2nd Procedure - 11 Months Old

Firstly, I want to tell you baby girl, I think you are the bravest, most forgiving, extraordinary positive love angel that I have ever known. You inspire me, give me courage and make me want to be a better person.

Wednesday, February 2 2011
12:30pm
Dad and I walked into Rady's Children hospital in San Diego with you in our arms, pushing all our belongings in your stroller and checked-in for your elective "surgery"to reduce the size of your lymphatic malformation (cystic hygroma) My heart pounded knowing that you had no idea what was about to happen. You were giggling and playing and just being your usual easy going self. Your vitals all read well, you weighed in at a healthy 24lb and managed your hunger without a single complaint.I was relieved you were able to take a really good nap before we left home, that was God's doing I know because you have not been napping very well over the last week.

2:30pm
A lovely nurse called for you and it was time to roll. We walked with you in our arms up to the radiology room where we waited for Dr. Dory and Dr. Magit to come and chat with us. The plan was to aggressively inject the potent antibiotic Doxycycline into your cysts directly through your throat and floor of your mouth. We handed you over to the anesthesiologist Dr. Alvin H Faierman, who has a friendly smile and gently laid you on your back to administer the sleepy gas. They do this before they put the needle in you so lessen your anxiety.

3:30pm
Gigi came straight from work to see you but the hospital wouldn't allow any visitors inside so we all waited together for a nurse to come call us into recovery when you woke up. They finally called for "mom only" and I raced like a headless chicken to you, I could hear you crying as I walked in I knew it was you, when I saw you, you were so swollen I barely recognized you, I had to be brave, no tears and I just smiled at you.I picked you up and immediately you drifted off to sleep. I was so grateful to have you back in my arms. I praised God for your safety and that it was over. I just sat there and watched the peaceful look in your face. I love you more than words can describe.

5:30pm
Finally we got you safely into your room. We are blessed to have a private room with a view and a foldout chair. Dad and I agreed to take turns in staying up and watching over you. You slept fairly well only waking for a bottle and a cuddle. We won't leave you. Ever.

Thursday, February 3 2011
8:00am
You woke up very cheerful, we ordered breakfast and you shared my eggs and oatmeal and ate like a champ. We entertained you with DVD's, toys, walks. You finally drank two bottles and some water so we asked if they would take you off the IV and monitor you with the hope of being discharged that evening.

6:00pm
I could not believe how well you were doing just 24 hours after such an invasive procedure. You were playful, happy, eating, drinking, sleeping - doing everything you normally do and the swelling had gone down by about 30%. The doctors and nurses were pleased so gave you your discharge papers!

7:00pm
Your family was so exited to see you come home, you were getting 100's of well wishes on FaceBook. Gigi was on her way to meet us at our house to give you a big hug...but I had to call and tell her maybe tomorrow. You were so tired you fell asleep in the car on the way home, they didn't let you rest much in the hospital, poking you and prodding you every 4 hours, so I was overjoyed to see you resting.

Friday, February 4 2011
2:00am
You had woken up a few times and felt a bit warm, but with some gentle loving and a change of clothes I thought nothing more of it until 2am. We took your temperature and you were running a 104...that really scared us, we put you in the bathtub, gave you Motrin and called the hospital and they said we could either bring you into the emergency or wait until the morning o see Dr. Magit. We decided tow ait - I didnt want to subject you too the ospital, lights and pokes so dad and I sat up all night holding you, watching you sleep and keeping a cool cloth on your neck.

12:00pm
In walks Dr. Magit. He looked in your ears and mouth and took your temperature then announced he would book a room for you. He suggested we stay overnight to monitor you and put you on steroids and antibiotics as well as fluids because you were dehydrated. I was scared. Dad was strong for the both of us. He cried much later, when we were both asleep.

6:00pm
This was possibly the worst moments of our lives. You were wide awake and the nurses had to put a needle and splint in your arm for your drip. Our nurse called the best nurse on the shift for the job, she tried twice. You screamed your little heart out as we cried with you trying to distract you with "blues Clues" and "Moose and Zee" youTube videos. I never want you tuo hurt, ever but I know that in life we all get hurt one way or another. we learn from our pain. I just hope you knew how much we love you and wanted to protect you. The nurse felt really bad for you. She called the EMT's to come and administer your IV needle as they do it all the time the would have better luck. They poked you once...then got you the next time. You were so glad to see them go and after that didn't trust anyone that even walked in the room. Anyone that came within a meter of you, you would scream blue murder.

12:00pm
All through the night you were fed your antibiotics and steroids through the IV, you weren't able to sleep much between the beeping and prodding but we knew it only meant you would be getting better and not have to deal with that scary fever again. You ate a good breakfast and gulped down a couple of bottles, so were given the "all-clear" to be released. That was the best news I had heard all week. They wrote you a prescription for Augmentin and sent us home.

