeks! I think the hardest part about being home, isn't the constant feedings or diaper changes or trying to figure out why he's crying, or finding time to do things... it's actually been trying to relax and not obsess over every little hiccup or cough. I didn't realize how paranoid we were since leaving the NICU. We learned so much, but at the same time, maybe relied on it a little too much. Hudson's doctor was great and reassured me that everything you need to know to raise a baby, you already know. He said there are so many people out there that didn't go through training or read all the "What to expect..." books, and they raise kids and do just fine with it. He encouraged us to pay more attention to Hudson instead of all the research and advice people give. I was happy to hear someone finally tell us that we can relax and just enjoy raising him.

Everything else is going great too! I'm still waiting for it to get really crazy like everyone says it will be. Today was my first time to take him somewhere by myself so I was a little nervous, but we didn't have one problem!

I can't wait until a few more weeks when we can bring him out to meet everyone!

Glad to be home

2009-08-21T11:51:00.005-05:00

Well we've been home 2 days and things are going great! Even though it was hard having him away from us for the first 3 weeks of his life, there were some advantages to it. He is already on a schedule and his cord fell off at the hospital-so we didn't have to mess with that. One thing I'm really thankful for is that we got to learn how to take care of him and what to look for while he was still at the hospital and how to handle certain situations, like changing a diaper while avoiding being squirted ;) and how to read him and know his different cries. I feel like we came home so much more prepared than most first time parents.

His first night home he did great. His best sleeping times are about 5-6am to 9-10am. Last night we went to bed at 1 and slept until 10am with only getting up once to feed.

Right now it's really hard because I want everyone to get to meet him, however since he's gone through so much with the infection and everything else, he's that much more prone to infections. The nurses told me when we left with him that if he gets sick, don't worry about calling the pediatrician, just take him straight to Le Bonheur. So needless to say, I've been a little anal about germs... which is a first in my life.

We're glad things are starting to get back to normal... well, normal + a baby. Blake has started school and football. He's teaching 2 new subjects-Personal Finance and Economics... which is right down his alley. And as for now, Hudson and I are just chillin' at the house, eating and sleeping... trying to avoid getting sick.

Thanks again for all the support and prayers, he is doing better than we could have hoped. I know things will get harder as he gets older, but right now we feel really blessed to have him home and healthy.

Hudson is finally home!

2009-08-19T15:00:00.004-05:00

We said out long-awaited goodbyes to Baptist Women's Hospital and got to bring the little man home today :)

He is doing great and sleeping a lot!

Here are some pictures from his first day home:

Sleepin' like a baby

Lexi figuring things out. (For those of you curious to how Lexi is doing with him, she took one curious look to him and then just went back to normal. She really acts like he's not even here.)

This shows how little he really is.

Blake getting him ready to leave!

Ready to go!

1 more day.

2009-08-18T09:54:00.003-05:00

This morning Hudson's lab work came back and showed he did need a blood transfusion. He received that this morning and the doctor said that should do the trick as far as getting his levels back to where they should be. More than likely this was a one time thing and he won't need another one.

The doctor said they have to keep him for 24 hours after they do a blood transfusion, but to plan on him for sure coming home Wednesday morning. So I guess THIS will be our last night of a full night's sleep for awhile.

I will post pictures soon, and looking forward to updating his coming home pictures too!

T minus 1 day and couting... (we think)

2009-08-17T19:38:00.004-05:00

Well, it's always something. The latest report is that tomorrow SHOULD be the day Hudson comes home. He had a test run this morning that showed that his red blood count was low. They think this could be from his infection and they want to make sure he is producing enough red blood cells now to compensate for the loss. They will run a test tonight that will show if he is producing enough, and if he is not, then they will give him blood tonight or tomorrow. If they have to do that, it will set him back one more day. Ugh! It seems like he will never be home.

He met with an Endocrinologist this evening because some of his adrenal levels were elevated, but he didn't think it was anything to worry about. He said he will have his pediatrician run some tests at his first check up to see if it's still elevated then.

Other than that, Hudson is doing great! When you look at him you'd never know all this was going on. He looks perfectly healthy and happy. He's a very content baby. All the nurses call him a "thinker" because he always has this serious look... like he's solving all the world's problems in his head.

Here is a picture from today. Hopefully from his last day in the hospital.

Just waiting for the call...

2009-08-17T09:29:00.005-05:00

So today marks 24 hours since Hudson has been consistently taking a bottle. We're hoping we get to take him home today!

He has done great with his feedings. The nurses figured out that he likes to burp... a lot! He weighs 4-13... 2oz heavier than when he was born!

He's getting so big! Here's a video from yesterday.

I will hopefully update more when I hear from the doctor!

2009-08-15T00:29:00.004-05:00

Sorry it's been a few days since the last update. There's nothing terribly new to report. Hudson is still doing great and getting very close to coming home! He has 2 days left of his antibiotic and he's feeding good. They need him to stay consistent with his feedings for a day or 2 before they will discharge him.

I will update again soon, hopefully with the news of him coming home!

Here are a couple of the latest pictures with Dad and Nana.

A nice surprise!

2009-08-11T23:18:00.002-05:00

Ok it's been a long day, so I'm going to keep this entry short and sweet!

While we were visiting Hudson for his 1:00 check, I asked his nurse how he was doing and she said that he was doing great and that the doctor was debating on whether to start his feedings today or not. Originally they had told us that he wouldn't start back his feedings for at least another week! So about 10 minutes later, the doctor came in and told us that he was going to start his feedings today! So he will continue with his feedings while finishing his antibiotic. I think at this point they are watching his feedings more than anything. They started him out slow to make sure his stomach is tolerating it well... and so far he's had 3 feedings and done great with all of them.

I have been told that he wouldn't go home on the antibiotic, but then I have been told too that they can be sent home with an antibiotic as long as they are feeding well. I'm not really sure what this will do to his already estimated arrival, but it sounds like it's for the better!

I'll try and upload more picture and/or videos soon!

Thanks!

Happy 2 week Birthday, Huddy!

2009-08-10T23:00:00.005-05:00

Today is Hudson's 2 week birthday and it was about this time 2 weeks ago when we first got to meet him!

When we went to see him tonight, he just looked so happy. The nurses say he's doing very well. If we are ever there when he needs a diaper change, the nurses will let us do it, just because at this point, any interaction with him is better than nothing! So Blake and I tag-teamed it... I changed the diaper while he held all his cords and wires out of the way, and while I'm trying to take my time and be careful, of course Hudson decides to tinkle all over himself. The nurse just laughed... I'm sure they see that all the time. I better get used to it!

I feel like depending on the nurse or doctor we ask, we always get different estimates when we ask questions. When I was asking the nurse tonight, she was actually looking at his chart to see the specifics and she said he will be on the antibiotic 6 more days, then on the 7th day they will start back his feedings. She said they will start him back with just a little bit of milk and if his stomach doesn't handle it well, then they will test for scarring in his intestines, however if he does handle it well, they will bump him up some more. If he does well with the next feeding, then they will start to increase the amount of his feedings more rapidly. She said if he feeds well and there are no more problems... best case scenario, he could possible come home in a week and half.

