Never in my life have I been this exhausted and overwhelmingly happy at the same time. I can only explain it as a new parental high. Our lives have completely changed since last Thursday, and I think we're doing a pretty good job adjusting. I'd love to update you on how everything has been going so far.
Thursday February 19th = Happy Birthday Alex and Sam. I will be sharing all about our birth story later, but I do want to say thank you to all of my amazing work friends and family who helped coordinate fundraisers, made donations, and spent time making sure that the boys' delivery was perfectly captured by a professional birth photographer. I cannot express how grateful I am to have had Tammy available to capture my labor and delivery. Because I had a c section, I wasn't able to immediately hold or really see my babies. Chase was able to go back with the boys right away, and Tammy was able to go as well. She has captured images and moments of my little Alex's life that I wasn't able to see, and I know I will cherish those moments caught on film for the rest of my life.
I want to share more about my sweet oldest son, Alex, but I can't stop crying as I'm typing this, so I think that will also have to wait for another time. All I can say is that he was loved every single moment of his life here on Earth and he was held the entire time by those who love him and want only the best for him, which is what he has now. The only way I think that we are able to get through this is because of our faith in Christ. Knowing that death here on Earth is not the end and that Jesus has gone before us and prepared a place for us gives me a peace that truly passes all understanding. I know that Alex is being cared for by someone who loves him even more than me and I'm just so thankful that God chose me to be his mommy.
Now for the updates on our little miracle, Samuel Ryan McGarity. Sam weighed 4 lbs 10 oz at birth, which was about 10 oz more than I thought he would weigh. He was very pink at birth and was already joking around with the doctors. (When they broke his bag of water and started suction, he grabbed the suction tube in the womb and didn't want to let go haha!) He was taken back to the NICU as a precaution because he was born at 33 weeks and 6 days. He was having to work a little too hard to breathe, so they decided to admit him. I had a steroid shot before delivery to help with his lungs, but he needed a little bit more help, so they gave him some surfactant to help his lungs expand. He was also put on an oxygen tube giving him 27% oxygen. Sam also has an iv that has to be secured with a splint looking object because he loves to try and pull it out.
The NICU doctor told us that Sam could potentially be in the NICU for up to two weeks, which shocked Chase at first. We thought that as long as his weight was above 4 pounds that we would be able to take him home. Now we know a little bit better as he has a long list of tests and milestones that he will have to pass before we are able to take him home. It is challenging going up to the hospital multiple times day and night to hold and feed him, and trying to schedule times for me to eat and pump, but it is so worth it, and he is making great progress.
We started feeds through a tube through his mouth right to his tummy on Sunday, and he has been tolerating them pretty well. He is having a little trouble making sure that all of his food goes from his tummy to the rest of his digestive track, but they are thinking he is just a little immature and that it'll get better the more he eats and grows. He also has a hard time remembering to breath when he goes to town on his pacifier.
They've slowly lowered his oxygen level and as of yesterday morning, he is completely off any extra oxygen!! He's been pretty stable, even when I've tried to nurse him (which is incredible and a whole entire new post), which he's done very well with so far!
He does have some jaundice so he will have to stay under the blue lights and get his phototherapy until his levels are lower. He looks so cute with his little sunglass shades :) This does make it a little harder as far as holding him, because I have to limit it to 30 minutes every 12 hours. Luckily I get a little lead way since he is starting to nurse now, but I can't wait until he is home and we can hold him all the time.
So, now we are waiting on Sam to continue to gain weight and feed well, have more bowel movements to get that nasty meconium out, maintain his body temperature when not under the warmer, and for his jaundice level to go down. He has some other tests that he'll have to pass before he is fully discharged, but we know he will ace them. I can't believe how quickly he's been progressing so we are hoping that he might be able to come home by this weekend (eek!).
I will keep updating as I can (sleep is a precious commodity, so I try to get it whenever I can). I just wanted to say thank you again to everyone who has shared our story and prayed for us. There is no way we would be handling everything as well as we are without your thoughts and prayers, so please keep them coming. I also want to thank everyone who visited us in the hospital, brought us a meal, sent a thoughtful text or left a facebook comment, and those who have given us space to figure out this new parent/family thing. We love and appreciate everything more than we can express, and feel so blessed to have so many great family and friends in our life and in Sam's. You all are the best.
- Courtney
