Hello, ladies! Jason and I are happy to introduce our little bundle of joy to all of you! Leilani was born on Friday, Aug 12 at 5:44 pm weighing 7 lbs. 9 oz. at 19.5 inches long.
It was a quick labor, but I developed preeclampsia during it, so things didn't go quite the way we wanted. I progressed very quickly and eventually conceded that I really needed and wanted the epidural to get through it all. We brought Leilani home on Sat., but my preeclampsia held on and I was back in the hospital being admitted for high blood pressure the following Monday. I would have been allowed to keep Leilani with me, but the doctor advised against it on account of my high bp and the stress of taking care of her. Jason stayed in the hospital with me and Leilani went home to stay with my parents. It was HEARTBREAKING and didn't help me feel much better. I was put on magnesium sulfate for 48 hours to reduce my seizure risk and help the bp come down. Unfortunately, my bp never came down, so the doc prescribed bp meds and told me I may end up on them forever or may get off of them one day, depending on how my body did.
Overall I spent 3 days in the hospital without Leilani (she visited about an hour to three hours each day), and finally went home on 800 mg of bp meds daily. My parents left back home on Saturday and Jason and I were on our own with Leilani for the first time ever.
Now things seem to be going really well. I have a UTI from the catheter while I was hospitalized, but my bp meds have already been cut back to 1/4 of what they were when we left the hospital.
Leilani is thriving and has already gained 1 lb and 1/2 an inch in length. I am breastfeeding and pumping and we have been able to keep her fed without formula since I left the hospital, which was a big goal of ours from the beginning. She actually sleeps most of the night, with a few wake-ups for feeding and fussing. It was definitely a rough start, but everything is going pretty well now and we feel so blessed!
I hope you are all doing well and I do plan to be back soon for another update!!
Hope your BP improves! I had preeclampsia too but an odd case with no high BP
) there's a ton of breastfeeding support. I know of one medical supply place that has everything you could want for breastfeeding/pumping. Also, be sure to use your lactation consultants at the hospital if you have any issues.