Announcing the arrival of Katherine Stella!

[BethersinMN]

CONGRATULATIONS GIRL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I knew you could do it. I am beyond proud of you!! And I am sure you know how happy for I am for you. Your daughter is just so beautiful and your angel daughter will be watching over you all always!! I am just so sosososo so happy for you and your family. Enjoy all these precious moments you and your family so deserve it. I am glad labor was ok.....Get your health back now and take care of your girls.

Big Hugs and Lots of Love,
Bethers

[Jenny]

Congratulations! What a beautiful little girl. I hope she is safely out of the NICU and home with you soon! Can't wait to hear more! Take care!

Jen

[nomore]

Hi everyone,

Thanks so much for the wonderful wishes I feel like HG is such a world away from me.... dealing with the pre-eclampsia feels like in ways was a huge challenge.... I will post more later. I have finally just gotten off of the mag sulfate. My BP got pretty high and it was pretty scary there for a while. They were very concerned about me having seizures. So, on top of a diagnosis of severe hg this pregnnacy I also got diagnosed with severe pre-eclampsia. Just another reason to be glad this is the last baby. Not that I want more, but this time, my family made me promise no more.... while HG is scary and challenging.... pre-e can be just as darn scary and quite dangerous if not controlled. Laboring on all those meds... hooked up to all those tubes.... not being allowed to move, sit up, etc.... was a challenge. I very much envy those of you who have the opportunity to go into labor on thier own and labor without medical interventions (which I have never had).

But- I wanted to let you all know Katie is doing well. She is on pressurized room air to help her breathing and is under the photo lights to help with her jaundice. I have not been able to hold her since I delivered her..... in fact I have only been allowed to see her once today due to the BP and the mag sufalte.... and as excited as I was to see her, I felt like I was going to pass out from my meds, so I cant wait to go visit her in a little bit. I am pumping every 3 hours and right now Katie has an IV in and will be getting TPN (hey- at least Im familair with that one....). They will feed her the collustrum in a tube that goes right into her belly. Once the Drs say she is ready to try feeding, I get to nurse her... but I do not know when that will be.

Im elated that she is here... but even though I dreamt of things being over early, I would rather be dealing with bedrest and HG than seeing my little peanut all hooked up to all sorts of moniters and not being quite 100% yet. So, ladies that are due near me, please dont be jealous....

I will post the labor story later. A little scary, but none the less, we made it though

Robin

[teddi]

Oh Robin, while I am so happy for you that all is reasonably well, I am also way too familiar with what you are going thru ((((HUGS))))

That's wonderful she's breathing room air. I'm sooo sorry you haven't been able to hold her. Been there, done that. It sucks. And I know it's hardly even a relief to have HG gone when you are actually still just as sick, hooked up to everything, on meds still, and not actually healhty and with your baby.

I'm glad you are off the mag. Does that mean your BP is now back to normal, or at least much improved?

I'm terribly sorry the labor... ugh... inductions, meds, and scary situations, no fun Neither is the NICU and separation. I guess I was just niave. I really did NOT think my girls would be in the NICU but say, maybe just a day or so. After all I had hit the 37 week mark. But they still needed more time to bake, even though there was no more my body had left to give.

It was 4 days, 4 UNECESSARY days IMO, that I was not able to nurse the girls, for several reasons. I hope the NICU is well aware you want to start nursing ASAP. The NG tube is good though, it should help nursing go better. If they don't seem to share your priority, just be a squeaky wheel.

[AmberWest]

(((((((((((Robin)))))))))))))

First off I want to say congratulations on the birth of Katie! I'm so beyond proud of you for all you've struggled through to bring her into the world. You are a amazing girl with a level of strength that is inspiring.

I have to say I just started to cry at the thought that you have yet to be able to hold your precious little girl. Yet I'm confident in my heart that she's getting the best of medical care and will grow and thrive to be as strong as her mommy. She's just beautiful btw.

I hope your bp is coming under control quickly and I'm so glad that you're now off the mag sulfate. I'm sending all the healing vibes your way I can so you'll be strong again asap. Thank you so much for posting during this draining time to let us know how things are going. You know what a bunch of worry queens we all are.

Take care of yourself and rest, you sure have earned it.