First Procedure - 7 Months Old

Friday: September 24, 2010

8:00am
6oz formula.

11:00am
4oz pear juice.

12:00pm
We checked into Rady's children hospital mentally but not completely emotionally prepared. I could not feed my daughter for 6 hours. This was the most disturbing part of the whole ordeal because I felt like I was being cruel, even though I know it was to prevent choking with vomiting under anesthesia.


1:00pm
Initially there was allot of confusion, one administrative personal had Franki scheduled with the wrong surgeon. Another thought we were in for some sort of dental surgery. Another said it was a CT scan and we would be in and out the same day. This did not help our anxiety in the least. We requested a meeting with her specialist Dr. Anthony Magit and he confirmed what we thought we were there for all along so our minds were put at rest.

2:00pm
A nurse came to get us and we were escorted into radiology. We chose to carry Franki over having her on a gurney. She was so alert looking at the cartoon stickers and smiling at everyone. She never cried once, instead she had a peace about her even though she had not eaten in 6 hours. A very nice nurse introduced herself and offered some words of comfort. We met the anesthesiologist and radiologist and they explained the procedure in detail. Dr. Dory injected (we counted the piercings) her 8 times through the throat and Dr. Magic injected her under the tongue.

Originally it was suggested we get the OK432 but her cysts were considered "micro" so a better choice would be an alcohol/detergent substance but after further inspection of the MRI and ultrasound, the doctors decided on an antibiotic fluid to avoid a three day draining period and excessive pain.

Her cysts were drained and then the antibiotic was injected into the areas and left in there to dissolve on its own.

3:00pm
One parent was called into recovery. I could not believe my eyes when I walked in. She was looking around, still not crying, she just seemed a bit ired but not nearly as horrified as she was when she came out of the MRI Anesthesia back in May. As soon as I picked her up and cuddled her she fell asleep on my chest. They monitored her for an hour and she drank a few sips of pedialite here and there.

4:10pm
We were escorted by a wonderful nurse to Franki's very own hospital room. She even had her name on the board and a sweet little crib bed. We brought her own blanket and pj's but I couldn't use them because they had attached feet and she had an oxygen monitor on her big toe (which fascinated her, she kept wanting to put the glowing red toe in her mouth) She felt allot better after she guzzled 6oz of formula.

7:00pm
Gigi and papa came to visit. Franki got plenty of hugs and kisses and gigi even bought her some pjs...without feet! So or precious little girl got cozy and out of the embarrassing backless hospital gown. We had to call the nurse in to see how active our little bug is, turning left then right, flipping onto her belly then back onto her back, doing 360 degree break dance moves. We requested the IV tubing be disconnected. If it wasn't disconnected we would have been watching her all night consistently untangeling her for fear of being strangled. Dr. Magic and the nurse agreed.

8:00pm
Exhausted, yet still completed unaffected by the days events, I curled into Franki's crib and she fell asleep on my chest. She slept well all night, only waking intermittently because of the strange lights and sounds of the hospital. I slept a bit here and there on the foldout chair but Franki's dad was up all night, without a wink of sleep watching her breathing and oxygen levels. He even posted on his Facebook account status: "...is sitting awake at 3:45 am in a hospital room watching his baby girl sleeping. There is no where I would rather be and nothing I would rather be doing."I decided that Saturday night I would let him sleep and I would stay up and watch her.

Saturday: September 25, 2010
9:00am
The nurses and doctors came into Franki's room and agreed she was doing well and cleared to go home. We couldn't believe how fortunate we were to be taking her home when we thought we would only be home by Monday! All prayers were answered!

MRI at Rady's Children Hospital

May 24, 2010
This was the most anxiety I have felt in my life. She was not allowed too eat for 4 hours because she was having anesthesia but that wasn't the worst, holding her hand whilst they were giving her gas and her being so scared and hanging on my finger then watching her go limp was the hardest part for Nate and I.

She was very brave, she woke up petrified but was eating and back to normal after an hour. Now we are just waiting on results to see if she needs surgery.

Thank you for your prayers it was prayer that made the day go allot easier than it could have gone.

Watch Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ocMtk9NHypU

Happy Birthday!

2:00am, February 21, 2010
I woke up with some pretty steady contractions. Not too painful but enough to know we were talking business. I woke your dad up to tell him that it would probably be best to get over to the hospital since it was so far from home. I was counting my contractions to be 7 minutes apart. He is a bit of a stickler for using public bathrooms and knew we would be at the hospital for a while so decided to wait and see, if anything would happen. My contractions moved to 5 minutes apart and I requested we skip the bathroom wait and get going.

