We’re Home January 13, 2007
Oh, I barely know where to begin. Thank you all so much for all of your good wishes and congratulations.
I guess I should start from Wednesday morning. We arrived at the hospital at 7am and was hooked up to the monitors shortly thereafter. I was 80% effaced and 1cm dilated and having contractions 5 minutes apart.
The nurse started Pitocin at 8:15 and the OB broke my water at 8:50. Then I learned what contractions were truly like. I got my epidural at 9:45 and waited for progress. By noon I had made it to 4cm and to 6cm by 4:15. They inserted an internal monitor at 4:30 to make sure the contractions were strong enough, and they were. My OB checked me 6:45 and declared me ready to push.
The contractions were coming every two minutes, and I pushed through all but maybe one or two of them for the next 3 hours. My epidural decided it wanted to run out at the end when I desperately needed it the most. That’s when the tears started flowing, not only because of the pain but because I was so scared that he wasn’t going to be ok when he came out.
At 9:44pm, I finally managed to push the little guy out, and then my worst nightmare occurred. Instead of hearing beautiful cries, I watched on as the doctors and nurses rushed my little boy over to another part of the room to start bagging him. He wasn’t breathing at all. They called the neonatal team who then took him out of the room to work on him so more. All the while I am freaking the hell out, I mean truly freaking out.
Thankfully they got him going and allowed Dan to go see him. When they were done working on me, they brought him back into the room so I could hold him. His little hands were still blue, but he was breathing on his own. I found out that his one minute Apgar score was 4, but that his 5 minute score was 9.
Dan, Adam, and I hung out together in the room for about an hour in a half. I don’t think I ever really stopped crying, but my tears turned to tears of joy. Holding him for the first time was truly a dream come true.
They then took him to the transitional nursery for a little while to observe him and give him a bath, etc. While there he decided to give everyone another scare by dropping his oxygen saturation level to 30% and turning blue. That bought him an overnight stay in the Level II NICU for observation. They let us visit for a few minutes at 4:30am and again for a bit at 6am. That’s the first time I got him to really latch on and breastfeed. He had been through too much at delivery to really be interested any earlier.
He got released from the NICU at 8am on Thursday and brought again to the transitional nursery where he was released to our room around 9:00. From then until we were discharged from the hospital last night, he stayed with us and maintained his breathing just fine.
Last night was a long one. We’re all learning together, and learning on very little sleep. Oh, but it’s so worth it, though. All of it, every second of the long road that led us here. He’s just perfect, and I am absolutely, without a doubt, in love.
Adam Daniel
Born 1/10/07 at 9:44pm
6 pounds, 10 ounces
19″ long
- Posted in : our main man
- Author : amanda
Comments»
I am so elated for you — that you FINALLY got the happy ending. Congratulations and he is beautiful.
He’s amazing. Congratulations! You’ve had a very rough road and deserve all the happiness that Adam brings you.
Delurking to say congratulations MOM!!!!!
Just absolutely beautiful. I hate that the beginning was rough and wish you nothing but smooth sailing from here on out.
Aw, so cute!!
He is so gorgeous! Oh my God, I can’t stop crying, I am just SO happy for you. Congratulations!
I am sorry for the rough start with him, but so glad to hear he is doing well.
In the next few days / weeks / months if you need an ear to listen (because I found the first 3 months the toughest), don’t forget that I have just gone through this in the past year and I can relate to the late sleepless nights and all the other new fun stuff that will be in your life. I am always here if you ever need to talk.
Enjoy him – he is absolutely precious. Did you ever think this day would finally come? It’s awesome, isn’t it?
Amanda, I am so thrilled for you and Dan. I know that this was such an incredibly long, long, long road for you…and being there I also know the pure unimageable joy you are feeling now. I cried reading your story and seeing the beautiful photos of your little boy. He is just gorgeous and I am so happy that he is doing so well.
Do your best to rest when he rests. Really. Honestly. You need to recover too so you can enjoy every moment with him.
Enjoy and be well!
He’s so beautiful, I’m so happy for you!
