1. What is Casey's long-term prognosis?
As of now, Casey does not have a long-term permanent diagnosis. She currently qualifies for Early Childhood Intervention Services in the areas of Speech for eating, Nutrition for weight gain concerns, and Specialized Skills Training for a developmental delay of her motor skills. Due to her extreme prematurity, it could take two to three years for her to fully catch up, but we are seeing huge progress. We set her goals based on her adjusted age, meaning we expect her to do things based on the age she should be rather than her actual age. She will have to re-qualify for services annually, and can continue to receive ECI services until age three, at which time the school district would take over in the event that she is still needing services.
2. Are you going to be one of those "Germaphobic" moms?
Umm, this is one of those questions that always catches me off guard. I know many people are under the impression that a few germs are good and help build up a child's immune system. I can assure you that for a micro preemie, this is not the case! We are under very strict instructions from the hospital, our Pediatrician, and our Pulminologist to keep Casey isolated during RSV season and to use caution and avoid large crowds for at least the first year. I don't consider myself to be afraid of germs, however, when you have spent 130 days in the hospital, you tend to want to avoid a repeat stay at any cost and adhere to the advice of your many doctors.
3. What caused you to go into labor so early?
It has been determined that my undiagnosed Type 1 Diabetes at the time of my pregnancy caused my preterm labor. A diagnosis of Type 1 (aka Juvenile Diabetes) is rare at my age and even more rare to be diagnosed during pregnancy. My story has baffled more than one doctor!That reminds me that one of these days I need to get around to doing a blog post about my birth story and the days I spent on hospital bed rest. One of these days....
4. Is your Diabetes permanent and do you have to take shots? Are you going to get an insulin pump?
Ok, so that is two questions, but yes, unlike Gestational Diabetes, Type 1 is permanent. I take (at least) 4 shots a day. I check my blood sugar and take insulin before every meal and at bedtime. An insulin pump is something I would consider in the future, but am not planning to get at this time.
5. Are you planning to have more kids?
We definitely want more kids in the future. My Diabetes will have to very tightly controlled and I will be very closely monitored by my Endocrinologist and a High Risk doctor for all future pregnancies. The good news is that since we do know the cause of Casey's early birth, we expect that with careful monitoring, next time I should be able to have a normal full term pregnancy. I will also soon be the proud owner of a Continuous Glucose Monitor, which I will start wearing to help monitor my blood sugar now and during future pregnancies to help keep a closer eye on my blood sugar and avoid a similar situation. When you have experienced a traumatic end to your pregnancy, it certainly makes the idea of future pregnancies a bit terrifying, so I think it will be a while before I sign myself up for 40 weeks of worrying. Oh, and I would really like to enjoy sleep again for at least a short while!
6. Why are you still pumping if you have so much frozen milk?
Because I'm a glutton for punishment? As much milk as it appears that we have stored away, we estimate that it would last only about 2 months. Since Casey's adjusted age is not quite 5 months, we still have a while before she is not getting most of her calorie intake from milk. Trust me, you will probably hear my squeals of excitement resonating across the globe the day I get to retire from the milk making business.
7. Are you going to sue your doctor?
No. While I do believe that it could have been caught earlier, I am not interested in playing the "blame game." At my 26 week appointment (the day we discovered I was in labor), I was given my glucose drink, which is pretty standard. While I had called earlier in the week with concerns that I was vomiting again, until the previous couple weeks I had no real signs that there were any problems with my pregnancy.
8. Why did you go back to work?
I'm a big fan of having medical insurance, especially when you have an expensive new medical diagnosis and your child is born extrememly premature. I also went back to work because I like to avoid other questions, such as "What flavor of Ramen noodles would you like tonight, dear?" or "Didn't you wear that yesterday?" Yeah, it wasn't really an option. I am very thankful that I was able to reserve eight weeks of my maternity leave to use when Casey was released from the hospital and that as a teacher I have summers off and lots of nice vacation time to spend being a part-time stay at home mommy.
Whew, I think those are all my most frequently asked questions! Well, if you made it through all of that, here are some pictures from the week as your reward:
Trying out some spring clothes!
Love this happy girl!
Casey is a big fan of playing with her clothes these days. She worked hard for that belly, so I figure it is ok if she wants to show it off.
Giving her best Salute!
This picture cracks me up because at this angle her feet look like troll feet!
Grandma's Sweetie!
Checking out her Taggies blanket
She loves those hands
Cheering on Daddy's team!
It is hard to put her to bed when she is this sweet and happy.
We do have our not so happy moments. Casey says "No, I don't 'got hockey?' because you people won't let me go anywhere!"
Just to prove I am a natural blonde (and because I apparently have no secrets left in this world), the above is how I sent my child to Gigi's in the morning.
And here is how she returned...
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