Gill's Birthday! September 8, 2008

At 8:45 Sunday night, my water broke! Thank goodness I was at home and in the bathroom. Could I really be going into labor 18 days early? No way, we aren't even packed yet, we haven't installed the car seat, I haven't organized every detail of his arrival like I planned! We got to the hospital 30 minutes later after directing Trey on what to pack. I think I heard him say, "What's a onesie?"

Shortly after we were checked in, we were moved to the labor and delivery room where I received some pitocin because I was only having a few contractions and was not dilated. Trey & I decided I would try to make it through some contractions before I received the epidural. We failed to anticipate just how long getting the epidural would take!

I suffered through some pretty tough drug induced contractions before calling the anesthesiologist. She immediately struggled with inserting needle because in her words, "It would have been nice to know you had scoliosis!" I have what? oh yeah, I sort of remember in elementary school the doctor telling my mom that, but she didn't want me to wear a back brace! So after four attempts she finally got it in and I was quickly on my way to the happiest place in the world - it was filled with heavy immobile legs and lots of giggles from Trey.

I pushed for about an hour and a half when my doctor came in, two more good contractions and he was here at 8:46 AM weighing 6 pounds 8 ounces, and 20 inches.

We held him briefly, I fed him his first meal, and friends and family got to meet Gill. He was taken upstairs to get a bath, but did not return for several hours. Two nurses came in with him and told us he was going to the NICU. We held him, cried a bit, and he was taken away with respiratory issues.

We were told we could visit that night. So finally after several tearful hours, we saw him again for the second time around 9 PM. As soon as his breathing troubles subsided, he began having trouble keeping his food down.

Then right when we thought we were in the clear, his bilirubin levels were too high. He would have to be under a "bili blanket" all day Friday (his 5th day in the hospital) before he could come home.

Finally that afternoon he was released. We had a "baby tanning bed" delivered to us that evening. He screamed for a full hour before settling down. At his doctor's appointment the next day, his levels were down and we could discontinue the lights. YEA! I have never seen Trey pack something away so quickly!