Our baby boy in his hospital bed

Getting BIG!

2011-03-21T13:44:00.002-05:00

My little man is offically 4lbs!!!!! He hit that milestone yesterday :) he is also now 16 1/4inches long. He is doing great still just working on his breastfeeding skills and working on his temp to get out of that isolette!!! That is all I have to report!

Lots of love
Kierst

Sponsor Me at March for Babies!

2011-03-18T12:23:00.001-05:00

Met my sister Kaydince :)

2011-03-16T12:54:00.003-05:00

So last night big sister Kaydince finally got to meet Tiberius! At first she seemed a little distracted by the hospital but then she asked if she could hold her lil' brother. Once she got him in her arms she didnt want to let go she just sat and talked to him and kissed him on his hat and held his sweet little hand. When I told her it was time to go she say, bye i am staying here. Since she couldnt she now has big plans to go up there with me every night at 5pm as long as she gets her homework done!

Tiberius is doing great 3lbs 9oz now and eating like a little champ! He took 14mils by breast last night :) which is over 1/2 of his feeding! Today he did 8mils which is all good for his age (32weeks 5days)

Tiberius will have to wait until he comes home to meet his big sister Aricelli but I am sure she will also love him lots!

Lots of love
Kierstien

2011-03-15T12:12:00.002-05:00

Tiberius is doing very well not much has changed since the last update. He is still getting 27mils per feeding every 3hours and still breastfeeding once or twice a day and getting around 8mils each time! The nurses are still amazed that he is breastfeeding at all since "usually" babies dont start till around 34weeks and he is 32weeks 4days gestationally.

He is now 3pounds 7ounces and 15 1/2 inches long! Just a little trooper feeding and growing!

Lots of love
Kierst

Cheese!

2011-03-11T14:26:00.001-06:00

I love to Eat and I moved!

2011-03-07T18:30:00.003-06:00

Tiberius has now moved to Ridges hospital in Burnsville! He was moved there on Sunday and so far he seems to love his new "home!"
He also started breastfeeding and today we decieded to weigh him before he went to breast to see if he was getting any volume. Well that lil' eater took 8mils which is GREAT! The nurse didnt expect him to take any so instead of his 27mils by tube he got 19 after feeding so I will go back tonight and try breastfeeding again at 5pm. He can go to breast twice a day untill he gets the hang of it then we will go to more frequently!!!
He is now 3lbs 4oz and doing very very well he is working on maintaining his temp still in his isolette. So just feeding and growing like he should be. He is no longer being followed by the Neonatologists he is now being followed by Southdale Pediatrics :) which is a good thing!

Lots of love
kierst

2 weeks old

2011-03-03T13:02:00.004-06:00

Tiberius is two weeks old today, where did the time go? He is an amazing lil' peanut and holding his own! He is now back on feedings and rocking it out starting tonight at 8pm they are going to be giving him 21mils every 3hours which is Full feedings for his weight! He also now weighs 3lbs which is great since at one point he was down to 2lbs 6oz. Other then that he is the same breathing on his own and just a chilled relax little man. He does have a few heart rates dips each day but he brings it right back up on his own with no help from the nurses! When I go and visit we do kangaroo care (skin to skin) and he seems to love it the last few times he licks me while laying there, its funny he's like a little kitty.
He is also now wearing clothes!!!

We asked the doctor when they were thinking of transferring him to the hospital near us and they said more then likely beginning of next week. The reason they dont want to do it now is because his PDA is not fully closed and they dont want to transfer him and then he end up needing surgery (which they dont think he will but better safe then sorry) and having to be sent back up to the University hospital. So the Dr wants a few more days to keep an eye on the PDA and then once he is more certain he wont need surgery then they'll transfer.

Love to all,
Kierstien

One week old!

2011-02-24T17:41:00.002-06:00

Can you believe our lil' man is one week old today? I cant. I know that I should still be pregnant but I am so blessed on how well my little boy is doing and that he is here even though it was earlier then expected. He is still going strong breathing on his own still not getting feeds but we are hoping that will change tomorrow after his heart echo. HHe got his 3rd dose (second time around) of indosin today to help close his PDA so we are all praying that the echo will show that closed tomorrow! Other then that he is our lil' Rockstar suprising us around every corner. Chase and I have made it up to the hospital everyday to visit some days only for a few hours but it is still so precious to see our little boy. Chase still has a bit of a cough so he has chose to not hold him at all we would hate for him to get sick. Chase is hoping by this weekend or next week he will be able to hold his son. Also big sister Kaydince has been battling a cough but now she is on antibiotics so hoping she'll be able to visit soon as well.
We are still planning on transferring Tiberius to Ridges hospital sometime soon ofcourse when HE is ready! The hospital (ridges) says HE has to be 30weeks before they will allow him to transfer which will be tomorrow. We are expecting that his PDA has to be closed and resume feedings.

