I’ve been absent on the blog for a few months, but I have a good excuse! Her name is Brooke Elizabeth Backes, and she’s my favorite thing in the whole world. She didn’t come to us in the most conventional, or easy manner, but she’s a true miracle baby.
I won’t get into the fertility journey here (you can read about it in this post), but Brooke is the IVF rainbow baby that we waited for for 5 years. She apparently thought we’d waited long enough, though, and decided to join us 5 weeks early!
It started off as a regular checkup with our doctor when things got a bit crazy. My doctor sent me right over to the labor & delivery floor and got me settled in with an IV. I was admitted for preeclampsia with dangerously high blood pressure that could have resulted in a stroke for me, and could have been fatal for her. They did some blood work, gave me a steroid shot to help speed up Brooke’s lung development, and called in an ambulance that transferred me to a high risk children’s hospital nearby (since she was going to be a preemie). I actually didn’t know this until her birth, but IVF pregnancies tend to be high-risk more often than not. So we’re always monitored a bit more closely.
Once I got to the hospital and was induced, things moved along so fast I never really had the chance to let it sink in that we were having a baby, like, right now…in 2017, not 2018.
Brooke totally handled the birth like a pro and came out happy and healthy at 4 lbs 9 oz. She was crying and breathing on her own. She was able to keep her weight up with stable blood sugar levels and a steady temperature. She never even had to be admitted into the NICU. In fact, she was discharged from the hospital before I was! Therefore, we call her our 34 week Supergirl.
Social Butterfly will still remain a professional outlet for all things social media and technology, and I will only highlight Brooke and/or parenting if it’s relevant to a certain topic or trend. I’m not a Mom blogger, and never see myself doing so. I’ve had some fun with blog brainstorming during midnight and 3AM feedings, so we will be back to regularly scheduled programming soon enough.
So please join me in welcoming Brooke Elizabeth to the online world. It can be a scary and unpredictabe place, but I know she will be looked after by our wonderful friends, family, and community.
Cheers!
I love the little Rainbow baby Brooke. Thanks for sharing your blog. I look forward to more on your blog.