Look at those cute wings!
Saturday, December 10, 2005
First Doctor Appointment
Isabella had her first doctor appointment on Monday, December 5th. She looked so cute in the hospital gown that they had her wear. We were pleased to find out that she has already gained back the weight she lost in the first few days. She was born weighing 6 lbs. 5 oz. When we left the hospital, she was down to 5 lbs. 15 oz. At this appointment, she was up to 6 lbs. 6 oz. Since I'm nursing, I can never tell how much she is getting. It made me feel good to see that she is gaining weight. She is still 19 inches long and her head circumference is 13 inches. For weight, she is in the 25th percentile, for height she is in the 50th percentile and for head circumference she is in the 11th percentile (she has her dad's small head). Everything is looking good and we go back when she is one month old.
Sunday, December 04, 2005
It's a girl! Welcome to the world Isabella Marie Kilps!
Isabella Marie Kilps was born on Wednesday, November 30, 2005 at 6:52pm (Eastern time). She weighed 6 pounds 5.5 ounces and is 19 inches long. We're all home from the hospital and I've finally gotten some time to add some pictures to this site. I also want to tell you a little bit about Isabella's arrival.
We had a routine doctor appointment on November 30th scheduled for 4:40pm. The plan was to go to the appt., go out to eat for dinner, and then head to our Wednesday night class that we take together. At this appt., they did all the stuff they normally do: weight check, blood pressure, urine test, belly measurement, and heart rate check. I noticed that the nurse practitioner was spending a lot of time listening to the heart rate. She made a comment that the heart rate was low. She thought that the baby might just be sleeping, so we tried to move my belly around in an attempt to stir the baby. The heartrate continued to stay low. At my most recent visits, the heart rate has been in the 130s and here it was in the 90-100s. The N.P. said that she would call the doctor to see what we should do. I was a little nervous at this point, but thankfully didn't become overly anxious or scared.
The N.P. came back and said that we were going to do an ultrasound to make sure that the heartrate being picked up was the baby's and not mine. So, we got on the ultrasound machine and the heart rate continued to stay low. At that point, the decision was made to send us to Labor & Delivery where they would monitor everything and proceed based on whatever they observe. The problem was that the hospital with the Labor & Delivery unit was in the next town over. We'd have to take a busy road that gets extremely backed up at rush hour (which it was at this point). So, they wanted us to take an ambulance. I got a little emotional as we waited for the ambulance, but I also had a pretty good peace that everything was going to be OK. While we waited for the ambulance, Andy called our families as well as some friends from the seminary to help us out with grabbing our things. We were very unprepared and didn't have any of our hospital stuff.
The ambulance came and we headed out to the hospital. When we got there, I was wheeled to Labor & Delivery where I was immediately hooked up to a monitor where they could see the baby's heart rate. It was erratic - sometimes normal and sometimes dropping really low. They couldn't figure out why this was happening but thought that the safest thing at this point was to get the baby out. Emergency C-section here we come. I was worried that they would have to give me a general anesthesia and that Andy couldn't be in the room, but that wasn't the case. I was able to be awake and Andy was right next to me. Everything happened so fast. Suddenly, there were tons of doctors, nurses, anesthesiologists, etc. all around me - everyone working on a different job. I was taken to the Operating Room to prep for surgery while Andy went and changed into his scrubs. After they numbed me up, Andy was able to come in to the OR and after a few minutes, our baby was here! I couldn't see anything, but I remember hearing the baby crying and my eyes were immediately filled with tears. I couldn't believe that our baby was actually here. And, then I heard the doctor ask what I think the baby was. He said that it's a girl! We were so happy and I just cried. Immediately, they took Isabella to clean her up and do her APGARs. I didn't know this at the time (and I'm glad that I didn't) but her heart rate was in the 120s right after she was born. But, then it dipped into the 60s and she started to turn blue. They gave her oxygen and it went back up again, but they decided that they needed to take her to the NICU to do further testing and monitoring. Before they took her away, they brought her to me with about enough time for me to kiss her and tell her that I loved her. I wanted Andy to go with her to the NICU, but the doctors told him to wait for about a half hour. During that time, I got all stitched up. Before I was completely done, Andy was able to go and be with Isabella. I was then taken to the recovery area. After about another hour and a half, I was able to go to the NICU to see her. I still couldn't hold her since I was in bed and both of us were attached to various wires. But, it was so great to be near her and to hear that things were looking good. Still, they had to keep her overnight. It wasn't until early evening the next day that she was able to join us in our room. Finally, we were all able to be together and bond as a family. We still don't know exactly why Isabella's heart rate went so low. Our theory is that, when she dropped a little, her new position might have placed extra pressure on the cord, blocking nutrients and oxygen from getting to her. The important thing is that she is doing well now.