Thank you all so much for your continued thoughts and prayers they are greatly appreciated!

Lots of love
Kierstien

I want my food back!

2011-02-22T10:30:00.002-06:00

Hello everyone Tiberius is still doing GREAT! He is 2lbs 6oz which is still down from his birth weight of 2lbs 12oz but the doctors are not concerned at this point. They have stopped his feeds at this point because yesterday afternoon they heard a heart murmur so they did a heart echo. During the echo they found a PDA which means that the Ductus in his heart is not closed like it should be this is very common in preemie babies. So they are giving him 3doses of medicine (indosin) to help this close. They will repeat the echo tomorrow morning if it is closed then they will resume feedings if not then they will do another dose of meds. I spoke with his nurse this morning and she said she didnt hear the heart murmur so it may have already started to close up, YAY! Even though our lil' man isnt able to get milk through his feeding tube he is still allowed to get a little bit of breastmilk during his oral cares. His nurse said she gave him some today on his paci and he LOVED it! So I really hope he can resume feedings tomorrow because he LOVES it so much :)
He is still breathing on his own like a lil' Rockstar and still a pretty calm lil' man.

We will go and visit him this evening since we dont have a sitter for Aricelli.

Thank you all so much for your thoughts and prayers they mean the world to us!

Lots of love
Kierstien <3

Let it Snow let it snow let it snow

2011-02-20T12:08:00.005-06:00

Tiberius is 3days old today and experiencing his first snow storm from the comfort of his isolete! Wish I could spend my snow days in a warm comfy place :) I did kangaroo care with him today for an hour and it was amazing he just layed there and slept while I adored him and talked with his nurse. By the time I was done with kangroo care I looked out the window and saw the white flakes coming down outside.
He is doing great today they went down on his feeds to 3ml every three hours because they calculated it wrong yesterday. But he was tolerating the feedings so well the nurse is going to talk to the doctors today and see if we can put him back on 8ml every 3hours. He is down a little on his weight to 2lbs 6oz but that is to be expected the first week plus he pees lots! Oh great news he POOPED today, yay and everything looks great with that! I changed his diaper and took his temp this morning and he is doing great.

The dr's have not done rounds yet today so I am sure I'll have more to update later today. I was going to try to let him get used to breastfeeding today but with the 15 to 20 inches of snow we are supposed to get we may head out before its time.

Lots of love,
Kierstien

Say Cheese!

2011-02-20T00:54:00.001-06:00

Great Progress Already!

2011-02-20T00:49:00.003-06:00

Tiberius is such a great little guy. I am so very happy to have a son and he just so sweet and I know he is going to be a mommy's boy (weather he likes it or not,lol) He is doing very well and lots has happend the last two days right after birth he was put on CPAP right away but by 12pm he was working to hard to breathe so they put him on the ventalator and gave him surfactant to help his lungs by 1am on friday he was taken off of the vent and put back on CPAP by 12pm he was on room air so they took him off the CPAP completly and he is still BREATHING ON HIS OWN now going on 37hours he also started getting breastmilk today via feeding tube he recieves 8ml every three hours and so far tolerating it wonderfully. I was able to hold him yesterday and do kangaroo twice today for an hour each. This little man is just amazing me more and more everytime I see him.

I am not going to be creating a caring bridge site for Tiberius I plan on just keeping my blog updated as much as possible.

Thank you all SO MUCH for your thoughts and prayers I know that is why and how he is able to be doing so well and just suprising us every moment.

Love
Kierstien

Tiberius James Fetzek is HERE

2011-02-17T15:33:00.001-06:00

Hello Everyone! So last night I was readmitted to the hospital because around 9:30pm my water broke when I got here they did the normal stuff and I noticed a little tenderness on my belly. Water was in fact broken I was dilating every 3ish min so it was just a wait and see what happends didnt sleep much OFCOURSE but took some meds to help with that and it did! At around 8:30am my dr came in and pushed on my tummy OWW sore so she gave me another hour (she had to do surgery) and it was more tender on the left side so she said DELIVERING today. Around 9:30 I walked to OR got all set up delivered at 10:20am my beauitufl baby BOY 2lbs 12oz and 15in long. He is ofcourse in NICU he was put on cpap at first and I even got to KISS HIM while i was still getting sewn up (like "real" babies get after csection!) he cried which was AMAZING MUSIC TO MY EARS! After a few hours on cpap he was trying a litttle to hard to breathe so they intubated him and he is now on VENT he is still doing gra

Day 65

2011-02-15T17:52:00.004-06:00

So I have been on bedrest for a total of 65days so far which is a little over 9weeks and only about 9more weeks till we want this lil' one to "think" about coming out!

