God is Good!

Well, here we are at the end of quite a long journey to parenthood. It was a dream that seemed so far away and now I sit here concluding this blog while holding my tiny, precious, baby boy. I know IVF is not for everyone but it gave us the most invaluable gift and the opportunity to experience biological parenthood. It was well worth all of the shots, blood tests, and testing. 

We are so blessed and thankful to God for giving us the best gift we have ever received. 

We love you Jeremiah! May you always remember that you are a child of God and He has a very special plan for your life. You truly are a miracle baby! 

Going Home!

The day he was sent to the NICU his CRP number was 51...the next morning it had gone down to 25...

on the third day we came early in the morning for his first feeding and anxiously awaited 

the blood test results. The nurse came over and told us the CRP number was still 18 and so he would have to stay another night.  Of course we were bummed but want him to get everything he needs before coming home. 

About an hour later our pediatrician came by to see him and she said we were good to go home! She said since the number had been steadily dropping and everything else was still looking good, there was really no reason for him to stay. She was convinced that it was a combination of stress and the inflammation caused by the bruise that made the number rise. 

Yay!!! We finally get to bring our baby boy home!!

Wearing a real outfit for the first time!

Big Yawn. Getting IVs pulled out and bandaids pulled off is painful and exhausting!

Praise the Lord! We have our miracle baby home!

NICU

We spent Thursday and Friday in the hospital and were set to be sent home on Saturday. In the early morning Saturday my nurse came in to do Jeremiah's vitals just as they had done ever few hours for the past 2 days. She noticed he was "grunting" a little bit while breathing and she said that she wanted to call the pediatrician just to let him know before we were sent home. 

A couple hours later the pediatrician came by to see him. He ordered some blood tests to be done and checked him out. He said physically he looked wonderful and even mentioned getting our car seat and things ready to go...pending the blood results. 

About an hour later our plans were turned upside down when the pediatrician came to tell us the results. 

His CRP (C-reactive protein) levels came back extremely high. Typically they should be 10 or below and his was 51. The CRP is a protein associated with inflammation in the body and could possibly mean a major infection. Most likely the reason this number was so high was because of the major bruise he had received from the birth. However, they need to make sure that is is not something much more serious.

Poor baby's purple bruise and major cone head.

 He told us that within the next 30 minutes Jeremiah would be taken to the NICU and he would stay for a minimum of 2 nights and 3 days. If after 48 hours of antibiotics his CRP number goes down then we would know it was in fact the bruise and he would be sent home.
Immediately I felt sick to my stomach. I couldn't fathom going home without my little boy.
We were so scared and sad to see him go and I will NEVER forget walking into that NICU and seeing my precious, perfect baby hooked up to all kinds of machines and with an IV coming out of the top of his head. 

We spent the next 2.5 days breastfeeding and pumping every 3 hours, cuddling him in between, and crying all the way to the car each night after his last feeding. We decided that in order to get through the next few days we would trust the Lord to protect him during the night and we would go home to try and get some rest. We came back first thing in the mornings to give him his first feeding.

Daddy changing a dirty diaper  

So alert in the mornings when we came to see him 

Lots of skin to skin to help my milk production and bonding 

Love my baby boy!

Happy Birthday Jeremiah!

On Thursday, April 25th we went in at 6:00am for an induction. The day before my doctor had checked me and I was dilated to 4 and 80% effaced. She said he was extremely low and my cervix was more than "ready."

We went in at 6:00am got all checked in and hooked up to an IV for fluids. 

At about 8:00am they started me on Pitocin and then we waited...with lots of family to keep us company and make the day so memorable.

I was having contractions but nothing any more major than what I had been having for weeks.

Around 11:30am my doctor came by and broke my water. 

Almost immediately my contractions got much much worse and I requested an epidural. 

I love the person who came up with the epidural. It was amazing!

The nurse checked me around 12:00 and I was 6cm and almost fully effaced. 

 By 1:30 I was feeling a lot of pressure and she checked me again and I was 10cm and ready to deliver!

 She was surprised how low his head was and hurried to get the room ready for delivery.

We did a few trial pushes before my doctor got there and that's when the drama began...

the baby's heart rate dropped and I was being flipped side to side over and over different positions trying to get it back to normal. It went all the way down to zero and I felt a slight panic in the room but finally we found a position that he liked. His heart rate came back up and I did not move from that position again until my doctor arrived. The guess was that he was laying on his cord or it was possibly wrapped around his neck. Great! 

Once my doctor arrived she took a quick look and commented that she did not even have time to change her clothes. The baby was coming too soon...she said "wow, he is going to be out in no time, he is right there, let's get pushing!"

Just before 2:00 I started pushing....

I pushed...and pushed...and pushed....

He definitely was not coming as quickly as they had predicted. 

I was exhausted...he was stuck...

I needed an episiotomy and he still was not coming.

I have never worked so hard in my life. It was absolutely the hardest thing I have ever done and I do not know what I would have done without the epidural. 

Finally at 3:35pm he came out and that's when more drama began...

They immediately put him on my chest but he didn't stay there long. 

Shaun cut the cord and they took him over to work on him because he was not crying and was barely breathing. They shook him all around, pulled on his limbs and finally he started to cry. It was so scary and hard to watch. I just remember crying and praying. That cry was the best sound I had ever heard. 

Praise the Lord he was going to be alright. 

So, the reason I pushed for so long turned out to be because his head was turned sideways. He had been banging into my pelvis with the side of his head for almost 2 hours as I pushed. He came out with a giant cone and bruise on the side of his head. Poor baby!

Bruised and cone-headed but otherwise looked perfect.
My Baby Boy
Jeremiah David
7 lbs. 6.9 ounces
20 1/4 inches long

We are in love!