This post is a bit delayed (welcome to mom life I guess?!) but after 23 days in the NICU we received the OK to go home last Wednesday night.  While this wasn’t the journey I would have chosen for Anika, things all worked out and we have met/connected with some fabulous people along the way.

Between the copious hours sitting in a pleather rocker in our little room, late night pumps, and general mom hormones I have developed a list of lessons learned/silver linings about our experience:

1.) There is an amazing network of people who know what you are going through.  By far the most valuable advice/sanity came from talking to those who had been through the same experience.  Whether friends, friends-of-friends, or people I had lost touch with, those who made a point to reach out meant more to me than they probably know.  One thing I struggled with (and that honestly still bugs me) is the feeling like I “kicked” Anika out, that her being in the NICU was my fault.  While that is completely illogical, I couldn’t kick the feeling and despite being surrounded by people it made me feel extremely lonely.  It wasn’t until someone reached out via Instagram who had the same exact experience and lonely feelings that I felt “normal” and able to address.  Even if you aren’t close with someone, don’t hesitate to send a text/call/social media message, you could make someone’s day 🙂

Also, who better than to understand the day-to-day struggles than your fellow NICU neighbors.  Talking with others gave me a better perspective on our situation (could be worse) and a general sense of community within the NICU.  I had the pleasure of “rooming” next to a FANTASTIC couple who had the same issue (and doctor) as us – the mom and i exchanged numbers and would text during the day and randomly chat.  She made my stay 100% better and I can’t wait until her little guy is out so we can grab a drink and chat outside of Fairview Southdale!

2.) It’s like Baby Boot Camp:  This advice came from some good friends of ours (and was reiterated by others) and is 100% true.  The benefit to a NICU stay is that you get to leave knowing your baby for more than 36 hours – you know their sounds, needs, and they are on a bit of a schedule.  And that leads me to my next takeaway…

3.) Leverage the staff (and get to know them, they are great):  You gain extended access to baby experts – from nurses, lactation consultants, doctors.  They see babies everyday, have been doing this for years, and probably know your baby better than you do!  Ask questions and get their advice,

Also get to know them and thank them – they are REALLY great and you spend a lot of time together.  They are the best and little things go a long way (pizza, donuts, care packages, etc).  In my case they came-in during a blizzard and paid for a hotel so they could make their next shift to take care of Anika and the other NICU babes.  If that doesn’t deserve a snack at minimum what does 😉  Shout-out to the staff at Fairview Southdale who made leaving Anika each night easier knowing she was in the BEST care.

4.) Find a schedule that works for you: At first I was really worried about what I “should” be doing.  After talking to others, the nurses I trusted, etc. I came to the conclusion that what was best for Anika was for me to be healthy both mentally and physically.  For me that meant not staying overnight (I tried it once and I was a mess).  I would call first thing in the morning to find out when her next feeding would be and make sure I was there for at least four of her eight feedings a day (around 8:00am – 7:00pm).  This ensured I got a decent night sleep at home and could find some normalcy while still getting quality time with Anika.  We also took advantage some nights of “the best/most expensive babysitters in the world” and did date night which was important for us as a couple (a break from the small room and baby talk).  That may not work for everyone, but my point being do what works for you and consistency helps create normalcy!

5.) People are the best:  Going through this has made me realize how amazing people are.  We can’t thank my mom, sister, family in general, friends, neighbors who have made these last few weeks as stress free as possible with their visits, food, help with Stella pup, and listening ears.  Also again to the staff at Fairview and my favorite OB (shout out Dr. Toft) – thank you for taking such good care of us!

