Dallas Update

Hello, All! This is actually Rajean again making a post. I'm so thankful that Doug has been keeping you all updated on Dallas and providing some great photos! I know you all are very appreciative of it as well. Just wanted to update you on Dallas, and also let you know a few more details on his arrival. {Just a fair warning...this is a long post}

We'll begin with his arrival. At our Monday appointment, Dr. Smollen gave us the option to induce. I had made progress from the week before, and she thought it would be a smooth inducement to go ahead and have me come in and break my water. Plus, she was on call at the hospital on Tuesday. I really liked the idea of her being the one to deliver "Buckwheat" (as we were still calling him at that time. Of course, Doug and I were very anxious to meet our little one. We got to the hospital at 9 the morning of the 11th, and got settled right away. Dr. Smollen came and was about to break my water when she decided it felt like Dallas was breeched. She got the ultrasound machine to double check, and sure enough ~ Dallas was butt down not head down! (The stinker!) After discussing the troubles associated with breech deliveries and how Mercy Hospital doesn't do them, we decided to have Dr. Smollen try to turn Dallas over. After serveral minutes and two hard attempts, we realized he wasn't budging. We then started prepping for a c-section. I was given the spinal block by a great doctor who was very kind and empathetic. Once I was numbed up, Dr. Smollen gave it another try to turn Dallas ~ Still no success. Off to surgery we went. At 11:08 a.m. Dallas made his enterance into our lives. Dr. Smollen was in awe of how big he was (8 lbs. 8 oz.; 21 1/2 inches; a 15 inch head, and big feet)! He actually would have weighed a bit more had the little guy not peed twiced while they were delivering him! Anywho...after stitching me up and getting to a recovery room, Doug and I were able to spend about an hour with him before he went to the nursery. Overall, we were very thankful to have decided on inducement and to have such a wonderful team of doctors and nurses on call that day.

Alright, enough about labor and delivery...Doug had mentioned that we would be heading home today (Friday), but plans changed through the night. They drew blood around 6 p.m. because Dallas was showing signs of Jaundice ~ not uncommon in babies. Well, the level was higher than they liked and decided to put him under the lights for some phototheraphy. The nurse came to the room around 9:30 p.m. to pick him up for the lights. When they got to the nursery, Dallas decided he was hungry...so back he came! He ate like a champ again, and then left again around 10:30 to get his treatment. A little after midnight, the doctor came in to tell us that Dallas was having a rough time. He had quit breathing a few different times during the night. Not enough to require CPR, but to require oxygen to get him going again. They had ordered blood draws and a chest x-ray, and were wanting to do a spinal tap to rule out infection of the spinal cord (meningitis). We, of course, agreed to all the tests and then sat and waited to hear back from the doctor. (This is where times get fuzzy for me) We were able to go see him, but couldn't hold him because he was hooked up to monitors and an IV. We stayed for a little while, and then came back to the room to try and sleep while Dallas went back under the lights. At 6 a.m., we were woke up by the nurse for my vitals check, and then we went down to the nursery to see Dallas again. He had "straightend up" and had not had any more episodes of apnea. He was still having phototheraphy and was sleeping, so we couldn't hold him or really touch him (they didn't want us startling him). Around 8 a.m. or so, the nurses tried giving him some sugar water and he again stopped breathing. The doctor then ordered a CAT scan. He had that done at 10 a.m. and everything came back normal!!! We are still waiting on cultural results from blood draws and the spinal tap ~ they could take up to 72 hours.

Alright...enough sad news...now the good stuff! After the CAT scan, we were able to sit and hold Dallas for a while. The miracle of skin contact and familiar voices is amazing! His breathing and oxygen leveled out, as well his heart rate. We could have sat there forever, but I had to go back and pump.

Since Dallas was having these bouts with breathing, I was not allowed to nurse him, but at 12:40 this afternoon the nurse decided to try nursing because the pacifier wasn't calming and satisifying him anymore. He did GREAT! His oxygen level dropped right at first, but the nurse thinks it was because he tried to suckle so fast that he forgot to breathe. (I say this is just like Doug when he is hungry...they just try to inhale everything so quickly!) So...we stopped and let Dallas recompose himself. The second attempt was a SUCCESS. He nursed to his little heart's desire, and then even switched sides and nursed again without a single problem! The doctor has decided that we can continue nursing, but it must be in the nursery while Dallas is on monitors. Which is fine with us.

So...we are still at the hospital and we are not sure when we will be able to take Dallas home. Like I said earlier we are still waiting on some test results. I am actually being discharged this evening, but we are able to stay at the hospital (at no charge) because Dallas is still here. I just won't be provided nursing care (given tylenol, having vitals taken, provided meals, etc.) It really is a great service Mercy provides for people like us.

That brings you up to date on Dallas and us. As for myself, I am doing really well with recovery. Doug has been an awesome support for me through all of this. I am so very thankful to have him and the great staff here at Mercy. We thank God that we were still at the hospital when Dallas decided to be a stinker. We have been saying many prayers in the last 24 hours, and we know that Dallas will be receiving many more after having posted this. We appreciate them greatly. We will keep you updated as we ourselves find out more. Hopefully, the next post will say we are for sure heading home!

Until next time...