5 days until we meet you - Monday August 31st - 35 weeks + 2 days

Dear Baby Ethan,

We had a bit of a lame morning.  I woke up at 3 for my nifedipine.  I did not sleep well all night.  It was a very light, un-restful sleep.  Then I could not get back to sleep.  So, we did your monitoring a bit early.  As soon as I got up to go to the bathroom after the monitoring I saw some blood! Thank the Lord, it was not a lot.  There was a bit of bleeding from 4 - 5 am, then it seemed to stop.

It has been an interesting afternoon.  Apparently the NICU at Methodist Women;s Hospital is full and they have had to transfer babies to other hospitals in Omaha, Lincoln, and even Kansas City.  The NICUs in other hospitals in Omaha are getting full also.  If you are born tomorrow (at 35 weeks and 3 days), the hospital standard of care requires you to be monitored in the NICU for at least two days.  No one is in favor of having to transfer you away from where I am, where I cannot see you for several days.  So, my doctors have decided to push our delivery back to Saturday September 5^th.  We will be 36 weeks at that point, and not have to deal with a NICU stay unless you have issues.  If I have any serious issues they would certainly deliver you sooner.

I got a surprise visit from your Aunt, Anna, Ummichi, and Rose.   We have decided that Rose and Ummichi can go to Lincoln for Tuesday, Wednesday, and come back on Thursday afternoon.  Your Aunt Daisy has to go back to work next week.

So far we have spent 47 days in the hospital.  I'm so excited that we are on the home stretch, just 1 day until we meet you! I am praying you stay in me that long, so you can be healthy and strong.   Dear Lord, please help Ethan's lungs, digestive tract, GI tract, bowels, eyes, ears, and all systems to be in great working order.  Please help him to not have asthma and help pumping and breast feeding to go well.  Saint Blaise, Saint Rose of Lima, Saint Antony please pray for my baby Ethan that he would stay inside until September 1st.

Thank you Lord that we have made it this far, we made it 35 weeks and two days!  Please be with my baby Ethan and help him to be strong and healthy.  Please help him to be able to go home with us on Monday September 7th.  Please help all of us to get able to go to church together on September 13th.  Please help me to be safe during the c-section.

Your birthday will likely be September 5th!  Just 5 days!

Love you,

Mommy

2 days until we meet you - Sunday August 30th - 35 weeks + 1 day

Dear Baby Ethan,

It's Sunday today! I had a bit of a hard time sleeping last night.  My back is a bit sore.  So, I slept in until 9:30.  I won't get to do that for quite awhile once you arrive!

Two of my friends (Andrew and Anneliese) came by this afternoon with their little one year old.  They even brought some flowers!  It was great to chat with them.

Then your daddy, Rose, and Ummichi came over.  We had some dinner and played outside for a bit.  I can't believe we are down to our last days as a family of three!

So far we have spent 46 days in the hospital.  I'm so excited that we are on the home stretch, just 2 days until we meet you! I am praying you stay in me that long, so you can be healthy and strong.   Dear Lord, please help Ethan's lungs, digestive tract, GI tract, bowels, eyes, ears, and all systems to be in great working order.  Please help him to not have asthma and help pumping and breast feeding to go well.  Saint Blaise, Saint Rose of Lima, Saint Antony please pray for my baby Ethan that he would stay inside until September 1st.  Today is Saint Rose of Lima's Feast Day!

Thank you Lord that we have made it this far, we made it 35 weeks and a day!  Please be with my baby Ethan and help him to be strong and healthy.  Please help him to be able to go home with us on Friday September 4th.  I know he will have to be in the NICU for at least two days for monitoring.  Please help all of us to get able to go to church together on September 6th.  Please help me to be safe during the c-section.

Your birthday will likely be September 1st!  Just 2 days!

Love you,

Mommy

3 days until we meet you - Saturday August 29th - 35 weeks

Dear Baby Ethan,

We made it to 35 weeks! I am so thankful that you have had this time to grow.  This morning I had a hard time getting to bed after I took nifedipine at 3 am.  So we ended up doing your monitoring a bit early from 4-5.  Then one of the high risk doctors came by, and a medical student.

Then, your daddy ended up being close by getting one of the cars worked on.  So we had some tasty french toast together.  I had a pretty low key day reading and watching some TV.  I started reading the biography of Saint Catherine of Sienna by Sigrid Undset.

Your daddy, Rose, and Ummichi made it to the hospital around 7:30.  We had some dinner and Ummichi and I played with Rose.  Your daddy took a shower.  He had a busy day working on the cars.

