Pyloric Stenosis

Sorry for the lack of updates over the last few weeks. You may have heard about our ordeal, but in case you haven't, I will try to update you as best as I can. It all started Thursday night, May 13. Grant started having some major projectile spit ups all night and wouldn't keep anything down. He hadn't spit up hardly at all the first 11 days we had him home, so we knew something was wrong. We called the doctor first thing Friday morning, they saw him throw up right in the office, and sent us right to Children's Hospital. We spent that whole day with him getting tests, drawing blood, getting dehydrated, throwing up some more, getting a catheter and getting an IV. It was the worst thing to see him scream in pain and that we couldn't feed him or help him. They ruled out many things, and then thought it was a condition called pyloric stenosis. It is a condition in babies where the muscle at the bottom of the stomach closes up, therefore nothing can pass through. And the doctors told us it is common in first born males, and it usually shows up in babies 2-4 weeks after birth. It really had nothing to do with him being premature. It usually happens to full term babies anyway. They did an ultrasound and saw that the muscle was thickening and closing up, but they needed to wait until it was fully closed to do the surgery. He was also given a PICC line, which is like a feeding tube that provided him with nutrition. It took the food right through his veins. His stomach didn't register that he was getting this nutrition, so he still acted hungry, which was so hard for us to see since we couldn't feed him. He did become quite fond of the pacifier, though, which was the only thing that seemed to soothe him.

So we had to wait all those days without him eating, getting more tests, getting poked and prodded, etc., until they finally said on Wednesday that he was ready for surgery. We also called our priest before this to ask about doing a quick baptism before the procedure. They can't do the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick on a child this small, but we thought it may be nice to have him baptized. We couldn't get a priest there in such short notice that morning, but 2 different priests we talked to said we could do it ourselves. They instructed us on what to do and say, and Doug baptized Grant right before leaving the room for surgery. We will still have a ceremonial baptism in the Church later on. We cried so hard when they eventually took him back for the surgery. But it went well, and the surgeons say this is a fairly common and simple procedure. They cut him real small right above the belly button and fixed the muscle. He shouldn't have too big of a scar, hopefully, as he gets bigger.

We were frustrated the next few days after surgery because he kept throwing up, but they said that was normal and it would take him awhile to get used to having food in his belly again after so long without it. But little by little we started to see him keep the food down, and on Saturday afternoon, after 8 days there, they sent us home. He has been doing great since then--eating lots, acting hungry, and keeping most of it down. Now he only spits a little bit every once in awhile--just like a normal baby. We went to the doctor today for a check, and we have to go back Friday (it is his one month appt. anyway that day) to check his weight. He had dropped down to below his birth weight before the surgery, but was back up to 6 pounds, 4 ounces today. We also have to see the surgeon again for a check in 2 weeks. But luckily, this is a one-time fix, and we shouldn't have to worry about it again. Grant has given us quite a scare, and we are all really tired of hospitals. We are now happy to be getting back into our daily routines. Hopefully I will be better at updating as well too! Thank you to everyone who showed prayer and support during this difficult time. We are so appreciative!

A Week of Firsts

We have had such a great time during our first week home with Grant. It has been pretty easy getting into a routine during the day. Now Grant just needs to stop getting his days and nights mixed up, and everything will be great! He sleeps most of the day, but is a little more restless between feedings at night. This is probably due to the fact that he was always awake kicking me while I was trying to sleep during my pregnancy! Even though we are waking up more at night, we still smile everytime we look at him, and it makes it all worth it.

This week was filled with firsts for both us and Grant. As you can see in the pictures, he spent his first night in his pack n play (which we keep next to our bed), he had his first sponge bath at home, got his first piece of mail, went for his first walk, and went to the pediatrician for the first time. He also had a lot of visitors and met many people for the first time. While we all continue to experience new things, we realize that our lives are so much more enriched now!

We had to go back to the pediatrician today for the 2nd time this week to check his jaundice and weight. Luckily, he was already back up to his birth weight! The doctor also said his jaundice should have hit its peak by now, and we shouldn't have to worry about it getting worse. She said he looked great, and the jaundice was almost gone.

Doug and I absolutely love being parents. And I am excited to celebrate my first Mother's Day! I thought I would be celebrating it as an expectant mother, but having Grant here makes it even better!

Grant Brendan Docter

Sorry we have been out of the loop for so long, but obviously things have been crazy. Hopefully you have heard most of the story, but I will recap as quickly as a I can with sparing you some of the unpleasant, painful details!

After 3 days in the hospital trying to stop my labor, Grant decided he was not going to let any medicine delay his entrance into the world. The doctors had said I will probably just go into labor on my own when it's time. They weren't too worried, since I was just about 35 weeks, but we knew there were some things that could go wrong, so we were worried. Through the night and early morning of Wednesday, April 28, I felt my contractions getting stronger despite having had more shots to stop labor. They tried pain medicine, but that quickly wore off. The doctor finally decided to check me, and I was already 6-7 centimeters dilated! So I was able to get an epidural--best thing ever! They got me to a labor/delivery room (I had been staying in a high-risk room right down the hall) and prepped me to deliver. When they checked me again, I was a complete 10 cm dilated and ready to go. I started pushing around 10:25 am, and the doctor told me that with first babies, sometimes you may have to push for a few hours. Luckily, it only took an hour, but that hour was very exhausting, and with every push, we waited for Grant to arrive. Doug was right there with a video camera ready coaching me along. Finally, the doctor said I should just need one more contraction to push him out, and he was right. Grant was born at 11:24 am. He immediately started crying, which was a blessing to us, since we had been worried all week about his lungs not being fully developed. Doug cut the cord, and he was placed on my chest for a few moments. We were both in tears, and we realized that this was the most amazing moment we have ever experienced. Three nurses from the NICU were present at the birth just in case they were needed, but after checking him over, they assured us he should be fine! He weighed in at 5 pounds, 11 ounces, and was 18 3/4 inches long. Not bad for 5 weeks early!

The next few days were a whirlwind of events and emotions. We had to get the hang of feeding him. He physically isn't strong enough yet to fully breastfeed, and was given some supplemental formula at first. I was sad about this, but realized it didn't matter as long as he is healthy. I started pumping and little by little was able to get some into him. We had to document all of his feedings and what he did in his diaper to make sure he was on the right track. Things started looking better and better, and the last issue we had to deal with was his jaundice. They started doing blood tests and noticed his levels were a little high, and had to be given phototherapy. They got a little higher at one point, and he had to be put into an incubator. It was so hard watching him in that and not being able to hold him, but it did the trick. The next blood test came back great. Finally, after 2 extra days in the hospital, Grant was discharged on Sunday afternoon. We were so happy to get out of that hospital!

We've been spending these last 2 days getting him acquainted to our house, his room, and all of his stuff. He is doing very well. He sleeps a lot, but decided to be awake most of the night when we wanted to sleep! He went to the pediatrician today for another check, and things looked great. We have to go back again at the end of the week to check his weight and jaundice again, so hopefully things will still be okay. He is now exclusively getting breast milk, but out of a bottle, since he can't breastfeed for very long. We keep practicing though, so sooner or later we hope he is strong enough to do it at every feeding. We are so blessed and excited to have him here, and we know our lives are changed for the better. I will try to post more pictures as they come in, but we already have too many to post here, and we hope to have monthly online photo albums posted for you to watch Grant grow. You can also check out his newborn pictures taken at the hospital by going to http://www.our365.com/. Thank you to everyone for all your prayers and support during this special time for us!