Hello again friends!
If you are anything like me when it comes to sleep you love it and can't get enough of it, seriously, like you can't get enough. If a genie came to you and asked for three wishes they would all be for uninterrupted sleep time. But since that isn't happening anytime soon, I am trying to make the best of it and get my little guy on some sort of a sleeping schedule. How is that going you might ask?
Well....
We have tried so many different things and schedules as far as his sleeping goes. When we first brought Sam home we were nervous that he would stop breathing in the middle of the night, so he slept in his mamaroo (which is fabulous by the way) and we both slept in the living room. I don't know why I thought that sleeping with him in the living room would somehow help if he stopped breathing...I'd be asleep. How would I even know if he had stopped breathing? But, somehow I thought it would be helpful, so that is what we did for about 3 days.
Then, we decided that since Chase needed to get a good amount of sleep at night because he would have to work during the day and wouldn't be able to take a nap at home like I could (notice I said could...who has time to nap? I mean, seriously). So, we decided that Chase would go to bed at 9/10 o'clock and he would get up with Sam for his 4 am feeding.
**Sam was already on a feeding schedule from the hospital to eat about 3 ounces every 3 hours, so we kept him on that. Because he was a premie, we were really worried about his weight and growth, so we woke him to feed him. At his 2 month appointment, the doctor told us his weight and growth was great and to let him sleep, so that is what we do now.**
We tried it this way for a couple of weeks with Sam sleeping in the bassinet in our room, but it was difficult because we would have times when Sam woke up in between my time and Chase's time and we didn't know what should get up with him...it was almost always me, which was another annoying thing. I felt like I was getting no sleep at all and that we were trying too hard to schedule our time with Sam.
We have also tried Sam sleeping in his crib. Which he did horribly with because he has acid reflux ,and would pretty much scream the minute he was laid down flat. There was also a terrifying incident of the baby monitor dying from not being plugged up in our room, and our super loud air conditioner which lead to me sleeping through his 4 am feeding and waking at 7 to run into his room and hear him screaming. Tears came and I was so scared that something like that would happen again, so we decided we would hold off on the crib for another couple of weeks.
We then decided we would do his and her nights. I had four nights out of the week and Chase had three. Meaning that when it was our night we would feed him at 11, then sleep on the couch, wake up at 3 or 4 and feed him again, then back to sleep on the couch, and then up at 7 and feed him again. Sound exhausting? It was - if it was your night. When it wasn't your night, you got to sleep in the big queen size bed all by yourself and not be woken up...ahhh heaven...except when you're the mom.
This didn't work because Chase was having a hard time calming Sam down at night, getting him to finish his bottles, and he just wasn't feeling great about the whole situation. Which lead to me being woken up in the middle of the night to take over, which was frustrating and really annoying. But, instead of getting angry and telling him to figure it out or that what he was doing wasn't fair, I prayed about it. Seriously through my exhausted new mom tears, I prayed and prayed that God would help Chase in this new role and help me in being a supportive spouse. What God revealed to me is that there will be times in Sam's life when one of us (Chase or myself) is better equipped. For example, when Sam starts going through puberty and has all kinds of crazy questions about his body, Chase will definitely be taking the lead on that! But, for right now, I am more equipped. That doesn't mean that Chase is a lesser parent, it just means that for this season, I am going to be showing Chase more grace and love as a parent, and hope that he does the same when I feel unprepared and ill equipped.
So, we talked about it and have come up with a way that is working...for now.
Chase takes care of Sam's feeding at 7 am (giving me time to pump in peace, get morning chores done, and begin the day), 7 pm (which lets me finish dinner and pick up a little bit), and 11 pm (giving me time to shower, and finishing doing dishes and laundry). Then, I will do the day feedings at 11am and 3pm, and I will wake up with Sam during the night and nurse him. We don't get to nurse very often because he has to have so many different things in his bottles, so that time at night is our time, and it is very sweet. Then, Sam usually falls asleep in bed with me nursing him on my side and we sleep for a couple more hours until it's time to get up. Co-sleeping was definitely something I thought I would never do, but I know that he is safe from the way I position him and myself, so that is what we do...for now.