I ended up reading quite a bit about babies born at 35 weeks.  It is so variable how well they do and how long they need to stay in the hospital.  I have been continually praying that you are in great shape when you are born.

So far we have spent 45 days in the hospital.  I'm so excited that we are on the home stretch, just 3 days until we meet you! I am praying you stay in me that long, so you can be healthy and strong.   Dear Lord, please help Ethan's lungs, digestive tract, GI tract, bowels, eyes, ears, and all systems to be in great working order.  Please help him to not have asthma and help pumping and breast feeding to go well.  Saint Blaise, Saint Rose of Lima, Saint Antony please pray for my baby Ethan that he would stay inside until September 1st.

Thank you Lord that we have made it this far, we made it 35 weeks!  Please be with my baby Ethan and help him to be strong and healthy.  Please help him to be able to go home with us on Friday September 4th.  I know he will have to be in the NICU for at least two days for monitoring.  Please help all of us to get able to go to church together on September 6th.

Your birthday will likely be September 1st!  Just 3 days!

Love you,

Mommy

4 days until we meet you - Friday August 28th

Dear Baby Ethan,

It's Friday! Just one more work day for me after today.  I am praying that you and I are both going home one week from today.

Unfortunately my new IV spot is still quite sore.  It was actually even painful when the nurse was flushing it last night.  I was really hoping the IV spot would calm down.  I'm not sure that is going to happen though.

Your Aunt Daisy, Uncle Kevin, and Anna Beth came by.  They brought your Ummichi from Lincoln to stay with us for a bit.  It was great to see Anna again.  She's holding her head up very well now.  I have to get used to having a wee bobble headed baby again!

Then your daddy and Rose came by.  We ate dinner, daddy took a shower, and we went outside for a few minutes.  But, then it started misting!

After everyone left, my nurse Jenny came by.  Unfortunately my IV had entirely stopped flushing! Jenny was able to get an IV in quickly.  But, the location is less than ideal, it is in my wrist.  So, it is a bit sensitive.

So far we have spent 44 days in the hospital.  I'm so excited that we are on the home stretch, just 4 days until we meet you! I am praying you stay in me that long, so you can be healthy and strong.   Dear Lord, please help Ethan's lungs, digestive tract, GI tract, bowels, eyes, ears, and all systems to be in great working order.  Please help him to not have asthma and help pumping and breast feeding to go well.  Saint Blaise, Saint Rose of Lima, Saint Antony please pray for my baby Ethan that he would stay inside until September 1st.

Thank you Lord that we have made it this far, we made it to almost 35 weeks!  Please be with my baby Ethan and help him to be strong and healthy.  Please help him to be able to go home with us on Friday September 4th.  I know he will have to be in the NICU for at least two days for monitoring.  Please help all of us to get able to go to church together on September 6th.

Your birthday will likely be September 1st!  Just 4 days!

Love you,

Mommy

5 days until we meet you - Thursday August 27th

Dear Baby Ethan,

It's Thursday! Just one day until the weekend!  I decided to ask the Benedictines, Mary Queen of Apostles a group of nuns in Missouri to pray a novena for you starting on September 15th. I pray that you will be hope with us and doing great by then.  It might be a tougher time starting then because your Ummichi will be doing home to Liberal that day!

Mentally I am so ready to be out of this hospital.  But, I am starting to feel guilty about delivering you next week.  We have not had any bleeding issues since the 17th and 18th of August.  Even those were quite small.  I am hoping to talk to the high risk doctors about it.  It is Dr. Lovgren that is on today.  I spoke to Dr. Lovgren.  He feels strongly that the bleeding issues I had from weeks 28 to 35, when the lower part of the uterus was expanding, show that my placenta is a bit unstable.  He feels strongly 35 weeks should have been our due date for quite awhile because of my bleeding issues.  He understands that it would be good for you to have more days inside me.  But, you would be a health 35 weeks plus a few days.  If we wait too long and we have a bleed, and they have to cut through the placenta, you could lose a lot of blood.  A health younger baby is better off than a sick, anemic, older baby.  I spoke to your dad, we are going to leave the due date the same.  I definitely want this to be a planned calm delivery.  I would have rather you had all of the days possible.  But, I do not want either of us to have issues because we waited too long either.

Your daddy and Rose came by for a visit.  We had dinner, gave Rose a shower, and visited outside for a bit.

