Where has the time gone?

This is my 'remember when' blog leading up to Anna's 5th birthday on Friday!!! Anna was actually born on a Friday, so this week is bringing back lots of memories. As many of you know, my pregnancy with Anna was rocky from the start. I had all day sickness for the entire pregnancy and when I was put on bedrest at about 6 1/2 months, there were lots of people at my office who didn't even realize I was pregnant.

We knew that Anna was measuring small since my sonogram at 24 weeks, but her growth continued to slow and she wasn't moving as much as she should have been. I was put on bedrest and the insurance denied our claim to have a nurse come to the house every day to check Anna's heartbeat. Dr. Campbell explained that I would not carry Anna full term and that they were concerned because of her size - the pregnancy was officially called - IUGR - In Utero Growth Restricted. I distinctly remember the visit (I was going in at least once a week) when I brought all of my questions about what an early delivery would mean, and broke down when I asked if she thought Anna would live. She gave no promises, but said that gestationally she had good odds, but they would have to make the call of when she was better off in the NICU instead of inside me.

I called my dr. on Tuesday morning because I hadn't felt Anna move on Monday. They did a sono, and immediately sent me upstairs to the high risk doctor. They also did a sono - I was 31 weeks 2 days pregnant, and Anna was measuring at about 24 weeks. The wanted to do an amnio (which we did, but was horrible for me) and I was admitted to the hospital for the remainder of my pregnancy. During this time, Patrick was studying for the BAR, which he had to take July 24 - talk about distractions!

I was on 24 hour monitors in the hospital, and my blood pressure kept going up and up. On Friday morning a nurse came in a told me she was prepping me for surgery. I will assume that the dumbfounded look on my face made her realize the dr. hadn't been in to see me yet! On Friday, July 18, 2003 at 12:02pm Anna Adele Clerkin was born. She weighed in at a whopping 2 lbs. 8 oz and 14 inches. She was a fiesty little girl - she managed to pull the ventilator out between the delivery room and the nicu. She was only on the vent for 4 hours, and other than being small, she was absolutely perfect. She spent 46 days in the NICU with no major issues - she was a 'Feeder/Grower' for most of her stay. While her delivery and NICU stay are something I never want to have to go through again, I am amazed every day at how she has become such a wonderful little girl and her fiestiness never ceases to amaze me. She is my first born, she is only 5 years old, and she has taught me more than she will ever know. Enjoy these first pictures of our 'Little Peanut'.