Update On Youngest -- I'm a Grammy!

CrazyinVA

Well-Known Member
Staff member
After a rough pregnancy (chronic kidney stones, two stent placements, and multiple hospitalizations), Youngest delivered a healthy baby boy, Aidan, on 3/7/2007. He is a joy to be around, a very sweet, good baby. They are living with me for now, and also for now I'm letting her boyfriend stay there. The idea was for him to be there about 2 weeks to help with the baby and get some bonding time. So far he's back and forth, he's helpful but not regularly. We shall see how it goes. I've only got two bedrooms and it's driving me nuts already, I'm not comfortable with him living there on a more permanent basis.

Youngest has a counseling appointment next week and a psychiatrist appointment the week after. She wants to get back on Lamictal ASAP (for her bipolar), even though for now her mood swings are ok (and remarkably, during her pregnancy, she was pretty even keeled overall except for an occasional outburst). She has restarted taking Topomax for her seizure disorder. She chose not to breast feed so she could be on medications, and I am SO proud of her so far.

The biggest hurdle is still her boyfriend ... despite him being great during labor and delivery and helping off and on now, his underlying anger and control issues are still there. He is a classic abuser ... Youngest has even said that sometimes she watches a Lifetime movie and thinks about him. But only she can decide to kick him to the curb. It's very hard to watch. I do know that while she's in MY home.. I'm keeping my eyes wide open and will NOT let any of that drama around the baby.

She's applied for Section 8 housing assistance and hopes to have that in place by summer; the waiting list was about 8 months when she applied in December. She's gotten WIC and applied for Medicaid for the baby. She will start work back at the grocery store when she is physically able, and wants to finish her GED and then apply for a job at the hospital where she will have benefits and more of a future.

It's great to see her with achievable goals. She still has some of the "I want it RIGHT NOW" -ness of a difficult child, but overall, is making tremendous progress. I'm so proud of her, and I tell her so often.

Oldest has caused minimal drama, Youngest did NOT want her in the delivery room and is not compeltely comfortable with leaving the baby alone with Oldest, but so far they're working it out. The hardest I think will be that Oldest loves to be the center of attention adn this certainly takes away from that. Hopefully she won't create too much drama to complensate.

Time will tell :)
 

DammitJanet

Well-Known Member
Well congrats and welcome to the grandma club! Its a really wonderful club. I didnt think I would love it as much as I do...lol.

Glad youngest is doing as well as she is. Sometimes those babies really make a world of difference in them.
 

Suz

(the future) MRS. GERE
It is so good to hear from you, Crazy. :flower:

I must say, it sounds like a good report over all...and you sound at peace with the decisions you've made and your daughter's progress. You also sound strong. :warrior:

Congratulations, Grammy. Enjoy sweet Aidan and the joys of being able to hype him up then hand him over to Mom. :smile:

Hugs,
Suz
 

ScentofCedar

New Member
Stents were placed? Do you mean like they are for blocked vessels?

Poor Youngest!

It was nice to hear from you again, Crazy.

I was glad to read that Youngest had applied for Section 8.

Soon enough, you will have your life back.

Isn't it wonderful to hold a newborn again?!?

How is Oldest taking everything? It must have hurt her, to have been excluded from the birthing.

Crazy?

Congratulations on the birth of your first grandson.

Barbara

:smile:
 

CrazyinVA

Well-Known Member
Staff member
Re the stents: A stent was placed between her kidney and her bladder, to keep the stones from obstructing. This was about all they could do since they wren't able to remove/breakup the stones while she was pregnant. She had to have this done twice, because the stent can't stay in for more than a few weeks at a time. She goes back to the urologist next week to the 2nd stent removed and xrays to see where the kidney stones are now. (before they could only use ultrasound to see them, since she was pregnant.)

Thanks for the well-wishes. I'm hoping for the best for everyone involved :)
 

Hound dog

Nana's are Beautiful
Hey Crazy

Great to hear from you!! Welcome to the Grandma Club! (such a fun club) lol :smile:

Glad to hear youngest seems to be doing well. Please keep your eyes wide open for post partem depression as she is at high risk. And the Lamactal will take awhile as she'll have to build back up to theraputic dosage. Maybe they can give her something that works faster til it kicks in again.

Ouch, ouch, ouch! About the stones. been there done that way too many times. And have had the stents (both types). Make sure if they do the lithotripsy to break up the stones for her to pass that she drinks TONS of water for several days. This is something they don't always think to tell you. They neglected to tell my sis and she now had tons of little stones that won't pass and are embedded in her kidney pelvis. (as bad as it sounds)

I refuse lithotripsy. If I can't pass a stone, I only let them go after it by cystoscopy or surgery. And I've never be able to pass one yet.

Also while this is going on you want to ask urologist to do the test to find out what her stones are made up of. This way she can make the dietary changes ect to avoid ever getting more.

I hope everything continues to go smoothly. Enjoy being Grammy!

Congradulations!! :bravo: :smile:
 

rejectedmom

New Member
Congratulations Grammy!!! I hope your youngest figures things out soon and finds a better way of living her life. In the meantime enjoy the little fella! They are small for such a short time. -RM
 

AliceLee

New Member
Congratulations to you, Grammy! Glad things are going well at this point--- Hope things move along quickly so that you can get the sanctuary of your home back to yourself!
 
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