Eventually, I would like to be able to transition Sam back to the crib and start working on getting him into more of a feeding/sleeping schedule, but that is for another day.
Hope you found this interesting! I'd love to hear what you do for your little one!
Courtney
Monday, May 18, 2015
Monday, May 11, 2015
Mommytalk Monday
Hi friends!
I want to start off by thanking all of you who read my last post about my sweet Alexander Nolan. Thank you for the sweet comments and thoughtful prayers and calls. Thank you for seeing his beauty instead of his flaws. And thank you for sharing my story with others. I received several messages last week about how much his life and our experience has helped with whatever they are going through and it means the world to me to know that his short life has had an impact! So, thank you again!
I will be posting each Monday in a series called Mommytalk Monday. I'll be sharing about all things mommyhood - challenges, funny stories, baby milestones, body after baby, life with a baby, etc. I can't wait to share stories with you and connect with other moms so please comment and let me know if you can relate to what I'm sharing!
Today I wanted to share about my very first mother's day!
I was so excited (and lucky) to spend mother's day with my mother and grandmother who drove down from Warner Robins to spend the morning with us and see little Sam get dedicated at church. It was such a great morning and meant the world to me to have them there. Dedicating Sam was the perfect start to my mother's day. I love what the ceremony represents and love knowing that we have such a great support system to help us raise Sam and help him develop a faith of his own and his own relationship with Jesus Christ.
After church we joined Chase's family for a late lunch at Olive Garden which is always delicious (hello stuffed mushrooms!) and always super filling. We always pig out on bread sticks, appetizers, and soup before our meal gets there so it's a great way to have leftovers for dinner. Anyone else order way too much food when they go out to eat?
Thankfully, Chase did not have an afternoon soccer game so we were able to enjoy a family nap! Seriously, the best new tradition we have started as a family is joint nap time on Sundays before small group. Sleep is such a valuable commodity, and sleeping in the same bed does not happen nearly enough now that we are up and down so much at night. We really have come to love getting our family nap in together on Sundays as a way to recharge our batteries together.
We attended small group later that night like we do almost every Sunday and that is always such a blessing and great start to our week. We love our community group so much and am so thankful for their friendships!
Chase was super husband like always and treated me so kindly on Mother's Day. He bought me chocolate covered strawberries, a beautiful necklace, an Origami Owl bracelet, and gave me a back massage! He surely knows how to treat a girl right!
I'd love to hear how you spent your Mother's Day! Or your favorite Mother's Day memory!
- Courtney
I want to start off by thanking all of you who read my last post about my sweet Alexander Nolan. Thank you for the sweet comments and thoughtful prayers and calls. Thank you for seeing his beauty instead of his flaws. And thank you for sharing my story with others. I received several messages last week about how much his life and our experience has helped with whatever they are going through and it means the world to me to know that his short life has had an impact! So, thank you again!
I will be posting each Monday in a series called Mommytalk Monday. I'll be sharing about all things mommyhood - challenges, funny stories, baby milestones, body after baby, life with a baby, etc. I can't wait to share stories with you and connect with other moms so please comment and let me know if you can relate to what I'm sharing!
Today I wanted to share about my very first mother's day!
I was so excited (and lucky) to spend mother's day with my mother and grandmother who drove down from Warner Robins to spend the morning with us and see little Sam get dedicated at church. It was such a great morning and meant the world to me to have them there. Dedicating Sam was the perfect start to my mother's day. I love what the ceremony represents and love knowing that we have such a great support system to help us raise Sam and help him develop a faith of his own and his own relationship with Jesus Christ.
After church we joined Chase's family for a late lunch at Olive Garden which is always delicious (hello stuffed mushrooms!) and always super filling. We always pig out on bread sticks, appetizers, and soup before our meal gets there so it's a great way to have leftovers for dinner. Anyone else order way too much food when they go out to eat?
