2/28 Update

We had a busy but good day with our baby girl. Bili levels were down by quite a bit but we still have a ways to go. Hopefully tomorrow we will see another significant improvement. Nanny and Poppy came to visit and got to hold Emma Claire for the first time (Grandma and Pop came yesterday and got to hold her for the first time) and Kyle gave his first bath tonight.

Tonight is my 2nd night back home since she was born. Her night nurse the past two nights has been especially wonderful and given me peace of mind to transition back home. It's been nice to be home after 9 days away and it allows me to get a few things around the house ready for when she does come home.

As always, thank you for your support and prayers. I know I end with this each night but please know its not said out of habit and its meant from the bottom of our hearts.

2/27 Update

Plans changed and Emma Claire is still at Duke. Kyle and I are both happy she was able to stay as we have been very pleased with Duke and our comfort zone is there. Emma Claire's bilirubin levels have spiked again. She's back under the bili light and also now on the bili blanket. Hopefully the combination of the two will show a decrease in her levels tomorrow morning. She is doing great in all other aspects and at this point the only thing keeping her from going home is her bili levels. Daddy was able to come back and visit today - we (Emma Claire and I) we both happy he could be back by our sides.

Thank you all for your continued support and prayers!

2/26 Update

I arrived this morning to find Miss Emma Claire dressed for the first time in a very special outfit - one worn by her cousin Chloe who was also a preemie. She looks pretty cute in it if I may say so myself.

During the night they removed her IV and feeding tube so the only things hooked up to her now are her monitors. They also increased her feeds - she can now eat as much as she will take but a minimum of 30 ml (just over an ounce). She also passed her hearing test. The biggest news of the day is Emma Claire will transported in the morning to Rex Hospital in Raleigh (where I was suppose to deliver). Duke needs beds and our little girl is the healthiest in the nursery. We are both a little sad to be leaving Duke because they've been amazing in every way to us but happy our little girl is the healthiest in the nursery and happy knowing we are making room for babies who need extra special care. We will be closer to home and hopefully get to take Emma Claire home the first part of the week. I'll be staying with my lil sis from college who lives only 5 minutes or so from the hospital. I'm just not ready to be a half hour away from her yet! Thanks Hannah for letting me stay with you!

As always, thank you all for your prayers and support! It has meant so much to both Kyle and I.

2/25 Update

First of all, our baby girl is a week old today! How did that happen? I swear she was born just yesterday. It's been a wonderful week full of progress and we are so proud of her and thankful.


Another great day! Emma Claire's bilirubin levels came down today so she didn't have to be under the lights. This meant that I could pick her up and hold her whenever I wanted for as long as I wanted and believe me I held her for hours today. It also means it made it unbelievably hard for me to leave her tonight! We know she will be home soon though and we will have plenty of snuggle time then. Hopefully her levels will stay down and we will be able to get some of those cute clothes on her tomorrow!

She also did a great job nursing today. She nursed for 10 consecutive minutes and tomorrow they are going to bump it up to 15.


Thank you all for your continued support and prayers!

Smitten

Daddy couldn't come visit today - he wasn't feeling well. We both sure missed him! Here are a few pictures of Daddy and his little girl...

First Picture Together

First Diaper Change

One of my friends came tonight to take me to pick up a few things I needed and I just couldn't resist this. Can't wait to see her in it!

We love you Daddy! Feel better soon!

2/24 Update

Emma Claire had a big day! When we called this morning for our update, we were told she took a bottle for the first time at her 5AM feeding and again at her 8AM feeding and that she was being moved from the NICU into the Transitional Care Nursery. We met with the lactation consultant for her 2PM feeding and she did great. We are meeting again tomorrow and hopefully she will be able to nurse soon for a complete feeding. She's quite the little piglet - they had to increase her feeds for the 2nd day in a row. The Transitional Care Nursery is more of a family oriented setting. We are able to participate a lot more in her care. Tonight I was able to give her a bath and a bottle for the first time. Her breathing is stable and continues to improve. Her bilirubin levels came down slightly so hopefully they will continue to trend down so we can get her out from under the lights and start dressing her up in all those sweet clothes we have for her.

We are enjoying every moment we get to spend with her and are so proud of her progress. As always, thank you all for your support and prayers!

2/23 Update

It's hard to believe our sweet baby girl is 5 days old today! Without a doubt, this has been the fastest 5 days of my life. We are getting so many requests for updates that now that I am settled into a hotel across from the hospital to be close to her I decided it would be easier just to keep everyone updated through the blog.

We continue to be amazed and so grateful each day for Emma Claire's progress. I got to hold her for probably an hour or more this afternoon - skin to skin. Words cannot describe how awesome it is to have her snuggling right there on my chest. She’s starting to be more alert so we are getting to see her eyes more and more. The nasal cannula came out today so she is now breathing on her own. They were also able to double her feeds so she is up to 12ml through her tube every 3 hours. Her breathing is still too fast to bottle feed or nurse and her bilirubin is still high but we know both will improve in the coming days. She is a strong girl - she's constantly kicking her feet in the air, sucking on her paci like you wouldn't believe, and pushing up on her knees while on her belly.

