A Rocky Journey to Our Heavenly Blessing

I've decided to start back on up this blog since this year is guaranteed to bring the Henry family many new adventures. But first, let me get you caught up on how we ended 2013 and brought in this New Year. It's a long story and i want to download everything  I remember to get it off my chest, but I promise there will be pictures towards the end!

After a lovely Christmas with the family, here in Oklahoma, I got sick. At first, we thought it was just a cold since I was coughing and feeling stuffy. I tried over the counter meds and couldn't breathe well enough to even dream of getting any sleep, but the coughing started making my stomach get sharp pains and since i was 8 months pregnant I decided to go to the doctor before it got worse.
Here's a picture of me 8 months pregnant. The last picture I took while pregnant, the first day I was sick and just spending my day resting.

 Well, the doctor basically said there was nothing he could do, and prescribed me more over the counter meds....to which I was less than thrilled. I decided since he is a doctor I would at least try it for one day. Well, the next afternoon there was no change, and I was getting worse. I went and turned on the shower to get the steam going to help me breathe, but then noticed I hadn't felt the baby move...I tried to get him to move by pushing around which usually would get him to kick me back, but he didn't. It was devastating, I was so scared...I was crying so hard when I told Aaron and we got in the car and he rushed us to the hospital (which thankfully is a 2 minute drive from our house). On the way there though, as I prayed and prayed and prayed that the baby would be ok, he kicked me twice, they were not very strong, but I was relieved to at least feel him.

I got admitted to Labor and Delivery at the hospital on base because the baby's heart rate was in the 200s which is dangerously high. They diagnosed me with an Upper Respiratory Infection and gave me an IV and some medicine as they continued to monitor his heartbeat. My oxygen level started to decline with the coughing and congestion so they put me on oxygen. Two days later they were going to discharge me, but then my fever spiked and the baby's heart rate went too high again. They were talking about a c section to get him out, but continued to monitor him and hold off to see if they could get my fever and symptoms under control. They then ran more tests and found out I had a severe case of pneumonia.  Day 7 in the hospital, I was finally on a really low dose of oxygen and they were talking about discharging me the next morning. I went to the bathroom and leaned down, and when I got back to my bed I was not able to breathe even after putting oxygen back on. It was the scariest moment of my life. They put the oxygen on really high and I still felt like i couldn't breathe. So they decided to have an ambulance transport me to a hospital in Oklahoma City that would be able to take care of the baby since they had a great NICU team if he needed to come out soon and there were complications. The doctors made it seem like as soon as I got to the new hospital I would have a c section because things did not look good.

When I arrived at OU Medical Center I was placed in the ICU and monitored. I was still on oxygen but I was breathing better with it finally. The doctors and nurses started taking blood and vitals and they seemed to be less worried than the team from the base hospital. I had stabilized on the way over. I couldn't have asked for a better group of people to attend to me at both hospitals and the EMTs who transported me. In the ICU they continued to monitor me and the baby and slowly tried to wean me off the oxygen. I was doing pretty well. They talked to me about my options on delivery and decided that the best option was to get the baby out soon so that he would no longer be in danger and I could then be able to take stronger doses of meds to get me well and out of danger too. The doctors said csection would be their last option when they found out I really wanted to try to go natural. We compromised. They would allow me to try a natural delivery as long as I had an epidural. They were worried that if I went through labor without any pain medicine then I would be too tired at the end to push the baby out and it would put me at a greater risk if they had to do a csection.

They induced me on the 7th, my water broke naturally on the 8th and on January 9, 2014, at 5:17 A.M. I had my precious baby boy, Corban James Henry. He was 6 pounds 1.7 oz and 19.1 inches long. (i was 38 weeks and 2 days pregnant, so he was only 2 weeks early). As soon as he came out they put him on my chest. I got to hold that gooey baby for 30 seconds before they took him aside to clean him up. Aaron snapped this picture as our sweet boy was being cleaned up.

