The long "roller coaster ride" ahead......

Since Colin's birth, many people and organizations have described having a preemie as a roller coaster ride. However, another mother of a preemie described having a preemie specifically as one roller coaster ride. It is like Space Mountain at Disneyland. 


With other roller coaster rides, you usually can see the dips and turns ahead. On Space Mountain, you are in the dark, and while you know there are dips and turns, you can't see them when they happen. 


I would say that is exactly how I feel about Colin's situation. Everyday that gives me a few moments of happiness is foreshadowed by fear that at any moment we might face a huge dip, or a slight turn. 


To help others understand some of the issues we face, here is an overview of some of the issues that Colin has, is or will face as a preemie in the NICU (Newborn Intensive Care Unit). Many of these definitions are taken from a booklet I was given written by the March of Dimes.


1. Anemia: Preemies are often anemic, which means they do not have enough red blood cells. Preemies may not have enough time to store iron, which makes red blood cells. While some infants can be treated with dietary iron supplements or drugs that produce red blood cells, in Colin's case, his needs have been immediate, so they have used blood transfusions. While I started to count the number of times he had blood transfusions when he was first born, I have lost count after 6 (and we are only on day 13 since his birth!). 


2. Breathing problems: While there are NUMEROUS breathing conditions that preemies face, for now, I'll just say that Colin is using a mechanical ventilator. It delivers warmed and humidified air to his lungs through an endotracheal tube (a small, but long tube inserted down his mouth into his windpipe). As of right now, he only needs some extra oxygen to breathe, however, it can change depending on how distressed his body and lungs are. 


3. Patent ductus arteriosus (PDA): This is the most common heart problem in preemies. Before birth, much of a fetus' blood goes through a passageway from one blood vessel to another instead of through the lungs, because the lungs are not yet in use. This passageway should close soon after birth, so the blood can take the normal route from heart to lungs and back. Since Colin was a preemie and it didn't close at birth (usually only for full term babies), he had to have the surgery to close the hole. They cut a 2 inch incision in his back at his shoulder blade, pushed his lung aside, and used a staple to close the gap. Pretty simple, right? (if you can't tell, this is said in my "sarcastic" voice).


4. Feeding: Colin is a LONG way off from being breast or bottle fed. For now, he is fed intravenously through his belly button with sugar and essential nutrients until he can successfully breathe on his own and his intestines are much stronger. 


5. Intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH): This refers to bleeding in the brain and is most common in preemies his size. This is the scariest of the things he face, although at the moment, we don't know the long term damage yet. This bleeding usually occurs in the first 4 days of life, and occurs near the fluid filled spaces in the center of the brain. The brain bleeds are graded from 1 to 4, with 4 being the most severe. Colin has a 3 to 4 brain bleed, and while it hasn't continued bleeding, the vessel has not changed. This means it can either erupt again, or may require a shunt (a drainage hole in his head). Grade 3/4 cases can cause neurological defects, some as severe as Cerebral Palsy. 


6. Jaundice: Occurs when the liver is too immature or sick to remove a waste product called bilirubin from the blood. A bright light can help the body break this product down, and that is why in some pictures you have seen Colin wearing his "sunglasses". As of right now his bili levels are down, but from time to time depending on his surgeries, this could go up again. 


7. Keeping warm: Preemies have a hard time controlling their body temperature, and don't have enough body fat to prevent loss of heat. This is why Colin is kept in the incubator, and probably will be in it for a long time. A baby will grow faster if they can maintain a temperature of 98.6


8. Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC): This potentially dangerous intestinal problem most commonly affects premature babies. As of right now, he doesn't have it. However, he had something similar to it, and this could lead to NEC if he is not watched carefully. It was called Focal Intestinal Perforation (FIP). This was why he was transferred to CHLA. This small tear in his intestine caused "free air" to accumulate in his abdomen, and the only solution was to create 2 drain holes in his tummy to release it. Every day they monitor the drain holes, and for right now, they believe that the tear has already repaired itself, so hopefully soon the drain holes will be taken out. However, if his intestines suffer because of this, he could develop NEC, so they are watching the intestines closely. NEC could cause him to have feeding problems, abdominal swelling, and could require sections of his intestine to be surgically removed. Scary stuff.


9. Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP): This is an abnormal growth of blood vessels in the eye that can lead to bleeding and the formation of scars, which would result in blindness. We don't know if he has it yet, but at some point later, he will be examined for this. 


Are you exhausted yet? Because I am. However, so far, the most scariest thing we had to face happened in the first 24 hours of his life. It was the 2nd night after his birth, and he seemed to be resting fine. I wasn't sure how I was going to sleep again after my first restless night of sleep, so the nurses suggested that I take the Valium that was prescribed for me. 


I took the full dose (2 pills) at 10pm, and proceeded to go to sleep. I was then woken up at 2am by 2 nurses who calmly but nervously informed me that the neonatologist doctor in the NICU wanted me brought to the NICU immediately because of an issue with Colin. 


Being so out of it, I had to be carried on both sides by the nurses, but as soon as I was brought in the NICU, I soon became hyper-alert. 


4 people were perfoming manual CPR on Colin because his heart rate was rapidly declining. In a sense, his heart was stopping. All the nurses in the NICU were watching this horror scene unfold. And as his mommy, they gave me a seat right at his bedside. 


I had no idea what this moment meant. Was it the end? Was there anything I could do? Was this a final "dip", or was it just a mild "turn". This was when my roller coaster ride as a preemie mommy began. 


For 30 minutes I watched in horror as they performed manual CPR on Colin. I had the brief insight to ask the nurses to call Rich so he could come down to the hospital. He made it during the last 10 minutes of the ordeal. 


But until Rich arrived, I came to understand the depth and magnitude of a mothers love. Because even though I was painfully crying the whole time, I knew that Colin had to know that everything would be ok, no matter what the outcome. So I decided to repeat these 2 sentences out loud for him to hear: 


"Colin, I love you sooooooo much. Please give me a chance to be the best mommy ever."


"God, please let him breathe, please let him breathe". 


That was it. For 20 minutes straight until Rich came. And then just as Rich arrived, the doctors determined that his heart was stabilizing, and slowly they worked to get him stable. Was it a miracle? Modern medicine? I think it was a little bit of both. But either way, I had my little boy back. 


So while each day we face all these problems, after facing the depths of how low this journey can go, I know that it won't help my situation to fall apart now. Colin is still here. Each day that he breathes is another day I can show him that no matter what, I can be the best mommy ever.


For now I'm just trying to learn to get used to this roller coaster of a ride. Wait, scratch that. I don't want to get used to this roller coaster ride. I really want off. But for now, I'll ride it out till it's done. Then I'll never look back.......or maybe only when I read this blog..........

Our Thanksgiving Message.....

I think it's obvious to everyone that I am super thankful that Colin is here and is hanging tough with all his surgeries. I thought it would be nice to record a video showing Colin "in person" so that everyone could see how he is doing. It was actually a lot longer, but I edited it down. I think I have officially developed "mommy brain", because I ramble quite a bit in the video that Rich got annoyed with me. But hey, when doesn't he!


At least Colin will get to see this video in the future and realize that
a. He was the biggest reason for our thanks in 2011
b. Mommy and Daddy annoy each other all the time, even on Thanksgiving!


Anyways, ignore the bad lighting, no makeup, and rambling mommy. Just know that we are super thankful for everyone!

Baby of mine....

I've always loved the movie "Dumbo". Maybe because I saw myself as the mommy elephant who was hoping for a baby at some point in her life. But little did I realize that my personal mommy story would share similarities with the character. 

The day of Colin's birth was tough, because it was NOTHING like I had imagined. I had prepared a music mix of all the songs I wanted playing during his birth. You know, while I was giving birth in a tub, remember that?

Yet, my experience was one of panic at 1am in the morning, prepped for a c-section, and then having a large sheet draped in front of me, all the while thinking "baby, please be ok, please be ok".

When Colin was taken out of me, I heard no little squeals or cries. Being on medications for the c-section, I thought maybe I was too drugged up to hear anything. I was later told by Rich that the reason for no noises was the fact that Colin was not breathing at all. 

