tammyandtom.com

We moved. http://thebraseltons.com

It is now more than Tammy and Tom!

I’m still working on it but that is what is getting updated.

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Well, of course Zoe has an email address. Of course she is tracked at http://thebraseltons.com/zoe.  Now, she is on Twitter!  You can follow her: @zoebraselton

The updates come from the tracking database.  So, it reveals all…

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I went to the local hotels today to get average pricing.  I’m sure you can use Priceline.com or something to get the prices down.  These are their normal rates (as of today - 11-19-2008@~16:00).  Also, there is an entire map included and the address of the hospital for when this all happens.

We’ll see everyone soon!

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Hampton Inn & Suits

1201 Cabelas Dr
Buda, TX 78610
(512) 295-4900

weekend - [2 queen] $129 / [1 king] $129 || weekday - [2 queen] $119 / [1 king] $119

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Best Western Southgate

18658 I-35 South
Buda, TX 78610

weekend - [2 queen] $119 / [1 king] $110 || weekday - [2 queen] $89 / [1 king] $95

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View Larger Map

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Tammy will get her IV connection removed and will then get dressed. Then we are out of this joint!
As she says: “I’m free!”

Hasta-la-see-you-later!

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So the nurse fumbles around putting on the external fetal monitor “pucks” and says “don’t move…” and you breathe and lose the heartbeat. The fix is usually easy. Have the dad run over there when she steps out and have him put more of the goo on the heartbeat puck. They usually don’t clean and reapply the goo between sessions. So, there is not enough. Goo the mother up to cover the puck well. Then, mom can shift around and get comfy without losing the heartbeat. I type while listening to little Zoe!

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I’m just now learnig this stuff as I have no real hospital experience.
At this hospital, shift changes happen every 12 hours. We get a new nurse at that time. We had learned that the following time after a shift change, you will NOT be attended to. Your machines will alert, water will run out (if the spouse is not in the room), medicine will not come and the patient will be miserable. I recommend that you make sure to hit the call button one half of an hour before the scheduled shift change. Get water filled, get your meds, and have the specimin catcher emptied. Do everything that you need because for the two hours after shift change, you will be ALONE and wanting/needing things.

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I leave for a couple of hours and all is disheveled. Ice water is empty. Fetal monitor is alerting visually because the heart rate monitor didn’t have enough goop on the puck. The fetal monitor was also alerting audibly because it was out of paper. Breakfast was carbohydrate central for a person that has gestational diabetes? Again? What the heck? The urine specimin catcher was full with two specimins! Never checked or emptied. It is supposed to be checked every time. I had to empty it again because as I arrive, Tammy has to pee. The stupid thing can’t hold three!

All in the ten minutes that I arrive. All is calm and corrected… For now…

The doctor came by and mentioned the possibility of Tammy getting out at 10ish tonight. We will see. We have noticed that different people say different things. There will be a shift change at 19:00 anyway and things might change. Who knows? The doctor said that if the baby wants to come now, they will not stop it since they gave her all of the medicine to help her along. In that case, we will go to another hospital that has a NICU.

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I brought a fajita meal for Tammy. I visited and watched plenty of needles going in her. I’m way pooped now and heading home. I’ll return in the morning.

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Tip for dads and family members in this post.
When the child’s mother has you turn down the air conditioning to -1000 degrees, seek this contraption depicted in the attached image. It is a bed for the new born. It is just sitting quietly in the corner. If the dad has lost feeling in his extremedies, run to this thing and place your hands under the neck. It is warm. It sits at 25% warming while doing nothing in the corner. It is sufficient to return feeling to your hands and allow you to use them for something else! Run to the machine! Just a tip from your uncle Tom. I just found this out. Only thirty-something hours in to it.

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Dr. Reid came in to check on us today. We usually see her on our checkups. In talking with her, apparently, we are going to be here until Wednesday or Thursday at the earliest. Sheesh, we thought that we were going to get out tomorrow. At least tammy has her laptop so she can work.

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The Fetal Monitoring Machinerey

I have been here long enough to assess the electronic machinery that is monitoring Tammy. I have also been watching and asking questions. I thought someone might appreciate my findings on the external fetal monitoring machinery in the hospital. All that I describe is based on the included picture in this blog post.