My birth story was very similar (hours of pushing, blue baby)- it is very scary. I’m so glad he’s doing so well- you look great. Can’t wait to hear more about him and how you are all adjusting to parenthood.
Amanda, I am so happy for you guys. Thanks for the pictures, I was hoping we’d get to see some! He’s absolutely beutiful. Julia’s story was very similar, her Apgar’s were 4 and 9 too. Not as dramatic as little Adam, though, how scary that must have been! Glad you guys are home and well, now the fun really begins. :)
He’s beautiful! So glad you guys are all home and doing well!
He’s absolutely beautiful, Amanda. Glad you’re home. I think you’ll settle into this Mom thing pretty quick. :) Congratulations to you and Dan.
Beautiful, Beautiful, Beautiful. Sorry for the early scares, and so so glad you are home and well.
he looks perfect, amanda. i’m so excited you have a new category!! :)
a perfect baby, really. And this is just a beginning.
I’m sorry you had such a scary experience, but I’m so glad you’re home.
He is a gorgeous boy & you look rightfully besotted. I am so very glad that you’re both well.
I too had a horrible blue baby experience (his 1-minute Apgar was 2), and it is such a rough thing to go through–so much joy mixed with so much fear. But he is well, and you are well, and that is truly all that matters!
I hope breastfeeding is going well for you both, and that you are reveling in this blissful, long-awaited time. I’m so happy for you!
Amanda, he’s absolutely beautiful! I can’t help but cry with happiness for you {hug} I’m sorry it was a little rough in the beginning, but he looks like a trooper :) He’s strong, just like his mommy and daddy. Congratulations!!
He’s just beautiful. I’m so very happy for you and glad that the rough start smoothed out. Congratulations on your little boy!
He is beautiful and I am just so thrilled for you! Thank you for sharing the photos. Sorry it was so scary though – wishing you the smooth road you so richly deserve from now on!
Also delurking to say Congratulations. So glad to hear that you are all doing well. He is beautiful.
So, happy for you. He is beautiful… very, beautiful!
Amanda, he’s beautiful! I’m crying tears of joy for you. :) You are a family now! :)
Ohmigosh Amanda – you’re a MOM! How wondrous/exciting/amazing/scaryashell is that????
Congratulations to all 3 of you!
hey, mom, great pics and what a story! I bet Adam will love hearing that story told over and over when he’s a little older. Nothing like scaring the crap outta mom to make for good stories for kids! congrats again!
He is just beautitul. Congrats to both.
CONGRATULATIONS!!!! I’m so happy for all of you. ENJOY!!
Oh Amanda, I have tears in my eyes, chills/shivers all over. I know the relief you felt when everything was okay, i was there too(9 days in ICN) SOOOOOO HAPPY FOR YOU!!! YOU did it woman, MOTHER, you came home with a healthy baby. Can’t wait to hear of the crazy things you do in sleep depravation…..
Amazing, absolutely amazing. Enjoy every moment. Congrats to all three of you.
I’m sitting here crying my eyes out. Tears of fright(because of what you had to go through when he was born) and now tears of pure joy. We all deserve a happy ending and some of the most deserving people never get that. Amanda, you really, really deserve this.I am so happy for you. Adam is just beautiful. Enjoy, Enjoy, Enjoy and keep posting photographs.
He’s perfect!
congratulations – just wonderful!! I am glad all is well now and your son is breathing fine. Just to be on the safe side, may I suggest the Angelcare monitor? It monitors the breathing of babies – makes a tick noise each time the baby breathes and an alarm will sound if no movement for 15 sec – cost about $100 and it it great – the only way I sleep at night with my daughter. http://www.angelcare-monitor.com. I actually found out about it from a parent blog and the reviews are great. Congrats !!!!
Oh Amanda, he’s just perfect….. I can’t get the smile off my face just reading this, despite the scary start (which would have been pure torture)- you are both so very deserving of this… Happy days… xx
He’s so beautiful.
He is gorgeous, thanks for taking the time to post pics.
When you are sleep deprived and forgetting your own name, just looking into his beautiful face will remind you how worthwhile it all is.
