Haven Molly

Remember that time I forgot to blog for 2 months?! Needless to say we have had a VERY busy past few months. I have some major catching up to do. We have celebrated the marriage of Patrick and Taren and Everett's 2nd Dinosaur Birthday Party in the past two months that I will hopefully blog about soon along with a Christmas post already written just needing photos!



For now I want/need to focus on our newest family member coming... Ms. Haven Molly Neal. This sweet girl is sitting cozy at 35 weeks in utero and growing every day. We lovingly called her Harper James for the first 7 months of her pregnancy but after watching TV one night and hearing the name Haven my interest was sparked. Drew quickly reminded me that Haven was his very first name pick when we found it we were having a girl. After talking it out and Uncle Lane saying the name made him think of a "safe haven" and not heaven as I was afraid it would I couldn't get it out of my head. So sweet one your Dad officially picked out your name and he couldn't be prouder of it. He swears I made a deal with him when we I chose Everett's first name that I said he could name you. I am lucky he picked out such a good name that I could live through on my promise. As things at home continue to get harder with my Mom I have taken refuge in knowing that Haven will be my safe place. I believe she is coming along at the absolute right time in my life when I am needing to shift focus and let go of being so much of a care taker for Mom and being more of a Mom of my own to two sweet kiddos.

Haven has proved to be very stubborn throughout her pregnancy, not wanting to show her gender in our sonogram at 18 weeks and making the tech work to find out what she is. Everett's pregnancy was effortless and easy pretty well up until delivery on his due date. People around here (Nana mostly) have been concerned about another baby coming in and walking in her big brother's shoes because he has been such a good baby and now toddler. Well we have learned very quickly that Haven is not walking in anyone elses shoes.... this girl is paving her own pathway in this life! She will not be outshone by Everett or anyone else.

I went in this past week for a routine checkup with my obgyn. While checking for her heartbeat she was having trouble determining the actual rate. There definitely was one, the Dr. could tell it was faster than what was showing up on the reading. So after laying on the table being monitored for a little over an hour I was sent across the street to another facility for a sonogram. Sweet Neeley met me since Drew had just gotten back in town from a work trip the day before and was stuck playing catchup at work. I didn't think it was going to be anything so I really hated for anyone to come. The tech started the sonogram and a pediatric cardiologist came in. They began to talk in whispered tones watching my girl's heart. I instantly felt sick and panicked. After catching glimpses of a heart rate in the mid 200's I knew something was not quite right. They finished the sono, had me sit up and told me he wanted to send me right over to the hospital to be admitted.

Haven's heart was tachycardia... meaning it was beating above the normal heart rate, way above in her case. He told me he wanted me to get on some heart medication immediately to see if that would lower her rate. He said if I didn't do the meds she would eventually go into heart failure from her heart beating so fast and so hard and her organs would begin to fail. Of course I lost it! Bawling on the table like a baby. Of course we were headed straight to the hospital! Drew met Neeley and I in the parking lot to switch over Everett's car seat so he could spend however many days needed with his Uncle Lane, Aunt Neeley and cousin Norah. I received my first dose of medication at 6 pm that night and was told it would take 24-48 hours before we saw any results. I spent the next night sleeplessly worrying about delivering early, Haven's heart and the added concern of any effects on my heart. The Dr. said if it effected me in any negative way they would want to deliver her immediately since she was 34 weeks at this point.

Thankfully at 9:21 on the second night in the hospital, right after Drew had kissed me goodnight and the nurse gave me ambien to help me sleep our sweet girl's heart converted back into a normal rhythm. My obgyn explained to us that this was an electrical issue with her heart, she has all the right parts and they work they just weren't working in sync.  She said this happens sometimes in the end of the 3rd trimester and it usually sorts it's self out after delivery. I was discharged the next afternoon, after a day of getting a consistent 130's heart rate on Haven, with a follow-up sonogram on Monday afternoon. During the appointment Monday Haven's heart was still in a good rhythm. The cardiologist did say however that he did not want me to be on this heart pill for the next 5 weeks until her due date. His recommendation is that once I reach 36 weeks, next Tuesday, we begin to discuss inducing me to get Haven here and me off the medication.

Needless to say our world has been flipped around quite a bit. Each day seems to bring new adventures in a pregnancy that I was so sure would be easy breezy.  We will know more tomorrow as I meet again with my obgyn and hopefully discuss further our options and plans for Haven's arrival into the world.

I am overwhelmed, scared, anxious to name a few emotions running through my mind. Drew is his consistent self of peacefulness and stability for me and we know that God has Haven in his hands. We are trusting that he is the greatest physician and his plan is far greater than any we could imagine on our own!