11.26.2013

Preemie Mama…..Being Real….

In response to Lisa-Jo Baker's beautiful post: It's time to tell the truth about motherhood, I thought I might post some things that, as a preemie mama, I wish had been shared with me. Truth be told, I would love to be able to return to the days when our little man spent 69 days in the NICU after arriving at 27 weeks 2 days and share what hindsight has so lovingly revealed through time.

A few of these things were shared with me by my cousin, who was also a preemie mama, and for that I am eternally grateful. I say that to say this - it cannot hurt to hear the "realness" from more than one person during those days that you just are not sure you can continue down the path that God has chosen for you as a mother to a premature child. This is not meant to be an all inclusive list by any means - just a few things that may help….even if it is just one….

So - here goes:

1. Do NOT get comfortable!
                a. Stats - like heart rate, oxygen levels, blood pressure, everything - can change in an instant - for the better or the worse.
                b. Your baby could be moved to a new pod, bed, etc., while you are away - it could mean your baby is doing better, it could mean that the NICU has a lower or higher head count and need the space in the pod they were in the last time you visited. Roll with it - it will be okay.

2. If the nurses and other NICU staff aren't panicked - it does not help for you to panic.
2b. By the same token - if the nurses and other NICU staff are moving quickly around your child - stay out of their way and ask questions later. They will give you an update when they can - until then - pray and remember to breathe (after all, it will not help if you pass out - that will take the attention they need to devote to your baby and direct it to you….).

3. If you wake up in the middle of the night and wonder how your child is - call. If the NICU nurse is not in the middle of an urgent situation, they will gladly give you an update on your child - even if it is to assure you that your baby is sleeping soundly. If they are not available, be prepared for them to maybe give you an estimate of when you should check back. It is okay to ask - it may just give you the peace of mind you need so you can rest.

4. Rest, rest, rest - and - get more rest…..I know this seems selfish - but really - it isn't. While your child is being cared for in the NICU, it is best for you to rest as much as you possibly can. Now, you should know that my preemie was my first child - so I did not have other little ones at home that needed me to care for them. My point is mainly to say - if you can rest, do so. Worrying in the middle of the night will not change anything related to your baby or the care they are being given while they are in the NICU. However, lack of rest for you could lead to feeling overwhelmed with the updates and information you receive about your baby - which isn't healthy.

5. Know that you will probably not understand 1/2 of the information that you are given regarding your baby and the treatments or care they are being given - and that is OK! Ask questions of the doctors, nurses, respiratory therapists, etc. If you still do not understand everything - that is OK! Know that the staff of the NICU are normally the cream-of-the-crop and have studied and cared for premature babies for years. I will say - stay away from search engines to research medical terminology and procedures. If you are like me, your imagination runs wild with the overload of information that can be found on the internet. Playing the what-if game regarding your child and their health is never a good idea.
5b. However, by the time your child "graduates" from the NICU, you may feel that you could go to school and easily become a NICU nurse because you have heard some of the same terminology over and over again and you know more than you ever wanted to know! It is worth noting, though, that no matter how much you think you understand as time goes on - you still aren't the expert when it comes to medical "stuff". You do, however, know your child - so if you notice something is off or different - it is okay to ask or bring it to the attention of the staff. You will be involved in your child's care and ultimately will have the final say on some decisions, but know where the line is drawn.

6. Be as involved in the care of your child as you can be - when you are able to visit (and hopefully that will be often) change diapers if you are able to, take their temperature, assist with bath time, if your baby has graduated to being bottle fed - feed them a bottle, kangaroo care (holding skin-to-skin) as often as the nurses and doctors will allow it, read to your baby often. Always ask the nurses if it is okay for you to assist in these processes - but know that they are happy to see the parents involved in the care of their baby, so, if your baby is ready, the nurses will help you with these tasks until you get the hang of them.

7. There will be noises - alarms, oxygen machines, babies crying, phones ringing, etc., etc., etc., - oh, there will be noises - but - try hard to drown out as much as you can and enjoy the time you have when you visit your child. Cherish each moment and each new milestone, no matter how small - each minute is precious and worth celebrating! Believe me - I am a little OCD when it comes to noises - it is HARD to ignore everything going on around you in the NICU - but it is so worth the effort it takes to enjoy your precious miracle.

8. Don't be afraid to ask the nurses if there is a social worker (or similar position) on staff at the hospital. You want to speak to the social worker to find out if there are any programs that can assist you with care for your baby. I won't go into the options we were given here because they probably vary by state - but know that the social worker is an invaluable resource for preemie parents.

