As most of you know by now, Jack decided to make an early appearance (almost five weeks early, to be exact). To say the last week has been a whirlwind would be the understatement of the century. I really can't believe how much our family has changed in such a short period of time. Last Thursday, I had an ultrasound to check on Jack's development and my amniotic fluid level. It was lower than we wanted, so they admitted me to Labor and Delivery for IV hydration and overnight monitoring. It was so awful to call Chris and tell him that he had to go pick Meredith up from school because I wasn't coming home. He brought her to the hospital on the way home to see me and that made me feel a ton better. By Friday morning, the amniotic fluid had gotten a little better, so I was sent home with an appointment for another fluid check on Saturday morning. Chris, Meredith and I headed to the hospital on Saturday morning and I never left. My fluid level was much lower and we decided that I should be admitted and have an amnio to check to see if Jack's lungs were mature. It was a strange experience to be on the business end of that needle after seeing so many amnios at work. I told Chris if nothing else, I became a better genetic counselor because I can now tell patients what an amnio actually feels like! Unfortunately, his lungs weren't mature, so I was sent back to bed in L&D with some more IV fluids and to start a course of steroids to help Jack's lungs. Chris, Meredith and my parents spent the day with me and finally headed home that evening. By 10:30pm, I had started having contractions and Jack's heart rate was dipping too low, so I had to call Chris and tell him that he needed to rush to the hospital because we might end up having an emergency C-section that night. Jack thankfully settled down and we were able to make it through the night (contracting every five minutes). Chris and my dad spent the night in my hospital room and Mimi, Aunt Kathy, Uncle Dave and Bekah stayed at our house with Meredith. Sounds like quite the slumber party, doesn't it? By Sunday morning, the fluid had all but dried up, so we made the decision to meet Jack. The C-section was actually a really great experience compared with Meredith's delivery and my pain hasn't been as bad as I thought it would be. Jack came out crying and did great initially, but then started to have some respiratory distress. He ended up in NICU on CPAP, but was off the CPAP and breathing on his own by 20 hours of life. He's a great nurser and is a very laid back, relaxed little guy. He was 7 lbs, 2 oz and 19 inches long. That works out to almost 94th percentile for his age--can't even imagine what he would've looked like at full term! He came home with us the same day I was discharged (Wednesday) and except for a little jaundice, has been doing amazingly well. He definitely doesn't act like a baby born at 35 weeks and 4 days of age! Big sister Meredith has been a real trooper through everything. It helps that Daddy, Mimi and Papa did everything they could to keep Mere and I from losing our minds. I'm so grateful for my husband and parents! Mere loves Jack, although she's still a little afraid to touch him. She loves to help with anything where Jack is concerned and is so sweet with him. She's learned lots of new words this week, as you can imagine. I can't believe it'll be a week tomorrow since Jack was born. I really can't remember what our lives were like before he came. He has been the perfect addition and makes our family complete.
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