He watched in horror as they immediately started manual CPR to get his little heart started. After a few minutes, they determined it was started, and away he was whisked to the NICU. 

Once a woman has a c-section, she cannot get out of bed for 24 hours. In my case, the 24 hours felt like 24 days to me. All I got to see of Colin were pictures that Rich took with his cell phone that showed me what my little boy looked like. I was then making it my mission that at exactly 2:04am on 11/13, I would tell the nurses I was ready to see my little boy. 

When it was time, the nurse wheeled me over to the NICU, where I was given my first lesson on hand washing for 3 minutes. This is a procedure that continues to this day whenever I want to see Colin. First handwashing for 3 minutes, then a walk to his incubator. 

When my hands were washed, I realized "this was it, I'm going to see my baby for the first time". The moment for me felt SO much like the scene above from Dumbo. First of all, I didn't look my best. I was wearing the ugly hospital gown, and nothing else. I had not showered in 4 days. I could barely walk because of my week long bedrest and c-section.Overall, I was a mess. 

But as I hobbled over to the incubator, each step made me so happy, yet so sad that this was how I was seeing my baby for the first time. I cried during my 5 minute walk to him (yes, it took me that long to walk). And much like the mommy elephant, I couldn't hold my baby. All I could do (and still do) was give him gentle touches to his head and legs. 

So even though many of you know my great love of pigs (I'm even doing his nursery theme "flying pigs"), these little elephants will forever mean sooooo much to me. Because I hope to see my little boy soar much like Dumbo did, and be standing by watching as his proud mommy.......

Welcome to Holland......

So, with all that has happened over the past few weeks, I have decided this would be the perfect time to restart my blog. It's so hard to even know where to start, so for now, it will kind of be like a diary that I can post my frustrations, hopes, and all the other fun things that go with having a preemie. 


The title of this blog comes from a story I found on another preemie mommy's blog. 

This pretty much sums up how I am feeling about Colin's birth. For those who know me, I'm a planner. I was trying to have everything about this little baby's birth planned down to the "T". Because we had to go the IVF route, I felt it gave me time to do tons of research. 


So from the beginning, I interviewed 4 doctors, went to 3 hospitals, read 5 books on pregnancy, and had plans to create the "perfect" nursery. Because I had watched the documentary "The Business of Being Born", I had decided that the baby's entrance should be at a birthing center, with no epidural and in a bathtub. For those that think this sounds pretty hippieish, it was. But it was gonna be stylish too! Here is the link to the place:


The Sanctuary


So every month since September, I had been visiting with my midwife, getting ultrasounds when needed to determine that baby was growing ok, and overall trying to adjust to being pregnant. For me, morning sickness started in my 2nd trimester, and it really threw me for a loop. For the past month and a half, I had finally gotten it under control, and my hope was that the rest of the pregnancy would go as planned, with me getting a  nice big belly! Off to Italy we planned!


But little did I know that we would be landing in Holland soon. Because 2 weeks ago, life changed completely. On Friday, November 4th, I noticed a HUGE change in my tummy. Suddenly, it felt like the baby went from 1 pound to 5 pounds! However, a phone call to my midwife that night determined that things were probably ok, so I went to bed thinking it would be ok. 


The next morning at 6am, I started having weird cramping pains. Not knowing they were contractions, but realizing that they were coming pretty often, I decided to time their occurrence. After 30 minutes, I realized they were occurring every 3 minutes. It was then I got a little scared, and after a phone call to my midwife, she urged me to go to the nearest ER. 


So, at this point because we had no OB/GYN, we could literally have gone to any hospital's ER to be seen by a doctor. I did visit 3 hospitals, so I knew what some of my options were. But that morning, Rich made a decision that I believed was spiritually guided. He decided to go to Glendale Adventist. It is one of his clients, so while that might have been the reason he choose it, he also felt that for some reason, that is where we should go. 