Thankfully, Chase did not have an afternoon soccer game so we were able to enjoy a family nap! Seriously, the best new tradition we have started as a family is joint nap time on Sundays before small group. Sleep is such a valuable commodity, and sleeping in the same bed does not happen nearly enough now that we are up and down so much at night. We really have come to love getting our family nap in together on Sundays as a way to recharge our batteries together.
We attended small group later that night like we do almost every Sunday and that is always such a blessing and great start to our week. We love our community group so much and am so thankful for their friendships!
Chase was super husband like always and treated me so kindly on Mother's Day. He bought me chocolate covered strawberries, a beautiful necklace, an Origami Owl bracelet, and gave me a back massage! He surely knows how to treat a girl right!
I'd love to hear how you spent your Mother's Day! Or your favorite Mother's Day memory!
- Courtney
Tuesday, May 5, 2015
Meet Alex
This post has been one that I've wanted to write for a while, but have not found the time to do so, or the right words. I have such fond memories of my little Alex, but also very tearful memories. Tears out of longing to hold my baby boy one more time and missing him so incredibly much, but also tears knowing that he is with the One who loves him more than I can (which to anyone who has ever had children knows is an awful lot).
From our very first ultrasound, we knew that our baby A, Alex, was an active little boy. The doctors told us that he was hyperactive because of his brain's exposure to the amniotic fluid, but we knew that he was just our sweet and active little boy. That was who he was. A mover, a jumper, and a KICKER. That boy would kick my cervix so hard at times that I would have my breath taken away. But I cherished every movement.
We also knew that Alex was stubborn. He never wanted to show us his head during ultrasounds. The ultrasound sound techs would always tell me how low he was (like I needed anyone to tell me how low my baby was...helloooooo cervical pressure, am I right?!). He always had his hands up and would bury himself so deep down that we hardly had any pictures of his face and head. I thought that perhaps the reason why he was hiding was that God was healing him and that it would be a surprise at birth, but sadly for us, God had other plans for Alex. Later I think I realized that Alex was putting his hands up and hiding his head to tell us that he was more than his condition. He was more than a fetus with anencephaly. He was our son. And he was beautiful.
At times it was difficult dealing with the doctors because they could be so blunt. At one appointment, Chase and I caught a rare glimpse at Alex's face. The ultrasound tech was pointing out his features when she mentioned his clef lip which was news to us. She immediately apologized to us for so blatantly pointing it out because to her it was another negative condition, but to us it was another beautiful thing about our son. When I asked further about his clef lip, she told me that the doctor would be in to talk to us about it. The doctor talked to us a little about his clef lip, but literally told us that they were only concerned with baby B and monitoring his condition. Alex's condition, his stability, didn't matter as long as it didn't put Sam in danger. This was our reality.
A harsh but true reality, and we knew and accepted it. The doctors told us that it was unlikely that Alex would make it to birth, and if he did, that he would most likely be born still. But Alex defied their expectations and even gave a big strong kick after he was delivered.
Alexander Nolan McGarity was delivered via caesarian section on February 19, 2015 at 12:15 p.m. He didn't cry once he was born, which was one of the hardest things for me. I had asked the doctors what we could expect regarding his behavior. Would he be able to see or hear us? Could he breath on his own? Would he move? Would he feel pain? They told us there was no way to tell depending on the extent of his brain deterioration. We decided that no matter what, we would just hold and love Alex however long he was with us. And that is exactly what we did.
Chase will tell people how strong he thinks I have been through all of this, but truly he is the strong one. I had no idea how hard Alex's death had been on him until I received our birth pictures. His face says it all. The joy he felt when he held him for the first time, the heartbreak he felt watching his firstborn son knowing that he would not be able to keep him. And the sorrow he felt knowing that Alex was no longer here with us. He never left his side. He saw him from the moment he entered the world and gave his first and last movement, and held him for the last time when he handed him to me before his heart beat for the last time. I have never loved him more than in these moments.