I havent updated in awhile been so busy but very happy to announce I am HOME! Chase picked me up from the hospital Friday afternoon. We packed up my hospital room said goodbye to my antepartum ladies ofcourse had one last chat session before I left :) they are a great group of gals and I know we will keep in touch! Hugged my favorite nurse goodbye and we exchanged tears...in a good way! SHe told me how much of an isnpiration I am to her and other nurses and patients there with how positive I am able to stay through everything. She made my day! She is the type of nurse that goes out of her way to make you feel at home and I loved that! I will for sure be keeping in touch with her.

Before I was discharged I got my second dose of steriod shots for babies lungs! Made sure no contratctions, been contraction free for almost a month now, WOW!

Went and saw my normal OB yesterday for the first time since November. He is ofcourse very happy with my progress and said he would like to see my twice a week now untill 32weeks and then weekly after that. I will also see the perinatalogist (sp?) weekly for my 17p injections and well as ultrasounds to check on baby untill 32weeks then all my care will transfer to my OB since after 32weeks I can deliver at Southdale Hospital instead of having to go to the U!

To my BBC ladies, thank you so much for being such an awesome group of ladies and worrying about me and checking in! I feel so bad not updating you all sooner but dont worry baby and I are doing great! And I PROMISE I will keep in touch better now, hugs to you all!

*As you know last Friday marked my 28week milestone, YAY! So on to the next milestone, 32weeks so only 24 more days to go!!!

Lots of love to all
Kierstien

Day 57

2011-02-07T18:34:00.003-06:00

So today is day 57 of bedrest and I am happy to announce I got the news that I get to go home soon YAY! Friday will mark 28weeks along in my pregnancy and since I have contracted in 2weeks the doctors are a-okay with sending me home at 28weeks!!!! And the best part of it all is I get to go home with the baby still INSIDE! I cant even express how excited I am at this point with Aricelli she was already 2weeks old and it is a HUGE milestone to keep baby inside for that much longer,yay!

I will be sad to not see the nurses everyday(well some of them,lol) and not see some of the other mommas but to see my girls and Chase everyday will be so awesome and to sleep in my own bed...ahhh!

So as long as I have another uneventful week Friday will be a great day! This week will still consist of a growth ultrasound wednesday to see how big this lil' fetzek is and to check fluid levels then I think I'll have an amniosure done before I leave to make sure my water is NOT broken.

Funny story: I called Kaydince this morning to tell her I was coming home so I said guess what mommy gets to come home in 4days thinking she would shout for JOY that mommy is FINALLY coming home after being gone a month and what does she say? "In 4 years I'll be 10!" lil stinker!!!

*Incase your keeping track 4days untill my next milestone of 28weeks!!!

Lots of love,
Kierst

Day 54

2011-02-04T13:13:00.004-06:00

Today is day 54 of bedrest and it also marks 27 weeks pregnant, yay!!!!

Things are going great and I feel so blessed to still be pregnant and having no complications at this point. I am still in the hospital been here 3weeks 2days now but it feels really nice to be here knowing if something changed that I have a great team of nurses and doctors to help me and baby. I have been contraction free and medication free for 2weeks which is just a mircale in itself! Baby is doing great I love to feel every move and kick (okay almost every one sometimes the ones at 1am get a little annoying,lol). Had my fluid checked today and its 16cm which is great!

Dr said they may send me home between 32 and 34weeks if I am still staying quiet and not ruptured at that point!!!

*incase you were wondering 7 days untill my next milestone of 28weeks, YAY!

lots of love
kierstien

Day 48

2011-01-29T18:42:00.003-06:00

Hello to 48 days of bedrest and I am still going strong!