So that's what we are praying for! We want him home, with us, as soon as possible! She also said he wasn't a fussy baby and that the last 10 days, he has pretty much slept through the night. I hope that will be the case once he come home!

Here are some pictures from tonight!

First Bath

2009-08-09T23:57:00.006-05:00

Sweet Hudson had his first bath today. According to the nurses, he loved it. He would go from a serious, "I don't know what's happening" look to a happy smile. You could tell he felt so much better after having his first bath in 2 weeks!

There really isn't any more information about his infection. It's basically a waiting game now. They want to make sure his stomach is completely rested and healed before they try to feed him. After that, they will make sure there is no scarring, then once he is consistently feeding again, he's good to go!

Here a some recent pictures from today :)

This was him sound asleep with his uncle Beau.

Uncle Beau holding him for the first time.

Taking in his first bath experience

I think he looks like a little monkey in this one... (of course a cute monkey)

I caught the end of a smile

This is "The Hudson Look"... he looks like he's thinking really hard all the time.

Enjoy!

Happy Boy

2009-08-09T00:18:00.006-05:00

Hudson is feeling better and better by the hour. His stomach has gone down a lot and his bodily functions have pretty much returned to normal. They had a suction tube down his throat to constantly suction out any stomach acid. He did not like that at all and would chew on it and try and pull it out. They finally took that out today and he instantly felt better. He smiled the biggest smile right after they took it out.

It's so funny how much personality he has at such an early age. He seems to be a happy baby, especially in spite of everything that he has been through. Whenever I go up there and he isn't asleep, he's just laying there looking around, not making a noise... like he's just laying there patiently. There's only been one time where I heard him really cry. Other than that, he'll just whimper a bit.

His antibiotics seem to be controlling the infection well. They will continue taking x-rays and monitoring him to make sure he stays on track. It is very frustrating knowing that he might have been home already if there had been better precautions taken by the nurses to prevent cross contamination from other babies in the NICU. All in all, it could have been worse, and we just pray that there is no permanent damage to his intestines. Once they resume his feedings, they will watch to see if he relapses, and if so, it could mean that he has scarring in his intestines from the infection. If that is the case, then he would have to have surgery to remove the scarred sections. But we pray that is not the case.

Here is a video from today of our happy little boy:

Diagnosed!

2009-08-07T22:11:00.002-05:00

We got some test results back and Hudson has "Clostridium Difficile". This is a bacterial infection that results in inflammation of the colon. It releases toxins in his body that causes damage to the gut wall. They adjusted his antibiotics and will keep him off his feedings for about 2 more weeks. When they resume his feedings, they will do so slowly to make sure that there isn't any scarring in his intestines.

The doctor said that he's not sure what could have caused it, but from what I've learned about it, most people who are exposed to the infection, catch it during a hospital stay. So, more than likely, he caught it from the NICU.

He is steadily feeling better and showing signs of improvement. We will continue to update on his condition and pray that the infection didn't cause any scarring to his colon or intestines.

Goodnight to all!

Improving!

2009-08-07T10:42:00.002-05:00

Hudson is doing better this morning. His color is looking better, more pink than yellow. His stomach was swollen yesterday, but it has gone down a bit. He is more alert and less fussy, so he seems to be more comfortable. So all in all, we still don't know what is causing it, but the antibiotics seem to be working.

They put a PIC Line in his arm, which is basically a catheter that they will use instead of a standard IV. It will protect his arm better since he will be getting so many fluids through it.

They haven't been able to send off for a couple of tests that they wanted to do because they require stool samples and all of his soak into his diaper, so they have been unable to get enough to send off until this morning. He decided to go #2 while his nurse was changing him, so she was able to get a sample to send off. I never thought I'd be happy that our soon pooped on his nurse, but oh well! Haha.

Best case scenario is that this is in fact a virus or infection and that the antibiotics have already started working and that it will be cleared up in 5-7 days. Then, it might be a week and 1/2 - 2 weeks before he comes home. The doctors have not officially called it this yet, but all the nurses I've talked to seem to think this is what it is.

Thanks for all the prayers, we have no doubt that is why is he doing so much better. I will update more as things change.

:)

Looking better...

2009-08-06T23:09:00.002-05:00

We're closing in on a long day. All in all, things are looking better. They still won't know anything for sure for a few more days, but it seems like he's responding well to the antibiotics. His nurse said he's been sleeping better and seems to be more comfortable, which is exactly what we wanted to hear. It's one thing for him to be sick, but we just wanted him to be comfortable.

They did another round of x-rays tonight and the doctor said they didn't show any signs of NEC. I think they are leaning more towards it being a virus or infection. If that's what it is, then they will keep him on antibiotics for about a week, and then resume his feedings.

The doctor will see him again in the morning and give us another update.

Goodnight!

Tests

2009-08-06T14:44:00.003-05:00

We just got back from visiting Huddy and he seems to be doing a little better. We spoke to the doctor today and he's not sure yet what is causing his illness. They are running several tests to narrow down what it might be. The best estimate that the doctor could give us was either it is an infection, virus, or a digestive issue called Necrotizing Enterocolitis (NEC).

Here is a website that explains more about (NEC): More About Necrotizing Enterocolitis

They have already started him on treatment. They hooked him back up to an IV and stopped his feedings. They don't want to put anything into his stomach that could irritate it more. He will get all his nutrients from the IV until everything clears up. They took x-rays this morning and the doctor said that there was no indication from the x-rays that it would be NEC, however he isn't ruling it out yet. Hudson is on 3 different antibiotics right now until they figure out which one they need to keep him on. It might take up to a few days to get all his lab work back. So if you could just pray that the antibiotics kick in so that he isn't in pain. They don't want to give him anything for pain because they are afraid it will slow down and relax his breathing too much.

Thanks for the prayers and we will update with more when we know something.

NICU - Day 10

2009-08-06T05:55:00.002-05:00

Yesterday when I went to see Hudson, he acted really fussy. It was easy to see he wasn't feeling well. The nurses thought it could've been gas or something I had eaten that just didn't sit well with him.

I called in to check on him early this morning and the nurse had told me that the doctor checked him and that he has an infection. They have started him on 3 different antibiotics until they find out what exactly it is. He had just been moved to the NCCU which is a room that they go to to help them transition into going home, but because of the infection he had to go back to the NICU. The nurse said that this will set him back a bit on coming home since they put in an IV and aren't continuing his feedings until they know exactly what it is.

If you think about it, just pray for him. We want him to come home soon and hate to think of him being sick and up there at the hospital.

I will be sure to update with more information when we get it.

Thanks!