`hugs`
Amber

[IslandDreamer]

Omigosh omigosh omigosh.

((((ROBIN and KATIE)))

I'm so excited!!!! How did I miss the part where you were going to deliver?

CONGRATULATIONS!

I'm so glad Katie is doing well. And I pray you are HG free and feeling reasonably okay.

Love,
Suzanne

[carla]

Oh robin,

you have been through so much! I hope Katie is out of the NICU very soon. She is lovely. I can't wait to hear the rest of your story. YOu two have been through so much together, that I just know that everything is going to be fine! YOu are both strong.

Can't wait to see more photos. Congrtulations you 2.

[rjdecker]

Robin,

I just wanted to add that your little girl is so beautiful!!!!!!!! I was having a hard day and came here and look what I found! It sure has lifted my spirits. I am glad you are doing better and hoping little Katherine gets out of the NICU soon!

Jenny

[aaronsmommy]

Aaron was 5 days old before I help him for the first time, and when the nurse who finally offered to let me hold him found that out she was horrified! I think the nurses sometimes "forget" (sometimes on purpose because it makes things easier for them) that these are our babies and things like getting to hold them are important too.
She sounds stable enough to be held, so just ask every time you go in (and hopefully you can go in more often now).

[caleighbelle47]

I agree that she sounds stable enough to be held so ask when you see her. John was born at 34 weeks and spent 11 days in the NICU, it sounds like Katie is doing better than John did so hopefully her stay won't be too long. The NICU is quite stressful.

I was originally told that I would be able to breastfeed John early, but when it came time to start feeds they wouldn't let me do. They insisted that he had to take a bottle so that they would know how much he was eating. In fact they never let me attempt breastfeeding in the NICU. He was pretty set on his bottle by the time he came home and breastfeeding never worked. Make sure you stress what you want to them and hopefully she'll catch on well.

[Marie]

Robin,

Congratulations to you and your family. Srange to see your siggie with the words hoping for a late Jan baby, and here she is in December
I hope you are recovering well. Please update on you and baby when you can.

Hugs,
Marie

[BrandiJK]

Robin, I am just getting to reading these latest updates, so sorry for my late response. I have, indeed, been thinking of you. I just did not realize there were updates in here yet.

I am heart broken that she is still in NICU and you are still recovering. I hope you both get some kind of health push and can be strong together very soon. Please continue to update us as you can, but mostly, rest well.

I can not wait to hear what she feels like in your arms!

[Mishelly]

Congratulations I'm glad you and the baby are doing okay. I was worried. I'm so happy for you!

[Atsie]

I was wondering about you guys!! I am glad to hear that you guys are improving! I hope you are all home soon!!!

[Natalie]

Hi Robin

Eeeeeeek, I hadn't realised you had posted an update either

I'm so sorry that Katie is still in the NICU and that you haven't been able to hold her yet. That must be so heartbreaking. But I'm also glad she's doing well and I do so hope her jaundice and other issues sort themselves out soon. Btw, I love the name, I really do

Robin, at the risk of sounding really gushy and dreadful I just want to say that you really are an inspirational woman. I never even knew people could get such horrific HG until I 'met' people like you. And that's not including the Pre-e, bed rest etc... etc... It really is simply amazing what you have endured to get your precious girls here. I have some serious respect for you!

Take care of yourself. And when you can, give little Katie a little kiss from me and tell her I say 'welcome'!

Love Natalie, x

[blessedw4]

Robin,

Congratulations on the arrival of Katie. I am so sorry that you have not been able to hold her yet. That breaks my heart. I will pray for her and for you.

[hellcats]

Robin,

Congratulations on a gorgeous child. You have been to hell and back but this bit will pass and soon you will be holding Katie and all of the earlier anguish will cease to be. Hang on in their.

Love

Beth xx

[Mom to Aidan & Daniel]

I think of you and Katie every day. I had naively hoped that with a relatively high birthweight despite being so early, she would be out of the hospital within a few days. I didn't think about her lungs being underdeveloped, and other complications arising.
You truly are amazing, and I can't wait to hear about her being safely in your arms, and coming home with her. I'm so sorry that you're going through all this, after the pregnancy you went through!
Take good care of yourself, my dear. You deserve spoiling and pampering and loads of love.

Hugs

Sarah