SHE'S HERE...

Here's the story of little hen's big day.
As most of you know, this whole pregnancy I felt like I just wasn't pregnant enough. My belly never seemed big enough and I felt like my baby wasn't big either. I never felt much movement or hard kicks. For the most part, I just took it as "all pregnancies are different." That is fair and true advice. Even better advice is to always trust your maternal instincts.
Saturday I was in bed most of the day. I hadn't noticed any movement since the previous evening. I started to get a little concerned. I had Chris get me a ginger ale and I rolled over on my left side. The doctor recommends drinking something and laying down on my left side to get her going. Nothing happened. I started to read up on high blood pressure and how it can effect the baby's development. The more I read, the more concerned I became. I told Chris that I was worried so he suggested that he call Bill and get his input. I called my sister and got her opinion as well. All agreed that I should call my doctor and let her know about the baby's lack of movement. Dr. Reisig called and told me to go on to the hospital and be monitored. I told Chris and Draven that we would be home by dinner. My sister met us up there with her family. They sent us back to a room and hooked my up to a monitor. We got a heartbeat so I assumed everything was fine. The nurse didn't act like everything was fine. We were confused. She said that the heart rate was flat. It stayed around 150 instead of jumping up and down. I thought that a constant number would be a good thing. I guess we were wrong. I sent everyone but Chris home but reassured them that we would still be home tonight. After they left the nurse came in and said they were going to admit me. My doctor wanted me to be monitored for 24 hours. I still wasn't concerned, just surprised. We decided to get some sleep. While I laid in bed I watched and listened to the heart monitor. I noticed that it would be at 150 then slow down to 0 then go back to 150. I could actually hear her heart stop. That was terrifying. The nurse came in and said she was calling my doc and to stop drinking any liquids. Weird. Next think I knew they tossed scrubs at Chris and had me signing all kinds of forms. They sent me in for an emergency c-section. Before I knew it she was here. She was born January 20th at 1:32 a.m. She weighed 2 pounds and 15 oz. Chris and I were in shock. The doctor said that she had the cord wrapped tightly around her neck. Not only that, but my placenta was tiny. Due to it's size, she was not getting the proper nutrition she needed. She had stopped growing around 30 weeks if not earlier. Luckily, her major organs did develop. She just didn't grow, not an ounce of fat on her. They sent her straight to the NICU without me even getting a chance to hold her. Despite her small size, she scored a 7 on her APGAR, followed by a 9 five minutes later. Not bad for a tiny little baby. Her color was good and she was breathing on her own just fine. She spent most of the day being tested and checked. So far, no major concerns. Today they started her on a bottle. She seems to be doing pretty well for the most part. We just need her to get fat. I don't know how long she will be here. After talking to the doctor, I am guessing a min. 2 weeks - 3 weeks max. Once, she is 4 pounds they will talk about releasing her. Keep us in your prayers.