Little Trooper

2009-08-05T23:49:00.003-05:00

Hudson has been in the NICU 9 days now and hopefully will be coming home very soon. It's hard for the doctors/nurses to give an estimate because every baby really is so drastically different. He has progressed very fast on every other mile marker, however I think his feedings are a little harder. He started taking a bottle very well and still is, but he can only take an ounce before he gets worn out and falls asleep. They need him to take about twice that before they can send him home. That's why they still have the feeding tube in his nose- the remainder from each feeding goes in through a tube feeding.

Other than that, he has done very well. From what the nurses tell me, he is a very alert baby and does not like to have a wet or dirty diaper!

We are very ready to have him home! If he can keep progressing on his feedings, then it might be sometime next week.

Here are a few pictures from the last couple of days!

Coming Home Soon!

2009-08-03T10:45:00.003-05:00

Hudson is one week old today and officially a trooper!

He has been making amazing progress! He was moved to a normal crib yesterday and they are waiting for a spot in the "step down area" to open up so they can move him. They started him on a bottle yesterday morning and he wasn't interested. The nurse said sometimes it takes a while for babies to take to feedings. She said that would be what would keep him there. She even said it might be a couple of weeks before he takes to it. So that was a little discouraging.

Last night we went up there because yesterday was the first day that anyone but my parents have seen him. They had only let parents and grandparents back to the NICU up until yesterday. So Beau and a few other friends got to see him.

While we were up there, I was talking to the nurse about his feedings and she said since he didn't take to it the first time, they probably would only try once a day. I asked her if I could try and she let me. So she fixed me a bottle and helped me get started and he took to it! He drank a lot more than the nurses thought he would! He's been drinking about a tablespoon more each feeding! The nurse said if he continues like that without any problems, he could come home within 2-3 days! She did say though that sometimes babies will get started really well then have trouble with larger feedings, so she said if that happens, it could be about another week.

So that is the update, and hopefully we will be able to bring him home very soon!

First smile :)

2009-08-02T11:37:00.004-05:00

Okay, so I just realized that I could get a little crazy with posting pictures and videos, so I'm going to try and keep it to the ones where there's actually something going on.

Hudson is still doing great! He is only on a nasal feeding tube, and they are going to try him on a bottle possibly today. If he can take to that, that will be a huge step in him coming home! He's steadily gaining weight and holding his body temperature well.

We have still only held him twice, but he loves it! The more he can accomplish on his own, the more we can hold him and have interaction with him.

Here are a couple of videos and pictures to look at...

Videos:

Hudson is doing great!

2009-08-01T01:57:00.018-05:00

Again, words cannot describe how well it feels to be home. Everything has worked out so well. We have some amazing friends that got the nursery ready as a surprise. It looks amazing... all we have to do is add the crib! Here are some pictures! (Credit goes to Elizabeth Gordon and Grace Walker)

Elizabeth made the headboard and pillows!

Grace painted this dresser. Notice Daddy's helmet and Hudson's helmet next to it!

This is a rocking chair that Elizabeth bought, refinished and covered for me!

This is our bedding... now we're just waiting on the crib :)

As of today, if Hudson continues to progress like he has, he might get to come home in 2 weeks. They said he needs to be able to keep a stable body temperature, be able to consistently gain weight and be able to feed on his own--in order to come home. He's done great and made very swift progress. He is always impressing the nurses. Everyone keeps commenting on how big he is for a preemie. I think that is mostly because of who his daddy is :)

He is off oxygen and still on room air. They will try and wean him off of any kind of air support in the next day or 2. When he is breathing completely on his own then they can take the tubes out of his stomach and we will be able to hold him. After that point, they will also try and give him a bottle to see how well his coordination is.

Everyone in the NICU has been so nice. They are extremely packed with little babies right now, so even though normally anyone could go with us to see him, they are only asking that parents and grandparents go back. So as of right now, only my parents have got to see him. We're trying to take lots of pictures and we're starting to take more videos--those are just more fun to watch! We can visit him whenever we want, 24 hours a day. They check his vitals and assess him every nine, one and five o'clock. They also encourage us to call up there whenever we want, as many times as we would like. I have to admit, I've made a couple of 4am calls :) We've been going up there a couple of times a day. We try to make it up there around his check times since he's usually more awake then. We've only gotten to hold him once because of the tubes that are in his stomach. Those will hopefully come out very soon! If we are with him during his check times, usually we will get to change his diaper and take his temperature. We really like getting to do that since it's really the most interaction we have with him for now.

Okay, I'm going to post some videos. He's been more alert lately, and his eyes were swollen from the tubes in his nose, but that's going down now. Can't wait to see who he looks like!

Hope you enjoy these!

2009-07-30T11:45:00.001-05:00

This is Hudson pulling my finger towards his.

2009-07-30T11:40:00.002-05:00

Hudson opening his eyes

2009-07-30T11:17:00.002-05:00

Hudson not letting go of my hand

Home Sa-weet Home!

2009-07-30T00:48:00.005-05:00

Much to our surprise- we are finally home and there aren't words to describe how great it feels! The doctor came in this morning and said that I had the option to stay another day, but that if I wanted to go home, that he would give me the okay! We figured since we're only 5 minutes from the hospital that it would be fine to go ahead and go home. Thanks to my mom, Grace and Elizabeth... we got to come home to a clean house! It was so nice to just relax and not hear beeping noises and answer to nurses and see other walls besides the hospitals.

Hudson is doing very well. He is off oxygen and just on "room air" which is still being pumped through his nose, just so he doesn't have to put so much effort into breathing while his lungs are still developing. He has a tube where his umbilical cord was that they use to take blood out--so they don't have to keep pricking his foot. He saw the cardiologist today and they did an ultrasound of his heart and he said it looked perfect. Really the only two things they are paying attention to is his lung development and feeding. He has been feeding just with an IV up until today. They gave him his first dose of formula/breast milk through a feeding tube, just to see how well his stomach handled it and how well he processed it and he did great, so he will continue to feed through that unless there are any changes. They will probably wait another week or so to try and feed him with a bottle, just until his coordination is a little better. He is already taking well to a pacifier so that is a good sign.

It's sad that we don't get to come home with him, however it would be so overwhelming right now- it's just worked out better that he's staying there for the next couple weeks. It gives us time to get his room together and get the necessities we need. It also helps for me to get my strength back- it's amazing how much it takes out of me just to walk to the kitchen. I feel like I'm on his sleeping schedule already... I can barely go a couple hours without having to take a nap. I guess I better get used to that, ha.

We have a couple of videos that we are trying to load and we'll keep the pictures coming! Hopefully by the end of the week he will have less tubes hooked up to him so that we can get better pictures and hold him more.

Thanks everyone for all the prayers- we are all doing great considering what all we've been through. We are so happy he is here and making great progress!

Happy Birthday John Hudson!

2009-07-28T07:21:00.014-05:00

Well made it almost to 33 weeks and little Hudson decided he couldn't wait any longer! We went so much farther than I ever thought we would, and had just gotten to the point to where we had surpassed everyone's expectations so much, that we laughed and said I might even go full term! Ha!

