Welcome to the World...

Details about yesterday...

Soon after I got to the hospital yesterday morning, Sara's contractions started getting very uncomfortable. The doctor did an exam and she was not dilated. After continuous bleeding for hours yesterday, we had another discussion with the MFM (Maternal Fetal Medicine) Doctor. Basically, MFMs are the OBs for Complicated Pregnancies. He told us that if the pain got unbearable, or her bleeding got worse (i.e. Sara needing transfusions) they would induce labor. Sara was passing golf ball sized clots every 45-60 minutes throughout the day. I kept asking, "How do you determine when there has been too much blood?" I thought there had been enough!

Around 8:00pm, Sara opted for the epidural. After the needle was in her back, they administered a "test dose" to make sure the needle was placed correctly. All of a sudden, Sara's neck started hurting and they put her on oxygen. Then, Chloe's heart rate plummeted to 60 beats/minute (baseline was 140 beats/minute). The nurse looked at me and in a concerned, elevated voice, said, "Go get a doctor!" Moments later, we were ripping Sara's leads from the wall and RUNNING her bed down the hall to the Operating Room for an emergency C-section. As I was getting dressed in my scrubs, from the other side of the OR door, I heard them say, "Her heartrate is back to 130 and she is stable." Huge sigh of relief...

About this time, another Emergency C-Section tore into the OR with doctors and nurses huffing and puffing from running the hospital bed down the hall. The other lady was more critical and there was some controlled chaos going on as the doctors went back and forth between the 2 operating rooms.

As soon as Sara was prepped and numb, the docs let me come back and watch the C-section. I saw them pull her uterus out and set it on her stomach. Then, there was one more slice and I saw our baby girl. She was blue and not moving or crying. Sara said, "How does she look?" I took a big gulp, and in my most reassuring voice I said, "She looks good." The OB passed her off to the pediatricians from the NICU and they were gone with Chloe. The next few moments were fairly tense as we waited for any news. I asked to go to the NICU, but they told me I had to wait for them to come get me. Within 3 minutes, our nurse came out and said, "She is 4 lbs. 7 oz and has pinked up and is coughing and sneezing." She then took our camera and got some pics of Chloe for us. As they were sewing Sara up, I went and shared the news with our family at the hospital.

Within 30 minutes, I was meeting our baby girl in the NICU.

Meeting Chloe

One of the pediatricians came over and told me that she was doing great and that she was not breathing when they got her out (thus her blue tint). I learned about the APGAR Score last night. Basically, the APGAR test is a test on newborns to see how prepared they are for entry into the world. It is scored on a 1 to 10 scale and the first test is done at 1 minute and the next at 5 minutes after birth. The test checks the baby's Activity, Pulse, Grimace (Reflex), Appearance, and Respiration. At the 1 minute check, Chloe scored a 2 (not good). By the 5 minute check, she was at an 8 (very good). She was on a CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) machine until around 4:00am (to keep her lungs inflated) and was off of all oxygen by 7:15am this morning. She's a fighter!

Soon after Sara was wheeled back upstairs from Surgery Recovery, she got to see Chloe for the first time. Talk about an incredible moment. Our family of 3 was all together...AND HEALTHY!!!

Sara meets Chloe

(Mask on face is CPAP device, IV in right hand, blood pressure cuff on right leg, PulseOx on left foot, Heart Rate cords on belly)

First Family Photo

We got to hold her for the first time this morning. Another incredible moment! We cannot thank you enough for your prayers for us at this special time in our lives. We are forever grateful!

Day 1 - No more oxygen

First time holding Chloe

Chloe Grace...Welcome to the World!

I prayed for this child, and the LORD has granted me what I asked of him. --1 Samuel 1:27