Each day we get to spend more and more time with her and I think I can speak for Kyle and say each day we fall more and more in love with her. She really is perfect!

We can't say thank you enough to everyone for your prayers, kind words, and support. The outpouring of love and support has meant so much to the both of us. We can't wait for you to meet our sweet girl!

Welcome to the world, Emma Claire Louise Rodgers!

Our sweet baby girl was born 6 weeks early on February 18 at 11:01 PM weighing 5 lbs 1 oz and measuring 18 1/2 inches long. I will share her amazing birth story in a later post but she was born via c-section due to a placenta abruption. She is in the NICU at Duke University Medical Center and is making great progress each day. She is absolutely perfect and we couldn't be more in love and in awe of her.

34 Weeks

Wow, only 6 weeks to go! Kyle and I had a full day of childbirth class at the hospital this past Sunday. He was a trooper - getting him there was the hardest part. During the class they took us on a tour of the birth center where I will deliver. While we were standing outside of the nursery, they wheeled one of the new babies in. Suffice it to say, I was choking back the tears as were some of the other mom's in our class and the daddies were blinking awfully hard too. It's hard to believe in just 6 short weeks we are going to have one of our very own. We better get busy on the rest of the to do list!

Here is what Baby Girl is up to this week...

Your baby now weighs about 4 3/4 pounds (like your average cantaloupe) and is almost 18 inches long. Her fat layers — which will help regulate her body temperature once she's born — are filling her out, making her rounder. Her skin is also smoother than ever. Her central nervous system is maturing and her lungs are continuing to mature as well.

Pregnancy Cravings + Kroger Sale

My beverage of choice this pregnancy (seeing as how you have to give up caffeine & alcohol) has been Fruit Punch Gatorade. I go through it like water. So imagine my delight when the $1.00 bottles were on sale for $.58 this week at Kroger. I bought 30. Yes, you read that right, 30... I'm still not convinced that I shouldn't go back and buy 10 more. I think that will last me the next 7 weeks. After that I'll probably never want to drink Fruit Punch Gatorade ever again.

Tip: When spilling Fruit Punch Gatorade on beige carpet during a clumsy pregnant moment, don't panic. Google red gatorade stains, frantically grab the bottle of club soda you should always keep in your pantry, and watch the magic. I should know -I learned this lesson this morning. Club soda is my hero!

33 Weeks

One more week closer to our Baby Girl's arrival and each day is full of small preparations including trying to finalize childcare, figuring out health insurance, shopping for a camcorder, assembling her swing, and Kyle's favorite... Breastfeeding Class. Yes, I dragged him begrudgingly to Breastfeeding Class (it said partners were strongly encouraged to attend) and now he can talk such technical terms as "the football hold" with the best of them. There were several other dads there so I don't think he felt any more awkward then we all did from watching an 80's breastfeeding movie complete with permed hair, 80's dresses, and of course lots of women's nipples. He's uber excited about this Saturday's 8 hour childbirth class. The nice thing about the BF class was there were lots of other moms due around the same time as me including 2 others due the exact same day so it was nice to be able to size up other women in the same stage of pregnancy and realize that I'm not as huge as I feel some days.

Here is what Baby Girl is up to this week...

This week your baby weighs a little over 4 pounds (heft a pineapple) and has passed the 17-inch mark. She's rapidly losing that wrinkled, alien look and her skeleton is hardening. The bones in her skull aren't fused together, which allows them to move and slightly overlap, thus making it easier for her to fit through the birth canal. These bones don't entirely fuse until early adulthood, so they can grow as her brain and other tissue expands during infancy and childhood.

8 Months!

Last Thursday we had our first baby shower thrown by Kyle's co-workers. We had a great time and it was really nice for me to finally see after 6 years where Kyle spends his days. He got to give me a tour of his lab and I met many of his co-workers that I had not met before. Baby Girl got lots of goodies and I spent the weekend putting everything away and washing crib sheets, blankets, and some clothes to get ready.

I'm still feeling pretty good for the most part. I've been sleeping better then I was - the trick is to cut off the liquids after dinner. Although I wouldn't say I'm ready to have her by any means, I do look forward to being a normal size again and having full mobility back and be able to sleep on my stomach again. Here is what Baby Girl is up to this week...

By now, your baby weighs 3.75 pounds and is about 16.7 inches long, taking up a lot of space in your uterus. You're gaining about a pound a week and roughly half of that goes right to your baby. In fact, she'll gain a third to half of her birth weight during the next 7 weeks as she fattens up for survival outside the womb. She now has toenails, fingernails, and real hair (or at least respectable peach fuzz). Her skin is becoming soft and smooth as she plumps up in preparation for birth.