Finally here

Well, a lot has happened in the past week. Let us start with the most significant stuff. I had my my fourth child, Jaiden Nathaniel, on Saturday, August 23 at 12:04am. I was in labor about 6 hours( fast, I know). He was 7 lbs., 7 oz., 20 and 1/2 inches long. The funny thing is, I had 2 different due dates. Aug. 22, and Sept. 7. The first one was based off of my recollections, and the information I was able to give the doctor. The second was based off of an ultrasound that the doctor performed. He decided that the one from the ultrasound was the correct one( he was a bit arrogant. not my first choice of doctors, but the one I wanted was out with heart problems). Anyhow, I was determined to let myself go into labor naturally this time instead of being induced like the last three times And what do you know, a couple of hours after my doctor's appointment on the 22nd, it happened! We had brought home some pizza, a movie, and had some popcorn for family night, I was on the computer, and the munchkins were starting to say they were hungry. I was getting off the couch, and was about half way standing, when my water broke. Holy smokes, I don't think I have ever been that shocked in my life! There was a mad dash for the car, forgetting everythinng, including my insurance stuff. We call mothers to alert them to the eminent arrival of their grandchild, drop the kids off with Bomba, and hurry to the hospital.


We got there, got me admitted, and moms & kids arrived. Andrea showed up with Jada, and she was wonderful to watch all the kids so that mom and Penny could stay and offer moral support. They left pretty much only long enough to go get something to eat while I got my Epidural. AHHHH! I think it's one of the greatest medical inventions ever. Not long after the Epi, Jaiden was here.I tried to feed him before the nurse had to take him away to the nursery, but he wouldn't wake up long enough to get much.When they got him to the nursery, he was looking a little blue, so they blew some air in his face. That seemed to do the trick. He was brought back to me after getting cleaned and warmed up(around 4:00am). I finally got him to wake up enough to get him latched on, and then he wouldn't let go! He nursed for an hour before the nurse from the nursery came to take his temperature, and another half an hour before they came to take him back for blood work or something(about 5:30). When he went back, they noticed he was looking blue again. So they called in a doctor. Somewhere around 10:30 Ifinally called the nursery to ask them where my baby was.That's when they said that a neonatologist would be in to talk to me about what was going on with him.



Needless to say, I started to freak. So about an hour and a half later, a neonatologist comes to talk to me. He told me that Jaiden had a pnuemothorax(basically his lung was collapsing, due to a small hole that was letting air out of his lung into the cavity between the ribcage and his lungs, thus compressing them) and a lung infection. He needed to be put on oxygen in order to keep his oxygen saturation levels up. This woul mean that i could not breastfeed him. He would need to be fed through a tube down his throat for the next couple of days. This could not be done in the nursery. He had to be addmitted to the NICU. He would need to stay there for a week at best guess. I would have to go home without my baby. I was able to keep from crying long enough for the doctor to leave my room. He had assured me that everything sounded worse than it really was. But all I could hear was that my baby was not even half a day old and already facing a hard trial. Thank goodness that Derrick was there to comfort me. We reminded ourselve that a week in the NICU was a very short amount of time as far as NICU stays go. We were lucky. He got admitted, started antibiotics, had the feeding tube inserted, and the tube for oxygen put in his nose.
We were allowed to see him almost anytime we wanted, barring shift changes. Derrick and I had even visited him around 1-2am simply so we would be able to sleep easier! The nurses were very nice, letting us hold him whenever we could, for as long as possible. They updated us on his condition every time we walked in, even if it was just to say " he's doing the same as this morning". They even appreciated the little nickname we gave him.
Okay the nick name needs explaining. Early Monday morning(like 1 am) a nurse noticed he was looking a little yellow. Yup, jaundice was setting in, fast. They put him on a Bili-blanket, which looks like a heating pad with a tube coming out of it, and it glows a bright blue light that helps get rid of Biliruben. The first time I saw him on this thing, it was glowing through the blanket that he was wrapped up in, so he looked like the little glow-worm toys they make for little kids. Therfore, we started to call him our little glow-worm.
It was always hard to walk away, but it was hardest to walk away on Monday, my discharge day. Derrick was my rock. He reminded me that it was not going to be long before we could bring him home. And I wasn't going to be far from him. Layla and I checked into the local Ronald McDonald House that night. That gave derrick one less child to worry about. But I didn't stay there for more than two days. I didn't think it made sense for me to stay there when Derrick had to drive into Austin everyday after dropping off the kids at school to take me back up to the hospital to visit with Jaiden and drop off milk that I had pumped. Not to mention that I REALLY missed Daniel and Jacob. So I went home.
We continued to go see Jaiden every day and finally they told us that he could breathe regular air. The next day(Friday), they told us that we could take him home. We were so elated.
He is now home, healthy as a horse, eating like one, too, and sleeping well.

Now on to the rest of the brood. Daniel and jake went back to school. They are loving it. Daniel is having to get used to the idea of doing "homework". He gets to color and draw pictures for homework. Jacob is having to start using his words again, as he got lazy about it over the summer. But he was happy to see his friends from last year again. They are both getting good reports from thier teachers.
Derrick is enrolled for his last two classes and is looking forward to graduating. He is very happy to have his baby boy home.
As for me ...Well it took me a week to write this after I started, so you can imagine how tired I am. But still happy and grateful. My family is healthy and happy, and we are all together. What more could I ask?