So by 7am, I was checked into the maternity ER, and was placed in a bed to wait to see the ER doctor. They hooked us up to a fetal monitor, and we could see the baby's heartbeat was around 150bpm. This was what it had been throughout my pregnancy, so we felt that baby was ok. So we waited. And waited. And waited. And waited.


By 12:30pm, I had reached my waiting limit. I had plans that day! If no one had seen me by then, I thought, "hey, I must be ok". So I told Rich "let's get out of here". When he went over to inform them of my decision, he also tried to see if another doctor might be able to see me, and name dropped a doctor that a friend of ours suggested. The doctor, Selena Lantry, turned out to be right there. She mentioned that protocol dictated that she couldn't look at me once I was assigned to the ER doctor. However, when she came over to tell me that, and saw me ripping off the monitors and trying to get off the bed, she decided to intervene. 


Within minutes, she quickly examined me, and found out that my cervix was dilated to 3cm, and my water bag was bulging out. For some reason, my body was basically having a hard time keeping the baby in. Immediately, she said I was no longer going anywhere, and from now on, I was officially on bed rest in the hospital for the rest of my pregnancy. 


Swallowing that diagnosis was hard. First I was in shock, then sad, then angry, then shock again. And that was the first 2 days. But overall, I knew that our end goal was to have a healthy baby, even if that meant being in the hospital, not allowed to get out of bed AT ALL, and dealing with the mental hardship of it. February 24th due date, here we come! To Italy we go!


But I only lasted a week. Because before I knew it, on Friday November 11, I started having contractions again. By the time the doctor came into to see me around midnight, it was determined that I had dilated a little further, and the water bag was much further down the birth canal. Since the water bag hadn't broken, having an emergency C-section was the best way to ensure his safety. Before I knew it, we met little Colin Victor Campbell at 2:04am. 





So maybe he didn't want to keep being known as a girl. Maybe Heavenly Father wanted to let me know that instead of Italy, we were going to Holland. For whatever the reason, we ended up being parents 3 months early. And that was the beginning of the roller coaster ride in Holland. 


Because as beautiful as it is having a little boy, much like being in "Holland", I still had been wanting to have more pregnancy moments in beautiful "Italy". Like making a cast of my growing belly. Taking family pictures in Cabo for Thanksgiving. Having a fun, gender neutral baby shower. And creating beautiful flying pig murals in the baby's room with Rich. Then having the grand finale in February. Water birth and all.


Now, we are in Holland, and I'm still getting adjusted to where we are at now. And while we can eventually have family pictures in Cabo, or a baby shower soon, pregnancy is over. As "hard" as the pregnancy experience was for me, now, I suddenly find myself wishing I was still pregnant. Because that would mean my baby still had time to grow, and kick and overall be healthy and safe in mommy's tummy. 


I'm finding the beauty though. Hearing myself being called "Mommy", seeing my step-kids decide to have a painting party to finish the mural, having our family at our house for Thanksgiving instead of them wanting to go to Cabo. So while I'll never get a chance to make it all the way to Italy (since this is our last baby), I wouldn't want to be anywhere else but Holland with my little boy.......

"Meet me at the cemetary gates...."

Making this a quick one, cause we are waiting for our flight to ITALY!!!

So I grew up 2 blocks from this place:

This is the oldest cemetary in Los Angeles, and it has so many interesting characters buried here. There was a Genealogical Conference this past week in Burbank, and it offered a tour of this cemetary. Of course I was interested, so I went. I was interested to learn that these guys are buried here:

Lankershim and Van Nuys (anyone familar with these guys?)

This used to be "the" place to be buried if you were rich in Los Angeles. Who knew that years later it would be located in East Los Angeles, a not so rich place. This guy is also buried here:

The founder of "Ralphs" supermarket

Another interesting thing I learned is that back in the day, circus workers and "carnies" (carnival workers), used to pay into a type of union organization. With their dues, they would come with a funeral plot. So a bunch of these guys are buried here:

Pacific Coast Showman's Unit

Overall, this whole experience made me think of my own death. I was suprised to learn that it gave me some comfort to realize that getting to know my final resting place made me feel at peace. I guess that's the point of "Resting in Peace"! Anyways, I have decided that I want my tombstone to look like this:

Doesn't this look comfy to sit on? So who is gonna come visit me!