9. Be friendly to the nurses! Get to know them - remember that they are humans, too, and more than likely have spouses and/or kids at home. This means….they have bad days, too! Know that they will have days that they may have had a disagreement with a close friend or family member before they came to work.  They may have a day where their tiny, precious patients have a hard day physically - and that is emotionally and physically draining for them, as well. They want every patient to be healthy and happy, and they want to be able to celebrate milestones with the families of the babies in their care -- but, they know that, unfortunately, sometimes life in the NICU isn't all sunshine and roses. The health of their patients impacts them - good or bad - so, if they aren't as bubbly with you as they were yesterday, or something else seems different- remember they are human.

10. Remember to take one day at a time - remember #1? - don't get comfortable. Take each day as a new day. Celebrate that gram gained today (yes, I said gram), because tomorrow, it and two others could be lost.

11. Trust God and leave it to Him! He knew that your child would be born prematurely. He knows the plan He has for your child. Your worry is not beneficial to anyone. Your plans pale in comparison with His. Know that, good or bad, He will carry you through it all. Give God the glory! He can turn this NICU/preemie test into a testimony!

12. Remember - it is okay to be real. You know the people in your life that you can be real with - they may not have been through what you are going through - but they listen if you need to talk and can cry with you when you just need a good cry. You will need at least of few of those "ugly cries" - you know the kind - throughout your child's stay in the NICU - and it is OK!

13. You will be scared. My son was born at 1 pound 13 ounces and 13 inches long. I was scared!! He was SO little - I felt like if I touched him, he would just fall apart. But, you know what, he didn't. And your child won't either. It is daunting to see your child with tubes, c-pap masks, and everything else that is attached to them, but remember, beneath all of the equipment is your baby. Your precious miracle. Of course, follow doctors nurses orders on touch times, holding, and such - but know that you will not break your child. Preemies may be little - but they pack a lot of fight in their little bodies! It is okay to be scared - but, observe how the nurses interact with your child, and follow their lead if they give the approval - after all, they have tiny patients every day.

14. You will continue to grieve the loss of feeling your baby during the last few days, weeks, or months  of pregnancy. You will continue to wish that those beautiful maternity photos of your friends could be yours. You will continue to wonder if you did something to cause the premature birth of your baby. You will continue to wonder if your child's development is where it should be for his adjusted age. You will continue to wonder if you will ever be able to carry a pregnancy to full term.
you will continue to have all these thoughts and many more…
I wish I could tell you that these thought stop - but, for me - my son is now 17 months actual / 14 months adjusted - and I STILL continue to have these thoughts….and you know what?! It is OK - you are normal for having these thoughts….. (see the following: What Being a Preemie Mom Means)

Just remember to enjoy the little things - celebrate every day and every new accomplishment, no matter how small! Our preemies might be pint sized, but they are still bundles of fight and energy!

(Again, this list is not meant to be all inclusive, and I know that every preemie's experience in the NICU is different. Please know I do not mean to diminish the pain and hurt that many go through with their preemies and in the NICU in any way. I simply write from my experience - for that is all I know how to do.)


What would you be real about as a preemie mama?



11.22.2013

Ascension by Stacey Rourke: Launch, Blog Tour Stop, Review, and Giveaway!!

It is finally here! The fourth book of The Gryphon Series by Stacey Rourke!!

Watch the Ascension book trailer:




My Review:


Twists and turns - yes, those are the words I would use to describe the plot of Stacey Rourke’s newest masterpiece. Our hero, Celeste, is faced with gut-wrenching decisions that could turn her against everyone she was chosen by the Gryphon to protect. Throughout the story, I found myself wrestling with the same emotions as Celeste - trying to decide where my allegiances would fall. Mrs. Rourke certainly has a knack for engaging her readers! I had to force myself to take a break during one of the most action-packed scenes because I realized it was 5:30 in the morning and I had not been to sleep! The cliff-hanger ending has me anxiously awaiting the next installment of The Gryphon Series....it cannot arrive fast enough!



The Re-Release of the Gryphon Series includes graphic novel sketches of the characters:

Alaina:

Bat-Bull Demon:


Excerpts from Ascension:

Excerpt 1:

