Going back and reading my last post about our prenatal diagnostic testing sure brought back a flood of memories! I am so glad that our little man is in our arms now!
They started picking up regular contractions on my NSTs at the end of April. They weren't making me progress at all, so they told me just to try to take it easy to make it to our scheduled c-section date of May 30th. Early on the morning of May 10th, I started having non-intense but very regular contractions. Around 7am Seth and I started driving to Atlanta just to be sure that I wouldn't deliver in Columbus and have to be two hours from Mason. We both completely expected them to send us home, but wanted to head that way just in case. My doctor there, Dr. Purdie instead told us that I was in early labor and that we would do the c-section later that day. She said that we could wait for me to progress, but since we knew I was in labor and that Mason would have to be born via c-section due to his Spina Bifida, there was no reason to progress. That day completely flew by. Before I knew it, the anesthesiologist was putting in a spinal block. That was a horrible experience! It made my blood pressure drop twice and they had to give me ephedrine to get it back up. I hope I never have to do that again!
The c-section happened so quickly. The hospital was trialing having a clear drape with c-sections that allow you to see the baby when they pull them out. It was incredible! He came out crying at 1553. Dr. Purdie let the cord stay attached for about 30 seconds and then she milked it to try to get him a little extra cord blood. They then took him to the side of the room where they dressed the sac at the opening of his back with a sterile dressing. Seth got to stand there beside him. He was rocking the outside world well and was perfectly healthy aside from his SB lesion. Seth brought him to me and rested him on my chest for a moment. He was so beautiful and looked exactly like Aden did after he was born but was quite a bit smaller. He was 6 lbs, 11 oz and 18.5" (vs. Aden's 8lbs, 7oz and 20.75") and, although he looked like a shrimp to me, he was a monster in the NICU.
After his brief time on my chest, he and Seth traveled to the NICU at Northside, where we delivered, and I went to recovery. I got to see him for a couple of minutes more once I got to my room. The NICU nurse from the children's hospital across the street stopped in with him to pay me a visit before they moved him. I remember that he was fervently sucking on his pacifier. He wasn't allowed to nurse at all prior to his surgery just in case complications arose and he needed to go into surgery sooner.
Thankfully, everything went according to the plan that we had set in place during the pregnancy. Mason had his spina bifida lesion closed the next morning, about 17 hours after birth. He rocked the surgery and was extubated quickly. I got to go over to see him after his surgery. We were able to touch his head and feet through the incubator. The next day, we were able to hold him and I was able to finally nurse my baby! It felt like it took forever for him to get the hang of it, but really it was only a day.
We stayed in the NICU for 15 days. The average time for SB babies is 7-11 days. We were a little prolonged because our neurosurgeon, Dr. Brahma, wanted to make sure that he truly needed or did not need a VP shunt. VP shunts help the fluid in the brain (CSF) exit the brain. Mason received his shunt on May 23rd and we went home on May 25th.
We were so blessed during his NICU stay. Our team of physicians at CHOA Scottish Rite were phenomenal. The nurses in the NICU there are among the best in the country, I am sure of it. We stayed at the Ronald McDonald House across the street and were so impressed with the service they provide. They gave us a safe, warm, cozy place to stay and access to food to eat without making us feel like we were being waited on. It was exactly what we needed.
Looking back on Mason's birth and the NICU stay that followed, Seth and I continue to feel overwhelmed by how much peace we felt. We should have been overcome with anxiety. Our tiny, helpless baby boy was undergoing general anesthesia and having very, very important parts of his body worked on. He spent a lot of time away from us and in the care of strangers. I had a major surgery and was having to travel back and forth to the NICU to see him and be with him. Yet, in the middle of it all, we felt comforted and calm. We know that the peace we felt was completely due to the prayers we were receiving from around the country and the calming hand of God. He allowed us to have full confidence in Dr. Brahma and his team. He allowed us to rest at night and for our bodies to heal, despite the short nights and long days. We were very aware of His presence during our time of need and will always remember the support received from our community for Mason's healing.
They started picking up regular contractions on my NSTs at the end of April. They weren't making me progress at all, so they told me just to try to take it easy to make it to our scheduled c-section date of May 30th. Early on the morning of May 10th, I started having non-intense but very regular contractions. Around 7am Seth and I started driving to Atlanta just to be sure that I wouldn't deliver in Columbus and have to be two hours from Mason. We both completely expected them to send us home, but wanted to head that way just in case. My doctor there, Dr. Purdie instead told us that I was in early labor and that we would do the c-section later that day. She said that we could wait for me to progress, but since we knew I was in labor and that Mason would have to be born via c-section due to his Spina Bifida, there was no reason to progress. That day completely flew by. Before I knew it, the anesthesiologist was putting in a spinal block. That was a horrible experience! It made my blood pressure drop twice and they had to give me ephedrine to get it back up. I hope I never have to do that again!
The c-section happened so quickly. The hospital was trialing having a clear drape with c-sections that allow you to see the baby when they pull them out. It was incredible! He came out crying at 1553. Dr. Purdie let the cord stay attached for about 30 seconds and then she milked it to try to get him a little extra cord blood. They then took him to the side of the room where they dressed the sac at the opening of his back with a sterile dressing. Seth got to stand there beside him. He was rocking the outside world well and was perfectly healthy aside from his SB lesion. Seth brought him to me and rested him on my chest for a moment. He was so beautiful and looked exactly like Aden did after he was born but was quite a bit smaller. He was 6 lbs, 11 oz and 18.5" (vs. Aden's 8lbs, 7oz and 20.75") and, although he looked like a shrimp to me, he was a monster in the NICU.
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| The sterile dressing that they placed on his back to help keep infection out |
Thankfully, everything went according to the plan that we had set in place during the pregnancy. Mason had his spina bifida lesion closed the next morning, about 17 hours after birth. He rocked the surgery and was extubated quickly. I got to go over to see him after his surgery. We were able to touch his head and feet through the incubator. The next day, we were able to hold him and I was able to finally nurse my baby! It felt like it took forever for him to get the hang of it, but really it was only a day.
We were so blessed during his NICU stay. Our team of physicians at CHOA Scottish Rite were phenomenal. The nurses in the NICU there are among the best in the country, I am sure of it. We stayed at the Ronald McDonald House across the street and were so impressed with the service they provide. They gave us a safe, warm, cozy place to stay and access to food to eat without making us feel like we were being waited on. It was exactly what we needed.
Looking back on Mason's birth and the NICU stay that followed, Seth and I continue to feel overwhelmed by how much peace we felt. We should have been overcome with anxiety. Our tiny, helpless baby boy was undergoing general anesthesia and having very, very important parts of his body worked on. He spent a lot of time away from us and in the care of strangers. I had a major surgery and was having to travel back and forth to the NICU to see him and be with him. Yet, in the middle of it all, we felt comforted and calm. We know that the peace we felt was completely due to the prayers we were receiving from around the country and the calming hand of God. He allowed us to have full confidence in Dr. Brahma and his team. He allowed us to rest at night and for our bodies to heal, despite the short nights and long days. We were very aware of His presence during our time of need and will always remember the support received from our community for Mason's healing.
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