NICU Update!

Hi Everyone!

Sorry for the delay between posts, life has been crazy since Owen was born. There is also no phone allowed in the NICU so if you’ve been trying to get ahold of us and can’t that is probably why.

Owen has been growing like a weed and is gaining about an ounce a day. He is now 2 weeks and 5 days old (Sunday 9/30/18)! He is given 36 mL of milk every three hours through his feed tube and is working on tethering. Tethering is where Owen is given food and a pacifier and as he sucks little drops of milk are put on the pacifier for him to get the taste of it. He is doing really well at this and the next step is to start nippling with a bottle; which occupational therapy will probably try and start this week. Owen loves cuddling with mom and dad every chance he gets. He loves making faces at Grandma Mandy and isn’t quite sure what to think when Grandpa Ben holds him. When Grandma Kara was here he slept most of the time and Grandpa Chaffin hasn’t gotten a chance to meet him yet but soon he will be running around their house like a crazy man!

It has been a big week here and baby O is making huge steps toward coming home. In addition to the tethering he was taken off IV nutrition last week and had his PICC removed! (YAY less cords!) He has also gotten to start having tub baths, which he is skeptical about for the majority of the time and then screams right at the end. He has also been getting very warm in his isolette so the temperature was decreased almost daily until Thursday when he reached the lowest temperature they will go. At that point he was able to try putting on clothes! So Thursday night he put on his very first onesie, which almost fit him! He is so tiny the onesie was a little bit big for him. When Jess went back in the morning he was out of the onesie because he got hot. The next step is to pop off the top of his isolette, which he started on Friday. Being able to regulate his temperature is a huge step for him and they don’t normally ween premature babies out of the isolette until 34 or 35 weeks so he is ahead of the curve, as always. Owen is doing an amazing job and we couldn’t be more proud of his little body and all of the progress he has made in his 2 and a half weeks of life.

We can’t believe how fast he is growing up and are so grateful he is healthy. There isn’t a great place for parents to stay at the NICU so Austin and I go home every night to sleep. The only reason we can do that is because we know our baby is in great hands and is healthy. We couldn’t imagine leaving him at the hospital if he were sick like some of the other babies in the NICU. We are so grateful for the staff in the birthing center, they have been amazing throughout our almost 6 weeks there. Right now Owen feels like he is a big boy now that his umbilical stump fell off and we hope this attitude will continue only until he gets home. Once he gets home we want time to slow down a bit and be a newborn otherwise we are going to be in for a wild ride! Owen, Austin and I have felt the prayers and love that have been sent to us throughout our journey and we greatly appreciate them! We’ve had a couple of people reach out to us to send notes to Owen. If you want to do that please comment or get in touch with either Austin or I. Our little guy LOVES being read to by his daddy.

Now that you’ve read the update take a look at all of these cute pictures! (You could say we’ve gone a little overboard on the pictures haha)

First outfit!

Week 28! Fargo Baby Shower Update! Hospital Update!

We made it to week 28! Doctors are saying things are looking good and our baby is growing nicely. Jess is still leaking amniotic fluid and doctors are monitoring things closely to make sure she and baby are safe. One of the bonuses about being in the hospital is getting to see our sweet baby more often! This week we’ve had 4 ultrasounds done, he is getting bigger every day and we are so grateful of that. They moved Jess to a smaller room, which doesn’t have as nice of a place for Austin to sleep but we are adjusting and settling in for the long haul. We are still impressed by the outpouring of love and support that we receive every day! This hasn’t started off as the easiest experience, but we are so thankful for the amazing network of people we have surrounding us! 

One thing we’ve gotten many questions about is the baby shower in Fargo. After discussing it with Jess’ mom we’ve decided on a plan depending on if our baby is here, or if our baby is still baking like he should be. 

If Jess is still in the hospital and baby is NOT here: We will be holding the baby shower on September 15th still but in an untraditional format. It will be more of an open house format at Jessica’s hospital room, at the Essentia Health Hospital on 32nd Ave S in Fargo, from 10 am – 1 pm. Feel free to stop by for some light refreshments and say hi for a couple of minutes. Jess will be posting the room number, code, and any other information about the location the day before just in case she gets moved rooms.

If our baby HAS arrived! We will be holding the baby shower on September 15th, but at Jess’ mom’s house, address on the invite, still using the same time. This will be more of a traditional baby shower from 10-11:30 am. 

If Jess is in labor on the 15th, things will be postponed and Jess’ mom will contact everyone as quickly as possible. 

Please check social media and our blog for updates as our lives seem to be crazy around here! 

We love you all! Enjoy these pictures below of our hospital life!

Baby at 28 Weeks, 1 Day (Monday, Aug 27th)

Jess after she got off continuous monitoring and could walk to the bathroom by herself! 

Austin setting up the AppleTV for Jess’ entertainment!

View from the hospital room 

The awesome NDSU Dog Training club making sure our dogs get enough exercise!

Our sweet babies are being taken care of by Jess’ grandparents and parents! We couldn’t do this without the help of our village! 

Loki has been busy with the NDSU Dog Training Club! She's such a cutie! 

The Path to Parenthood We Never Expected

This blog post contains a lot of past and recent events that have lead us to today and we greatly appreciate all of the support that has been given to us along the way and for everyone who will step up along this journey of ours to help bring our son into this world. Jessica is writing this post as it is a lot of her story to share.

