Stories from the preterm birth of our
daughter, Madeline, in May 2014 -- from my water breaking and
hospitalization at 30 weeks, to her birth at 32 weeks, to our 38 day
stay in the NICU.
30 MAY 2014 - TWO WEEKS
Little Madeline is two weeks old today! (Whoa,
time flies! I get the feeling that things are going to start moving
very quickly from here on out.) She weighed in at a whopping 4 pounds, 6
ounces last night, and is doing remarkably well.
Maddie has
her own crib now, and is finished with most of her major medicinal
treatments (antibiotics, bilirubin lights, etc.). The past week has been
largely about finding the right balance of oxygen and air pressure to
most effectively help her tiny lungs
expand and strengthen. She eats exclusively breast milk, and is fed
primarily through a feeding tube. She is also learning how to breast
feed, and we are all very impressed with how well she’s doing! Her
nurses are calling her a “power preemie.” From here forward, her biggest
hurdle will be building up the stamina to feed herself without
assistance (which may take several more weeks).
Madeline is a
very alert and curious baby. She has longer and more frequent periods of
wakefulness, and seems to get more beautiful each day. She has a
consistent stream of visitors who come to meet her, is steadily meeting
all of her grandparents, and will even get to meet (one of) her great
grandma(s) next week! We are forever fascinated by her. What a
remarkable thing to witness the growth and development of such a tiny,
perfect new life!
The NICU experience is a unique and
challenging one. Jake and I find ourselves constantly trying to strike
that delicate balance between taking responsibility for what’s ours to
do, and letting go of what’s not. It’s easy to begin to feel as if we
are not her primary caretakers, since she is so well-attended by her
nurses. On the other hand, there are so many important things that only
we are able to do for her. We each spend several hours each day
snuggling with our daughter, skin-to-skin, which is arguably the most
important medical treatment she’s receiving. We are also heavily
involved in her care (changing diapers, taking temperatures, etc.)
Self-care is beginning to look quite different for us than it ever has
in the past, and it’s a huge adjustment; there’s a constant choice
between sleeping and eating, it seems. Patience is a necessity in here,
and can be difficult to come by – I find myself having, on average, one
small meltdown every day (be it from frustration, worry, or just plain
exhaustion), which seems to help.
With that said, we are
nothing if not eternally grateful for our many good fortunes, and for
the health and safety of beautiful little Madeline.
There was a
brand new baby brought in to the unit yesterday, and I saw her mommy
sitting in her wheelchair next to the table holding hands with her and
was instantly moved to tears. I will never in my life forget what that
moment was like. What a powerful moment that is, and what an enthralling
journey it is from that moment forward -- really, what a miracle!
As always, we thank God for the gift that is baby Madeline, and our friends and family for their continued love and support.
Stories from the preterm birth of our daughter, Madeline, in May 2014 -- from my water breaking and hospitalization at 30 weeks, to her birth at 32 weeks, to our 38 day stay in the NICU.
17 MAY 2014 - DAY ONE
Good morning! Here's the little one without anything on her face today!
We had a great night, and Madeline is doing beautifully. Her breathing
tubes were removed, and she looks so far like she will need much less
assistance.
Since I didn't get
to tell the story yesterday of how she came to join us 8 weeks
early....at about 1:30pm, after a quiet day up until then, I started
having moderate lower back pain. I figured it was nothing, but remembered that back pain was one of the things I'd been warned about, so I called a nurse. We put the baby on the monitor, and found that her heart rate was periodically dipping down -- like, WAY down, in to the 80's. Within 10 minutes, the doctor on call was in my room.
"You need to have your baby."
"Now?"
"Now. Call your husband, get him down here. This kid is not going to tolerate labor at all. We're going to need to do an emergency cesarean. I'm going to go let the nursery know, and prep for surgery. I'll see you in the operating room in 15 minutes."
Jake made it to the hospital 7 minutes from the time I called him. Even so, he was chasing after us, pulling an scrubs in the hallway as they wheeled me in to the OR.
By
3:45, we had had a very successful emergency cesarean section. The baby
came out with a fierce little cry, but quickly got tired trying to
breathe on her own. She was intubated overnight, extubated this morning, and is
doing very well on her own now.
Of course, our
medical team is incredible, and they've been doing an amazing job with
her. They say she is quite the little rock star.
The neonatal
intensive care unit here is SO COOL. They baby has her very own private
room, which is attached to our very own private room, which has a
queen-sized bed in it. We will be allowed to stay here until she is
ready to come home with us.
She is the smallest baby I've ever
seen in real life at 3 pounds 14 ounces, but is easily the most beautiful thing I've ever
laid eyes on. I'm still recovering from surgery, but hanging in there
alright. We are very much looking forward to being able to hold her this
afternoon.
