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!
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!
1 comment:
He is very special.
Thank you Julie and Doug, I love him and he loves his Grandpa Gates!!!
Dad
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