As hard as Alex's death has been, I take comfort in knowing that Alex was lovingly welcomed into Heaven shortly after his birth and had a peaceful and easy transition. I truly have a peace that passes understanding that I can only give God credit for. I don't know why we couldn't keep Alex with us, and I will never know why. But I do know that God still loves us. God still cares for us. God is still for us. It hasn't been easy to regain my trust in God, and I won't say that our relationship is back to what is was before my pregnancy, but I pray throughout my doubt and mistrust. I pray and keep on believing that God is who He says He is and I focus on the ways God has blessed me. I used to think that God gave us two boys and took one back, but Chase explained another view to me that he had about our boys. He told me that he thought God knew that Alex was not going to be able to stay with us for very long, and because of that he gave us Sam to help us through everything. I choose to focus on the joy of our boys instead of the sadness and on my faith instead of my doubts.
A few verses have truly helped me through this difficult time and I'd like to share them below in the hopes that you might gain strength and endurance through your troubles and challenges.
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge him, and he will direct your path." Proverbs 3:5-6
"You chart the path ahead of me and tell me where to stop and rest. Every moment you know where I am...You both precede and follow me. You place your hand of blessing on my head." Psalm 139:3,5
"Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord is the one who goes before you. He will be with you; he will neither fail you nor forsake you." Deuteronomy 31:8
"Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?" Romans 8:35
"You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in a bottle. You have recorded each one in your book." Psalm 56:8
"Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen." Hebrews 11:1
"But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls." Hebrews 10:39
"Be cheerful no matter what; pray all the time; thank God no matter what happens." 1 Thessalonians 5:16
"Don't fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God's wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It's wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life." Philippians 4:6-7
"Whatever I have, wherever I am, I can make it through anything in the One who makes me who I am." Philippians 4:13
Thank you for reading. All of these pictures were taken by Tammy William of tammywilliamsphotography.com They were also so amazingly paid for by my coworkers who were so sweet to have a bake sale, chili lunch, and dress down day all so that Chase and I could have these memories. Without their help, none of these pictures would have been possible. So thank you again.
- Courtney
Saturday, April 4, 2015
Giveaway Time!
Hey Hey!
I don't know about you, but when I find something that I love, I have to share it with all my friends. That's part of the reason why I started this blog, and what this giveaway is all about! I am so excited to be hosting a giveaway for a fabulous tumbler and notebook set from Rifle Paper Co. and Birchbox! Look at how ADORABLE these are!!
To enter the giveaway, all you have to do is participate in what we in the Mary Kay world call a share call. It's super simple, will help me with my training and help you earn a great prize!
To enter:
1. Watch the video below about Leah's Mary Kay story.
2. Comment below with your email and and let me know that you've watched it
3. I will email you to set up a time for a quick 15 minute phone call to get your opinion on the video.
THAT'S IT.
Seriously.
Just watch a video and give your opinion. You don't have to join or make a purchase. You don't even have to like Mary Kay! Just watch and give an honest opinion. Think you can do that?
You have until April 21st to watch and set up your call with me. The winner will be announced on April 22nd (my birthday!) and if you win I will email you to get your address to send you your prize.
Good luck!
- Courtney
Here's the video:
I don't know about you, but when I find something that I love, I have to share it with all my friends. That's part of the reason why I started this blog, and what this giveaway is all about! I am so excited to be hosting a giveaway for a fabulous tumbler and notebook set from Rifle Paper Co. and Birchbox! Look at how ADORABLE these are!!
To enter the giveaway, all you have to do is participate in what we in the Mary Kay world call a share call. It's super simple, will help me with my training and help you earn a great prize!
To enter:
1. Watch the video below about Leah's Mary Kay story.
2. Comment below with your email and and let me know that you've watched it
3. I will email you to set up a time for a quick 15 minute phone call to get your opinion on the video.
THAT'S IT.
Seriously.
Just watch a video and give your opinion. You don't have to join or make a purchase. You don't even have to like Mary Kay! Just watch and give an honest opinion. Think you can do that?
You have until April 21st to watch and set up your call with me. The winner will be announced on April 22nd (my birthday!) and if you win I will email you to get your address to send you your prize.
Good luck!
