"We cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand." ~Randy Pausch



Tuesday, August 17, 2010

She's Here!

After dialysis I went back to my room to get myself psyched up for surgery. They knew we'd need to take the epidural slowly as it sometimes drops the patent's blood pressure. They counteract this by giving copious amounts of fluid. Therein lies the problem.

So, slow and steady...I got my epidural around 2:30 and then there was an emergency 24-week baby that needed to be taken before us. We waited for about an hour in the ER. The anesthesiologist is one of my former students parents. He was great!

The surgery itself went great. As they say, I felt pressure but no pain. Jason was able to stand up and watch without getting sick or passing out. I was so impressed.

Anna Grace Shattuck was born on 8/16/2010 at 3:38 pm. She weighed exactly 3 pounds and was 16 inches long. When she came out I could not hear her cry. They assured me that she was crying a little but she needed some assistance breathing. So they put in a breathing tube right there in the OR.

Jason left with her and I remained in the OR for a while. We asked for the doctor to tie my tubes. It actually became an issue since Good Sam is a Catholic hospital, they don't schedule tubals. We had to prove that it was medically necessary...and all of the doctors agreed that I do not need to be having any more babies! The Ethics Committee came back and told us we had the go, although the surgeon took one more shot at convincing us not to do it. "You can't turn back. You know your kidneys might come back after all of this and you might change your mind." We're not changing our mind. No more babies. I stayed in the OR for a while longer while the OB completed this part of the surgery and then stapled me up.

I was overwhelmed by the number of people that were in the waiting room. I asked for Alli to come back first and she immediately started crying when she saw me. She's so emotional. But Jason said she was great when she went back to see Anna. Next my parents came to see me and then went to see Anna. Bill and Deb came next and the four grandparents went next to see Anna. Brain, Steven, Leah and Katie were my last visitors and the nlast to see Anna. I was glad they came down, but glad they left when they did.

After all of the commotion and an attempt to get some sleep, the nurse brought me to see Anna...and they let me hold her. I felt so happy, very nervous and cautious. But over night they decided that she doesn't need as much help breathing. Her breathing tube is out and she just gets some oxygen every once in a while when she needs it. I can't wait till dialysis is over and I can go see her again!

My blood pressure and pulse were amzign over night! I can even tell a difference. Having such a high heart rate made it feel like I was running a marathon. I feel alot more relaxed now. I'm wondering what this means for us. Does it mean that now that the pregnancy is over that my heart will go back to normal? I'll have another echo this week to check that out. Could you imagine if things went back to normal?

I'll continue to post and as soon as we get the camera charged again you'll get some photos. Continued prayers, please. Love!

8 comments:

  1. Kelly,

    Hey its your cousin Katie! I'm so thankful that everything went so fantastic yesterday. I was so worried but praying for you all day yesterday until I heard the good news! I hope now that Anna is here you can try to get back to some sense of a normal life and still deal with the Dialysis. I'll continue to send prayers your way and please let me know if you need anything .

    Congrats again!

    Love ya!
    Katie

    ReplyDelete
  2. I am so happy that you and Anna are doing well! There were A LOT of people thinking about you and praying for you yesterday. I can't wait to see some pictures. Tell Alli I said Congratulations to the big sis!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Wow, how strange to have a hospital ethics committee need to decide whether you "need" your tubes tied- after your organs failed. Though my pregnancy is not nearly as scary as yours, we are considering closing up shop too because of my health issues. Any pregnancy would be high-risk and mean another long-term prednisone bout for me, which is not good for one's health. The postpartum [period puts me at risk too for serious autoimmune flare-ups, and I don't want to risk more permanent neurological damage.

    So glad you and Anna are both doing well, and that you got to hold her!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Congratulations!!

    I am so happy that all of you are doing well. LOTS of prayers were answered yesterday. I can't wait to meet Anna.

    Remember - I'm just a phone call away if you should need anything.

    Love, Colleen

    ReplyDelete
  5. I am so happy for all of you!!!! I just saw some pictures on Facebook--Anna is adorable!!! So, so glad that you are both doing well!! Sending you a virtual hug!!

    Love,
    Stace : )

    ReplyDelete
  6. Hallelujah, Kelly! We were among the many waiting with breathless anticipation for some word of you and Anna. )Praise God for another miracle! We will continue to pray for full restitution of your health and continued progress for Anna. You are a courageous, determined, beautiful woman. May you feel the presence and love of God deep in our soul and entire being. Thank you for the gift of this blog to keep us updated! Hugs and love...Bonnie

    ReplyDelete
  7. Glad things are well! Congratulations! Good to hear that they still take care of people at Good Sam! :)

    ReplyDelete
  8. Congrats!!! She sounds perfect. :)

    ReplyDelete