So happy for you guys. Congrats…:)
Amanda,
Your post brought tears to my eyes, I’m so very happy all went well. I’m in love with him too, he’s beautiful, just like mommy.
Take care love and give him a big kiss from me…
Love,
Kimmer
Congratulations once again!
How beautiful. I’m sorry the beginning was so scary, but I’m so happy you are home with your little boy. Your little boy. AMAZING.
OH how perfect is he. I know what you guys have been through and how scary that is. My DD’s scores were 4 and 4 so she went to NICU but was only on oxygen for 4/5 hours. I was so wiped out from the 18 hours it took her to come out I didn’t even know this went on until the next day – I think God works those things out because I would have been like you freaking out. Shift work those sleeping times because one of you needs to be alert. So glad you have him home so soon as he must be doing great. Enjoy the time since it flies so quickly. So glad you sent pictures and keep them coming. I miss wrote in my other comment – my DD was 5 weeks not days early but at the same measurements as Adam.
Congrats again, Amanda! I can imagine how scared you were with him not breathing. We had a scare while I was having Will, his heart rate was going up and down and it ended up he had the cord wraped around his neck. He cried once right as he was born and then wouldn’t cry again and was real lethargic. DH and I were scared while they were working on him, trying to get him breathing. It’s a scary thing but I’m glad all is well now. Have fun getting to know your new little family member!
I just recently found your blog – WOW, what a journey! Congratulations on your beautiful baby boy.
Found you through julianna–wow how wonderful and terrifying at the same time! Welcome to the club of mom’s of boys :) It is a wonderful place and you have so much to look forward to….enjoy each day (and nap when he does ;)
Seriously, could he get any cuter? Just when you think that–bam, cuter he will indeed get with each passing day.
Sorry you had such a scare within seconds of him entering the world and then for a bit afterwards. But the rest of it? Magical indeed.
Thrilled that your family of two is now a family of three…enjoy the wonderful ride that is raising a child :-)
So very glad for you all. Enjoy these early days. They are hard, but wonderful.
Amazing story! I am so happy for you.
XOOXOXOXOXOXOXO
He is absolutely beautiful! Congratulations, again!
He’s just gorgeous, Amanda. I’m so so happy you got your happy ending. I feel like I’ve been on cloud nine ever since my miracle baby was born, and I know you’ll feel the same.
What a beautiful, beautiful baby. I am so happy for you and Dan. Congratulations!!
Congratulations Amanda. Adam is beautiful and I am glad everything is ok now. Too bad you had such a bad scare though.
I’m so sorry for the scare, but so glad things are well.
He is just beautiful. Made me cry. I just love the picture of you holding him. Beautiful.
He’s beautiful! He has some adorable chubby cheeks. will look forward to seeing more of Adam.
Eeeeeeee!!
He looks bigger than his weight! What a handsome man you’ve got yourself. I hope you fall right into being a family and the first few weeks aren’t too hard on you.
So, so happy for you.
Delurking to tell you that I am overjoyed for you, Dan and Adam. I’m crying over here — he’s so beautiful. So many congratulations.
I’m so happy for the three of you, what a miracle.
Congrats! I was reading your blog around the time you first started your journey. I’m so glad to see the happy ending. All the best to the three of you.
Gorgeous. I’m sorry you had such a scare, but I’m so happy for you, and I’m looking forward to hearing your new mama stories! You did it!
Amanda,
I was devastated last night to read that your worst fears had been a part of your delivery. I’m so relieved to hear that you are all home together as it should be. You have a gorgeous baby there. Enjoy your time as a new family.
xoxo
Oh wow! Adam is absolutely precious. The nights will get better and you’ll get more sleep. Enjoy him while he’s brand new, these days pass so fast.
I’m so glad your dream came true.
I am so glad that he made it okay! As everyone has said, the first few nights are the hardest…don’t worry, it all gets so much better over time! Congratulations again, and he’s absolutely beautiful!
He’s beautiful! Congratulations!
Dear Amanda, how beautiful he is! So glad both of you are home now.
Congrats and best wishes to both of you on the birth of your beautiful baby boy! Wow, you did it!