We are both completely in love with this little girl. The feelings of love are so intense at times that I overflow with tears in my eyes. She is the best gift we could ever receive and we feel so blessed. God's hand was on this entire event. It didn't go the way that we thought it would, but the end result is a healthy baby, healthy mommy, and happy family.
We had a routine doctor appointment on November 30th scheduled for 4:40pm. The plan was to go to the appt., go out to eat for dinner, and then head to our Wednesday night class that we take together. At this appt., they did all the stuff they normally do: weight check, blood pressure, urine test, belly measurement, and heart rate check. I noticed that the nurse practitioner was spending a lot of time listening to the heart rate. She made a comment that the heart rate was low. She thought that the baby might just be sleeping, so we tried to move my belly around in an attempt to stir the baby. The heartrate continued to stay low. At my most recent visits, the heart rate has been in the 130s and here it was in the 90-100s. The N.P. said that she would call the doctor to see what we should do. I was a little nervous at this point, but thankfully didn't become overly anxious or scared.
The N.P. came back and said that we were going to do an ultrasound to make sure that the heartrate being picked up was the baby's and not mine. So, we got on the ultrasound machine and the heart rate continued to stay low. At that point, the decision was made to send us to Labor & Delivery where they would monitor everything and proceed based on whatever they observe. The problem was that the hospital with the Labor & Delivery unit was in the next town over. We'd have to take a busy road that gets extremely backed up at rush hour (which it was at this point). So, they wanted us to take an ambulance. I got a little emotional as we waited for the ambulance, but I also had a pretty good peace that everything was going to be OK. While we waited for the ambulance, Andy called our families as well as some friends from the seminary to help us out with grabbing our things. We were very unprepared and didn't have any of our hospital stuff.
The ambulance came and we headed out to the hospital. When we got there, I was wheeled to Labor & Delivery where I was immediately hooked up to a monitor where they could see the baby's heart rate. It was erratic - sometimes normal and sometimes dropping really low. They couldn't figure out why this was happening but thought that the safest thing at this point was to get the baby out. Emergency C-section here we come. I was worried that they would have to give me a general anesthesia and that Andy couldn't be in the room, but that wasn't the case. I was able to be awake and Andy was right next to me. Everything happened so fast. Suddenly, there were tons of doctors, nurses, anesthesiologists, etc. all around me - everyone working on a different job. I was taken to the Operating Room to prep for surgery while Andy went and changed into his scrubs. After they numbed me up, Andy was able to come in to the OR and after a few minutes, our baby was here! I couldn't see anything, but I remember hearing the baby crying and my eyes were immediately filled with tears. I couldn't believe that our baby was actually here. And, then I heard the doctor ask what I think the baby was. He said that it's a girl! We were so happy and I just cried. Immediately, they took Isabella to clean her up and do her APGARs. I didn't know this at the time (and I'm glad that I didn't) but her heart rate was in the 120s right after she was born. But, then it dipped into the 60s and she started to turn blue. They gave her oxygen and it went back up again, but they decided that they needed to take her to the NICU to do further testing and monitoring. Before they took her away, they brought her to me with about enough time for me to kiss her and tell her that I loved her. I wanted Andy to go with her to the NICU, but the doctors told him to wait for about a half hour. During that time, I got all stitched up. Before I was completely done, Andy was able to go and be with Isabella. I was then taken to the recovery area. After about another hour and a half, I was able to go to the NICU to see her. I still couldn't hold her since I was in bed and both of us were attached to various wires. But, it was so great to be near her and to hear that things were looking good. Still, they had to keep her overnight. It wasn't until early evening the next day that she was able to join us in our room. Finally, we were all able to be together and bond as a family. We still don't know exactly why Isabella's heart rate went so low. Our theory is that, when she dropped a little, her new position might have placed extra pressure on the cord, blocking nutrients and oxygen from getting to her. The important thing is that she is doing well now.
We are both completely in love with this little girl. The feelings of love are so intense at times that I overflow with tears in my eyes. She is the best gift we could ever receive and we feel so blessed. God's hand was on this entire event. It didn't go the way that we thought it would, but the end result is a healthy baby, healthy mommy, and happy family.
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