• When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.

And so it begins... Updated 2/22

0
Revenant

1,669 views

I was gone all night at a professional function. I finally got home around 9:00, my son was already in bed. My mother-in-law stayed with them all evening while I was gone so Shandy wouldn't be alone, just in case.

Maybe 5 minutes after my mother-in-law left, less than half an hour after I got home Shandy started bleeding. We went to the hospital. She was having contractions she couldn't feel and there was no way to stop the bleeding with the contractions and so she's in the OR now and I'm waiting. The surgery will take about 4 to 7 hours, maybe longer.

29 weeks and 2 days. Didn't quite make it to 30 weeks but ya get what ya get.

Now just a lot a waiting, and I'm a pacer.

51916285_780175615682601_7710497281744568320_n.thumb.jpg.db463d9f3a9f83e45aa66b37cb8c3b52.jpg

Update 2/13:

To my unending surprise the doctors came out in less than an hour and said the placenta had detached and there was no acreta like they'd thought. Instead of a 5+ hour operation it ended up taking about 2. They didn't have to do a hysterectomy but we went ahead and had her tubes tied. We will not be tempting fate again after this - all the risk factors would be higher next time. She seems to be recovering relatively well so far but I'm expecting Thursday / Friday to be bad days as some of the pain killers from the operation wear off.

The baby was born at 11:55 on 12/12 and weighed a little north of 3 pounds. He's doing well relatively speaking and they haven't had to intubate him but it's still a possibility. He wasn't given steroids in the days leading up to the birth because we had no warning so his lungs are not as prepared as we would have preferred. He will likely spend about 8 weeks in the NICU. The place he's in right now is a Level III NICU, for babies born mostly before 30 weeks - There is a Level IV, for so-called "micro-premies" but those are mostly born at 23-25 weeks, at 29 weeks, Samuel has several substantial advantages over that group.

Thanks for all the well wishes. We'll probably know a lot better how he's doing after he's made it to 72 hours old.

 

Update 2/14

Well, you always hope your kid will defy the odds but they usually don't. Sam had to be intubated today because he was wearing himself out too much just trying to breathe. He's also dealing with some low blood-pressure issues. All of this was stuff they told us to expect that was probably coming. They can warn you all they want in advance but it's still going to suck to hear that it's happening.

 

Update 2/16

Well, I guess it's a good news - bad news kind of morning. We went to bed last night knowing something seemed wrong but not knowing what. The doctors suspected he might be getting pneumonia.

As it turns out, he doesn't have pneumonia, but he has had intraventricular hemorrhaging in his brain. Grade 4 (the worst) on one side. Grade 2 on the other. No way of knowing what, if any, consequences that will have for him. 

2/16b: He's showing high bilirubin so they have him on the lights for jaundice. After hearing about the brain bleeding this just seems so mundane.

52323704_10114620875530114_315543662324875264_n.thumb.jpg.96822285fe9eb63151bc1b0ddd241c03.jpg

Update 2/17

Shandy was discharged late yesterday and we spent the night at home with our soon-to-be-3-year-old for the first time since the birth.

Today leaves me with more hope than yesterday for the first time in a while. The bilirubin levels are down and they've taken off the lights for it. He's breathing 21% O2 air and taking only 30-45 breaths per minute now. In the past they've had to have him on 40+% O2 air and he was still fighting for breath with a respiration rate in the 70s or higher. This is the most peaceful and relaxed I've seen him in that regard. His increased struggles to breathe, in combination with the unusual way he was holding his arms straight out and away from his body were some of the first signs that something was wrong which lead to the diagnostic tests for the bleeding in the brain. Today he's sleeping and resting with his arms bent and brought in to his body and face - much more natural and relaxed looking.

I'm adding a picture from yesterday when he was under the lights. I'll see if I can get and share a picture of him today later.

52347526_10114626270643264_1115726486528065536_o.thumb.jpg.27b444b33a2e22ae61b5355290bcf699.jpg

Update on 2/19.

I think this is going to be the last time I update this post and I'll just include comments as appropriate in other entries moving forward. Sam will be a week old as of midnight tonight.

His improvement has continued into this morning. His sodium levels, which were low, have come back up. The bilirubin lights have been on and off recently but they're back on for now. His heart and lungs continue to do well with no signs of new / additional bleeding recently. They think he'll be extubated today and put back on the CPAP. They're going to start feeding him milk again because they're liking the belly sounds they're hearing. So he seems to be doing well and out of most immediate danger.