- Courtney
Here's the video:
Wednesday, March 11, 2015
Life after the NICU
Sam is home! Praise the Lord! We brought our baby boy home Monday afternoon. We were so excited to finally be leaving the NICU after 18 days, but it was also slightly terrifying. I was finally feeling how all new parents must feel when they bring their baby home.
1. Did we really make this thing? The fact that Sam was in my belly less than 3 weeks ago and is now here and thriving (and so stinkin adorable) absolutely blows my mind.
2. Is he eating enough? I feel like I could group this question into an "is he eating/pooping/sleeping/peeing enough, but once you have a baby in the NICU, the scheduling for eating becomes something else entirely. Everything in the NICU is strictly scheduled and enforced. He would have to eat a minimum of 35cc within 20 minutes, or else they'd have to look at putting the feeding tube back in. After his crazy intense day of transitions last week (open bed, all mouth feeds, circumcision) he had 2 bad feeds. He ate 18cc and then 26cc and they had to put his feeding tube back in as a precaution. I understand it, but it doesn't make it any easier to transition from the NICU to home. It's hard for me to nurse him when he has trouble latching and gets tired and I can tell he isn't getting close to his 45cc that he eats by mouth. It's hard for me not to be a milk nazi, but we are working on it.
3. Is he still breathing? Chase and I must check him every half hour or so just to make sure he's still breathing. Again, when he was in the NICU, there was a machine right above his bed to tell us his pulse and how well he was breathing. It's wonderful to not have the alarms going off, but it can also be scary.
4. How should I dress him so he doesn't freeze? We like our apartment COLD at night. I mean put on a sweater and slippers if you get out bed because it is cold, cold. However, now that we have Sam, we are trying to keep the air at a cool temperature instead of so cold. But we still are nervous about his temperature, because once again, in the NICU we checked his temperature with every diaper change. He had to stay between 97.5 and 99.5. Our pediatrician told us only to check him if he feels too warm, so we're trying to do just that.
5. Will I ever be able to sleep more than 4 hours again? No, probably not. But that's ok. Chase and I are taking turns and trading shifts so that we can both try to get 4-5 hours of uninterrupted sleep in our wonderful, relaxing, oasis of a bedroom (cue the lavender essential oil, darkening curtains, and fans...it's seriously amazing and I want to go get in bed right NOW).
6. Has there ever been a cuter kid?! I mean, seriously. I can't get enough of him. His little smiles, his tiny little body, I love this kid so much already.
There are loads more questions I'm sure, but because I'm a parent of a newborn, I can't remember them haha Please continue to send prayers our way. We appreciate them and need them so much.
- Courtney
1. Did we really make this thing? The fact that Sam was in my belly less than 3 weeks ago and is now here and thriving (and so stinkin adorable) absolutely blows my mind.
2. Is he eating enough? I feel like I could group this question into an "is he eating/pooping/sleeping/peeing enough, but once you have a baby in the NICU, the scheduling for eating becomes something else entirely. Everything in the NICU is strictly scheduled and enforced. He would have to eat a minimum of 35cc within 20 minutes, or else they'd have to look at putting the feeding tube back in. After his crazy intense day of transitions last week (open bed, all mouth feeds, circumcision) he had 2 bad feeds. He ate 18cc and then 26cc and they had to put his feeding tube back in as a precaution. I understand it, but it doesn't make it any easier to transition from the NICU to home. It's hard for me to nurse him when he has trouble latching and gets tired and I can tell he isn't getting close to his 45cc that he eats by mouth. It's hard for me not to be a milk nazi, but we are working on it.
3. Is he still breathing? Chase and I must check him every half hour or so just to make sure he's still breathing. Again, when he was in the NICU, there was a machine right above his bed to tell us his pulse and how well he was breathing. It's wonderful to not have the alarms going off, but it can also be scary.
4. How should I dress him so he doesn't freeze? We like our apartment COLD at night. I mean put on a sweater and slippers if you get out bed because it is cold, cold. However, now that we have Sam, we are trying to keep the air at a cool temperature instead of so cold. But we still are nervous about his temperature, because once again, in the NICU we checked his temperature with every diaper change. He had to stay between 97.5 and 99.5. Our pediatrician told us only to check him if he feels too warm, so we're trying to do just that.
