The Light at the End of the Tunnel

After 22 days in the NICU, on February 18th Madeline finally came home. She left the hospital weighing 4 lbs. 11.9 oz. and measuring 19" long. She was worth the wait! Here's the video of her leads (wires) being removed for the last time...



Up to that point, Isabella had only seen pictures of Madeline (and a select few at that) Seeing Isabella meet her for the first time was incredible. Here's a video of that meeting:



Here are the photos from the LONG 22 day stay in the NICU:

Welcome Madeline Juliana Tawil

We were all a mix of emotions the morning of January 27th. While I was relieved to finally not be pregnant so they could treat my kidney issues, I was scared at how early the baby was going to be. We were told with some certainty that she would spend some time in the NICU immediately following birth. That was a difficult thing to wrap our brains around. My parents were able to get a flight that got in to San Antonio around 3. That worked out well because I was scheduled for a c-section at 5:30. I have to admit, a scheduled c-section is quite different from an emergency one... I did my hair and put on makeup for the first time since all the kidney issues began. Right before we left the house for the hospital, we took a couple of "belly" pictures (as we did right before we went to the hospital with Isabella). It was only the second picture I'd taken this pregnancy. Once at the hospital, things moved along fairly quickly. I had a great group of doctors and nurses - that always helps. After all the pain and frustration over the last few months, it all felt SO worth it at 5:45pm when our beautiful Madeline came into our lives. She was small, as they predicted, but amazingly strong.

Here she is, all 4 lbs. 1 oz. of her:



And as luck would have it, the pregnancy was the sole cause of my kidney block, not the stones. Apparently, Maddie was laying in a position which put pressure on my right ureter (the tube that connects the kidney and the bladder) and it was basically swollen shut. The minute Maddie was delivered, the problem began correcting itself. They determined I didn't need surgery after all and had the tube removed the very next day!

The Calm After the Storm

What a trying time these last few months have been. Here's a little summary of each month dating back to our last post:


NOVEMBER: About a week before Thanksgiving, I began having intense back pain and some abdominal cramping. After several tests, it was determined that I had - wait for it - back pain. Helpful, right?!? Long story short, I had a bad experience with my OB so I switched to a new one. Best decision I could've made...

DECEMBER: The year ended as badly as it began. While in Dallas visiting friends, I ended up in the hospital when my back pain got so severe I couldn't handle it anymore. They discovered I had kidney stones. Fun times. We went to KC for Chanukah and the night we got back in was back in the hospital where they discovered I had a complete blockage in my right kidney. I learned after the fact that if I'd waited a couple of days longer, my kidney would've ruptured or failed completely. I ended up staying for a few days because I had to have a nephrostomy tube put in my back to help the kidney drain. I was discharged on the 30th and spent New Year's Eve in bed, in pain.

Here are some photos from the last couple of months:



Here are some videos from the couple of months:






JANUARY: The month started with a few relatively painless days, but then it returned with a bang. I ended up back in the hospital on the 11th because my nephrostomy tube was blocked so my kidney was backed up again. They thought they successfully unblocked it, so I went home early the next morning. By evening, I was in pain again and knew the tube was still blocked. I went back to the hospital that night and was there for another couple of days because they had to replace the tube. While all of this is going on, the baby in my belly was having some growth issues. When I got out of the hospital, my OB gave me a steroid shot to speed up her lung development, just in case all of the procedures and pain put me into preterm labor. I had a scheduled MRI on the 26th, but while I was there, the pain worsened and we headed straight to the hospital again - this time we went directly to radiology because they new my tube had to be changed, but were comfortable sending me home after the procedure. They discovered while going in to change my tube, that it had completely calcified and they'd have to start a new tube all over again. That put me over the edge. I broke down and begged for mercy. The radiologist called my OB to explain the situation and ask what pain relief they could give me. They decided I would have to come in every 4-7 days to have it changed out due to the calcification. While I was in part 2 of the procedure, David received a call from my OB who finally saw my white flag being raised. She told him to get ready b/c they'd be delivering the baby the next evening. Boy was I shocked when I came out of the O.R. We called our parents who were equally surprised and started making last minute plans for her arrival.

That brings us to January 27th....