Ok, the business end of all of this crud is the big white box with paper coming out of it about center screen (I don’t know the proper name but I will refer to it as the “fetal monitor”). The computer and display is for recording data, displaying data and viewing messages.

Fetal Monitor

This is the main unit. It records data on the graphing paper as seen in the picture. It gives probe updates on what it seems to be .5 second intervals. On the little amber display, you can see many things. On the top left is the baby’s heart rate and there is a little heart icon to the right of the value. Pay attention to this as the icon shows that it is getting a signal. If you aren’t getting the little heart icon, you should just move the baby monitor “puck” until you get a good reading. The baby might have even moved and you lose the reading. We have found that it is up to the parents to keep this in tune as the nurses just don’t have time. A little practice and it is no big deal. The top right shows the contraction strength (It has a medical name but I just call it strength. Realize that the numeric value does not indicate overall contraction pain, it is relative). Just below that, you can see the mother’s blood pressure and heart rate if it is being monitored.

Dads note: You can adjust the volume with the two buttons directly to the right of the amber display. This way, you can hear the baby’s heartbeat and hiccups!

When the mom needs to get up to go potty, take the blood pressure cuff off of the arm if it is on her. Then unplug the two leads on the bottom left of the fetal monitor. It is simple, just pull them out. The accepted technique is to throw these two cables around the mother’s neck while taking the “journey”. You will have to wheel the IV stand/machinery along with you to the potty (after unplugging it from power - don’t worry, it runs on battery while you are walking along). When you get back, just plug the things back in and you are good to go. Don’t misunderstand me, it is a real pain trying to get up and just use the restroom. I make it sound pleasant but it takes 10 minutes and it is a cable nightmare just to release 600cc’s of urine! Every time!

Computer Display

There are two visible graphs. Each thick vertical line indicates one minute. The thin lines in-between indicate 10 seconds each. That is the time scale and is quickly recognizable. Below the graphs, you can find averages and also the blood pressure and mother’s heart rate if it is being monitored.

The top graph has two red lines that indicate the maximum heart rate (180) and minimum heart rate (90). A normal baby should fall between those two values. We have noticed that the value fluctuates wildly as the baby is awake and is pretty flat when the baby sleeps. If you have little blank spots on the graph, try manipulating the probe that is on the mother’s belly. The baby may have moved or the mother may have bumped it. Again, it is up to the parents to assist a bit in this department.

The bottom graph is the contraction graph. That, again, is my naming scheme. You can view contractions on that graph. In our case, the value is not that high. It is still a contraction. There are no contractions visible on the included picture. We are in the hospital to stop the contractions . To count the contractions, measure from the beginning of the contraction to the beginning of the next contraction. It is really easy to read since the display shows the last 7 minutes on the screen.

Dad’s note: Looking at the computer display, at the very top slightly to the right of center, there is a cyan colored button with white text. It either says “To: 7″ or “To: 14″. That is the viewable scale on the screen. If you hit “To: 14″, it will show the past 14 minutes. It toggles back and forth. Nifty.

The computer display also pops up alerts with other mother’s graphs on it. It alerts when there is no signal or there is a value out of range. All rooms get the alert so where ever the nurse is, he/she will be able to respond appropriately. It is kind of fun seeing other people’s graphs popping up.

I hope this helps a little bit. Normally, I try not to exceed my limits by messing with stuff. I just mention things that I learn that are things expected of the parents. It just took me longer to find out on my own.

–Tom B.

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I brought a 3D picture of Zoe to hang in Tammy’s hospital room. Alicia, our nurse today, said that Zoe looks like the daddy! Yay! :). I have a big grin! I also did a little dance. Let’s hope Zoe gets dancing from some unknown third party! Maybe from Auntie Sissy. If Zoe dances like her mom or dad, we will all be in trouble…

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She has been having “cramps” since Wednesday. Since this is our first child, we don’t know anything about what is going on. Sunday, the cramps were pretty constant and baby movement has been slow since Wednesday . We decided to call the doctor and see what she recommends. The doctor asked us to come to the hospital. We went there and thought it would be in-and-out. We were far from being correct. Apparently, the feeling that Tammy is experiencing is a contraction! They are keeping Tammy for 48 hours!