Five Centimeters
By the time we got to triage at Mary Birch I was already measuring 5 cm dilation although the contractions were 5 minutes apart they were not very strong but they admitted me into labor and delivery room. By this time gigi and papa, aunty Danielle and aunty Andrea had arrived and we didn't know how long the wait would be. I was excited, not at all nervous and hoping for the best. I was still coughing hard all the time with my bronchitis and could barely breathe and the conjunctivitis was so bad at this point that I had green ooze coming out of my eyes. I was hungry from only eatings soup having been sick and tired having not been able to sleep due to the big belly so I was weak, but knew that this was one of the most important days of my life so was going to give it my all.

Nine Centimeters
Between 6am-11am I had dilated to 9 cm, but my water had not broken so Dr. Chortkoff broke it for me. I was certain I would deliver you by noon and was excited at the prospect of eating as all I had been sipping on was vitamin water and jello. Other than the hunger things were going just as I had hoped they would, I had the epidural at 5cm and had only pressed the release button a few times as I wanted to feel what was going on. I was feeling courageous and ready to go but alas I wouldn't dilate further even though the contractions were closer together and allot more painful.

By 3pm they gave me some Pitocin to help the dilation. At this point I was starting to swell closed and they wanted to avoid a c-section, our nurse Virgina was certain I'd have the baby by 5pm. We hoped so because she had to knock off work soon and we didn't want a different nurse. She had been with us all day and was the most amazing nurse and caretaker anyone could have dreamed for. She kept checking me, asking if I felt the need to push and I didn't. We waited.

From 3am papa had sat in the waiting room, gigi had been running around getting your dad food and me juice and ice. Aunty Andrea and aunty "D" were with us the entire day. I could not have done it without all the love and support. Your daddy was constantly on the phone uploading updates to Facebook and emailing friends and family.

It was about 5pm and suddenly I felt the need to push sort of like a bowel movement. I let everyone know and there was allot of rushing about. I was so relieved to have my actual doctor on call to deliver our baby, most people never get to have the doctor they have been visiting with for 10 months, I knew without a doubt I was in great hands.

Puuuush
I thought due to my core strength I would birth you in a few pushes, but I was wrong. I think had I not had such chronic bronchitis I would have had a much easier time. I pushed for about an hour and a half and the entire time I had a wet clothe over my eyes because they were so painful and the two spotlights above me didn't help. I wish I had seen more of what was going on around me. Dad held a leg and whispered words of encouragement and at 6:28pm February 21, 2010 you, our beautiful, perfect baby girl was born. 7lb 11 ounce and 19 inches long :-)

37 weeks

I am officially "full term" That means anytime from here on out if I go into labor they won't stop it. What a eventful week in my pregnancy!

Friday 02/05/10 I had my scheduled appointment to see Dr. Chortkoff. I was looking forward to hearing my "stats" so was very eager to get over to Carmel valley. When I got there I saw Jennifer the wonderful nurse practitioner as usual she took my blood pressure and weight. When she asked how I was I mentioned, I was doing fine but that Franki's movements seemed to have slowed down a bit. I didn't think about it that much because I assumed that since she had so little room to move that was the probable cause. WRONG! Even though she has limited room her kick counts should not decrease! Immediately they put me on the monitor..I laid there for about 45 minutes and although they weren't worried they weren't happy either so sent me down to triage. Triage was happy to take me ad monitored me on their fancier machines for about an hour...consensus was that baby and mom are both fine and fluid is good.

Monday (02/08/10) I started bleeding profusely - like a gush of blood at about 10pm. I wasn't worried though because I heard this can happen and expected it to stop. Well I changed my little paper roll ups (I don't own pads) about 5 times through the night...although it slowed down it didn't stop. Tuesday morning it was time to call Jennifer again. As soon as she heard this she said - its back down to triage for you...Again they wonderful nurses there took me in like a stray cat and made me feel very comfortable. This time they tested my cervix as well as mine and Franki's heart rate and my contractions. The doctor on call wanted hem to monitor me for a while because my contractions were constant, but they ended up discharging me because they weren't consistent. They said to watch the blood flow and to call if it persists.

My stats:
Dilated: 3cm
Cervix: 80% effaced
Group B strep test Negative

Wednesday 02/10/10 I raced upstairs to get to the bathroom because shocker - I needed to pee. When I went to wipe, a really large lump (size of a quarter) of what appeared to be a blood clot was on the tissue, that scared me, but I thought with all the bleeding it may be normal. Without sounding gross I squeezed and poked it to realize it was really hard, could this be my mucus plug!? As soon as I was out the bathroom I jumped into the shower where I discover yet another piece of the same alien looking stuff, this time a bit smaller like that of a dime. Again I poked and squeezed it. Perplexed I told my hubby about it and he called our mom to see what she thought. We all agreed it had to be the mucus plug. We still don't know for sure. I googled it of course - and there are very few pictures on what this curious membrane should look like.

