About 5:00am the nurse came into the room to check on me. I informed her that things were starting to feel different and that I wasn't sure what that meant. Ben and my Dad were sleeping. My mom had woke up when the nurse came in. The nurse decided to check my progress, which resulted in some instructions to push. She then went to the door and called for the doctor and a "catcher." At 5:15am the doctor came in and by this time Ben is awake and at my side. At 5:28am: "It's a boy!" followed by some of the loudest cheering I have ever heard!!
Is there a prouder Papa?...I don't think so!
A Momma and her boy!
Papper and Oma were there for the little guy's arrival
I will say that the second time around is SO MUCH EASIER!! 13 mins and maybe 10 pushes and he was O-U-T outta there! Sure beats the 3 hours of pushing my girl required! Oh, and about birthing a toddler, I guess they were wrong! Silas came out at a whopping 7Lbs 9oz, 21 inches long.
We were able to spend the whole day with Silas--and Mary Alice came up to meet her little brother for the first time later that evening. She is fascinated/maybe a bit jealous of his hair and likes to announce that he is a "baby!"
Things changed that evening when the night shift nurse looked at him and in listening to the way he was crying, decided to take him back the nursery and check some things out. From that moment on he was restricted to the nursery by tubes and monitors. As it turns out, during the birthing process the cord got wrapped so tightly around his neck that it inhibited some of the natural processes that occur--like the squeezing of the lungs to get all the fluid out so the baby can make the switch to air. This also resulted in some facial bruising, which means he broke down a lot of red blood cells leaving fewer "box cars" to carry oxygen. That is why he was having so much difficulty breathing. So he was diagnoses with TTN or "wet lung," which means he had left-over fluid in his lungs making it difficult for him to breath on his own. They ran lots of tests, one of them a blood culture that would take 48 hours to come back, so we knew that he was stuck in the hospital for at least that long. I was discharged on Friday, but the little man had to stay (NOT my favorite thing). So, Ben and I found ourselves hanging out in hospital waiting rooms and holding a baby that was tethered to IVs and monitors once again.
Holding Papa's hand.
The isolet... aka "plastic box"
Through the porthole...
Grandma and Grandpa also got to come up to the hospital to meet Silas.
Friday night we decided to spend the night at home and just come back to the hospital early in the morning. Plus, we really wanted to see Mimi!! Saturday morning as we were getting ready to leave, the doctor called and said Silas was being discharged and that we could come and pick him up!!! With more cheering and celebrating, we left and drove one last time up to the hospital and brought home our son! What a special day!!
The ride HOME!
The FOUR of us ALL home at last!!
We have been hanging out and spending time together. Mary Alice is not sure what to think quite yet but we are sure she will adjust just fine. At least she no longer denies the fact that she is a big sister. This morning she was insistent on giving the baby hugs and kisses and "nice" pats that all seemed a bit more intense than Silas appreciated--but at least she is giving him some attention!
Kisses from Mimi
I think he is real happy to be on the outside!
We could not be happier and more thankful for our COMPLETE family of FOUR!
5 comments:
thanks for the pics Starlynne loved them and said "I want to see them, I miss them."
Blessed indeed!
Kate ... you look GREAT! Love the pictures and all of the smiles. Silas is adorable! Love you all!
Alex has been asking for Aunt Katie and Ben!
Love the blog! Thanks for the photos and updates! Can't wait to read more as you adjust to a family of four! Sarah C.
Congratulations on the safe and joyous arrival of Silas. All the best...Clay
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