The C section was scheduled for Monday, April 22nd. The weekend before was full of getting everything ready. We had to make sure we had our bags were packed for a month stay while Coleman would be in the hospital after surgery. It was hectic and stressful. We were very nervous that this scary journey was a bigger reality for us now that he would actually be here to get it started. I dealt with a lot of emotions of not being able to hold my baby and then him being taken somewhere and I wouldn't be able to go with him. But we had talked about it many times and were as prepared as we could be for what was about it happen. We were still really excited to have our baby!
Monday, April 22nd. - Day of delivery. We got to the hospital at 8am. My C section was scheduled for 10am. I was taken back to a kind of pre-op to get ready.
I have to say, that numbing shot for the spinal was the most painful part of the whole thing. Plus it seemed they had a person who was training putting my spinal in. It took just a few minutes with me sitting on the edge of the table and listening to everyone buzz around me before they told me I could start laying back. I had laid down and they put the sheet wall covering where I couldn't see what was going on down there, then Matt came and sat beside my head. He had started getting worried because it was taking so long. I asked him what they were doing now and he said they were doing the C section and kind of laughed because I didn't know. They hadn't told me they had started and thankfully I couldn't feel anything. Eventually one of the nurses asked Matt if he wanted to see the baby come out, so he stood up and watched. Coleman came out squealing and the first thing Matt said was "He has hair!". I smiled and listened to those cute baby squeals. That was my baby.
They took Coleman over to the baby bed and monitor that was where I could turn my head and just see his lower half, just a few steps away. Matt went over to him and came back and forth between us telling me all about him and showing me pictures of him. Matt got to cut his cord and a nurse took pictures.
They weighed and measured him. 8lbs even, 20.5inches. They had cleaned him off and started his IV, this all took just a few minutes. Then they brought him over to my face where I could see him. This is a mother's love at first sight. He was beautiful. He tried to open his eyes a little while I talked to him. I gave him his first kiss, on his forehead.
Then they had to take him to the NICU so they could start the prostaglandin, or monitor it, and so that Dr. Sharma could do his echo. Matt went with him and they were gone. They had just got finished sewing me up and took me across the hall to recovery. I asked them to get my mom to come back to be with me. She sat with me and I was there a while because of my bleeding.
I called Matt to see how it was going and he said they were doing his echo and they were going to put in a breathing tube (they had told us that was a possibility when starting the med, causing labored breathing).
I hung up and started worrying and feeling bad for Coleman. We weren't sure what was about to happen with him. What we had tried to prepare for, but can't really prepare for.
The nurse kept coming and checking my bleeding, mashing on my abdomen, very painful. The longer I bled a lot, the longer I had to stay in recovery. Matt called and asked where I was and I told him I was still in recovery. He came and told me Dr. Sharma said he had good news, but didn't say what and he wanted to call Egleston and talk to the doctor there first, then he would come talk to us. We weren't sure what that meant, but good news is good news.
Dr. Sharma came to recovery and talked to us.. This part is slightly fuzzy for me trying to comprehend what he was saying and me being on pain meds.. But he said Coleman did not need to prostaglandin (med they had started), so they stopped it immediately and that he was breathing fine. He started explaining that it was better than what we had thought. He started drawing a heart to help explain. He said his aorta is good size and that the pulmonary artery was the small one. He said he still had a single ventricle. We asked if it was still HLHS then and he said no. It's called single ventricle with complex and pulmonic stenosis. But he said Coleman would not be needing the first surgery, but would still need the 2nd and 3rd he was going to have, and that they would keep him there in the NICU for about 10 days to monitor his oxygen level, it needed to be in the range of 80-90. He said he would come back on Wednesday and do another echo to check if the PDA holes were closed and see what his levels were then. He said he was very hopeful that it would look good and we would be able to bring him home. WHAT?! We're bringing this baby home?? We were so thrilled and excited! This was a huge great surprise for us all. Although we weren't prepared to bring him home just yet, being able to feed him and everything, we were so happy! This is definitely a miracle. Matt called and told his mom, she was in the waiting area with the rest of our family. Everyone was so excited and rejoiced.
I had been in recovery 3 hours then and they had just checked me to be able to go. I was so anxious to get out of there because they were going to take me to the NICU to see Coleman from there! Matt walked with me as they rolled me down there in my bed. We got in his room and there Coleman was. I was so happy to see him. The nurse asked me if I wanted to hold him and I said yes of course! She also asked if I wanted to breast feed him and I said I would try. I wasn't even expecting to get to really hold him! Much less feed him when we thought he would be on a feeding tube for a long time! She handed him to be and my insides were thrilled. I was worried I wouldn't get to hold him and there he was in my arms. This was all such a blessing.
I then went back to the room to rest and see family. Everyone was so happy and hugged me.
I think I may have went down to see Coleman one more time before I went to sleep.
I stayed in the hospital until Thursday and visited Coleman a lot during that time. The nurses had to tell me to rest the 2nd day then after that they barely ever caught me in my room. Matt and I were always visiting our precious little miracle.
We were able to feed Coleman, change his diapers, check his temperature, and hold him whenever we were there.
Wednesday, Dr. Sharma had came and done the echo and the holes were still partially open. He said he wasn't worried about it and it was ok the way it was open just a little, but they wanted to make sure his levels were ok once they were closed completely. He said he would get another echo done on Friday to check again. He said his levels had been good since he'd been there and he seemed like he would do good. He said if everything was good we may get to go home with him after the next echo. I was so excited we might be able to bring him home even sooner than we thought.
On Friday, they put Coleman under lights because his bilirubin level had gone up. They said he had slight jaundice. We visited him a couple of times that day, but not as long as usual because he had to stay under the lights. We rested at home a lot that day and called to check on him. We came back later and asked about the echo. His holes were still a tiny bit open. They said Dr. Sharma had consulted over the phone and said we could still bring him home that he wasn't that concerned about it since it was such a tiny opening, and we made an appointment to come see him. Now we just had to wait for his bilirubin level to come down enough to bring him home.
Saturday we were disappointed that he was still under the lights and we couldn't bring him home that day, but still happy he was doing good. The nurse then told us the doctor had wrote orders that we could stay with Coleman in the live in room that night. This is where we would be in a room basically like a hotel room and Coleman would be in there with us, still on his monitor, and we would take care of him all night. We were happy to do that. We went home and packed to pack an over night bag and headed back to the hospital.
It was kind of a long night. Coleman's belly seemed a little bit upset and he wasn't very happy sometimes, but it was ok. Plus his monitor kept going off because it didn't read his oxygen level as normal even though it was his normal. But we made it through the night and actually got a couple hours sleep!
Sunday morning we got the word that we could take him home! So excited! The nurse went over everything with us. Told us schedule a pediatric appointment the next day and Dr. Sharma had an appointment with us Thursday. Dr. Sharma had told us it was important to watch him for fever or being sick because it's more serious with him. We signed our discharge papers and loaded up the car.
We have been so blessed to have this precious little miracle baby. We pray he continues to impress us and the doctors. I'm so in love with this little guy. He has completely stolen my heart. And he's gorgeous! I'm so glad God picked me to be his mommy.
I will update more on the doctor appointments, nothing really huge, but I wanted to get the big story down since I haven't updated in a while. I've had my hands full with little mister! All of my energy that I do have goes to him :)
Here are a few more pictures
Outfit I got to tell Matt I was pregnant
Yes he is :)