Yesterday was jammed packed with all sort of events, but somehow seemed to pass by quickly. Early Monday morning I *thought* I might have had some contractions but wasn't sure, so they hooked me up to the monitor and sure enough I was. They gave me an 2 extra doses of my medicine and that didn't seem to do anything so they said that I might have built up a tolerance to the medicine pump I was on. The doctor checked me and I was dilated 2 centimeters. That was the first time I had been dilated. They still seemed pretty confident that they could stop the contractions at that point. The doctor then ordered me on the dreaded Magnesium. The poor nurses had warned me that it was going to make me feel awful. In their words, they said "You're going to feel like you have the flu". Sure enough, they were right! I was on the magnesium and was not handling it well, and on top of that had to deal with contractions. Needless to say it was the worst I have ever felt in my life and I have tremendous respect and empathy for women who are on it for days at a time!

The doctor came in on hour 3 of the magnesium and said since he's almost 33 weeks and that the contractions were still coming, so he wanted to go ahead and call it and get this baby out. It was the best news I had heard the entire pregnancy. The first thing he did was shut off the magnesium. I almost immediately felt better. The next thing he said was, you are 3-4 centimeters dilated so you can have the epidural whenever you want. This day was just getting better and better! I quickly said that I wanted it ASAP, and about 5 minutes later (around 5:30pm), they gave it to me. About 20 minutes after the epidural, he broke my water and checked me again and I was already at 6 centimeters so he said it wouldn't be long. I felt great! They had to give me extra doses of the epidural because it was only taking to the right side of my body, but after everything kicked in-- I was more relaxed than I had been the entire pregnancy. It was smooth sailing from then on! The waiting room was filled and people were taking bets on his ETA and weight. Conrats to Beau for guessing 8:33pm on the dot, and Grace for guessing the exact weight, 4lbs 11oz! I was way off; I had 9:14pm and 4lbs 6oz. Oh well :)

We got to go back around 11:45pm to see him and they said he was doing well. Everything that he's being treated for was to be expected. He's on oxygen and a feeding tube. We won't be able to hold him or have skin-to-skin contact for at least a couple days. We are just so happy he's here. After everything, the only thing I feel is relief. I'm glad it's over, I'm glad he's healthy and glad I can go home in a few days!

They said best case scenario, they will let him come home at 36 weeks, which is 3 weeks from tomorrow. They won't consider sending any baby home before that time, so she said that was pretty standard. She said to be prepared to take him home then, however if he has any changes it could be until mid-September. She just said you never know.

Here are the first pictures we got of him--just a few hours old! In case you can't see in the pictures, he has blondish hair and is pretty filled out for his weight. We think he has my nose and Blake's toes... we don't think he has either of our eyes though, ha. There will be lots more to come! (By the way- we can't really see the resemblance of either one of us. I'm sure that will change though!)

Thanks so much to everyone for all the prayers and sweet wishes! So far so good, and we will continute to post is progress! We can't meet for Hudson to meet all of you!

What Time Is It?! Gametime!

2009-07-27T17:36:00.002-05:00

We are having the baby tonight! Please direct questions to Frank/Lisa McLeod.

Frank-901-428-5538
Lisa-901-428-5534

Blake's 1st Post

2009-07-27T15:44:00.004-05:00

Allison has handled the blog for the most part, but I am taking a shot at now to give everyone an update. Last night Allison started having contractions, and they got worse the morning. I left 2-a-days and came up to the hospital and learned that these were a little stronger than normal.

The T-pump and the shots were not working, so Allison is now on the dreaded Mag Wash. The Mag Wash makes it very difficult for any of your muscles to contract, including the uterus. The downside to this is that it makes you feel like you have the flu, so combined with contractions, it is pretty miserable.

We are also now in a labor and delivery room because if the contractions are not stopped, labor is a possibility. There is not a need to flood the hospital waiting room, but I will send out the word via text to both families and friends when it is "gametime." I might have time to put a quick entry on the blog, but I'm not promising anything.

That was pretty simple. I wanted to put some sort of picture on, but if I put a current picture of Allison on here, she would kill me. I decided to put up a picture of Rusty that looks like Dean Cain just to at least have a picture with my first post. Enjoy!

Funny story...

2009-07-23T22:20:00.008-05:00

So, it's been about a month now that I've been here. I thought I would share what we think is a funny story. Maybe it's just funny to us since I don't get out much (actually at all, haha).

The medicine I'm on to regulate my contractions has a side effect of jitteriness (I'm pretty sure that is not a word, but you get the picture). So, in order to sleep at night they give me sleeping medicine to counteract the shaky feeling. Well, it does SUCH a good job that I usually don't remember what goes on after it kicks in, right before I go to sleep. For those of you who don't know, sweet Blake got a big air mattress and sleeps next to my bed at night. Well every couple of mornings, Blake will tell me something ridiculous that I did the night before, of course, me not remembering a thing--which is a really weird feeling. I thought I would share what he told me this morning. I had pulled some chap stick out of my drawer today, which I guess reminded him of what I had done the night before. He said that he had been asleep for a bit late last night and woke up to something tracing the outside of his lips... he opened his eyes to see me reaching down to his face applying chapstick on him! He said he looked at me and asked what I was doing and I apparently told him that he looked like he needed some. Wow. Whatever in the world possesed me to do that, I have no idea... but I thought maybe some of you would get a kick out of it-- I sure did.

Other than yesterday, no new developments on Hudson-- everything is still looking great! Thanks again for all the prayers!

Hospital Stay- Day 27

2009-07-22T14:42:00.007-05:00

Okay, so to catch you up on the last couple days. Not a whole lot has gone on. I've had a few ultrasounds this week for random reasons. They did a biophysical test Monday, which is an ultrasound test that looks at the baby's heart rate, movements, muscle tone and breathing. He did really well on that... got a "perfect score" as the doctor said. He's breathing really well for his stage of development, probably because of the steroid shots. They did his weight and measurements today and he weighed in at........ (drumroll)......... 4lbs 3oz! So looks like just 2 people guessed right on the poll.

When they put me on the monitor this morning, Hudson had a heart deceleration. Basically his heart rate dropped for a bit. Sometimes this can happen randomly and sometimes it can mean the baby is in distress. They did another biophysical today to see if anything had changed, and from what the ultrasound tech said, I think everything is fine and it was just random. The doctor will ultimately look at the results. She said they will continue to monitor him throughout today and if it happens again, they will repeat the biophysical tonight to see what could be causing it. No need to worry though, even if he comes soon, he's far enough developed to where he will be fine. Here is a picture from Monday, this has been the best picture they can get. He buries his face during the ultrasounds and we haven't really gotten a face shot in the last 5 ultrasounds we've gotten! He has his arm up by his right eye and the little ball looking things by his left eye is the umbilical cord, you can also see it down the left side of the pic--it's a little blury. You can really only see part of his nose and lips.

