The Drapela Family

SO sorry Anisyn I’m only 14.5 months late with this…poor 4^th baby! On Monday, November 14 (since you were already over-due) I decided it was time to help you along! Daddy stayed home that day since we knew it would be any minute now…we took the big girls to school and went to pick up breakfast tacos for breakfast (with the hottest sauce of course). I went outside with Knox and took him on several walks, pushed him around in the car, and tried to stay active in order to push you out! J There was nothing unusual going on though. After the girls got out of school we took Breckyn to dance. After dance, we came home and decided to go for a walk on the bumpy road. We walked a few times and as it got dark we came home and started some pizza. As the kids sat down to eat I was running around the house picking up kids shoes to keep the house tidy and I bent over and when I stood up water started pouring down my legs. I paused and told Nathan ”umm…something just happened”. My water had to be broke in the hospital during labor with each of the previous 3 kids so I had no experience with water breaking. He was like “yeah your water just broke”…I moved around a bit more and it continued so he decided we should call my mom ASAP. He was rushing me around (each of my births/deliveries had gotten faster and faster in the past and he was nervous! J He knew we were in a time crunch and he didn’t want to deliver a baby in the car! J) We started loading up and my mom came over and we got the kids sent on their way with her.

We left the house at 7:15 pm and my contractions started on the drive in. They were getting worse as we went in and we finally arrived at 8:15. We went in and were waiting for our room (the contractions were HORRIBLE at this point!). We got in the room and I got changed and finally got in the bed at 8:45. Given my history/the fact it was my 4^th baby (they said they knew if was going to fly out! J) they went ahead and immediately checked me—I was at a 5. They skipped all the beginning questions and went straight into the epidural part—I was unsure if I actually wanted one this time. I knew I did, but since I was so far into labor I thought what would a few more minutes be-N talked some sense into me and we went for it…they were scrambling (calling in extra nurses to help with everything to move faster bc time was moving fast).

They got the epidural in quickly and I was in severe pain!!! My hips were on fire and I was paralyzed in pain. Because of the pain they checked me again and I was already at a 10—AND the epidural hadn’t even had time to kick in yet!!!!!! I pushed for about 10 minutes and another beautiful baby girl was born at 9:47 pm! Anisyn Belle Drapela weighed 6 lbs 12 oz. They got us into a room later that evening and her siblings came on Tuesday to meet her. They were so in love! J I was discharged on Wednesday morning but because she was born with high Bililrubim levels (3.3) she was now being treated for jaundice—we were doing photo therapy in our room. Telling a brand new mom she is leaving but her baby is staying is HARD! Cue the tears—my doctor did some talking and they were holding on to me just a little longer.

Wednesday night around 7:30 they were able to move us to the Family Postpartum Unit on the 4^th floor so we could stay with her. Since her levels were still climbing they moved us up and put us on double light therapy. It was hard because we were not even able to hold her much after she was born. She needed to be under the lights unless she was nursing. We continued this through Thursday. She was checked (heel prick blood test) every few hours to get her levels.

By Thursday night (11 pm) they had continued to climb and reached 18—dangerously high! They immediately came to move her to the NICU. That is an awful feeling and something you never wish on anyone!!!! They took her to the NICU and we were with her all of that time—very tough watching all these people take your baby and do all kind of stuff on her while you can only stand there and cry. SIDENOTE—while it is tough for any mom to be separated from her baby I know our jaundice issues were sooooo minor in comparison to some of the moms up there.

Friday morning we were informed since she was moved to the NICU we had to leave. How do you leave the hospital without your baby?!?! I was an emotional wreck!!! We went into the hospital on Monday and it is now Friday—we had worn all of our clothes, we were running out of our travel size toothpastes, shampoo, etc. We loaded up and left the hospital at 9am Friday and went straight to Target to get some things. Also-when we went in on Monday night it was HOT! It was not cold and expected to get VERY cold throughout the day/night. I had to get a jacket/sweater and some warmer clothes.

Since I was nursing her and we did not plan on needing a pump thus we didn’t bring one we had to go back to the hospital every 2.5-3 hours so I could pump and then feed her—my milk had already come in but because she was not pooping enough (to help rid the jaundice) we were having to nurse her then I would pump and we would syringe feed her more milk—formula supplementing was mentioned a few times but once they brought me a pump and saw what I was pumping out they were cool with just my milk (this was my 4^th rodeo ;))!. We spend the day in the NICU with her.

We checked into a hotel very close to the hospital for the night. We still had to go to the hospital every 2.5-3 hours throughout the night to pump and feed her. That night an insane cold front blew in and it was sooooo cold heading in and out throughout that cold night!

We spent Saturday with her in the NICU. She was such a sweet baby and would just move around and squirm under the lights. She was born with a strawberry birthmark right above her tailbone/butt crack and it was so cute. She also was born with a crazy hairline about halfway back on her scalp. Poor baby! They continued pricking her to check her levels throughout the day. Finally they were barely inching down through the afternoon. Her last one that evening they decided if it went down we could go home. It did! We were finally discharged Saturday night around 6:30 p.m. After 5 days and 5 nights in the hospital we were finally bringing our newest baby home. My heart aches for all the mommies and daddies that spend 5 and 10 times that many days---its tough! We arrived home around 8 that evening and began settling into our new life at home.

We took her straight in on Monday morning to have her levels checked and our Pedi was on vacation (it was now the week of Thanksgiving). They said she looked great and was clearing up. The little chunk had already gained weight and the pedi was impressed with the way she was nursing and gaining. She was a champ!! J Everyone adjusted very well and she was an amazingly adorable little addition to our family! J