Gratitude.....

This is it. My very new Ford Flex.

 


Yesterday was a very special day. It was our 3 year anniversary. For the past 2 anniversaries, I had planned our day. Our first year, we went to the New Orleans Jazz Festival, and last year, we stayed at the Bacara Resort in Santa Barbara and went horseback riding.

Very romantic events!

This year since I was swamped with school, I suggested that Rich should make the "romantic" plans this year. I had even supplied him with WAY EASY suggestions. I bought him cards that had 52 romantic (aka CHEAP) ideas to do.

How hard would it be to just pick a card, right?

Well, the week was drawing to a close, and Rich hadn't asked me what my schedule was like for the "big" day, or told me to be home by a certain time, etc., so I was getting nervous. We then got into a discussion where I told him that maybe I was asking for too much for him to be romantic, and that I should just learn to accept someone for who they are.

I swear that wasn't a guilt trip, honest to God!

Well, of course you can see THAT DIDN'T GO WELL, and well, let's just say, I was..........pensive, yeah, let's say that.

Well, I left in the morning to take my Math Final (ugh!), and then mentally drained, preceded to come home. As I pulled up to our house, I noticed Rich's car was parked on the street. He usually parks it at the end of our driveway, so I wondered why he parked it on the street (which is a good hike from a house, if you have been there!) blah, blah, blah.

So as I pull in just a bit, I finally see something parked at the bottom of the driveway.......A FORD FLEX!

Now those who have been hearing me go on, and on, and on....for the past several months about my next car, well, this was going to be it. I have had my car for 10 years now, and if you have seen it, I was desperately in need of a new one. But really, I didn't think a new car was going to happen for at least 1 and a half more years.

Well, needless to say, the car had a beautiful note on it that said "IS THIS ROMANTIC ENOUGH?". Yes Rich, this is waaaaaayyyyy romantic! You have certainly outdone yourself! Of course I cried for 20 minutes straight, and of course, he has milked it for all it is worth!

But on a serious note, this is the part that comes to the topic for my blog. I mean, I am sure that this story seems like it says it all. What isn't there to be grateful for, right? Because yes, having a car is great. I can't argue with that one. But for those who know me, my life, and where I have come from, this means so much more. Because you see, this wasn't the first time someone has given me a car. Let me explain.....

I have worked since I was 15. My parents are divorced, and of course growing up in East LA, I never saw myself getting a car when I turned 16. But even when I started working, I still assumed that I was WAY off from getting my first new car. So I went to my job 8 miles away, taking 2 buses to get there, and usually bumming rides whenever I could. And when I graduated high school at 18, not only did I start working there full time (even some weekends), but like a crazy person, I decided to go full time to school, while writing for the college newspaper (I was going to be a journalist!). Oh, and I lived on my own, paying rent of about $200 a month. Point being, I did this with no help from my parents (and that is another blog post!)

And while I was kinda mad that my life was hard (ok, who am I kidding, I hated it!), I just assumed that this is what had to be done to get somewhere. Not just technically, but figuratively.

"I" was all I had to rely on. And that was how I lived my life. If someone said it couldn't be done, I always wanted to find a way it could be done. I always believed anything was possible, because I knew "I" could make it possible.

So I will never forget the night when I finished my job at 5pm, took the bus to my college (East LA College to be exact! See, I really was from East LA!) started my class at 6pm and then at went to the bus stop at 9:30pm to wait for my bus ride home.

And there, when I thought I couldn't be more exhausted..............it started to rain...............And I had no coat............And no umbrella.

But at least I had a bus shelter stand (thank God for miracles, right?).

And as I saw people driving by in their cars, I remember saying to myself "One day, I will remember this when I have my car, so stop crying, and just wait. Not just for the bus, but for everything. For a car, a better job, an education, and most importantly, someone to rely on."

And I got home.

I can't remember when, but a few months later, my cousin mentioned that he had a salvaged, non-working car sitting at his mom's house in..................STUDIO CITY! (Crazy, right?)