He is gorgeous! I got all teary-eyed reading your account…congratulations on making it, and I hope you guys are all adjusting to each other at home!!
Yes! Yes to all of it. I love him too!
Thank you for sharing this. And mazel tov on the creation of your family.
So glad you got through the rough parts without damage. Enjoy the time together and get used to being a family. Congratulations on a beautiful son.
adam is just beautiful! ~hugs~
Amanda- Congratulations on the birth of Adam! He is just perfect! I am so happy for you! You got the happy ending that you so deserve! Best wishes!!!
hoorah – hoorah!!!
beautiful photos — thanks for posting
Adam is gorgeous! And you, too – so neat to see you after all this time!
I’m so sorry for the scare, that must have been horrifying. Thank goodness all is well now…
Yay!
How scary! I am so truly happy that he is o.k. I am so truly happy for you. congrats!
Tears, tears, tears everywhere reading this. He’s perfect, so sweet and home–hooray!! Please instruct him that he has used up his allotment of drama and is now required to be healhty and perfect from here on out. You are done with all that!! I cannot even imagine how scary that must have been. Clearly he has been a fighter all along and is meant to be here with you. Heartfelt congratulations.
Carrie from IVFC
So very very beautiful. That 2nd photo is one of the most beautiful pictures I have ever seen, and am so eternally grateful to have seen it.
Yes….another crying stranger here!!!!! I have been following your ‘life’ from the beginning and I am SO HAPPY that you are a MOM! You have just begun the MOST amazing time of your life. Nothing else is like parenthood. Nothing. In more ways than you ever thought imaginable, your life is about to change. For the bigger, better and most crazy. Congrats to you and Dan. WELCOME ADAM! We’ve been waiting a long time for you :)
He’s perfect. So beautiful and adorable, and I am so very, very happy that this little guy is here and with you and Dan. Many, many congratulations to all of you!
Oh Amanda, he’s adorable!
You made it, my friend : )
He is beautiful! Congratulations Mommy!!!
He’s BEAUTIFUL!!!! Congrats!
Congratulations again! He is beautiful and I’m so glad to hear that you all are home safe and sound. You are an inspiration!
Oh he is absolutely gorgeous!
I’m so happy you’re all home and doing fine. Congratulations again!
Hey, you’re a mommy!! :D
He looks so perfect. I hope that you’ve gotten a bit of sleep and that things get a little easier each day.
I have lurked at your blog and ovupost for awhile now. I found your journey very heartfelt and touching.
I wanted to say that I don’t know you, but I am so very happy for you.
Congratulations! He is perfect, just perfect!
He’s truly beautiful. I’m so thankful that after reading your blog and following your story for so long that I get to offer heartfelt congratulations on your wonderful family.
Hurrah! I totally thought you’d go before me, but here we are… Isn’t this just amazing? We have us some kids! Congrats, girl. Congrats, congrats, congrats.
ahh … congratulations! Such happy news, and a beautiful baby. Very, very happy for all three of you. It is indeed amazing.
Oh Amanda – He’s a little cutie. Congratulations a million times over. Enjoy!
He’s beautiful! He also has gorgeous hands! I’m so glad that everyone is now doing well.
I am UNBELIEVEABLY happy for you!!
The NICU is a hard place, even for a few hours. My daughter was in for a miraculously short 8 days given her gestation.
Congrats on his latching so well! That’s really great given everything!
He is just beautiful, as you know…go enjoy your baby moon :-) We’ll be here waiting for any pictures and updates!
I just saw the news and wanted to add my congratulations! It sounds like you did a terrific job during labor, too. It’s actually quite special to me to see your successful pregnancy and delivery – as yours is the very first blog I came across when I stumbled into the world of IF blogs. You have given me hope and inspiration for which words cannot express adequate thanks. God bless you and your family!
Wow, he is beautiful!! What a doll – look at his chubby little cheeks!
Amanda and Dan – Congratulations! I’m so sorry that you had to have a few more scares, but now that is all history. Reading your story brought tears to my eyes, I know how much you have been through and just want to wish you all the best. Adam is absolutely gorgeous.
Chris
Home run! Great slugigng with that answer!