That's about it-- everything else is still going good. My t-pump is still holding off contractions. I had a couple contractions Sunday because my pump turned off without me knowing but they figured it out in time. It means I would probably be having contractions if I wasn't on this medicine--which means it's doing its job! They will probably wait another month before they take me off the medicine. Okay, that's all for now... congratulations to the 2 people who guessed the right weight! :)

Big day!

2009-07-18T19:22:00.008-05:00

Let me just start off by saying that today has been great!

I have some beautiful flowers to look at and I was able to go outside for the first time in 22 days! A couple weeks ago I asked if I could go take a tour of the NICU (since there is a chance Hudson might have to be there, if he's born before 36 weeks) and they said I did not have wheelchair privileges, so I wasn't able to go. Well, Grace and my mom talked me into asking the nurse if I could go outside if I had Blake lean me back in the wheelchair the whole time, since I was ordered to lay down indefinitely. At first she said no (evidently someone else had already tried that) but I think she could see the disappointment and agreed to at least ASK the doctor. She called and the doctor gave the okay for me to be wheeled outside for 15 minutes! I was so excited! It was like Christmas! They wheeled me outside and I enjoyed a few minutes of fresh air and sunshine, then went back inside. I asked them if I could use part of my 15 minutes to see the nursery. I had been here so long and never got to see the nursery. That was really neat. There were so many cute sleeping babies. On the way back we made another quick detour outside to a balcony for a last whiff of fresh air. It was one of the best things I've been able to do since I've been here. Here is a snapshot of my Kodak moment of the day...

I'm on day 52 of bed rest! I can't believe it's been that long. Just 4 more weeks and they will consider letting me go home. The first thing I'm going to do (after I give my dog a big hug) is take a nice long bath... then maybe run around the block a few times. :)

Other than all that excitement, nothing new to report! Hudson is growing a lot! We get his measurements and weight again Wednesday. Feel free to take a guess (in the right column) as to how much he will weigh in!

31 Weeks

2009-07-17T11:00:00.001-05:00

Sorry, it has been a couple of days since my last update. Nothing terribly new to report. We are a little over 31 weeks (out of 40)... and things are still going great! Everything is measuring the same, which is great. One of nurses I had when I first got here went on vacation and came back and was surprised to see me still here... so it's definitely not out of the question to say that it's a miracle I'm still here.

Well, here's just a little bit of what's going on this week!

This week, Hudson measures about 17 inches long. He weighs about 4 pounds (try carrying four navel oranges) and is heading into a growth spurt. He can turn his head from side to side, and his arms, legs, and body are beginning to plump out as needed fat accumulates underneath his skin. He's moving a lot, too. All this moving is a sign that he is active and healthy.

We get another ultrasound this coming Wednesday and will more than likely get his measurements and exact weight again. I'm very anxious to see how much he's grown!

Bathtime in the sink!

2009-07-13T21:13:00.002-05:00

So, thanks to my dad, here are some old pictures of Blake and I when we were younger! We had this one of Blake from the slide show at our wedding, and it happened to be that one of the earliest pictures that he found of me, didn't look all that different!

I was born 6 weeks early (weighing in at a whooping 5lbs, 12oz!), and there weren't a lot of pictures from when I was born. Since it was unexpected, the main pictures they do have from shortly after that, are on slides.

It was fun to look at these and see who Hudson might resemble. I think it's safe to say he will definitely have a full face of cheeks!

(Allison)

(Blake)

If I am correct, my next ultrasound is Wednesday. They will just be looking at his development and checking the fluid levels and all that great stuff, so hopefully he will cooperate and we will get another good face shot to see what he looks like again!

Hospital Stay- Day 18

2009-07-12T20:54:00.002-05:00

This entry will be short and sweet!

Not a lot to update... which in this case, is a good thing! Things have been pretty quiet since yesterday. Hudson is still doing great and growing. He's been moving around a lot this weekend (probably because of the steroid shots).

Haven't had any contractions lately, just a lot of heartburn, chocolate pudding and frosted flakes (not together though)!

Overall, it's been a good ending to the weekend!

7 months pregnant!

2009-07-10T20:12:00.012-05:00

So here's a picture of my belly, for those of you wondering how big I am! In this picture, I am 30 and 1/2 weeks OR 7 months exactly. (By the way, I took this on the way back from the bathroom, so I wasn't breaking the rules :)

Hospital Stay- Day 17

2009-07-10T15:29:00.051-05:00

Well as you can see, the blog got a little bit of a face lift! If any of you know me, you know I love color (especially turquoise), so I decided to change the layout up a bit. When I changed the blog up, some of my boxes were deleted, so I re-posted some of the poll questions in the column on the right, as well as some new ones for anyone who wants to take a guess.

Yesterday evening I started having contractions. Dr. BK (the high risk doctor) came to see me and said that my body might be becoming tolerant of the pump, as it did the Procardia. He said if I continue to have contractions, he will either switch me back to the Procardia to see if that makes a difference, or he will put me on a Magnesium drip (IV). From what I understand, this basically relaxes all my muscles in my body, to keep my uterus from contracting. It also is used to push all the other medications out my system. There are some nagging side effects to it, so they don't like to use it unless they absolutely have to. It is very important for me to stay hydrated, otherwise, it can cause me to contract. Yesterday I was feeling nauseous, more than normal, and without realizing it, got dehydrated. So they gave me an IV early this morning, and that calmed everything down.

For more information on it, you can click on this link:
Click here for more about Magnesium in pregnancy

Yesterday, I received a Betamethasone shot and will receive another one today. I have only had 2 in the past and they were at 24 weeks. This is a steroid that targets the lung development of Hudson. I wasn't really sure why they gave it to me because I was under the impression that he was on target developmentally, however the doctor told me that it was pretty standard for someone in my situation to receive 2 more shots after 30 weeks.

My doctor also told me today that they will no longer be measuring my cervix weekly. She said at this point it poses more of a risk that anything. They don't want to do any unnecessary exams because that can trigger contractions and she said even if it did measure shorted, their treatment for me wouldn't change. I'm okay with that; it makes sense. It will just be hard not knowing anymore. She said the next time they will measure my cervix will probably be at about 34 weeks (in 1 month).

I wanted to clarify something that may be a little confusing. The Fetal Fibronectin test that they run to test labor contractions in the next 2 weeks, does not test my cervix. So that test tells us that the contractions I'm having now, are just "pesky" contractions (as my doctor calls them, not to be confused with Braxton Hicks contractions) and I don't think they really know why they are happening. So even though I'm not experiencing labor contractions (which is good!), the contractions that I am having can still cause my cervix to thin, which is still a concern. Does that make sense? The test is supposedly a pretty good indicator and leaves like a 2% chance of the contractions I'm having sending me into labor in the next 2 weeks. That just leaves the scenario of these pesky contractions causing me to go into labor only because they are thinning my cervix. Another thing my doctor told me is that potentially, I could go into labor without having any contractions. The good thing is that the last 2 weeks, my cervix hasn't changed; so bed rest is helping and as long as I continue to do what I'm doing, we're hoping the outcome will stay the same.