It has been quite the ride, and the first of many hiccups of parenthood I’m sure – thanks for following along and supporting Anika!  Now onto figuring out this parenting thing (even Stella is adjusting) 🙂

Luke said it well that we couldn’t be happier to meet our little peanut but I’d be lying if i said this last week hasn’t also been a bit of a test in flexibility and grace for this A-type planner 😉

To give a little background – about a week prior to delivery I started having really bad middle back pain and numbness in my right hand.  I called the nurse and this was normal, baby could be sitting on a nerve, etc.  It continued throughout the week but i got some relief with a visit to the chiropractor (I am now hooked ha).  Luke and I then traveled on Friday to Virginia for my cousin’s wedding with the rest of my family.  I had been having a very normal, healthy pregnancy and was cleared by doctor to go – why sit at home with FOMO over just back pain?

I continued to not feel/sleep well in Virginia, and started to get intense abdominal pain as well.  I called my clinic on Saturday before the wedding just to re-confirm this was normal.  They said it was tough to diagnose pain over the phone but sounded like a nerve/disc issue.  This ultimately ended-up being the best thing for us, if they would have sent us to the ER we would probably still be in VA!

I got to enjoy my cousin’s (beautiful) wedding and flew home on Sunday.  I went to the chiropractor again on Monday hoping for some relief again, and headed to my normal OB appointment.

I had Luke drive me and come with me, since the back pain made it hard to drive and I knew something wasn’t quite right.  My blood pressure was high, I had protein in my urine, and I was pretty swollen by this point so my doctor sent us immediately (in a cheery yet pointed voice) to the hospital.

From there things start to get hazy, but labs showed I had severe preeclampsia and HELLP, so essentially my blood pressure was crazy and my liver was not functioning well.  All combined with crazy platelet counts caused a need for an emergency c-section at 34 weeks 1 day within a couple hours of my appointment.

Despite the eviction notice from my body baby is doing very well (actually she is a rockstar) just needs to grow and get basic (and normal) things like breathing/eating on her own down in the NICU for a few weeks.  We channeled my inner Scandinavian roots and named her Anika Elizabeth (Elizabeth after my and Luke’s grandma).  She is perfect.  Note her name is pronounced Ah-nick-a, we googled how to best spell and got multiple answers so just settled on one N, if it is wrong I’m blaming the magnesium IV i was on when i wrote it down 🙂

Luke and i are now home from the hospital and as I sit here pumping (guess this is the new normal right moms?!) I am feeling extremely grateful.

I can’t thank everyone enough for the calls, texts, thoughts, prayers, visits, everything.  And especially my mom/sister who just knew what I needed when i didn’t, and for taking care of our fur baby 🙂

And Luke has been my rock – I’ve felt a bit helpless in my own recovery and he has taken care of everything, even buying nursing stuff at target for me 🙂  Anika and I are lucky to have him.

Overall this has been a very humbling experience and i can’t thank everyone enough for surrounding us and little Anika with support!

So first I have to apologize – it has been ages since I have been on here!  I am going to chalk it up to Summer/Fall: 1; Megan: 0

But don’t worry, I haven’t been a complete sloth and do have some fun recipes/projects/pup-dates to share over the next couple of weeks as I get caught-up!

Before I do that though, Luke and I want to take a vote – which cheesy baby announcement is your favorite?!

This is part of the reason I’ve been M.I.A – there is a new pup joining the Fox family, and this time it isn’t a foster!  Baby Fox is due May 6, 2018 and we are thrilled (and a wee bit nervous in all honesty :))!

Without further ado, here is our Sunday morning attempt at some wonderfully cheesy baby announcements!

1.) We’re Prego

Don’t even need a sign, the jar says it all…and this baby loves carbs which makes it more fitting 🙂

2.) Official Baby Toy Tester

We can’t do a baby announcement without incorporating our OG miss Stella!  Even with the bribery of treats, she was a true model diva for this photo session.  These were the best we could get, and our new foster, June (or Hopper) as we call her, had to make an appearance too! (more to come on June in another post!)

3.) Stowaway

We are preparing for a trip to Europe, and this time I’m traveling with a little stowaway!  Baby Fox has been quite the little traveler – Chicago, Taiwan, and soon to be the UK and Amsterdam!

4.) Bun in the Oven

Takin’ it back old-school with the “bun in the oven” analogy 🙂

Which is your favorite?!