 

Update on 2/22:

Couldn't resist one more:

On 2/20, with the ventilator out (and he took to it well so he hasn't had to be intubated again) we got to hear him crying for the first time. It sounds a little like a small puppy honestly.

On 2/21, Shandy got to hold him for the first time.

DSC_2495.thumb.jpg.15185232c3b1bfeaeaec4abde2a5d869.jpg

On 2/22, I got to hold him for the first time.

DSC_2565.thumb.jpg.a69eec0c7fbbb62e1274ddf5dda4a0f6.jpg

0



28 Comments


Recommended Comments



Congrats on the birth of Samuel!  The doctors and other medical professionals will take good care of Samuel and Shandy.  With the expertise of their medical teams and the love and support of you and the rest of your family, they will get through it.  The waiting is over and now the recovery process can begin for your wife and son.  Once again, my thoughts and well wishes are with you and your whole family!

Link to comment

Congratulations and prayers for you all.  Long days in the NICU are hard but the nurses there are the best. My granddaughter (three months old last week) came six weeks early and spent eight days in NICU.  

Link to comment

Thanks for the update Revenant.  Sorry to hear that Samuel had to be intubated.......you're right, that sucks.  But it'll help him heal....he won't have to work so hard to breathe now, so his body will have its energy for other things.  How's Shandy doing?

Link to comment
14 minutes ago, Mohawk said:

Thanks for the update Revenant.  Sorry to hear that Samuel had to be intubated.......you're right, that sucks.  But it'll help him heal....he won't have to work so hard to breathe now, so his body will have its energy for other things.  How's Shandy doing?

She's doing fine. Minor concerns make it sound like she won't be released until Saturday or Sunday instead of today which she's thrilled about. Even if she's released she wants to nap on the couch in the baby's room rather than coming home because she knows she can't travel back and forth much.

Link to comment
3 hours ago, Revenant said:

She's doing fine. Minor concerns make it sound like she won't be released until Saturday or Sunday instead of today which she's thrilled about. Even if she's released she wants to nap on the couch in the baby's room rather than coming home because she knows she can't travel back and forth much.

I'm glad to hear that she's doing fine.  And I don't blame her one bit for wanting to stay with Samuel.  I know I would too.  Thanks for the update Revenant.

Link to comment

Thanks for the update Revenant.  I don't know what to say.....I cannot imagine how hard this is.  It has to be absolutely terrible.  As you know, I'm not religious and I don't pray, but my thoughts and best wishes are still with you and yours all through this, my friend.  If I were in your area of Texas and not just some guy sitting in New York State thousands of miles away, I'd do anything I could to help you and yours through this.  As it stands, all I can do is offer you my best wishes, which I do again, wholeheartedly.

Edited by Mohawk
Link to comment
1 hour ago, Mohawk said:

Thanks for the update Revenant.  I don't know what to say.....I cannot imagine how hard this is.  It has to be absolutely terrible.  As you know, I'm not religious and I don't pray, but my thoughts and best wishes are still with you and yours all through this, my friend.  If I were in your area of Texas and not just some guy sitting in New York State thousands of miles away, I'd do anything I could to help you and yours through this.  As it stands, all I can do is offer you my best wishes, which I do again, wholeheartedly.

Thanks. I appreciate the sentiment. This is clearly going to suck from start to finish but hopefully he'll pull through.

Link to comment

Revenant, very sorry to hear the latest, I know from experience little ones are very resilent and usually much tougher than their parents and I pray for Samuel's speedy recovery. All my best wishes.

Link to comment

Revenant,

I'm so glad to hear that Sam is improving and is out of the most immediate danger......that's a great relief!  He sounds like he's a fighter, so he's going to get through the rest of it, too.  Thanks for letting us know!

Link to comment

Sending prayers to you and your family. It seems as though your wife and son are making good progress. My sister-in-law is a nurse at Vanderbilt children’s hospital in the NICU. I can say with confidence that the medical staff in those units are very devoted to both the patient and the family. In Private they celebrate the triumphs and cry over the sorrows. I have witnessed this first hand. So rest assured, he is in good hands and his fighting spirit will prevail.

Link to comment

I am so glad to hear Sam is doing better. As each day passes his chances improve and that is really good news! Is there anything new on the bleeding in Sam's brain? You're all in my heart and my prayers. Your pictures are very heart-warming.

Link to comment

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now