Here are some differences between Braxton Hicks contractions and true Labor Contractions (from About.com):

I don't know if I posted before but another thing they want to look out for is blood clots in my legs (which is common for anyone on bed rest). I'm seeing a physical therapist periodically and she gave me some exercises to do along with some lovely stockings I wear!

To wrap up, here is a little about what is going on with Hudson at 30 weeks:

A pint and a half of amniotic fluid surrounds him, but that volume will decrease as he gets bigger and takes up more room in my tummy. His eyesight continues to develop, though it's not very keen; even after he's born, he'll keep his eyes closed for a good part of the day. When he does open them, he'll respond to changes in light, but will have 20/400 vision — which means he can only make out objects a few inches from his face. (Normal adult vision is 20/20.)

That's all for now!

Hospital Stay- Day 16

2009-07-10T11:30:00.015-05:00

What a morning!!!

The nurses monitor me and the baby twice a day on the contraction/heart monitor machine. Usually in the morning and evening. This morning was quite eventful. I woke up around 6am to Blake's snooze alarm repeatedly going off, then around 7am our floor had a fire drill.... you can imagine how much fun THAT was! Luckily I didn't have to leave the room, but the sound of the blaring siren (which went on for about 20 min) and all the nurses talking outside was NOT fun trying to sleep through. After that, I was just about to get back to sleep when my pump started beeping, meaning that it was almost out of medicine. So I called the nurse to let her know. She had to order another refill from the pharmacy so I laid there listening to the annoying beeping noise for about another hour. Then, of course, my phone is ringing, making all kinds of noises... luckily I can silence it. (Sorry to those people who called me early this morning, lol). The cleaning lady then came in and did her daily routine, I really usually enjoy talking to her (Ms. Polly) but this morning she could tell I just wanted to sleep. After she left, I had just gotten back to sleep when my nurse came in and harassed me because I hadn't eaten my breakfast, so I explained to her (almost in tears, that I was so annoyed and tired) that I just wanted to sleep. So she said she would make sure no one bothered me AFTER she put me on the monitor and checked my vitals. At this point, I was just so tired of any kind of noise. I just wanted silence. Every part of me just wanted to play dead so that she had to move me herself, and I wouldn't have to put any effort into it... but something in me said the hospital is no place to joke around like that, haha. So she hooked me up to the monitor and for the first time, I was annoyed to hear Hudson's heartbeat. I get to hear it several times a day, but whenever I am on the monitor, it's 30 min at a time. So I put my pillow over my ears and was determined to make myself fall asleep. The nurse came in about 20 minutes later and woke me up and I was so excited because I thought, finally, I'm through and can really go back to sleep, when I heard her say "are you feeling those?"---- great... meaning contractions. Her name is Lori and she's one of my favorite nurses, and one of the ones I have the most, so I feel like I can be honest with her... so I just looked at her with an "Are you kidding me?" kind of look and told her that I wasn't feeling anything but tired. She gave me an extra does of my Terbutaline (which makes me jittery) and said I would have to stay on the monitor for another 20 minutes. It was hard to lay still after that. So after she took me off the monitor and the contractions stopped, I decided to go ahead and get up and start the day. So after I ate my blueberry muffin (to appease Ms Lori!) I decided I would tell y'all about my morning.

There's really been no other change in the last couple days, which is good. One of the doctors came to see me this morning and sat down (which rarely happens) and just talked to me and asked me if I had any questions or concerns. She reassured me that none of the medicine I am on is affecting the baby. She also told me that the steps they usually take in situations like mine (when someone continues to have contractions) are...

1. Bed rest
2. Procardia (pills to prevent contractions)
3. Up the dosage of Procardia (from 1, to 3 times a day)
4. A shots of Terbutaline (to stop contrations)
5. Max dosage of shots of Terbutaline (3 shots within 45 minutes)
6. Terbutaline pump
7. Terbutaline pump + extra shots
8. Alternate between the pump and Procardia

She said a lot of times, your body can get used to the Procardia, so if you've been off it for a bit, they like to go back to that if the pump isn't working, and she said potentially, I could just alternate between the Procardia and the pump. She said, more than likely, I would be on the pump until about 35 weeks, unless they need to take me off of it.

So that's been my morning so far. I am excited though, my lunch just got here and it's fried catfish with *extra* hush puppies :) and lots of chocolate pudding! Hopefully the rest of the day is a little less exciting that the first part.

Later!

Hospital Stay- Day 14

2009-07-08T14:26:00.007-05:00

Well, today has been a busy day!

This morning they ran another fetal fibronectin test, and it came back negative! That pretty much means that the contractions I'm having, more than likely, aren't pre-labor contractions, however, they still want to manage them because any kind of contraction can effect my cervix.

They also did an ultrasound to measure Hudson's development/weight and to measure my cervix. The doctor determines the official measurement, but out of several measurements, the ultrasound tech told me that the lowest they got was .6, and the highest they measured was .9. So bed rest is doing its job!

When they measured him today, Blake and I had bets going. My guess is that he would weigh in at 3lbs 2oz and Blake guessed 3lbs 5oz. Turns out, he weighed in at....................... 3lbs 8oz!!! So about 3 and 1/2 lbs! Its so funny to me that 3 and 1/2 pounds seems so big to us compared to preparing ourselves to possible have a 1 and 1/2 pound baby, at one point. It's hard to think that he could possible make it to 6 or 7 pounds-- that seems so big to us, but is really only the size of an average baby. The average weight for a baby at 30 weeks (which is what I am today) is 2lbs 9 oz. So he's definitely not slacking!

They tried to get a picture of Hudson's face, but man was he being stubborn!!! They tried so many times and even had this little buzzer that they said usually makes them move, but he didn't budge. He was moving his whole body around, except for his face, so all we got to see this time was the back of his head. They did get us a picture of his little foot, which was something! (It might be hard to make out, his foot is right in the middle with his toes on top).

I see 2 different high risk doctors and about 5 different OB's. They all have different opinions, but some of them have said that if I am still doing well at 35 weeks, they will TALK about letting me continue bed rest at home. That would be wonderful!

Right now I'm still on the pump and although it is making me a bit jittery, it's working great. I have only had one contraction since I've been on it, which is a great improvement. Other than that, everything else is going great!

Thanks for the prayers and hopefully Hudson will continue to improve!

A couple of videos of Huddy rolling around!

2009-07-07T12:52:00.006-05:00

Hospital Stay- Day 12

2009-07-06T23:58:00.009-05:00

Well, I've made it almost 2 weeks here and still have my sanity, so I'm thankful for that!

