Baby Hayden is here!

Hayden Rebekah Ely was born at 2:15pm on June 11, 2010. She weighed 5lbs 15oz and was 18.5in long.

Sweet baby girl!

Our first picture as a family of three!

A proud Daddy showing off his new baby girl.

Not long after birth Hayden was transferred to the NICU due to breathing problems. They were unsure if it was due to immature lungs, fluid in the lungs or infection. She was placed on CPAP and an IV was started to administer IV antibiotics. Daddy was able to visit her frequently but I was receiving IV Magnesium due to increased BP and was unable to go see her. Daddy kept a close eye on both his girls for 2 days. I was finally able to go see Hayden late Saturday night after a sweet sweet nurse convinced the doctor that I needed to see my baby. She was the sweetest little thing I had ever laid eyes on.

My first visit with my daughter.

Blood Pressure Woes

My last "regular" appointment with Dr Cole was on Monday, June 7. After making a stop downstairs for Hayden's weekly biophysical profile I made my way upstairs to see the doctor. For some reason this appointment was different. Even though my BP was remaining steady in the 140's/90's Dr. Cole thought it was time to start talking about delivery. She really wanted me to make it to 37 weeks (I was 35 at the time) but didn't seem to sure I would. She stressed to me to call her if I began to feel bad or if my BP got too high and didn't come down. I didn't really think anything about her change in attitude this visit, my plan was to stick with my bed rest, loads of water and strict low sodium diet and see her next week.
Skip forward 3 DAYS...I woke up on June 10th not feeling my best. I attempted to do some work but just felt too bad. I texted Jeff and told him I wasn't feeling good and was going to rest and not do any work today. He texted me back and said he was on his way home. When he got home my BP was staying around 140-150/90-100. We called Dr. Cole and she told me to report to Woman's hospital ASAP for monitoring.
Once we got to the hospital they hooked me up to all the monitors and began checking my BP every 5 minutes. It had come down some but still wasn't at an acceptable level. That evening Dr. Cole came to see me and decided to keep me over night. She said she'd be back in the morning to check on me.
The next morning she came in and had decided she wanted me to stay for monitoring over the weekend. They brought me some breakfast and just as I'd finished eating the nurse came in to tell me to stop eating, there had been a change in plans. Dr. Cole made her way back to my room and told me we were having a baby today! She just wasn't sure it was safe for me to wait any longer so a C-section was scheduled for 2pm that day. She was right on target, my last BP before being rolled into the OR was 177/116.

Baby Showers and Bed Rest

Jeff and I are so blessed to have the great friends and family that we do. Not only did a wonderful group of ladies from church give us a baby shower but some of my friends from work and of course the J's gave us one, too.

The first shower was on Saturday, May 1st at 10am. It was a brunch shower at Melinda Hand's home in Crossgates. Hayden got so many useful and cute things it was unbelievable. She also got her Pack 'N' Play from Mamaw and Papaw (Jeff's Dad and Step mom) and her going home outfit from GraNana (my Mom).  The Pack 'N' Play is brown with green and blue circles with a jungle type theme. It matches her swing and bouncer. The going home outfit is a cotton gauzy material with her initials on the bubble suit and matching blanket. She also got a cute little hat and booties to match, all white with pink bows. Besides gifts the shower hostesses and guests used fabric markers to decorate onesies, burp cloths and bibs. Some were very cute, some were a little out there! It was a great baby shower and we so appreciated all the blessings!

The second shower was the next weekend on Saturday, May 8th at 3pm. This one was at my house so everyone could see Hayden's room and all the cute things (clothes) she has gotten! It was hosted by the J's (Janice, Jennifer and Jodi), Ashley Kennedy and Kelly Ross. Those sweet girls are amazing! They knew about my dietary restrictions and only made food that I could have, except for the petit fours from Paul's Pastry, but I requested those! Again Hayden got some amazing gifts. MawMaw (Jeff's Mom) gave her the diaper bag we had picked out and a bunch of super cute clothes, one of the onsies even said "I love Mom" on it! She got tons of blankets, bottles, toys and clothes, of course. Aunt Lane was able to fly in for the weekend and she brought Hayden her very first tutu! It's pink with a little leopard print trim. She also got her a baby T shirt with a crown on it, some tights and black patten leather shoes all to match! Can you tell where she was going with that? The shower was an amazing time with good friends.

Well after 2 weekends of showers I guess I got a little too excited because when I went to my routine doctor's appointment on Monday, May 10th my BP was sky high! The funny thing is I felt fine and had no reason to believe it to be out of the ordinary. My doctor decided to send me to the hospital to be hooked up to some monitors for a few hours. She wanted to get a few good BP readings and check to see how Hayden was doing. So I packed up my things, called in to work to tell them I probably wouldn't be back that afternoon and headed to Woman's Hospital. Little did I know, I should have told them I wouldn't be back, period! After about 2 hours of monitoring with everything under control Dr. Cole came by to check on me. She said everything looked really good and I could go home, but on BED REST! Long story short, here I am 3.5 weeks later still at home on bed rest. She told me today that I'll be parked right here until Miss Hayden makes her arrival. Thankfully, I am able to work from home so I don't have to start my maternity leave until sweet girl actually gets here. How blessed am I? I'm trying to keep a positive outlook but it can get a little depressing sitting her alone all day. Jeff has been amazing, but I never doubted that. Also my mom has taken on the role of personal chauffeur taking me to doctor appointments and even out one day for a pedicure :) Again, I feel so blessed to have amazing people in my life that care about me, and Hayden, and are so willing to help out!