My aunt (his mom), has lived mostly in a house in Alhambra. But for a few years, she lived with her (now deceased) husband in his place in Studio City. And the only time I went to visit her at her place in Studio City was the day I went to take a look at it with a friend who was a mechanic.

And miracles of miracles, he said that he could get this '82 Honda Accord Hatchback (yes, Accords came in Hatchbacks!) to run that day. It was rusted out, the seats were completely torn, there was no radio, no air conditioner, and well..........nothing!

But it was FREE, and it was going to be all mine.

No more standing in the rain for buses. No more leery men on the buses. No more buses, period.

I was happy. Happy like when my sister and I were little girls staying at my dad's house, excited to go to Disneyland, waiting for our dad to wake us up so we could eat Chorizo Sandwiches and Chocolate milk. And trust me, that was WAY HAPPY!

So here I am, pretty much 15 years later, and again, I am given a car.......in Studio City. And I only take the bus WHEN I WANT TO, and for a few years, I had some pretty awesome jobs (anyone remember Southwest?). And now I have my education, with the opportunity to give it to others.

But most importantly, I have someone to rely on.

My best friend, my confidant, and well, the love of my life. He drives me crazy sometimes (get it, "drives"?), but I love him more than Chorizo Sandwiches and Chocolate Milk. And never have I been so happy.

I hope this means that dreams come true. Because it sure feels like it has for me.

So remember this when you see me cutting you off on the road  (because I drive crazy like that sometimes!) driving by.

You can say to yourself with confidence "Dreams really do come true!!!!!" (Ok, maybe you won't say THOSE exact words, but something like it, right?)

"Rocking Robin" or Tales from the Bird Sactuary

Back in the day, I lived with a roomate who was a birdwatcher. I was just as suprised as everyone else when I discovered that birdwatchers were not just fat, balding old men, but could also be cool, hip young flight attendants! Well, recently I have been thinking about birdwatching again because of all the bird activity that is going on around my house.

And to my dismay, I have started to hear MANY birds chirping at night lately. I thought birds were only active during the day, but have found that is not the only case. They do this to mark their territory from other predators, or they may be babies who are chirping for their mommies. I am trying to learn how to ignore them, but some nights, it is like a bird symphony!

It seems like every day, there is some new type of bird hanging outside my window. I have seen this:

A wood pecker (not entirely sure, but it sure looked like one!)

and this:

A red-breasted robin

and I constantly hear this (even during the day!!!!)

An owl (I'm not sure what it looks like, so I picked the creepiest looking one! Did you know that in Mexican culture, the owl is considered a symbol of death? It is bad luck to come into contact with one)

That reminds me, I have two owl stories:

When I was a kid, my mom told me this story about my grandma and an owl. In our old house, the dining room window was a up high because it was a 2 story house. One early evening, my grandmother said that she was sitting in the dining room, when all of a sudden, an owl flew right to the window and stayed there for a few minutes. The whole time, it had it's wings outstretched, and to her, she said it seemed as if it was trying to fly into the room. Naturally this FREAKED my grandma out, and she went and grabbed a broom (and I am sure a rosary!) and yelled and prayed for it to go away. It did, but the experience always made her shiver when she thought of it.

My second owl story occured about a year or so ago. Rich and I were driving home at night, and while we were driving up one of the streets to our house, our headlights shone on an owl that was just sitting in the road! As we drove closer, it would not move and just sat there, looking at us. Of course we were intrigued, so Rich got out of his car and slowly started walking towards the owl. Just then, the owl spread it's wings, and for a split second I thought of my grandma. Oh no?! Would it try to fly at our windshield? What actually happened was that as it started to fly away, we realized that it had a LIVE MOUSE IN IT'S CLAWS! We must have come upon it when it had just captured it's prey. Crazy!

All this bird activity has made me interested in learning more about bird watching. Who knew? I am not sure if our yard is somehow becoming a bird sanctuary, but if it is, I might as well be prepared! And I hope I don't see anymore owls. Those birds just creep me out! Any birds creep you out, or do you have a cool bird story to share?