Talked to the dr this morning and he asked me if I wanted them to repeat the amniosure since I have been completly leak free since sunday last week and have had no contractions or anything. He said it wouldnt change my plan of care right now (meaning I will stay on HBR) but it was up to me. I said YES because I just wanted to know. I was okay with however the results came back because 1. if it came back positive I would know that it was accurate since I havent bled in a week. 2. if it came back negative I would feel better knowing it wasnt leaking and that last weeks tests were probably in accurate or it sealed back up. So results came back NEGATIVE!!! I am sooo happy that it came back negative ofcourse :) So really hoping to keep baby in as long as possible now w/out water bags broken I could have a full term baby.

I have had the biggest smile on my face today! Also Chase, the girls, Kyle, Pam, and Steve came and visited and brought me lunch which was very nice. We sat in the family room and visited since it is bigger then my hospital room and then I actually get to get out of this room for awhile! It was nice to see them all! Chase was going to come back tonight but he was so tired I told him to just go to bed and I'd see him tomorrow,hopefully! Plus I am pretty tired to since I decieded to not nap today to try and get to bed earlier then 1am for a change!

*incase your wondering 13days till my next milestone of 28 weeks, WE CAN DO THIS!

Lots of love,
Kierst

Day 47

2011-01-28T07:58:00.002-06:00

Today is day 47 of bedrest and I am so excited that I am going to have many more bedrest days :)

Had an ultrasound this morning to check fluid levels and they have gone up again and now at 16.4cm and all I can say is WOW! I am so happy that baby is staying put and my fluid levels are great because that means baby is getting the fluid it needs to help w/lung developement! I talked to the dr about continuing my 17p shots and she said since my fluid levels are so high and I am not contracting she is confident to continue them and that they'll help so she is going to talk to the other drs to make sure I stay on it every week!!!

I am also 26weeks today!!!

*incase anyone else is keeping track only 14days till my next milestone of 28weeks!

Lots of love
Kierst

Day 46

2011-01-27T20:00:00.003-06:00

Today is day 46 of bedrest and it has been a great day!

I think today was the fastest day since I have been here which is great! Nothing changed which is good news no contractions,no leaking fluid,no bleeding, and baby is moving around like normal!

I got up early like normal here and then took a nap by 9am then got up had lunch and showered and then met with one of the other pregnant moms here and we sat in the family room and chatted for 3hours which went so fast and it was so nice to just sit there and chat like a "real" person,lol! I know that mom will probably deliver next week so I am hoping some of the other mommas come to group so I can meet them and have weekly chat sessions! Then after Jay was done with her day of work she came and visted for awhile so that was nice too! I realize having something to keep you occupied sure makes the days fly bye!

*incase your counting only 15 more days untill my 28weeks milestone!!! WE CAN DO THIS.

Lots of love
Kierstien

Day 45

2011-01-26T15:33:00.002-06:00

Well here I lay in bed for the 45th day in a row and really it hasnt been all that bad. Yes I do have bad days and sometimes even a bad few hours in the day but I know that as soon as I have my little baby and see him/her it will make all those weeks in bedrest seem like nothing! What I am doing is a GREAT thing I am helping a life grow and have the best chance of a healthy/happy life so every week,day,hour, and even minute inside of me is a HUGE gift I am giving to my baby and that makes it all worth it!

Had an ultrasound yesterday to check my fluid levels since I will now be getting them Tuesdays and Fridays to make check what the fluid is since I started leaking amniotic fluid. It was at 15cm WOW I was seriously shocked when the ultrasound tech told me the amount and holy moly I was so excited to see it that high, this is the highest it has been since I started getting fluid checks at 20weeks! So we are hoping/praying that fluid continues to stay at good levels! Anything between 10cm and 25cm is a good normal so the 15cm is awesome!

Ofcourse still in the hospital which is where I will live until baby comes. Today has been a good day my nurse (who is AWESOME) brought in the movie The Hangover in for me to watch and also popcorn! Oh man that movie is hilarious I am so happy she brought it in, chase came and watched it with me and we loved it!!!

incase you are wondering only 16days till my next milestone of 28weeks!!!

Lots of Love
Kierstien

P.S. can you believe there is only 5 days left in january, yay!

Day 43

2011-01-24T22:17:00.002-06:00

So I have now been on bedrest for over 6weeks and WOW I can not believe it.

Today I am 25weeks and 3days along which is the gestational age Aricelli was born and man its been a rough day on me emotionally. So I am very happy to see this day end and even happier to see it end and I am still pregnant!!!

I got an ultrasound on Saturday to measure baby's fluid and it was 10cm which is very good considering I am leaking amniotic fluid. This is the highest it has been in two weeks! I will get another ultrasound tomorrow to check fluid again and i am hoping/praying that it will be higher or at least the same! I havent been leaking much fluid so that is very good!