Somewhere between sleep and awake he came to me. The mattress shifted under his weight as he settled in beside me.
Warm breath teased against my ear. “I could ne’er leave you, lovey.”
His wandering hands gripped my waist and rolled me to face him. This warbled land governed by sleep couldn’t conjure his whole essence—too much time had passed for that. Instead it teased me with glimpses of what I’d been missing; silky hair caressing my cheek. Hot kisses traveling down my neck. Emerald eyes filled with an insatiable hunger. The sensual awakening that jolted through me when his mouth found mine.
“I’m always with you,” Caleb whispered against my lips.
I twined my arms around his neck and pulled him closer; a move that garnered a low groan of appreciation. His hands roamed up my arms and encircled my wrists. In a sudden, shockingly violent, move he forced them down against the mattress and pinned me there.
I gaped in confusion as green eyes blinked to sapphire blue. His seductive stare twisted into visible disgust and hatred. Like ink dumped from a bottle, the black drained from Caleb’s hair. The dripping color leaked away to reveal long strawberry blond hair ponytailed at the nape of his neck. Alec. Not the latest version of him currently possessed by a three-hundred-year-old demon, but the Alec I first met whilst rolling a tire. The carefree boy I had started to fall for before fate intervened. Yet the look that darkened his gaze was more murderous than welcoming. I thrashed and bucked beneath him but couldn’t seem to summon one iota of strength. His grip on my wrists tightened to the point of pain.
“Is he worth it?” he hissed in my face. “Is he worth the blood on your hands?”
Crimson red blood bubbled up Alec’s throat. It seeped between his teeth and dribbled down his chin. “Will he still want you when he knows what you’ve done and what it cost?”
Squeezing my eyes shut, I cringed further into the mattress as blood rained down. The warm stickiness, with its pungent rusty smell, dripped on my face and soaked my shirt.
I risked a glance up to see Alec’s lips curl in an evil grin. “Now, how ‘bout a kiss?”
He bowed his head and crammed his blood soaked lips to mine. My muffled scream quickly turned into a gurgled gasp for air as I fought not to drown in this crimson hell.

Excerpt 2:

Blood pooling.
Seeping.
Merging.
Swirling together to form a detailed map of carnage.
“Tsk, tsk, tsk.” The Countess pursed her full lips in a mock pout. “And to think he was trying to save you. You must feel simply dreadful right now.”
Anger quickened my breath making each word come out a breathless gasp. “Shut … up.”
“Why’s that?” She rested her palms on her ample hips and let her head fall to the side in a flowing curtain of scarlet. “Don’t feel like talking about it? Can’t say that I blame you. Here he was marching over here so gallantly to protect you while you called him names and berated him. That’s evil even by my standards and I make a viable vocation out of this.”
One stride into a forward charge toward certain death, I froze. My shocked heart lurched into an awkward stutter beat. The cause of my surprise? Rowan, rolling to his side and yanking the dagger from his gut. The Countess’s painted lips pulled back in a sneer.
Heels clicked across the floor with sharp snaps as she strode straight for him. “I hate it when people don’t have the courtesy to die the first time you kill them.”
With the stiletto heel of her boot, she pinned Rowan’s wrist to the floor … then stomped. Rowan howled and writhed as blood spurted from his wound. His injured hand loosened around the hilt. Before the blade could clank to the ground, the vile enchantress scooped it up. Flipping it in her hand, she arched back for the death blow.
“Nooooo!!” I channeled everything inside me. Pulling every emotion that ravaged me throughout this god-awful day into my core, I raised both hands and hit her with the full force of my telepathic fury.
The dagger flew from her hand as she pin-wheeled into the darkness.
I rushed to Rowan’s side and eased him to a sitting position. “Row? Rowan?”
It took a minute for his sleepy gaze to find me. Even then his dilated pupils hinted consciousness would be fleeting. In the distance came a soft thud. The Countess must’ve found the other side of this massive hall. My little stunt bought us seconds only.
“Row?” My fingers dug into his shoulders as I attempted to shake him awake. “Can you teleport? I don’t know any other way out of here and we need to go now!”
In place of an answer, his eyes rolled back and his head lulled to the side.
Like rapid-fire gunshots, her heels clicked closer, building around us in an ominous echo.
I slapped Rowan softly once, then a second time with more vigor. “Rowan! Come on! One little poof then you can pass out! I promise! Just get us out of here!”
He woke with a jerk, a protective passion rising on his face. His tensed features sharpened. Turquoise eyes blazed as his injured hand weaved into my hair and pulled me to him. Blood dripped down the back of my neck and dampened my hair, yet pulling away never occurred to me. His lips brushed mine with a tentative question—a plea for acceptance. I hesitated for a fraction of a second before consenting with a resounding mutual urgency. Locked in each other’s embrace, we disappeared in a cloud of smoke.


Get Your Copy of Ascension HERE Today!



About the Author:




Young Adult and Teen Reader voted Author of the Year 2012.
2012 InD'tale Rone Awards Finalist for Young Adult Teen Romance
Stacey Rourke is the author of the Gryphon Series. She lives in Michigan with her husband, two beautiful daughters, and two giant, drooly dogs. Stacey loves to travel, has an unhealthy shoe addiction and considers herself blessed to make a career out of talking to the imaginary people that live in her head. She is currently hard at work on the continuations of this series as well as other literary projects.

Keep up to date with these links:
Twitter
@Rourkewrites



GIVEAWAY!!


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Disclosure: A GG Editing event paid for by Anchor Group Publishing. Giveaway is sponsored by the author who is responsible for the delivery of prize. PAGES OF MAYHEM received no compensation for this post.

11.15.2013

Coming Soon!! Ascension by Stacey Rourke!!



Don't miss all that in store for the Blog Tour release of Ascension next week!! It will be EPIC!!