So far we have spent 43 days in the hospital.  I'm so excited that we are on the home stretch, just 5 days until we meet you! I am praying you stay in me that long, so you can be healthy and strong.   Dear Lord, please help Ethan's lungs, digestive tract, GI tract, bowels, eyes, ears, and all systems to be in great working order.  Please help him to not have asthma and help pumping and breast feeding to go well.  Saint Blaise, Saint Rose of Lima, Saint Antony please pray for my baby Ethan that he would stay inside until September 1st.

Thank you Lord that we have made it this far, we made it to almost 35 weeks!  Please be with my baby Ethan and help him to be strong and healthy.  Please help him to be able to go home with us on Friday September 4th.  I know he will have to be in the NICU for at least two days for monitoring.  Please help all of us to get able to go to church together on September 6th.

Your birthday will likely be September 1st!  Just 5 days!

Love you,

Mommy

6 days until we meet you - Wednesday August 26th

Dear Baby Ethan,

We have had a quiet few days.  Thank the Lord, we have not had any bleeding issues since last Tuesday.

It's hump day! Only three more work days after this.  I'm looking forward to getting to focus on you for awhile starting on Tuesday!

I met with one of the lactation nurses today as well as the nutritionist.  Apparently you will be fed every three hours.  I will be set up with a pumping kit to use in the hospital.  There will be some small vials that I am supposed to put my colostrum in.  I will be trying hand expression I'm sure to get that out.  If you are stable and going well, we can try feeding at the breast.

I found out you will likely have at least two bottles a day of Similac NeoSure for at least a month or two.  I have to call our insurance company tomorrow to find out how that works for us to buy it with the help of insurance.

The nutritionist indicated I would need to take DHA supplements (fish oil), because you will being born early.  You will be missing out on time in utero to develop your brain.  So you need a bit more DHA than most babies.

Your daddy and Rose came by for a bit. We had some dinner and went outside.

I had a rough evening after your daddy and Rose left. My IV looked a bit nasty so they took it out. They poked me FOUR times before they got a working one. It ended up taking several hours because the nurses had to leave and take care of other things. It's on the sensitive under side of my arm. Sleeping was rough trying not touch it. I'm hoping it calms down over the next couple days.  I had that IV from the 16th of August through the 26th, so just 10 days.  I am praying this last one will work

I do not want you to have to deal with being poked and prodded at the hospital.  I am feeling a bit guilty about delivering you next week given that we have not had any issues for the last week + now.

So far we have spent 42 days in the hospital.  I'm so excited that we are on the home stretch, just 8 days until we meet you! I am praying you stay in me that long, so you can be healthy and strong.   Dear Lord, please help Ethan's lungs, digestive tract, GI tract, bowels, eyes, ears, and all systems to be in great working order.  Please help him to not have asthma and help pumping and breast feeding to go well.  Saint Blaise, Saint Rose of Lima, Saint Antony please pray for my baby Ethan that he would stay inside until September 1st.

Thank you Lord that we have made it this far, we made it to 34 weeks!  Please be with my baby Ethan and help him to be strong and healthy.  Please help him to be able to go home with us on Friday September 4th.  I know he will have to be in the NICU for at least two days for monitoring.  Please help all of us to get able to go to church together on September 6th.

Your birthday will likely be September 1st!  Just 7 days!

Love you,

Mommy

7 days until we meet you - Tuesday August 25th

Dear Baby Ethan,

One week from now we get to meet you! I am so excited.  I am praying that you will be in good shape by then.  It is encouraging that you were doing a good job practicing breathing during our ultrasound yesterday.

I am down to my last four work days before maternity leave begins, and I get to focus on you for a bit.  Your daddy, Auntie Dainy, Uppuchen, and Rose came to spend a bit of time with me tonight.

So far we have spent 41 days in the hospital.  I'm so excited that we are on the home stretch, just 8 days until we meet you! I am praying you stay in me that long, so you can be healthy and strong.   Dear Lord, please help Ethan's lungs, digestive tract, GI tract, bowels, eyes, ears, and all systems to be in great working order.  Please help him to not have asthma and help pumping and breast feeding to go well.  Saint Blaise, Saint Rose of Lima, Saint Antony please pray for my baby Ethan that he would stay inside until September 1st.

Thank you Lord that we have made it this far, we made it to 34 weeks!  Please be with my baby Ethan and help him to be strong and healthy.  Please help him to be able to go home with us on Friday September 4th.  I know he will have to be in the NICU for at least two days for monitoring.  Please help all of us to get able to go to church together on September 6th.

Your birthday will likely be September 1st!  Just 8 days!

Love you,

Mommy