There has been a little excitement this past week. I continued to have contractions about every night so they bumped me up to the maximum dose of Procardia (3x's a day) to prevent the contractions. After a day or two of that, the contractions started up again. Then most recently, three out of the last four nights I have received shots of Terbutaline to stop the closer contractions. My doctor told us today that sometimes when someone is on Procardia for awhile, your body can get used to it, making it less effective. So his solution to this is to put me on a Terbutaline pump (T-pump). This is a device, comparable to an insulin pump, that would release small doses of Terbutaline throughout the day/night into my leg. They are putting me on the pump today, and that will replace Procardia. There can be some annoying side effects that come with it, like being jittery and elevated heart rate, however, when I have had the shots, the only side effect I've experienced is the jitteriness. Hopefully it won't be as bad since the doses are smaller.

Tomorrow, they will do another fetal fibronectin test, measure my cervix and also take Hudson's measurements to see how he's developing.

My doctor was telling me about another woman he treated who had a cervix that measured .3 (a mm shorter than mine) and they sent her home at 35 weeks, and she held out until 39 weeks. That was encouraging.

That's all for now! I will let y'all know the updates tomorrow when I know them!

Hospital Stay- Day 6

2009-07-01T16:34:00.005-05:00

Well, today marks 29 weeks!

This morning, they measured my cervix again, and out of several measurements, the shortest they got was .6, so it was a little better than last week! That really doesn't change anything, I'll continue to be on bed rest and they will measure my cervix weekly until they decide otherwise.

Earlier this week, one of the nurses took Blake on a tour of the NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit) where Hudson will go if he is born earlier than 37 weeks. I wasn't allowed to go since I'm supposed to stay in bed, so when Blake came back, he told me all about it. He said there were lots of "cute babies" and he even saw one that was 1lb 10oz. He said it was the smallest baby he's ever seen!

Above is a picture of Blake's souvenir from the NICU--a preemie diaper. (Next to my ipod so you can see the size)

They didn't measure Hudson this time, and probably won't until next week, but he's more than likely coming up on 3lbs. He pretty much never stops moving and continues to look good on the monitor. My nurses are very sweet and are doing a great job of taking care of us.

Here is a little more about what is going on this week with Hudson's development:

Hudson now weighs in between 2 1/2 and 3 pounds and is a tad over 15 inches long from head to heel. His muscles and lungs are continuing to mature, and his head is growing bigger to make room for his developing brain, and his bones are soaking up lots of calcium. This trimester, about 250 milligrams of calcium are deposited into his hardening skeleton each day.

Sorry I don't have a picture for this week, they didn't print me out one, but I did get to see him and he's looking great!

Thanks again for the prayers and all your support! :)

Hospital Stay- Day 3

2009-06-28T16:25:00.005-05:00

I'm pretty much settled in and things are going well. Here's Hudson's new picture!

Yesterday morning I started having contractions again, so they gave me a Terbutaline shot to stop them, and that did the trick. They doubled my dose of daily contraction medicine, (Procardia), so I'm now taking one in the morning and evening. Saturday evening I had some more contractions, however after taking my second dose of medicine, they stopped.

They started me on my progesterone steroids, and will continue those daily until I'm 36 weeks, or obviously, until Hudson comes--whichever is first.

They won't take Hudson's measurements until another week. I think he's getting big. When I was hooked up to the monitor yesterday, he had several "fetal heart accelerations" which they said are good to see. At his stage of development, they like to see him have at least two heart accelerations within 15 minutes, and last night, he had ten! So he's doing great!

They will measure my cervix again in a few days. Until then, I'm enjoying the surprisingly good food and enjoying lots of movies! The doctors think I will be here for awhile, so that's good, as far as Hudson goes!

Doctor visit 6/26

2009-06-26T19:26:00.002-05:00

Sorry for the late update. Well, today was a little bit of a set back. I went in today and my cervix measured at .4, which is very short. They immediately told me that I was to be on hospital bed rest for the duration of the pregnancy. So, I will basically be here until little Hudson comes.

So I'm now checked into my comfy room. I saw the doctor again after I checked in and he said he may want to start me on additional steroids, this time for my cervix--to help strengthen it.

We asked him about a time line again, and again, he said everyone's different. It could be today or I might go until September. Hopefully it will be later than sooner. I am 28 weeks and 2 days today.

The good news is that everything is still looking good with Hudson! We got another ultrasound picture that I will upload later.

Thanks again for everyone's prayers! Even though it may not be fun, I hope I'm here for awhile. At this point the baby's surviving rate is fine, we'd just like for him to be in there as long as he can!

The doctor said today that we will have a better idea of what's going on by the beginning of next week. So I will update with any more news.

Thanks!

28 Weeks

2009-06-24T16:42:00.002-05:00

Just a little bit about what's happening this week with the baby's development...

Hudson weighs about two and a half pounds (like a Chinese cabbage) and measures about 15 inches from the top of his head to his heels. He can blink his eyes, which now sport lashes. With his eyesight developing, he may be able to see the light that filters in through my womb. He's also developing billions of neurons in his brain and adding more body fat in preparation for life in the outside world. (from BabyCenter.com)

My next doctor's appointment is this Friday, so hopefully we'll keep getting good news (and another good picture)!

Doctor visit 6/22

2009-06-22T12:51:00.002-05:00

Well, another good report!

The fetal fibronectin test came back negative. Which basically indicates that is it most likely that I will not go into labor in the next two weeks.

Great news!

I will go back Friday for another ultrasound and to check my cervix. Hopefully things will continue to go well! That is definitely an answered prayer!

Thanks again for all your prayers, they are working!

Posting comments

2009-06-21T13:17:00.003-05:00

Okay, I've heard from several people that they are having trouble posting comments, so here are a few steps that you can try.

- Click on "COMMENTS" below the post you want to comment on.
- Write your comments in the "POST A COMMENT" box.
- Underneath the box there is a drop down menu. Select "Name/Url".
- Fill in your name (no need to fill in the URL box) and click continue.
- The select "Post Comment".

That should work! If you have trouble after that, you can always e-mail me at Ambutler623@gmail.com

Doctor visit 6/19

2009-06-19T12:23:00.005-05:00

Here is Hudson's first 3D ultrasound picture! You can't tell in this one, but he already has some hair on his head. From another angle we got to see some hair flipping up over his ears! He had his arm in front of his face most of the time, and finally she got him to move it under his chin for this picture.

Today was a good report!

We went to a high risk specialist, his name is Dr. Schneider. We really liked him! He was very informative and easy to talk to.

They did an in depth ultrasound to check Hudson's weight and measurements, and turns out he's going to take after Blake! He weighed in at 2lbs 5 oz. The ultrasound tech said he's in the 72nd percentile for weight at this point in the pregnancy. She said we didn't want anything over 80 or under 20, so he's on the heavier end of normal! She measured all the major bones and organs and she said he has nice long arms and broad shoulders (like his daddy). When the doctor saw the measurements and then looked at Blake he said he will definitely take after him. His exact words were "We got a ball player here!".

He will talk with my OB and they will continue to work together, but as of right now I go back in Monday for my fetal fibronectin test, then again next Friday for another ultrasound and also to measure my cervix again.

Thanks again for the prayers and we will keep you updated!

