He's here!!

Little #8 is 3 weeks and a couple days old today.  H had a really rough start and we are finally recovering from that and trying to get our lives back together.   The labor and delivery were m hardest ever-- As usual I had to be induced and I was reallyot mentally prepared for the natural birth.  I wasn't worried about anything, but I also wasn't prepared, I think more than anything with our move and all I just didn't have time to think about his new little guy.  Finally tht last week of being pregnant, Memories of the twin pregnancy starting coming back and I couldn't move easily and I knew it was time for him to come.  W scheduled a day for the induction giving my husband one more weeked to work on our old house which we almost are ready to put on the market-- and we went into the hospital tohave tthis baby.  Unfortunately there was meconium in the amniotic fluid-- we have never had that before but I never heard it was any big deal.  I took forever to get to 5 cm dilation this time and then I instantly went into to heavy labor and had him about 1 hour and 15 minutes later.  I had a midwife instead of my regular doctor this time and it took a lot longer to push the baby out than usual-- I think some of it may have to do with her having me go on my side to push instead of using the stirups-- I like the stirups, they give me something to push against.  Also, she wanted me to move around a little bit, but I was so big with the baby, that I didn't want to move at all-- just lay there and let him come-- so it w ropugher than the others, but it has been my very best recovery so even though it was a tortuous hour, it was totally worth it for the recovery.

They took my sweet baby and because of the meconium, they were worried about his breathing and iwanted to moniter him instead of letting me hold him and nurse him.  I was very disappointed about this, but I trusted their judgement and certainly didn't want him to get pneumonia, but then his glucose went low so they gave him formula.  Fortunately because I recovered so quickly I was able to go in the nursery and eventually they let me hold him and nurse him.  he was doing alright and then about 12 hours after his birth after I had nurd him and held him in my room, they took him again for monitering and his heart rate was super fast-- 270 beats per minute, they were able to astop it by drawing blood, but the cardiologists at primary children's wanted to moniter him for 24 hours incase it happened again.  So my husband and father in law gave the baby a blessing-- he was blesed that he would recover and be healed.  We rode in an ambulance to Primary Children's hospital, they hooked him up to an IV incase he would need medication if his heart went crazy again.  Fortunately he didn't have another episode and they said there was a 1/3 chance that he wouldn't have another episode.  His echocardiogram came back looking good and we just have to go in for a check up next week.  He's eating well and gaining weight although he did have jaundice and we had to
 put him on the billi lights ands go in evyday and get his levels tested.  It was a scary and emotional time and I am still scared sometimes that he is breathing too quickly, but I feel strongly that he is fine and I just need to have faith.  I'm so grateful to have him here.  He is so so sweet.

There is nothing sweeter than a newborn baby and it is so satisfying to watch him doing well.  I love holding him as do the other children.  It was very sobering to see and watch the other babies in the NICU with really major problems who have been in there for months and had surgeries and numerous tests and tons of wires for monitering and meds.  It was so so sad and very sobering to realize just how lucky we are, because even if my baby were to have another episode, it is something that can eventually be fixed.  I am so sorry for those parents with really ill children.  It is awful to watch a sweet baby suffer so.  I've had a hard enough time dealing with this little issue--I hope angels are with those babies and parents who really need support and love and hope.


We love our new house and our neighbors and friends.  We've started some school, I'm reading at night to the kids again and getting my house in order-- we brought the chickens over from the other house and we planted some fall crops in the front yard.  I think this next year wuill be a gret respite and calm compared to past 3 years of difficulty.  I am just full of gratitude and hope.


hing, With our move I just hadn't had time to think about this new littl There as meconium in the water when they broke my sac to induce the little