So here I lay just praying that I get one more day and I will keep praying that same thing each and every day!

Still counting down to my next 28week milestone 18more days to go, YAY!

Lots of Love
Kierst

Day 41

2011-01-22T13:22:00.002-06:00

Today marks 41days of bedrest! Things didnt go as well last night as we had hoped for. Around 10:30pm I started getting a few contractions that to me were quite strong and then noticed some light bleeding that seemed more watery then before. So I called my nurse in and they did a test to see if I was leaking amniotic fluid and that came back positive. So they started me on antibiotics and took me off my other medications (that stop contractions). So pretty much I am here till baby is born which could be within a day or it could be weeks it is just up to my body at this point. As long as I dont get an infection and no other life threatening things happen they will let baby stay in untill 34weeks. I am not yet sure how much fluid is left around baby I am hoping they will do an ultrasound to find out. Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers!

I am still counting down to my 28week milestone only 20days away!!!
BAKE BABY BAKE!

Lots of love
kierst

Sad News

2011-01-21T20:30:00.002-06:00

So yesterday we were told some very sad news, Chase's grandma Shirley (his mom's mom) had passed away yesterday morning. She has been very sick for a few months and on hospice care and the last two weeks we knew things were not going to get any better. On Monday her dr said that her organs were failing and it would be just a matter of days untill she passed. All of her kids were able to be with her this week and help her be as comfortable as possible. She went peacefully yesterday during a nap.

I am having a very hard time dealing with her death because I know I will not be able to go to the funeral to say my good byes. I am so blessed to still be pregnant and I know I am in the best place possible and I have to stay put but that doesnt make it any easier. I know she knows how much I want to be there and I know she doesnt want me to come so I can keep her great grand baby safe!!!

Grandma Shirley you will be greatly missed but never ever forgotten <3

Lots of Love,
Kierstien

http://www.lacannefuneralhome.com/obituary/20574/ShirleyAxford/obituary

25weeks

2011-01-21T20:24:00.002-06:00

So today marks 25weeks pregnant for me and I am so stinking happy to still be pregnant and water in tact still, yay!!!! I am still in the hospital and dr told me yesterday that I am not going home any time soon he wants to keep me here for sure till 26weeks and then reasses things and go from there. He really doesnt think I'll be going home until around 28weeks (Feb 11th) but we will just have to wait and see.

Had an ultrasound yesterday and my fluid levels stayed about the same at 9.5cm which we were hoping it would go up since we have decreased my medication on Monday but at least its above where it was (8cm) so I will get another ultrasound Monday to recheck the fluid. Also they checked my cervix which was 27mm long which is okay they like it above 30mm at this point but above 25mm is "acceptable" so I am in okay range there but it was slightly funneling so we are still going to keep an eye on that and I'll recieve another cervical length ultrasound on Thursday of next week. Baby was very active and doing great they did a growth ultrasound as well and baby is measuring right where it should be at 25weeeks and he/she weighs 1lb 9oz approx!!!

So Monday will mark 25weeks 3days which is the gestational age I had Aricelli my last pregnancy so I am a little nervous for that day but super excited to get past it! With her at this point my water had already broke so I am really feeling great knowing I will get past that date still pregnant!!

21 more days untill my next milestone of 28 days :) woot woot!

Lots of love
Kierstien

Day 38

2011-01-19T16:49:00.000-06:00

Welcome day 38 of bedrest, wow 38 really??? Sometimes it doesnt feel like its been that LONG but then at other moments it is like really only a month! But I have a LOT longer to go and I WILL make it!!! My goal is 37weeks and ofcourse anyday beyond that would be a great bonus!!

So still at the hospital on bedrest and staying here at least for tonight. Not much has changed in the last few days. Yesterday my fluid had dropped from 9cm to 8cm so we changed my medications around and I did very well with that last night, yay! So had another ultrasound today and that showed my fluid levels went up to 10cm, wohooo! So no changes today just keep doing what I am doing.

Today was the first day in a week that I got out of my ROOM! The nurse took me to group time, which is a thing the antepartum unit does they let the pregnant mommas get together to chit chat! Today it was only me and another lady but we still had a good time and it was so nice to "get away" for an hour. I learned that she has been on hospital bedrest since November 12,2010 and is now 32weeks pregnant, wow! She is really an inspiration :)

23 days to go till my next milestone of 28weeks!!!

Lots of love,
Kierst