To set up this story we would like to share how our son was a complete miracle and surprise. When Austin and I first started thinking it was time to have a child we did not anticipate the journey that we would be embarking on. Shortly after having some pregnancy symptoms it was discovered that I have polycystic ovarian syndrome and hypothyroidism. After quite some time of trying to conceive, Austin and I met with an infertility specialist who told us that likely due to my medical history we would not be able to conceive a child without infertility treatments. This was devastating news for the both of us and it took us quite some time to process the information. After a while, Austin and I decided that we weren’t quite ready to try infertility treatments as we were struggling to accept the fact. Instead, we decided to wait until the time felt right. 

At the end of March, I decided that I was about 2-3 weeks late for my period, which was not uncommon, and that I should maybe get a pregnancy test. I bought a pregnancy test and it sat in the bathroom for two weeks before I decided what the heck I’ll take it. On April 6th, we got a positive pregnancy test and immediately called my doctor who brought me in right away to confirm due to the length since my last menstruation. She told me that I was 8 weeks along and we were baffled. 

We told our parents and siblings and thought we were better secret keepers than to tell the whole family until after the first trimester, alas we were not, and we told them when I was almost 11 weeks. The pregnancy was going fantastically with no complications up until last week. 

Last week I had experienced some concerning symptoms while in Utah for my sister’s wedding. Not wanting to spoil her day I quietly contained the news and waited until I flew home and immediately went to my doctor who wanted to check on things. She was slightly concerned but told me to watch things and check back in with her at our next appointment in a week. On Monday morning though I woke up to blood, never a good sign for a pregnant woman no matter how far along. We quickly rushed to the emergency room, thinking it was probably nothing and that we were crazy. Upon arrival, they did an ultrasound and ran a series of tests which told us that my water had broken, far too early. 

So, this leads us to today, I am 27 weeks and 2 days with a ruptured membrane and pre-term labor. The doctors are fervently trying to keep our sweet baby boy inside as long as possible but have already given him all of the necessary drugs he would need, via me, to survive in this big world. As of now, I will be on bed rest at the hospital until our baby decides to make his grand entrance or for 7 more weeks when they will induce me to prevent any complications he may have. Doctors have reassured us many times that our baby will be okay and that it is a good thing that we came in when we did. Once he arrives he will reside in the NICU in Fargo very close to our home until he is ready to come home a strong healthy baby boy. 

As for now, we are still trying to figure things out. We are very grateful to be home and have my parents close by to help us out with our house and dog children who have no clue what is going on. We are overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and support we have received from our family and friends, we really don’t know what we would do without you guys. Currently, we don’t know what our plans are for the Fargo baby shower or really a whole lot of anything right now. We promise to keep everyone in the loop as much as we can. As I am on bed rest there will be lots of time for waiting and writing so that is my plans. If you want to stop by or help please let myself, Austin or my mom know. I want to stress that myself and the baby are doing just fine for now, but things are up in the air. We appreciate the support from everyone and we love you all!

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From Austin:

We are at Essentia Health on 32 Ave S in Fargo. Jessica is on bed rest, and if you know Jessica, you know that these next 7 weeks will be her own personal hell. She is healthy and keeping a good outlook so far. The baby is happy, healthy, and active. He has received the medications he needs to quicken the development of his lungs and his neurons.

If you would like to help, Jessica would like puzzles and other things to do. You could also send an iTunes gift card. A movie rental is $6 on iTunes. Items off of the registry are always appreciated. Please don't send flowers or balloons, the hospital may deny them if they smell strong or they contain latex.

Visiting

Jessica is open to visits, just be sure to call her or Austin first. You will need to come to the top floor and go to the nursing center. There is a desk, and if it is staffed, you need to stop by and get a visitor sticker. If not, continue on. Ring the doorbell of the secure doors to the birthing center. When asked, say you are seeing Jessica Pullan, and give her room number and patient code, which we will give you over the phone or by text. You can enter when the card scanning light flashes green. There are no formal visitation hours. If it is after hours for the general hospital, you can enter through the emergency room doors.

Essentia Health-Fargo

(701) 364-8000

3000 32nd Ave S
Fargo, ND 58103

Week 24! Lots of travel

Well, the Pullan family has had quite the past couple of weeks! Baby Pullan has been growing lots lately and is between the size of a grapefruit and a cantaloupe and weighs over a pound!! Jess has been feeling the little boy move for a couple of weeks now but Austin finally got to feel his son move! While Baby Pullan has been growing lots, Jess and Austin have been traveling like crazy people! After spending some time in Utah, it was time to take a break and relax in Alaska. Jess’ folks own land in Alaska so there is an annual trip out to Petersburg to get the land ready for a cabin! While we were there Austin did some salmon fishing while Jess watched her favorite thing, bald eagles, and bears. There was also some trailblazing and watching the ocean! On the way back from Alaska, Austin flew out of Edmonton in Canada to time the Revel Mt. Hood Marathon and Half in Portland. While it was super relaxing in Alaska, we are ready to get home for a little bit before Jess’ sister's wedding! It’s a big year for the Brooks - Pullan families! Pictures to come as soon as Austin has a second to go through them.