They didn't want me to hold him without a mask and gloves, so i was prepared  to hold him longer after they cleaned him up, but things didn't go as planned. He wasn't breathing well when they were checking him out. They placed him on oxygen and took him the NICU. Aaron and I did not have time to understand why exactly they were taking him away, but the Lord provided us with a wonderful nurse who took time to explain what exactly the nicu nurses had told us in a hurry before they took Corban away.

This part was difficult. Since I was sick I was not able to go to the NICU because they did not want me to get mine or any of the other babies in there sick with my germs. Aaron was the only one who was able to go visit Corban and get me information on what was going on.
I was released from the ICU and transferred to a regular room in the maternal ward that afternoon. Aaron went to visit Corban and said that he was doing good, but had a feeding tube and they wanted to keep him longer for observation to make sure he could keep his food down because he was not eating the amount they wanted him to, and his head was in a globe so he could keep his oxygen regulated.

How devastating it is when you can't see your baby. It was hard to see pictures of him with a tube in his nose and wires all around him, and not being able to be there and have those first bonding moments with him, or just be there beside him. Aaron was amazing. When he would go up and visit Corban, he would come back and show me pictures of our precious baby.

 Aaron was going back and forth between Corban and my room to keep us company and make sure that we were healing. He got to give Corban a bath one day and kept going up to the nicu every 3 hours to feed him. What a great father!

I was finally given permission to go to the NICU two days later. It was terrifying to see such a small little baby laying there so helpless. My first visit up there I was able to hold him and got to feed him. I also got a picture of dad in action.

 They discharged me from the maternity ward on Saturday, the 11th. And the hospital provided a place for us to stay in the Ronald McDonald Newborn Village. It was a small room with a bed so that we could stay until he was discharged. We are so thankful for that room. Here is a picture of Corban under the blue lights since they were treating him for jaundice. And another picture of the room we stayed in with Aaron sleeping (much deserved, poor guy didn't get much sleep the past two weeks of hospital time and worrying over me and Corban)

Finally Corban was discharged on the 12th. We got discharged around 6pm and got home at 8. There's a picture of his going home outfit. We had an easy first night home with him, with feedings every 3 hours. I have tons of more pictures but i think i'll save those for another post.

It was a whirlwind of a journey that got us to where we are now. This sweet boy is almost a miracle baby! Without all the prayers from family and friends while I was in the hospital struggling to breathe and heal over pnemonia and the flu, we would not have made it. Honestly, I don't think Aaron and I have caught up on our sleep...and I don't think we ever will. We were not prepared to be in hospitals for so long, or have Corban home with us so early, but we were also blessed that his family and mine helped us by getting us last minute items to have, and my mom made us meals so I didn't have to worry about cooking.
I'm still healing from the flu&pnemonia and child birth, along with being a new mother and sleep deprivation, but I am so thankful that I serve a God who gives rest to the weary, because He knows I surely get weary. I'm so glad He is my Strength and my Healer. I don't know what I'd do without my faith.

Aaron and my relationship was made stronger through this rocky journey, and he was wonderful the way he took care of me and made sure the nurses and doctors were taking care of me. He even stayed on the nurses and doctors cases about getting me cleared to go see Corban in the NICU, he asked each one, each time they came in the room to check on me "when will she be cleared to go upstairs" "can he be brought into her room now" "what does she have to do to get the ok to go up" (I love that man!).

These pictures are from his first couple of days home. His newborn clothes were a bit big for him, but he's now grown into them :)

I can't believe it's been 1 month since he's been born. He is definitely growing, and I'm so glad he's healthy. He loves to kick his feet and flail his arms. He's starting to make sudden noises that sound like he's just wanting to talk and get our attention. He still sleeps most of the time (which mommy is thankful for since i'm still trying to rest and recuperate) but when he is awake he has these captivating blue eyes that follow the sound of mine and Aaron's voices and watch us as we are close to him. He hates being changed. He cries the whole time (although he's starting to get a little calmer i think, or i'm getting used to it). Daddy and I are still adjusting to being parents, but we are teaming up pretty well.

 One month old today. I didn't get any good pictures that day, only when I was feeding him. :) But look how he's grown!

Sons are a heritage from the Lord, children a reward from him. Psalm 127:3