She has been getting Magnesium Sulfate to stop the contractions. In case the contractions do not subside, they have been administering antibiotics and she is also receiving steroid shots. The antibiotics are preventative since she has not received the Strep-B test yet. The steroid is for a speedier development of the baby’s lungs in case Zoe wants to come out early. The steroid shots are delivered every 12 hours for a total of 4 shots. That will insure that she is kept in the hospital for 48 hours.

We started in a standard 2 bed room. It was fine since we got it alone. Later, another young lady was moving to the room also and the nurse got is in the post-birth room. It’s nice! I slept on the bed in the picture. The computer monitor is displaying Zoe’s heartbeat at the top and Tammy’s contractions on the bottom. If you look close at the bottom graph, you can see a contraction in the center of the display. I just brought dinner (late) to Tammy as the kitchen at the hospital was closed. I get burgers for her and she just eats the meat as she cannot have sugar or carbohydrates. She also got a side of the apple slices (no caramel sauce).

So far, she still has contractions but she is feeling fine. Zoe is doing great (we have another ultrasound video…) I have already brought her laptop so she can work from bed. She should be receiving her steroid shot right now (07:00) as it is time. I am home checking on the dogs and taking a shower. I also have to pick up supplies for her.

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I just finished making Zoe’s first geek onesie!  This one is in C and I plan to make a C++, PHP, Fortran and more!  I’m a bit of a geek.  Hopefully she can get some of that passed down to her.

The code says:

lightning:~ zoe$ cat helloworld.c 

/**************************************************************************

  File: hellowworld.c

Date: 08-11-08

Author: Zoe Kathleen Braselton

Description: Say Hello to my new life!

**************************************************************************/

 

#include <stdio.h>

 

int main(int argc, char *argv[])

{

printf(”Hello, world!\r\n”);

}

 

lightning:~ zoe$ gcc helloworld.c -o helloworld

lightning:~ zoe$ ./helloworld 

Hello, world!

lightning:~ zoe$ 

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Here are a couple more pictures of her.  I am working on video and such.  She is awesome!

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 Tammy scribbled notes as the doctor explained them.  She was instructed to visit a specialist where she will be put on a special diet and have to prick her finger all of the time.  Gestational Diabetes is treatable and I am sure Tammy will make it like a trooper.

There are four readings. It will read hers/targeted.  87/below 95, 230/180, 208/155, 194/140.  It never came down enough.  She will be able to regulate it.

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The bad?  I was laid off last week.  It’s not the best of time since I have a child due in December and will have a child that relies on me in addition to a wife.  Of course I understand the business reasons but personally, it stinks.  

After the news, I went with friends on a 4 day trip that we officially named “Mancation 2.0″.  I had a great time and took time to clear my head.  Monday, I revised my resume from the ground-up.  Tuesday, Tammy reviewed and offered excellent corrections/advice on my resume.  The remainder of Tuesday consisted of posting my resume on job sites and on our website so I can link it everywhere.  Today, I am submitting it to applicable jobs and following leads.

I am going full speed to find another job.  This is where I am finding out how great people can react.  Tammy sent mail to her company’s HR department to find out about insurance and such.  She copied her boss to let him know of her request.  Immediately, he called her with concern and asked that I send a resume to her company and gave all of the contact information.  As others found out about my situation, they came running to help.  

Clif Smith has sent internal job postings - twice!  Rick Reeder has offered (and is still offering) numerous leads and assistance.  He even posted an outstanding recommendation on LinkedIn.  I have had calls/emails from Kevin Foster, Kirk Hubble and Dag Nybo at Vignette offering condolences and assistance if needed.  I can’t thank you all enough.  I would really like to thank Tammy (wife), Tan (wife’s boss), Clif, Rick, Kirk, Dag, Kevin and all others that have contacted/helped me.  You all make me feel SUPER special in a non-special time.  

Well, back to work on the job search.  My resume is posted here: http://tinyurl.com/tombraselton-resume.

