The past 2 weeks have been a roller coaster of craziness, where I went from thinking I was going to have a little turkey the end of November to being told I would have the little guy in a matter of days. Noah was not growing as he should on the inside and the doctors decided it would be safer to deliver in the next couple of days even though he would be small and early. I was very fortunate to have some great high risk doctors at UT Med Center looking after me and an OB that recognized how serious things were.
Excuse me while I have my medical paragraph.
I'll try and keep it somewhat simple. Noah was diagnosed with severe IUGR at 33 weeks when I went for my regular appointment and monthly growth scan on October 4th. I was sent immediately to Knoxville to a MFM OB who confirmed that Noah was in the 4th percentile for growth and that his cord blood flow was absent during diastole. He recommended delivery by 37 weeks at the latest, but likely sooner. A week later I went for a follow up scan and the blood flow was worse, so the decision was made for me to get 2 rounds of steroids and then get baby boy out via C-section 2 days later. So on October 10th, I was admitted to the hospital to be monitored and receive my steroids. It was a long couple of days. I am not the best patient and didn't sleep well at all. Things were going well and there was a plan in place though, so I was hanging in there knowing he would be here soon. Evidently Friday afternoon was not convenient for Noah and he decided to have an episode of decels in the middle of the night prompting an emergency c-section where I was ripped from an Ambien induced coma and rushed to the OR. Look for that crazy story to follow soon!
I am happy to announce that Noah arrived safely and healthy on October 12th at 220a. He weighed in at 3 lbs 10 oz and 16 1/2 inches. He is so precious and already has a very sweet disposition. However, he has made it clear from the start that he has his own plan for how things are gonna go! Todd and I are overjoyed to be parents and love our little blessing so much.
It is hard to believe he is not even a week old yet, because he is doing so well already. Looks like he may be an overachiever like his mamma. He was completely off oxygen shortly after being born. He was quickly off IV fluids and TPN as he breastfeeds like a champ. Right now his challenges are keeping his body temperature up and gaining weight. As soon as he is big enough he will be able to go home and they anticipate that could be as early as the end of next week!!!!
Life as a NICU mamma is hard, but I am so thankful that he is doing well and has had minimal problems. I am glad to be home resting in my own bed. Fortunately the hospital is only a couple of miles away and it is easy for me to go back and forth via my chaufer (aka Todd). I am feeling great and adjusting to life as it will be for a couple of weeks.