If there ever was a clip from a movie that I can relate to, it's this! Enjoy! :)

2009-06-18T22:54:00.007-05:00

Doctor visit 6/18

2009-06-18T12:05:00.009-05:00

Well, I'm home from the doctor, and here's the latest update. My cervix measured at 1.3 again. There was also some fluid in my cervix, which wasn't there last time. Overall, my doctor said she felt comfortable with me going back home today and remaining on bed rest. She made me an appointment for tomorrow morning (Friday) to see a high risk specialist. We will see what he says and then he and my doctor will figure out a plan from there.

Here is an ultrasound shot from today :) I think he looks like Blake in this one.

My doctor also said she wanted to run a fetal fibronectin test to determine the likely hood of me going into labor within the next two weeks. If the test comes back negative, that will be good and will let us know we have a little more time. I posted a link below that explains a little bit about how the test works.

http://www.marchofdimes.com/professionals/14332_1149.asp

They will also measure Hudson again either tomorrow or next week to see how much he's grown in the past 2 weeks.

I asked my doctor, from what she has seen in my progression, if she had any idea of a time-line of when I might have him, and she said basically you never know. She said I could go into labor tonight or I could hold off for another 2 months. So it was good to know that it was still a possibility to go that far.

That's about it for now. I will update again tomorrow.

Thanks for reading!

27 Weeks

2009-06-17T13:28:00.003-05:00

Well, we've made it 2 weeks since all the excitement started! That is definitely an answered prayer and blessing. I am 27 weeks today and I wanted to let everyone know (courtesy of BabyCenter.com) what all is going on this week with the baby's development.

This week, Hudson weighs about 2 pounds and is about 14 1/2 inches long with his legs extended. For any of you who know our dog Lexi, he's about her size, just a little lighter. He's sleeping and waking at regular intervals, opening and closing his eyes, and perhaps even sucking his fingers. With more brain tissue developing, his brain is very active now. While his lungs are still immature, they would be capable of functioning — with a lot of medical help — if he were to be born now- not taking into account his steroid shots. Any tiny rhythmic movements I might be feeling could be a case of baby hiccups, which may be common from now on. Each episode usually lasts only a few moments, and they don't bother him.

Also, on another note, I go back to the doctor tomorrow- so I will update y'all on what she says!

To catch everyone up...

2009-06-12T23:44:00.002-05:00

The past 26 weeks have been nothing short of a new adventure for us and our families. I know a lot of you have just now heard about the pregnancy and/or the hiccups along the way. Again, we are so thankful for everyone's prayers and thoughts, and even though we try to update everyone individually as much as possible, we want everyone to be able to stay informed on exactly what is going on. So to those of you who are interested in what has led up 'til now, here goes.

We found out I was pregnant back in January and despite the unplanned surprise, we are very excited about it! For those of you who know me well, you know my plans for kids (if any) weren’t in the near future, but it’s amazing how God has different plans. My attitude on kids has changed dramatically throughout all this.

We found out we were having a boy and I don't think it's any secret we're excited to have a little football player on the way :) We decided to name him John Hudson Butler. Blake, his father and grandfather all have the first name John, so we wanted to keep that tradition going. We were talking about parents who name their kids after cities and so for the fun of it, we went through where all Blake had lived (since I had only lived in Memphis) and we got to Hudson, Ohio... and we both kinda liked it. From then on we kept going back to it and ended up being sold on it.

So, besides the constant morning sickness, my medical problems have been minimal until recently. When I went in for my 21 week check up, I had told them about some complications that my mother had with me, my brother and the preterm birth my mom had before me. They measured my cervix and it measured a little shorter than what they were comfortable with. For all those not familiar with pregnancy terms (like me)… the cervix is basically the lining that holds the baby in. As this gets shorter (or thinner/weaker) the risk of the baby coming early is greater. For all my nurse friends, they first measured it at 2.9, which is slightly lower than "normal". I went back in at 22 weeks and it measured at 3.1. My doctor figured I just had a short cervix for my body and that it had just fluctuated. So I went about my normal routine and was scheduled to come back a month later. When I went back for my 24 week check up, I had felt more pressure than before and I asked my doctor to check my cervix again, just to ease my mind. She ordered an ultrasound and additional tests and told me that my cervix was measuring at 1.3! She sat me down and told me that I was to immediately go home and go on bed rest for the duration of the pregnancy and that where I was, was borderline to putting me on hospital bed rest. She then told me that she wanted to start me and the baby on steroid shots to boost his lung development in case he came in the next week or so. That was a scary reality. I met Blake at home and we talked about where to go from there. That was a tough day. We had begun to have a peace about the whole situation that afternoon and wanted to continue life as much as we could. For those of you who don't know, we have a bible study at our house every Thursday night for college and young adults and I wanted to still carry on with that--after all, life still goes on. So we told everyone that we were still on for bible study. About an hour before people were to arrive, I started having contractions. The weren't terrible, but I didn't feel good about it and decided to go in and make sure everything was okay. So we went in to the hospital Thursday evening. When I got there, they immediately hooked me up to a monitor and recorded my contractions at 3-5 minutes apart. They gave me shots to stop the contractions and luckily succeeded. They monitored me all night and Friday morning I started having contractions again. They started me on medicine to manage the contractions that I will take for the duration of the pregnancy. They ran a test to determine whether the contractions were the type to possible lead to labor in the next two weeks and it came back negative, which was the best news we had heard all week! So the only thing left they wanted to check was my cervix. They did an ultrasound Sunday morning and it measured at 1.6, so they gave me another steroid shot and sent me home! :)

Since then, I have gone back to the doctor once, and they ran some more tests and the report wasn't bad. They measured my cervix at 1.5 and said all things considered, that was just fine and to keep doing what I'm doing on bed rest and I will check back in next week. They also measured Hudson and said he weighed in at 1 lb 15 oz, which is right on track for 26 weeks! We have been so thankful that throughout all this that Husdon's development and progress has remained perfect and completely unaffected by the other issues.

So that's basically it for now. I didn't realize how much I have to say about all this until I sat down to type it. There have been so many little fun stories that I will post later for those of you who like reading blogs :) but as for now, that's it!

The purpose of the blog.

2009-06-12T23:14:00.001-05:00

If you know me well, you know I'm not a "blogger". So, some of you may be surprised that I "caved in" to the blogging world. Sorry to disappoint you, but really the only reason for this blog is to keep everyone updated on what's been going on with the pregnancy.

I will be on bed rest for the duration of the pregnancy and even though things are looking up, we aren't completely out of the water. We have really appreciated everyone's prayers and support and want to keep everyone as updated as possible.

I hope not to get sucked in and ramble about things that you don't care to read about. I will try my best not to let the bed rest boredom get the best of me and will let you know what posts are important updates and what are just random meaningless thoughts :)

That's about it for now! It might be a few days before the next update. We are at a hotel tonight since we don't have power so we're taking advantage of internet access while we have it. Off to bed!

*The Butler's*