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I woke up this morning reading my Tweets on my iPhone while taking the dogs out at 06:00.  The application I use to read Twitter posts is called Twinkle.  I read all of the tweets from people that I have decided to “follow”.  These are people like @leolaporte, @typicalmacuser, @maccast, @kevinrose and so on.  They are all computer industry related people.  My normal scan for the  morning.  Most of the participants are at the New Media Expo in Las Vegas at this moment.  I like the ability to see what is happening in the industry in real-time.  It is a very interesting technology.  

I then switch to the “nearby” tweets.  You can configure Twinkle to see the latest nearby tweets.  It uses your current location to see who is close to you.  I was reading the tweets as normal and checked out some of the pictures.  The normal “beer bottle” pictures appeared as expected when people are describing their night out.  I was shocked seeing two of the pictures from the same user.  This is where my horror begins.  One of the pictures from this user was of his penis while it was urinating.  Another was of his penis while erect.  Immediately I begin to think about my little and unborn Zoe.  Twinkle is an innocent application as one would expect.  It is the users that make it scary.  I was thinking of all of the filters that I could apply to any computer that Zoe might use and how I could keep this stuff out of her view.  Twinkle would not have even been on my radar as an unsafe application.  

In thinking about all of messed up crap that my child will be exposed to, I begin to worry.  I can only hope to educate her to the best of my ability about the strange and dangerous people that are out there.  She has to know that it could be as close as the guy across the street that we say good morning to weekday mornings while going to school.  She has to be armed with as much information as I can give her to quickly asses situations and avoid any danger if necessary.  Hopefully, I can provide her ammo.  

Does anyone have advice that they would like to share that would educate/shield her from the freaks of this world?

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Grandma Anne has already been hard at work. Zoe receives her first package today!

Note from Grandma Anne -

Package contents -

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This ultrasound showed us that our child is a GIRL!

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Lightning is now called Zoe Kathleen Braselton! It’s a GIRL! Break out the spoiled girl stuff!!!

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We picked this up yesterday evening for the baby. I couldn’t resist.

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They are all sitting around talking war (surgical) stories and such. The discussions range from medicines to what extra metal parts they have installed. I feel so left out since I have no input on the subject matter :).

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Run and run this morning. Got her a McMuffin as requested with hash brown and a milk. I got in the room and they told me to pull the car around front. Pow! That’s it! We are home ALREADY!
Tammy got a warm welcome from the puppies! Tammy’s parents just walked in the door and got the same welcome. It’s like we have been gone for years! Kids are great!

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I got up about twenty minutes ago. I checked my text messages and she wrote about 04:40. She said that the brought her a pudding. She said that the IV was causing her to urinate about every hour. Not only is it trouble getting up but she explained that it was quite painful also. I can imagine that she was not treated as royally as she was in Labor and Delivery.
She should be released today. I think I will be amazed when she is as I can imagine I will see her running to the car to get home!

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Tammy is doing well so the Howers and I came home. Tammy’s mom left her cell phone there in case she needed anything. Oh, Tammy texted me just a few minutes ago that the nurse finally brought peanutbutter and crackers.
I am home and having a Warstiener beer! Then bed!

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They have been promising food since she got out. Tammy’s mother brought some 100 calorie packs. They were holding Tammy over for a couple of minutes but it was not a MEAL! I got sick of waiting and went down to the vending machine. I picked out this ramen style, chicken noodle soup. The nurse has still to appear with food. It is 21:06 and she has been done since 18:15! Her last meal was at 07:00 this morning. Sheesh! So, the soup was a hit. I think it hit her spot and was a good suprise.

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Well, she is not in L&D this time. She is in the normal section. She is sharing the room with another lady who seems to be in pretty bad pain. We are kind of loud and happy. The neighbor seems miserable. We don’t even know who Tammy’s nurse is. There is not the same level of care on this floor. Not yet, anyway. I’m optimistic in that it  will get better. I don’t think that we will be allowed to stay as late this time. It is a bit chaotic.

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She is gonna kill me but check out her cool cap. Man, I’m gonna have to field calls from all of the modeling agencies to put this picture on a magazine!

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She is pigging out on ice chips now. She whined a little for ‘em bit not that bad. Still excited that it is removed.

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