I have been working hard all week - 6:15am - 11:45am at one place and then at 12:15pm - 6:00pm at another place. Needless to say its the schedule that has tuckered me out not being pregnant. I decided with all the goings on this week - its time to pack the bag and my love put Franki's seat into the car. We are ready.

Today is the last day of my 37th week. I feel almost no contractions, just the occasional back ache. My sleep has been good its just the 6 bathroom breaks a night that get me up. I have another appointment today and will ask about my plug and if I have dilated any further.

I wonder if we will be having a valentines baby?

Birth Plan

We're looking forward to sharing our birth experience with you. We have created this birth plan in order to outline some of our preferences for birth. We understand that there may be situations in which our choices may not be possible, but we hope that to move toward with our goals as much as possible and to make this labor and birth a great experience. We do not want to replace the medical personnel, but instead want to be informed of any procedures in advance, and to be allowed the chance to give informed consent.

Labor
-Please do not perform routine prepatory tasks (shaving, enema, etc.), unless requested.
-I expect that doctors and hospital staff will discuss all procedures with me before they are performed.
-I will remain hydrated by drinking moderate amounts of fluids (water & juice).
-So I can stay as mobile as possible, I would prefer to have a heparin lock administered instead of an IV.
-Please do not administer an IV or heparin lock unless there is a clear medical indication that such is necessary.
-I would like a quiet, soothing environment during laborwith minimal interruptions.
-Please limit the number of vaginal exams.
-Please do not permit observers such as interns, students or unnecessary staff into the room without my permission.
-To preserve my privacy and dignity, I would prefer that everyone knock before entering.
-The only persons allowed in my room during birth should be my husband, Nate Bruno

Labor Induction/Augmentation
-I would like to avoid induction unless it is medically necessary.
-I would like to try alternative means of labor augmentation, like walking or nipple stimulation, before pitocin or artificial rupture of membranes is attempted.
-If induction is necessary, I would like to attempt it with prostaglandin gel or another means before pitocin is administered.
-Please do not rupture my membranes artificially unless medically indicated.

Cesarean Section Delivery
-I feel very strongly that I would like to avoid a cesarean delivery.
-If a cesarean is necessary, I expect to be fully informed of all procedures and actively participate in decision-making.
-I would like Nate Bruno to be present during the surgery.
-If possible, I would like to breastfeed Our daughter immediately after the birth.

Perineal Care
-I prefer not to have an episiotomy unless it is medically indicated.
-To avoid episiotomy or tearing, Nate Bruno or my labor assistant will perform perineal massage with oil and apply hot compresses.
-To help my perineum stretch, please help guide my pushing efforts by letting me know when to push and when to stop.
-Please administer local anesthesia when repairing any episiotomy or tear(s).
-Please suture tears only if necessary.

After birth
-Please place Our daughter on my stomach/chest immediately after delivery.
-I would like to breastfeed Our daughter immediately.
-The doctor will cut the cord.
-Please remove my IV/Heparin lock/catheter as soon as possible after delivery.

Newborn Care
-Please evaluate and bathe Our daughter at my bedside.

Postpartum
-I would prefer not to be catheterized until I've had some private time to attempt urination on my own.
-If available, I would prefer a private room.

Breastfeeding
-I plan to breastfeed and want to nurse immediately following the birth.
-I would like to know more about breastfeeding.
-I would like to meet with the staff lactation consultant.

Hospital Packing List

Since research and research some more, is my thing...Its not surprising that I already started my packing list. In fact I saw some girls on Baby Centers list and it got me thinking...So why not have a list I can edit at anytime :-)

Labor Bag:
-medical records for nurse, and all insurance papers
-lavender massage oil
-easily digestible foods (fruit, yogurt, crackers)
-hard candy
-comfortable loose pants, and a tank top
-extra underwear, slippers
-burt's bees chapstick
-camera
-Phone numbers of people you (Or hunny) needs to call
-Ipod soothing music
-Cell phone
-magazines

Hospital stay after birth:
-sleep clothes designed for nursing, no underwire (2)
-robe
-socks
-granny panties; I heard the mesh ones they give you at the hospital are gross and fall off.
-toiletries (toothbrush/paste, shampoo, soap, deodorant, lotion, light makeup, tylenol, lotion)
-favorite sweatpants, you betcha.
-soft cotton t-shirts, or tank tops, I liked tank tops.
-nursing pads, maxi pads (heavy flow)
-clips and hairbands and stuff.
-A pillow from home is nice, and even an extra comfy blanket
-change for vending machine
-Car Seat
-Breastfeeding pillow

For Baby:
-baby t-shirts with snap side closure (I'm thinking a onesie would irritate the cord?)
-Blanket for bringing baby home, it'll be Feb and cold
-Baby's going home outfit