5. Will I ever be able to sleep more than 4 hours again? No, probably not. But that's ok. Chase and I are taking turns and trading shifts so that we can both try to get 4-5 hours of uninterrupted sleep in our wonderful, relaxing, oasis of a bedroom (cue the lavender essential oil, darkening curtains, and fans...it's seriously amazing and I want to go get in bed right NOW).
6. Has there ever been a cuter kid?! I mean, seriously. I can't get enough of him. His little smiles, his tiny little body, I love this kid so much already.
There are loads more questions I'm sure, but because I'm a parent of a newborn, I can't remember them haha Please continue to send prayers our way. We appreciate them and need them so much.
- Courtney
Friday, March 6, 2015
Updates on Little Sam
First of all, thank you for all of your support and love. Through all of your visits, texts, phone calls, dinners, etc. we have felt so loved!! We can't wait to bring Sam home because we know you all will want to love on him even more.
So, updates:
Last time I updated you, Sam was under phototherapy (those blue lights to help his jaundice go away). They took him off of the phototherapy, but he had to go back under for a few days last weekend because his billirubin levels went back up. This is pretty typical, but now they are very low so hopefully he is done for good! So, now Sam is working on 3 things before he can go home: Temperature, Feeding, No Deceleration.
Temperature: They were slowly weaning Sam's temperature so that he could come out of the isolette. So the nurses would take his temperature every 3 hours. If his temp was 98 or higher, they would lower the temp in the isolette by .5 degrees C. If his temp was 99 or higher, they would lower the temp by 1 degree. So he started with the temp in the isolette at 31. It took it a while to be lowered to 27 (which is the goal), and once he got to 27, he had to stay in the isolette in maintenance mode for 24 hours. He was able to do that! So, he was moved to an open bed where he would be fully maintaining his own body temp with no warming action.
Feeding: Sam was doing every other feeding by mouth (either breast or bottle) and he was doing SUCH a good job! They decided to increase his feeds to all by mouth (which is a pretty big deal). He was having to work harder to get his food since he had to use all those muscles every three hours. A nurse in the NICU told me that a baby feeding was equivalent to him running a mile. It's tough work..no wonder he would fall asleep afterwards!
No Deceleration: Sam has to maintain his temp and feedings with no deceleration in his heart rate or breathing.
He was doing all of the above and doing a fabulous job until yesterday. Yesterday was a BIG day. Sam was able to transition to the open bed, all mouth feedings, and my sweet little boy was circumcised. Talk about a rough day for such a little man! Needless to say, Sam was tired from having to work so hard to keep his temp up, eating, and from the exhaustion of the surgery. So, he didn't eat very well at his 3 pm feeding. He only ate about 18 out of the required 35 cc, and at 6 pm he only ate 28/35cc. So, his feeding tube had to be put back in as a precaution. His nurse did tell me that at 9pm he ate 40/35cc and that she hasn't had to use the feeding tube at all! He has done really well all day today too :)
He also had to go back in the isolette because his temp got down to 97.2. He has to stay between 97.5 and 99.5. So, we started the process of weaning and maintaining all over again. He was able to be weaned to 27 degrees at noon today. So, he will have to maintain his temp until noon tomorrow. Then, he can be put in an open bed and will need to maintain his temp for 48 hours.
He also has to pass a car seat challenge. Sam will sit in his car seat for 1.5 hours to make sure that he maintains his temp and has no decelerations.
Once he passes all of these tests we will be able to bring him home...It seems so close, yet so far away! I'm glad he is getting great care and we aren't in a hurry for him to come home because if something were to happen, and he had to go back to the hospital, he couldn't go back to the nicu, he would go to pediatrics...and we don't want that. So, he can take his time because that means that when he comes home, he is home to stay.
Please continue praying for our little man, all of the nurses and doctors taking such great care of him, and for our patience as we anxiously await his homecoming.
Tuesday, February 24, 2015
Unbelievably Blessed
Oh. My. Goodness.
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
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
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