The Next Adventure: October 2012

Lillian arrived a little bit earlier than we expected. She was due November 9th and came into this world on October 6th, not by her choice. On Thursday, October 4th, I wasn't feeling the best. My blood pressure had been high and the doctors were testing me for pre-eclampsia, but so far the tests were negative. I decided to call the hospital and they asked that I come in for a check-up. So, Colin, Finn and I packed up in the car for what we thought would be a routine trip to Bethesda. Instead, I stayed at the hospital and Colin returned home with Finn in hopes to come back to the hospital the next day to bring me home for another two weeks before Lilly would be delivered.

My blood pressure was under control for most of the next day, but in the early evening things began to change again, so they made the decision to induce my labor. Baby Lillian arrived at 35 weeks 1 day. Colin had the foresight to bring a playpen for Finn and we all moved into the delivery room to labor through the night together. Fortunately, we were all able to get some sleep and Finn was completely unaware as to how his life was about to change.

I was hoping to deliver during the early hours of the morning, while Finn was still asleep, but no such luck. Colin decided to call on his friend Spence to come and pick up Finn so that Colin could focus on the delivery. Spence picked Finn up at noon, and Lilly was born at 13:07. She came out screaming, a sound that has never been more welcoming. She scored high on both Apgar tests and was placed into my arms. She was so small, only 5 pounds 7 ounces, like a doll. It wasn't long before the pediatric team took her back to continue their assessment. That is when they decided to move her to the NICU for further evaluation. It seemed as though she could not regulate her body temeperature well, and her blood-glucose levels were not very good. These things are not uncommon for a baby born prematurely. So, Lilly went to the NICU, Colin went home to Finn and I was stuck in bed with an infusion of magnesium sulfate (yuck). By noon the next day, things were much better for all of us. Lilly was back in my room, I was off the magnesium sulfate, and Colin and Finn were back to visit us both! We were finally released from the hospital on the following Tuesday, and aside from a few doctor's visits we are getting into a routine at home and I am very grateful that Colin has two weeks of paternity leave.

Finn is interested in Lilly and has only been jealous when he sees her getting a bottle. But, as life sometimes happens, he has his first ever cold and cannot get too close to her right now. We'll see how he fairs in the upcoming weeks.