On November 3rd, 2015 I was admitted to the hospital for severe high blood pressure. I was 21 weeks and 4 days pregnant.It was a very scary situation as the doctors tried their best to lower my blood pressure. They said the baby was stressed but so far was handling everything the way he should. They would try to keep him in as long as possible. November 23rd 2015, the doctors said we would be having our baby. The daily ultrasound showed that he was no longer receiving anything from the placenta. He had to be delivered as soon as possible. I was 24 weeks and 3 days pregnant. I had a c-section and Walker David Ramirez was born at 2:58pm weighing in at 15.3 oz and was 10.6 inches long. Walker has overcome some very huge hurdles. He has fought hard and continues to amaze us everyday and prove doctors and nurses wrong. No one ever thought we would make it to 22 weeks let alone 24. No one thought he would pull through one of his really bad days, Walker did though. As I type this in his room in the NICU, he is 75 days old, weighing 2lbs 12.8oz! What a blessing and miracle our baby boy is!
My milk supply has not been the greatest being that he was not supposed to make an appearance until March 11th, 2016. My body was not prepared to be in mommy mode. Stress definitely affects my supply. Now that Walker is having better days, my supply seems to be better. Definitely not completely in yet though. I get so overwhelmed and feel like I am not contributing to our family being that I still have not returned to work. I pump constantly in hopes that it will raise my production. I asked my doctor to put me on medicine to help, but due to my continued high blood pressure she cannot. And to top it off, one of my blood pressure meds decreases my supply. It is like how am I supposed to keep my blood pressure down when I don't know if I am providing enough for my baby? I am always afraid that I am letting him down. I am keeping up with his needs but what happens if I can no longer do that? Without the meds, my blood pressure is severe. I have been eating better and drinking more water. I have come to terms with the fact my body is going to only produce what it can. I know deep down that I am doing everything I possibly can at this point. Before all of this happened, I had planned on breastfeeding. Doctors strongly encouraged me to breastfeed him as it was one of the best things that I could do for our baby especially with being born so early.
Ever since Walker was about 2 weeks old, the nurses would swab his mouth with my milk. Then not long after, they would give him a few drops. Every couple of weeks, they would give him a little bit more. Whenever we do his cares, he opens his mouth and waits for his milk! We recently started nuzzling. Walker immediately latched on the first time! What a beautiful moment that was! The nurses have never seen a baby so tiny that has been through so much latch so fast and perfectly! We still have a road ahead of us, but our little fighter is our world! Whenever I think about how bad my breasts and nipples ache, I look at our baby. He has gone through more in his 2 months of life than anyone should have to experience in a lifetime. He is worth everything. I had some really bad luck while on bed rest in the hospital but I would do it all over again in a heartbeat for him.
My goodness, you have me crying now! This is the best Valentine’s Day blog ever – I am so happy to hear Walker is doing so well, best of luck and love to you and your family!