Holding Strong and Steady

I was able to spend the day with Alex today - he continues to do extremely well! They've increased his food - he is now up to 3 cc's of breast milk every 6 hours. He is losing weight but we can expect that he will lose up to 15% of his birth weight. 

He had an ECHO done on his heart to check for any defects and we are so happy to report that everything looks perfect! He also had an ultrasound done on his brain to examine things since he was born - especially with the trama from a c-section. They look for defects and any brain bleeds. We are waiting to hear the results and are praying for another perfect report.

Alex is also breathing well with limited assistance from the ventilator. The doctor visited with me today and said he is doing so well if he was larger they could move him to another ventilator.  

We couldn't be happier with Alex's progress and with the care he is receiving in the NICU. The nurses and doctors are amazing - they continue to keep us informed and educated about each step. We are so very blessed - God is so great!!

Here are some new photos of Alex.

Here is Nana showing Andrew photos of Baby Alex, which Andrew calls "Al" at this point in time.

Alexander the Great

Alexander continues to impress his doctors and nurses! They said he is doing very well and holding strong. This is just the beginning of a very long journey, but he's got a good start. His levels are strong and they are able to give him a little less support. He's also eating well and is able to take my milk now too! 

Alex moves a lot, which the nurses said is a good sign. He grabbed and held our hands this morning - a very special moment for us. Here are a few photos of how the nurses decorated his room. 

More updates to come! Please keep the prayers coming - we know they are working! It's been overwhelming and amazing with the outpouring of support. We couldn't feel more loved or blessed. Thank you all for everything!!!

The First 48 Hours

Things are going well here! The doctors said the first 48-72 hours are the most critical and Alexander has come through very well. He has needed little support and they are very pleased with his stability so far. While he is still in critical condition due to his size, they "really couldn't be happier." They did mention that these NICU newborns can go through a bit of a "honeymoon phase" and then need some further adjustments with support outside the womb, but we will just have to wait and see about that for Mr. Alexander. Hopefully he will continue to be our Alexander the Great and stay strong and steady!

My progress continues to be slow - I never would wish a C-section recovery on anyone! It's slow to move around and get up, and walking was too difficult today. The good news is my milk began to come in! So much in fact that I was able to give Alex one serving (1 cc) of milk that he will take through a feeding tube. It should come in more aggressively tomorrow and we should be off and running. 

The support system here at the University is truly wonderful. The nurses and doctors provide the best care to me and to Alex. They are always here to answer questions and provide support. There is also a NICU social worker on staff to help us through paperwork and provide resources for assistance. Everyone has said that we are in the right place and I couldn't agree more! Iowa City was always one of my most favorite places on earth and now it truly is due to the 'U' or the University of Iowa Hospitals.

Here are some photos that were taken by the staff today - check out that hairline! Exactly like Dad and big brother Andrew!

Alexander Michael Stopulos is Here!

We believe that every family has a story - and sometimes, as Pete says, the sequel can be a bit more interesting. 

Last week, on Tuesday, November 12, I went into the hospital with cramps, contractions and mild bleeding. Dr. Barr - wonderful as usual - checked me and found I was already dilated one centimeter. I was taken by ambulance to the University of Iowa Hospitals. There is no hospital in the Quad Cities equipped to handle babies younger than 30 weeks. I was given two steroid shots and magnesium to stop the progression of labor.  It worked and on Thursday I was sent home. 

We had two uneventful days, when on Saturday evening, November 16, I began having regular contractions. I rested, I walked, I took a bath but nothing was making them go away. So we went back to Dr. Barr that night and she checked me again and I was continuing to dilate - this time to 2 centimeters. Instead of another ambulance ride, Pete and I opted to drive to Iowa City. Once we were there, they started the magnesium again, but this time it was to help prepare the baby's brain. There was really nothing else they could do to prevent the birth and doctors said that there may be a reason the birth was to occur that they didn't know about. Contractions continued throughout the night and at 4 AM I was 100% effaced and a birth was coming. Baby Stop II was breach so they planned for a cesarean section. By 5:00 AM we were prepped for surgery. I was scared but in extensive labor pains. As they were preparing the spinal tap, my water broke. So the quick planning by the doctors was perfect as they were already in position to quickly take the baby with the C-section. 

Alexander Michael Stopulos was born at 5:50 AM on November 17, 2013 - at only 24 weeks, 6 days gestation. He was 1 lb 8 oz and was approximately 12 inches long.

So far he is doing very well. These first three days are the hardest because they are closely monitoring his levels and seeing what he can handle - or what his normal assistance should be. He has a breathing ventilator, feeding tube and IV for fluids and one for blood. He had a blood transfusion today, which we can expect him to have a couple. The course of action is to keep him comfortable and growing! As soon as I have milk to provide he will eat that, but otherwise he will be using the milk bank so we can start getting nutrients. There are so many wonderful things we are learning people do for others, like donate breast milk. It's hard being in this situation but a learning experience that I know one day we will appreciate.

We will keep Alexander's story coming as it is starting out so different from his brother's, but know he is surrounded by love and faith and that we will bring him home!

Baby on Board

Yes! It's true! Although we won't be sporting this lovely sign on our vehicle, we are expecting an additional little one! On June 25, after a late period we had a positive test. All has been confirmed by the doctor and is going well. It's been challenging running after a very independent Andrew but we are very excited! It's time for me to get back into the action and will start doing some more regular posts. Stay posted!

Merry Christmas!!

We had such a blessed Christmas - what a perfect one for Andrew's first! After being delayed a day due to an ice/snow storm we ventured to Ankeny for and early Christmas. The trip unfortunately took 5 hours - not too much fun with a 9 month old who prefers to be crawling all over instead of strapped in a car seat. Pete however did an excellent job of entertaining - they even watched the movie we first fell in love to...Zoolander! Too funny! Once we did arrive the power was off! We only had to survive about 30 minutes in the dark before power was restored and we could enjoy a meal with the Elgin family.

The next day to our surprise Sophia arrived with shirt announcing she was going to be a big sister!! How awesome that we will be becoming auntie and uncle in 2013!! We were able to celebrate with the whole family later that night.

Andrew loved playing with Sophia and being at Nana and Papa G's house. We had a wonderful time.

Sunday we returned to the Quad Cities to a houseful! All of Pete's siblings and spouses made it home with two new babies! It was a busy house and Andrew was as usual non-stop. He paid little attention to the babies but enjoyed playing with Cole in the new train room. And we will have the addition (officially) of one new spouse next year - Steven and Ellie were engaged Christmas Eve. It's so exciting to have the family expanding once more! We also got to have Abbie home for 11 days and Andrew loved getting to play again since he hadn't seen her since he was 3 months old.

All around it was a very busy but very happy week of family, friends and lots of blessings!

Much to be thankful for!

We had a wonderful time celebrating Andrew's first Thanksgiving. We got to hang with both of our families and saw both cousin Sophia and cousin Rachel.

We also hosted a sip and see for Joe and Kristin so people could see their adorable bundle of joy! We had over 50 people at our home and it was just perfect! Lots of food, drinks and fun!

Andrew is really motoring around. His crawl is a full on sprint and he's pulling himself up on anything he can reach. He gets such a kick out of exploring the house and finding us. He's also very into patty cake, trot-trot, and loves to dance.