Our Beginning - Part II

At first glance our little ones seemed so tiny and fragile. To see them connected to ventilators and IVs was painful. Our son was also covered with bubble wrap to keep him warm as his condition was critical enough to keep him from the protection of an isolette so that the physicians could get to him as quickly as possible if the need arose. Even with all of this we were optimistic. Our daughter was also on a ventilator and under lights for jaundice.

At 2am that next morning, the neonatalogist called our room and indicated that he couldn't get Jehu's heart rate and breathing regulated and he wasn't sure if he would make it through the night. I phoned my mother and told her to pray and then we went to sit with our son. He seemed to be resting comfortably but that was due to the medications they had given him so he wouldn't flail his arms and legs. We prayed...and prayed. God answered. Jehu made it through the night and around 6am we visited Emma for a while then returned to our room to rest while the nurses had their shift change. Each day we visited and checked to see how many grams they had gained (or lost) the night before. Some days were better than others as any NICU parent knows. Both of our children had many blood transfusions, platlet transfusions, heel sticks, IVs galore and both had a broviac (a more permanent pathway). Additionally Jehu had one spinal tap (and another attempted one) to determine if he had a genetic disorder that kept him from growing in the womb and to determine the cause of lesions on his eyes. Thankfully the test results came back normal and the doctors couldn't find a reason for the lesions since their first diagnosis was ruled out. The number of medications they were on was staggering and each was administered with a pump through their IVs just as their fluids were. I began pumping breast milk as quickly as possible and storing it in the hospital freezer until they were able to have some. Any first time "pumper" knows the anxiety I suffered those first few days when my pumping sessions resulted in nothing or one little drop. In a few days time however, my milk came in and we were so excited when our daughter could get her first "meal." It was such a tiny amount but a small victory for us all! When Emma was 1 week old I held her for the first time and I cannot express in words what the experience meant to me...to have such a precious gift in your arms...it was incredible. She was so light and I had to continually look at her to realize I actually had a baby in my arms.