Our Little Megs Turns 3!!

Wow, where has the time gone?!? Three years ago today was a crazy day for me. I was 6 1/2 weeks away from my due date. I had not been feeling great, but I figured I was just pregnant. I woke up and didn't feel good, so after I got the other 3 kids settled into my bed watching TV, I went back to sleep. I slept until around 10:30 am and when I woke up, I just knew things were not quite right. I called my doctors office and the nurse told me to go to the Women's Center to get checked. I called Brady who was in meetings all day with his boss who was in town, which is not normal because she works out of Denver. He got a little concerned and said that he would leave. I told him it was probably nothing I could just go get checked, but he said "Do you want me to come get you or do you want me to meet you there?" I told him that I was going to shower and get ready for the day so he could take his time and come get me. He was home shortly after that and had to wait for me to finish getting ready. I called my mom to tell her what was happening, but told her to not leave work. I was sure that the nurses at the hospital were going to laugh me out of the hospital. I didn't look or feel like I was in labor, but I still didn't feel right. We dropped the other kids off at Brady's parents house and went to the hospital. The nurse was certain that I was not in labor and that I probably had a urinary tract infection. She started blood work and urine tests and after I was there about an hour, she finally checked me. Her faced dropped and she told me I was dilated to a three. I was just as shocked, but those of you who have been pregnant know that you can be dilated and stuck at the same place for weeks. She called my doctor who's offices were just upstairs and he came down about a half of an hour later. When he got there he checked me and said that I was at a 5. Things started moving very quickly at that point. They were giving me so much stuff. Something to stop labor, something to try and develop Megan's lungs quicker, antibiotics, because I had not had the strep b test yet and they were moving all over the place and doing it quickly. During all the craziness, my mom had just left work and came to the hospital. She said I am not going to miss this and she knew that something was going on. Forty five minutes after they gave me the drug to stop labor, the doctor checked again and I was at a six. He then said, "Looks like your not going anywhere, we are having a baby tonight." I was in total shock. I remember I kept saying, "This is so not what I had planned for today." They laughed and asked what I did have planned and I said, "I don't know, but this was not it!"

Megan was born at 7:44 pm on a Thursday night. She was tiny!! She weighed 5 pounds and 9 ounces and she was 18 inches long. That is good size for a preemie, but tiny compared to my other kids. I got to hold her for about 30 seconds, just long enough for Brady to snap a picture on his cell phone and then they gave her to the pediatrician. There was a whole room of people in there for her and to check her and take care of her. Very soon after she was born, they had her in the nursery. She was not breathing well on her own so they took her to hook her up to oxygen. I didn't see her again until after 10:00 pm. The nurse wheeled me in to see her. All I really remember is how little she seemed to me and how loud she was when she tried to breath. It was scary to watch her.

I don't think I slept much that night. I kept getting up to go and see her and I prayed most of the night. I kept praying for a miracle! I didn't want to leave her there. During the time I was in labor, my mom and the nurse kept trying to get me to prepare myself for the fact that she may not come home with me, and I kept saying, I know, but I didn't really know. I had no idea what I was in for over the next several weeks. I thought babies are born early a lot, she will be small, but she will be fine. It is only 6 1/2 weeks. (For those of you who have had preemies, you know how every day counts. That's why it is always 6 1/2 weeks!) But she was not fine!

The next morning, our pediatrician came to check her out. But the one that was there the night before had already come in to see her. He had already made the choice to have her transported to LDS Hospital. Our pediatrician came and broke the news to me. I remember how sad I was. Brady had gone home to rest for awhile. I called him and told him to get there quickly. They were putting in her central line and putting her on a ventilator and then she was leaving. He quickly got showered and got to the hospital. When they finally let me see her, she was already hooked up to everything and in an isolette. I cried as they wheeled her to the ambulance. They transported her on ground, but brought in the life flight nurses. I was a wreck.

After a lonely day at the hospital, I took a sleeping pill and got 8 great hours of sleep. The next day, I was released. I went to my moms to visit my other kids and have lunch with them and then I went straight to the NICU (Newborn Intensive Care Unit). When I saw her there, my heart just ached. It was so sad to see her hooked up to everything, and even worse, I could not hold her or cuddle her. We had to wait until the central line came out to hold her. She was 5 days old when that happened.

Here are some of the pictures of her first days!!

We had a picture of the kids made for her bed. I knew it would make them feel better. It was hard for the girls to understand what was going on, and Dylan was only 15 months old. He had no clue! We didn't let them visit until she was just on the oxygen cannula. I didn't want them to be afraid of all the big scary things hooked up to her. Lauryn was very happy when she did visit that Megan could look at her and Kate and Dylan. What she didn't know was that Megan was asleep most of the time, and couldn't really see the picture anyway. But why ruin it for a 5 year old.

Megan struggled with her breathing. She was on and off oxygen for weeks. They finally figured out that her apnea spells were being caused by her reflux. Once she was on medication for that she did a lot better. This day was a day without oxygen and Brady was holding her. As soon as he picked her up and cuddled her, she smiled so big.

Megan was in the hospital on the 4th of July. I went in that day and changed her into a festive outfit. I knew she didn't care, but I had outfits for the rest of the kids, I felt like she needed to have hers on also. It was so big on her!! It was a 0-3 month size.

Megan ended up being in the hospital for exactly 4 weeks! That was a loooonnnggg 4 weeks! Here is a picture of her the day she came home. We were all sooooo happy to have her home!! She still seemed very scrawny, but was over 7 pounds.

Here is Megan on her blessing day. She was blessed on September 17th, so she was almost 3 months old.

Here is our Megs today. She is a healthy happy 3 year old. To look at her now, you would never know that she struggled so much in the beginning! We know how blessed we are and are so thankful for her and for her health!

When she was in the NICU, the nurses kept telling us that she was a feisty one. We kind of laughed it off and we were happy for that. The feisty ones are the ones that get well faster. But it has not worn off. She is still just as feisty, if not more feisty. Megs has some ATTITUDE!! But with that attitude comes a sweet little girl. We are so blessed to have her as a part of our family!!

I know that we are really blessed. There are a lot of preemie babies that have so many health problems to deal with and overcome. I am thankful for the health that Megan has and for the way things have turned out! We are truly blessed!! During the whole ordeal, I could not say this, but looking back, I can honestly say that I am thankful for the experiences that we had. They helped me to grow and learn.

Happy Birthday Megan!! We all love and adore you!!